The princess didn't know what to say to Madam Chu, so she drove all the young people out. The girls sat down in the main room. The county lord had a chance. As soon as he sat down, he pulled Chu Jinyao to talk: "You all went home, why didn't you write to me? I'm so bored living at home alone."

Lin Baozhu heard this and laughed: "Third sister, what are you saying? Are we not human beings?"

Lin Baozhu said: "That's right, third sister only has Sister Yang and two cousins ​​in her eyes. We sisters are very annoying and don't count at all."

The county lord's words were full of There are no taboos, but Chu Jinyao cannot be so arrogant. She smiled and said, "The county lord was busy talking, but the two cousins ​​caught the opportunity to talk. We are guests and have been disturbing the palace for a few days. Once we have some peace and quiet, anyone would feel uncomfortable. On the contrary, you two cousins, you and the county lord are real sisters, just like the left hand and the right hand, you are always together. Of course you won't feel lonely."

Lin Baoxuan smiled and said, "Fifth cousin is good at talking. No wonder grandma is always talking about you."

"Cousin, you are kind. I hope the old ancestor doesn't mind me making trouble." Chu Jinyao smiled and said politely.

"How could that be?" Lin Baozhu blinked and winked at Chu Jinyao, "The old ancestor won't mind you making trouble. Maybe the old ancestor still misses you and wants you to continue to come back to the palace to make some noise!"

Lin Baozhu may have heard some rumors, so he joked about this matter. However, when these words came out, Chu Jinyao was slightly embarrassed, and the faces of the other girls also changed.

Yang Qixia's expression was particularly stiff. She was the niece of the Princess of the County. She grew up listening to the deeds of her cousin, the prince. She wanted to marry her cousin since she was a child, and even her aunt, the Princess of the County, had this idea. Everything was fine, but Chu Jinyao suddenly showed up. How could Yang Qixia be willing?

She and her cousin, the prince, were childhood sweethearts, and the two families had reached a consensus early on. She clearly appeared before Chu Jinyao, so why was she robbed by this illegitimate daughter of the Marquisate? After all, Chu Jinyao was just a fake daughter who grew up in a peasant family. What qualifications did she have to compete with her, the legitimate daughter of the Yang family?

Because of her relationship with the Princess of the County, Yang Qixia often stayed at the Prince's Mansion of Huailing. She often regarded herself as the Prince's Consort, so she took the trouble to build a good relationship with the servants of the palace. Lan Ze in the old princess's room also secretly fell in love with the prince, and the old princess also promised privately that she would send Lan Ze to the prince to show her face in the future. She didn't dare to say that she was a concubine, but it would be no problem to be an aunt. After Yang Qixia knew about it, she was always very polite to Lan Ze. Lan Ze understood what Yang Qixia meant and treated her with respect as a mistress.

They both had good ideas. They just waited for the princess to talk to the prince, and then married Yang Qixia first. Then Yang Qixia would make the decision and make Lan Ze a concubine. After they had this relationship, they would only be virtuous wives and filial concubines, and they would be as close and warm as sisters. Therefore, Yang Qixia and Lan Ze had a tacit understanding. Yang Qixia gave Lan Ze face, and Lan Ze served in front of the old princess, informed Yang Qixia of the news, and gave her secret advice. However,

when the news of the Tatar war came, Lan Ze was caught off guard and heard from the old princess that she intended to keep Chu Jinyao for the prince to marry. Lan Ze seemed to be hit by a wake-up call. Lan Ze immediately informed Yang Qixia, and after hearing this, Yang Qixia felt as if the sky had fallen and the earth had split.

Yang Qixia thought indignantly that in fact, the Princess of the County had always favored her! But who can blame the old Princess for having a high seniority and a lot of say? Even if the Princess of the County is not happy, she still has to listen to the old Princess's arrangements. I came to visit the Changxing Marquis's Mansion today to test the waters first. After the elders of the Chu family show their approval, I can ask a guarantor to come.

Yang Qixia thought, and her fists gradually clenched tightly. The county lord called her twice, and seeing that Yang Qixia didn't respond, he asked curiously, "Sister Yang, what's wrong with you?"

Yang Qixia came back to her senses suddenly, she raised her hand to smooth her hair, and covered it up by saying, "I didn't hear it just now, what did the county lord say?"

"I called you several times, but you didn't respond." The county lord pouted and complained, "We just said that we would have a banquet in a few days and have some fun together."

Chu Jinyao heard it and asked, "County lord, you don't have to go to the academy to attend classes?"

"No need." The county lady waved her hand and said, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has left. My mother said that I have worked hard these past few days and asked me to have a good rest for a few days. I will ask the nanny to teach me after things are settled."

Chu Jinyao understood immediately. The Crown Prince had left. No one would care if the county lady was detained to study. The Princess decided to cancel the county lady's courses. The next time the county lady was detained, it would probably be the Crown Princess's order to ask the nanny in the palace to teach the county lady the palace rules.

Chu Jinyao was a little dazed when she heard these words. The Crown Prince left so soon? She hadn't thanked the Crown Prince yet, and there were some things she wanted to ask him in person.

For example, she had never taken out the jade pendant in front of anyone. How did His Royal Highness the Crown Prince know what her jade pendant looked like? Also, why did the prince seem to be very familiar with her, and even more so, he would inadvertently take care of her?

Of course, it could also be that she was being sentimental. But the jade pendant incident was really strange.

And that day, the prince said that his mother was Empress Wenxiao, and that his mother's surname was Qi. What did this mean?

These doubts were about to make her explode. Chu Jinyao was still thinking about going to Huailing County Prince's Mansion to ask in person next time, but unexpectedly, the prince had already left.

Chu Jinyao couldn't help asking: "Why did the prince leave so soon?"

The county lord shrugged and shook his head and said: "I don't know. It was agreed that he would stay for more than a month. I don't know what happened. The prince suddenly proposed to leave, and we didn't even prepare."

Whatever the prince said was the truth, and no one dared to say a word against it. Even if they speculated in private, they couldn't figure out what this gentleman was thinking. Chu Jinyao thought for a while and shook her head helplessly: "I can't guess, maybe there is something important waiting for Your Highness at the front line."

Speaking of the prince, the other girls also became interested and started to discuss: "It's really strange. The prince came to Taiyuan without anyone noticing, and he only stayed for a few days and left. I heard that the prefect intended to hold a banquet for the prince, but before everyone was ready, Your Highness went back without saying a word."

The third girl also felt the same: "I heard from my father a few days ago that he planned to invite Your Highness to Taiyuan to stay for a few days after the banquet at the Prince's Mansion was over. The other adults also thought so. They all felt that Your Highness had finally withdrawn from the border, and this time he could stay for at least a year or so. Since Your Highness came to Shanxi, this is the first time he has been to the city!"

"Yes, no one expected that His Highness would leave in such a hurry."

The officials of Taiyuan thought that the birthday of the old man in the Prince's Mansion had just passed not long ago, and the officials gave face to the Prince's Mansion and did not rashly invite the prince to come out. Anyway, the prince would definitely stay in another family in the future, so they gave each other face and did not rashly intercept. However, they did not expect that they would not be able to wait for the next step.

Lin Baohuan was not without pride: "Your Highness came here to celebrate your grandmother's birthday. After the birthday banquet, His Highness will naturally leave."

The girls of the Chu family smiled and applauded: "My cousin is right. No one in the city is more respectable than the Prince's Mansion. Even His Highness the Crown Prince gives face to the Prince's Mansion."

Although the three young ladies of the Lin family present did not respond, they all showed an expression of approval. The third young lady wanted to flatter, and asked with a smile: "We are not so lucky. We have not had the opportunity to see the Crown Prince, and His Royal Highness has passed away. Unlike the county lord and the two cousins, they not only met the Crown Prince, but also paid respects to His Royal Highness from time to time. The county lord and the two cousins, please have mercy on us and tell us how the Crown Prince and the nobles in the palace talk and walk?"

Lin Baohuan smiled and said: "What else can we do? Aren't they just like us, with two eyes and two legs? What else can we say?"

The sixth young lady smiled and pursed her lips and said: "Cousin, please stop flattering us, Tell us quickly. To be honest, I haven’t met anyone in the palace yet.”

Lin Baohuan was flattered and continued, “In fact, I haven’t seen His Highness much either. I just greeted His Highness a few times.”

Several girls in the Marquis’ Mansion showed envious expressions and hurriedly urged, “You actually paid your respects to the prince in person. You are really jealous. Tell us quickly, what is the prince like?”

Lin Baohuan said shyly, “How should I know? However, the prince is really young, majestic and imposing. He is the most handsome person I have ever seen.”

“Really?” Several girls from the Chu family didn’t believe it. They grew up in the Marquis’ Mansion and had seen countless of their brothers and cousins, many of whom were particularly good-looking. Hearing Lin Baohuan say this, many people were skeptical.

Lin Baohuan said, "Really! If you don't believe me, ask my fourth and fifth cousins. They have also seen him."

The topic suddenly turned to Chu Jinyao. She didn't want to get involved in this. What kind of talk is it to discuss a man's appearance? But facing the eyes of everyone, Chu Jinyao couldn't deny it against her conscience. She could only nod slightly and said, "Indeed. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is really young and promising."

Chu Jinyao said this without any regret. Although she felt that Qi Ze was the most outstanding man she had ever seen, the Crown Prince and Qi Ze looked the same, so this was not false. Hearing Chu Jinyao say this, the other girls were all shocked. They cried out in anger: "Why did the prince leave so soon? We didn't even see him."

Lin Baozhu looked at the county lady and said meaningfully: "How difficult is that? You should build a good relationship with the third sister. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

The few people who did not go to the Prince's Mansion did not understand what he meant, but Chu Jinyao and Chu Jinmiao understood. The county lady blushed and stretched out her hand to hit Lin Baozhu: "What are you talking about! I won't pay attention to you."

Lin Baozhu quickly begged for mercy and humbled himself to make the county lady happy. Although the county lady said she was angry, her eyes were bright.

Chu Jinyao smiled faintly, and for some reason she felt a little lonely. It turned out that the matter between the county lord and the prince was about to be settled. She originally wanted to ask His Royal Highness the Prince alone, not to mention that the prince had already left, even if the prince was still there, it would not be convenient for her to do so. It seems that her doubts will not be answered.

Chu Jinmiao watched these people laughing and talking coldly. She looked down on the ignorant appearance of these people in the Chu family, but she was proud that she had sat in the same room with the prince. After seeing Canghai, it was no longer possible to be content with a small pond. Chu Jinmiao met the prince as she wished, and saw the style of the people in the palace. Instead, she wanted to jump over the dragon gate and fly to the sky. When she was carried into the East Palace, what would those people in the Chu family who had made things difficult for her count for? She wanted these people to kneel on the ground and beg her for forgiveness.

So when Chu Jinmiao heard Lin Baoxuan talking about the county lord, her ears moved. Chu Jinmiao's mind started to work. Now that she was suppressed by Old Madam Chu, it would be difficult for her to get close to the prince by herself. But the county lord was different. She had the whole family paving the way, and it was very likely that she would win a place by the side of the prince. If Chu Jinmiao got on the county lord's boat and accompanied the county lord to marry into the East Palace, wouldn't it be a piece of cake?

Chu Jinmiao was thinking about the county lord. Yang Qixia was restless throughout the whole meal because she was thinking about the princess chatting with Old Madam Chu in the room. The ladies knew very little about what was happening outside. After talking for a long time, they had nothing to talk about. This is because it involves the prince, otherwise, they would not care about these. After the girls had a great time talking, they lost interest in this topic, so they sat down in twos and threes, doing needlework and chatting about clothes and jewelry.

Seeing that no one was paying attention here, the county lord secretly pulled Chu Jinyao's sleeve and said to Chu Jinyao: "Come closer to my ear."

Chu Jinyao cooperated and turned over. The county lord said to Chu Jinyao: "Do you know that my mother wants me to marry the prince, maybe I can be the prince's consort!"

Chu Jinyao had seen this a long time ago, but now, she pretended to have just learned about it, and congratulated the county lord in accordance with her wishes: "Is this true? Congratulations, the prince has given the Prince's Mansion so much respect, I think it will definitely succeed. .”

The county lord was smug, “Yes, my mother calculated for me and said that I will be rich and noble in this life and will enjoy happiness. You follow me well, and when I become the Crown Princess in the future, I will definitely reward you well.”

This was really unpleasant to hear. Chu Jinyao was unhappy and did not say anything. Instead, she said, “Thank you, County lord. My blessings are limited, so you don’t have to trouble me.”

The county lord ignored what Chu Jinyao said. She was now immersed in the joy of becoming the Crown Princess. She looked at Chu Jinyao, with her cloud-like hair and phoenix-shaped hairpins, her eyebrows and eyes were picturesque, and she was indeed a look that was suitable for a family. The county lord remembered what the old princess said when she taught her. The old princess said, "Look at the fifth daughter of the Chu family. She is good-looking and has a obedient and sensible temperament. She suffered so much when she was a child, but she was not arrogant or impatient after she was found. Logically, people who suddenly become rich are most likely to become arrogant and unruly, but look at her. She is still friendly and loves to laugh when dealing with people, and she is also very easy-going with the servants. On the contrary, you either beat or scold your maids. You are going to do great things in the future. Learn from Chu Jinyao. This is the style that the ladies in the harem should have."

The old princess used Chu Jinyao to teach the county lord. The county lord was very unhappy about this, and even had a bad face towards Chu Jinyao. But now, the county lord looked at the beautiful and sophisticated Chu Jinyao, and she suddenly no longer cared. What was there to care about? Chu Jinyao was not as lucky as her anyway. No matter how beautiful and sensible Chu Jinyao was, she would be just an ordinary official's wife in her life. But she was going to be the Crown Princess. Now she was the Crown Princess, and in the future, she would become the mother of a country.

Just as the phoenix would not mind the skylark, the county lord no longer cared about Chu Jinyao. She held Chu Jinyao and talked for a long time, and everything she said was nothing but her imagination of the future.

In the inner room, Old Madam Chu and Mrs. Zhao were sitting with the Princess. Old Madam Chu saw that the Princess was talking about it but was unwilling to get to the point, and she couldn't help feeling anxious.

The Princess is now in a dilemma. She doesn't really like Chu Jinyao. She would rather her niece be her daughter-in-law. But her mother-in-law ordered it, and the Prince of Huailing agreed, so the Princess was in a dilemma.

The Princess went around the subject for a long time, and every time Old Lady Chu brought up the topic of engagement, the Princess would laugh it off. After several times, Old Lady Chu was annoyed. What does the Princess mean? Hasn't it been agreed that now all the Princess needs to do is break the veil and say that she likes Chu Jinyao, and then Old Lady Chu will agree, and the deal will be done. Then the Prince's Mansion can pick a good day and ask a matchmaker to come and propose marriage. But now, the Princess' attitude is neither rejection nor initiative, and Old Lady Chu is very strange.

Chu Jinmiao sat in the wing for a while, she looked outside to see the sky, stood up and said, "I'm going to go change my clothes, the county lady and my two cousins ​​can sit down."

The women were used to calling going to the bathroom "changing clothes", the county lady nodded without paying much attention, Chu Jinmiao saw that no one was paying attention, so she went out first.

After she left Rongning Hall, she looked back and hurried to the corner gate.

Two maids were sitting in the west corner door, eating melon seeds and chatting. Chu Jinmiao hid behind the foot of the house and took a look, then turned back and told her wet nurse Liu: "Take these five coins and send those two maids away. You should understand the rest, right?"

Madam Liu said: "I understand." Then she took the coins from Chu Jinmiao and walked towards the corner door with a cat-like waist.

When she reached the door, Madam Liu deliberately coughed twice. When the two gatekeepers saw Madam Liu, they quickly stood up and greeted her, "Hey, what gust of wind brought you here? Madam Liu, how are the Madam and the Fourth Young Miss today?"

Madam Liu said, "Of course they are." She walked closer, put the piece of silver in the madam's hand, and said, "I'll pick a hair ornament for the young lady, and these are for you to drink with."

The young lady took the silver and weighed it, saying with a smile, "How can you take the Fourth Young Miss's things?"

"The young lady gave it to you to drink with, take it."

The two madams laughed so hard that their eyes were blinded. They put away the silver and immediately found it difficult to stand. A maid asked, "Madame Liu, why are you here?"

"Oh, I'm here to buy a head flower for the young lady. She's worn one before and she doesn't want to trouble someone to go to the jewelry store to buy one. Fortunately, the peddler who often walks on our street also sells head flowers. Although they are simple, they are novel and can be used. "

"Well, if you buy things from the peddler of the Huo family, you have to wait a while. He doesn't usually come at this time."

"It's okay, I'll just stand here and wait. If you want to go for a drink, go first. I'll have to wait here anyway, so I can watch for you for a while."

The two gatekeepers rubbed their hands and laughed awkwardly, "How embarrassing..."

"Go quickly! It will be alright."

The old woman was relieved. As they walked, they said, "Thank you, Madam Liu, for watching over us for a while. We will be back after having two cups of wine. It is not convenient for you to go out the second gate, so why don't you call a smart servant to watch over you. When the peddler comes, ask him to call him in, and you can stand at the second gate and carry the goods slowly."

Madam Liu agreed to all the requests. After seeing the two old women walking away, she immediately ran over to tell Chu Jinmiao, "Miss, everyone has been sent away."

Chu Jinmiao nodded and said, "According to the plan, let those people from the Su family follow the peddler in. You arrange for the servants who watch over the gate to make sure they don't hold back Su's father."

"Understood."

After a while, a servant outside led the peddler to the corner of the second gate and asked Madam Liu to carry the first thing. Madam Liu picked and chose in the shopping racks, and deliberately asked Su's father and mother who were following the peddler: "Is this your brother? Why are you out here doing business today?"

The peddler also took the money and did not answer. Su's father said: "No, we are from Yunzhi Embroidery Manor, looking for the fifth lady."

"So you are here to look for the fifth lady. You should follow me. We can't wander around in our house. I will take you for a while."

Su's father and mother agreed. They sneaked into the second gate according to Chu Jinmiao's instructions. At that time, Chu Jinmiao only said that someone would meet them after they got to the second gate, but this journey alone was enough to make Su's father and mother dizzy. The flowers and plants that caught their eyes were something they had never seen or imagined. They seemed to be walking on clouds, and they were completely dizzy.

Madam Liu gave the servant a few cents, sent the servant and the peddler away, and then she took Su's father and mother inside. After walking for a while, Chu Jinmiao came out from behind the corner of the wall and threatened in a low voice: "Remember, no matter what happens later, you just insist that you are here to see Chu Jinyao, and you must not say that you have seen me, understand?"

"Understand, understand." Su's father and mother nodded and bowed to Chu Jinmiao, their eyes constantly looking at the furnishings of the Marquis' Mansion. Chu Jinmiao looked down on their behavior, and after giving them instructions, she left with her maid.

The girls were still talking in the anteroom. The sixth girl saw Chu Jinmiao come in and asked curiously, "Fourth sister, why did you take so long?"

Chu Jinmiao smiled and said, "I was a little tired from sitting, so I went outside to get some fresh air." Chu

Jinyao couldn't help but glance at Chu Jinmiao when she heard this. Chu Jinmiao was not a person who was willing to go outside for a walk, so what she said was very strange. Chu Jinyao looked at Chu Jinmiao, and suddenly her eyes fixed. How did the corner of Chu Jinmiao's skirt get rubbed with dust? It looked like it was hiding behind the wall and got rubbed off from the wall. Didn't Chu Jinmiao go to change clothes? How could she get rubbed with wall dust?

Chu Jinyao kept the abnormality in mind, but didn't show it on her face. After a while, there was a sudden commotion outside the yard.

"What's the matter?"

The girls all stood up, and a maid ran out. After a while, she came back and said, "It seems that the sound came from the fifth lady's courtyard."

Everyone looked at Chu Jinyao, and Chu Jinyao shook her head, "I don't know what happened."

Nanny Gu was also alarmed. She lifted the curtain and went out with an unexpected look on her face, and cursed in a low voice, "The old lady and the princess are still in there. What are you doing?"

"Nanny Gu, we don't know either. It seems that someone is looking for the fifth lady."

Nanny Gu frowned when she heard it, "Young lady, can anyone see her? How dare you make trouble in our house? Get out!"

The maid outside responded, and Chu Jinmiao heard something wrong, so she hurried out and pulled Nanny Gu and the maid to ask questions. Nanny Gu was secretly worried, but she had to answer Chu Jinmiao's questions. As she delayed, the other party's voice was getting closer.

Old Madam Chu and the Princess of the County heard it. The Princess of the County came out and asked, "What happened?"

Nanny Gu hurriedly came up and said, "Nothing, a few servants failed in their work and are crying now."

The Princess of the County was too lazy to meddle in other people's family affairs. Yang Qixia walked to the Princess of the County and said suddenly, "Aunt, I just seemed to hear someone outside calling the Fifth Miss, and I don't know what happened."

"Oh?" The Princess of the County heard it and became alert, saying, "Since she is shouting so loudly, it must be an emergency. Let's call them in." After

the Princess of the County said this, Nanny Gu had no choice but to ask someone to call the noisy people in.

When Su's father and mother were brought to Rongning Hall, they were almost blinded by the furnishings here. Su's mother remembered Chu Jinmiao's words and cried whenever she saw people. Su's mother didn't care who these people were and immediately cried out: "My poor Yao'er, why are you so depressed!"

Chu Jinyao's face changed immediately when she saw the people coming. She glanced at Chu Jinmiao dimly, and now she knew where Chu Jinmiao had just gone. Chu Jinyao really didn't expect that Chu Jinmiao could actually contact Su's father and mother.

The princess did not expect that such a coarse peasant couple would come in. She frowned and said unhappily, "Where are they from?"

Su's mother replied, "Your Highness, I am here to look for my adopted daughter Su Yao. Although she is not my biological daughter, I have raised her for thirteen years and I love her as my own daughter. She has gone astray now, and as a lady, I cannot bear to see her go astray."

The maids and young ladies all took a deep breath and turned to look at Chu Jinyao. The woman said it so clearly that they naturally heard that she was talking about Chu Jinyao.

Old Madam Chu also came out with the help of someone, looking at the scene with an unpleasant expression. Chu Jinyao kept her composure and stood aside with her hands behind her back. She wanted to see what Chu Jinmiao was going to do before making a move.

Old Madam Chu saw that Chu Jinyao was very calm, and slowly her heart calmed down. As long as Chu Jinyao didn't cause this on her own, she wouldn't be afraid at all. However, to cause all this at this critical moment... Old Madam Chu glanced at Chu Jinmiao with pity.

Nanny Gu received the look from Old Madam Chu and asked Su's mother coldly: "Our old lady is kind to the old and weak, and will not care about your impoliteness for

the time being. Tell me, what do you want to do by coming to our mansion?" Su's mother sat on the ground and cried: "I don't want to bother the fifth lady anymore, but I can't stand it. She has a lot of money every month, and her money is not earned in a legitimate way!"