"How can this be done?" Old Madam Chu laughed at what she said. She said meaningfully, "Even if you are determined not to marry, what about your younger sisters?"

Chu Jinyao was completely speechless. She bowed to Old Madam Chu, and her voice was so cold that it didn't sound like she was talking to herself: "I know. Greetings, grandma. I'll take my leave first."

Old Madam Chu was always cold and hard, but she felt sympathy for this granddaughter. She was obviously the legitimate daughter of a marquis, but she was replaced at birth. When she finally came back, her mother had already raised another concubine. Her family had taken great pains to choose a good marriage for her, and it seemed that it was all settled, but in the end, this happened.

Madam Chu sighed deeply and looked at Chu Jinyao with pity: "Go, calm down by yourself. In a few days, you will have to cheer up and plan for the future."

After Chu Jinyao left, Madam Chu sat for a while, but she was still worried, so she asked someone to call Linglong over.

Linglong originally served Madam Chu, and both sides were very familiar with her. Madam Chu didn't waste time talking to Linglong. She asked right away, "How is the Fifth Miss these days? Isn't she upset and doing something stupid?"

Linglong lowered her head and said firmly, "No, the young lady is not the kind of person who would look down on herself."

"That's good." Madam Chu was relieved, and then she thought of another thing. "It's easy to investigate what happened that day. It turned out to be Chu Jinmiao who was causing trouble. Such a vicious person should be severely punished, but the Fifth Miss and the Prince's relationship is over, and Ning'er likes Chu Jinmiao very much. If we punish her, wouldn't we lose both sides?"

Linglong was shocked when she heard this. Seeing that Chu Jinyao's marriage was over, Madam Chu actually wanted to marry Chu Jinmiao to Lin Xining to preserve her relationship with Huailing County Prince's Mansion? If that was the case, then Chu Jinmiao really couldn't be touched.

Linglong calmed down and said, "Old lady, you are kind-hearted and naturally think the best of others. However, the fourth lady and the fifth lady have no conflict of interest, but you can still damage the fifth lady's reputation because of jealousy. You offended the fourth lady by sending her to the temple before, and I'm afraid she still holds a grudge against you. If you really let the fourth lady marry Master Ning, how do you know if the fourth lady will accuse you in front of Master Ning and the old princess, and make up stories about the Marquis's mansion?"

When Old Lady Chu heard this, her face showed Hesitantly: "She only has our mansion to rely on, she shouldn't have the courage, right?"

Linglong said: "Who can say this for sure, the fourth lady may not do this, but it is better to be safe than sorry. Even if it is a one in a million chance, once she does it, it is inevitable, which will be very bad for our mansion."

Mrs. Chu thought it made sense. There was no need to do risky things. There were so many granddaughters in their family, they could just pick one to marry, there was no need to give advantage to Chu Jinmiao, an outsider.

And she was an outsider with a vicious heart.

Linglong had been observing Mrs. Chu's expression, and when she saw this expression on her face, Linglong knew that she had succeeded. Mrs. Chu thought Linglong was still her own person, so she trusted her wholeheartedly. This was also the reason why Linglong could persuade Mrs. Chu to change her mind with just a few words. But how could Old Madam Chu know that Linglong had already leaned towards Chu Jinyao's side.

Linglong came out of Old Madam Chu's room and hurried to Chaoyun Courtyard. After she pushed the door open, she found that the maids were standing quietly outside.

Linglong asked quietly, "The young lady is alone in there?"

Dingxiang nodded at Linglong and pointed to the east room. Linglong understood what she meant and wanted to go into the room to persuade Chu Jinyao, but finally gave up.

Chu Jinyao liked to sit in the study when she felt uncomfortable, so they should not go in and disturb her.

Inside the room, Chu Jinyao sat at the desk, flipping through the large characters she had written before, page by page.

How much effort she had put in to learn these in the beginning. She originally thought that only those who worked hard could live a good life, and she looked down on Chu Jinmiao's unconventional ways, but in the end, it was proved that she was the complete fool.

Chu Jinyao was flipping through the pages when she came across a page of powerful and strong words. Chu Jinyao looked at it quietly for a long time, and finally reached out to cover it.

The last time she was bullied by her sisters and was isolated and helpless, Qi Ze helped her, but now she will soon be forced to be a concubine, why is there no one around her?

Chu Jinyao said softly in her heart, Qi Ze, didn't you say before that I would live a happy and smooth life? You also said that no matter what I wished for, you would make it happen for me. But now, someone is forcing me to be a concubine. Can't you hear it?

A tear slid down Chu Jinyao's cheek and just dripped on the handwriting of Qin Yi, blurring the word "promise" into a ball of ink.

You broke your promise, Qi Ze.

Wei Wu traveled day and night and finally entered Datong City at dusk. As soon as he entered the city, he rushed to the temporary palace. When he arrived at the temporary palace where Qin Yi stayed, the eunuch guarding the gate said, "The prince is not at home. His Highness has been in the military camp these days."

Wei Wu didn't care about the dust on his body, so he mounted his horse and rushed to the military camp. When he finally saw Qin Yi, the clouds in the sky had faded, and the world was covered with a dark dusk.

Qin Yi seemed to have lost some weight in the past few days, and his bones were more distinct, his posture was like a sword, and his eyes were like knives. Qin Yi was wearing a silver armor with a bright yellow four-clawed python dragon embroidered on his sleeves. The whole person looked like a sword out of its sheath, with a sharp edge.

Xiao Linzi was also accompanying him, and now he was standing far away in the corner of the tent, wishing he was born without the ability to breathe. After Wei Wu entered the tent, he quickly glanced at Xiao Linzi, unable to hide his surprise.

What did Xiao Linzi do to be so scared?

Qin Yi was sitting in the main seat, and after hearing the voice, he only looked up at Wei Wu, then lowered his head to look through the official newspaper: "Why are you here?"

Wei Wu immediately understood why Xiao Linzi had to hide so far away.

Wei Wu calmed down and replied respectfully and carefully: "Your Highness, some big and small things happened in Taiyuan. I dare not take it, so I brought it to report to Your Highness."

Qin Yi went to Taiyuan last time, and celebrating the birthday of the old princess of Huailing County Prince's Mansion was just an excuse. Their real purpose was to contact people in the capital. The prince's departure from the capital does not mean that his control over the capital has weakened. Taking advantage of the Lin family's old princess's birthday celebration, people from the capital came to the palace in the name of giving gifts. The palace was noisy during those days, and it was difficult for people from the Lin family or other princes to keep an eye on everyone's movements. Taking this opportunity, everyone gathered in the prince's room one after another to report the movements in the palace and the court and discuss what to do next. The prince has made military achievements, and it is time to find an opportunity to return to the capital in triumph.

Even Wei Wu went to the Huailing County Prince's Mansion in person in the name of giving gifts. In the original plan, the prince would stay in Taiyuan for several days, and when everything was arranged, he would return to the border to take over the military power and prepare to return to the capital. But for some reason, the prince stayed for a short time and went back to the border without saying a word.

The plan was disrupted, which brought some troubles to the people below, but it was not a big deal. The real trouble was the prince.

The prince has not been in a good condition since he came back, and everyone below was secretly worried. Wei Wu didn't think much of it when he heard about it before, but now that he saw it with his own eyes, his heart sank.

"What about Taiyuan?" Qin Yi paused, then asked casually, "What is it?"

Wei Wu hesitated for a moment, then said carefully, "It's not a big deal..."

Qin Yi didn't say anything, but with Wei Wu's many years of experience, he immediately realized that the prince was unhappy. Wei Wu didn't dare to delay any longer, and said quickly, "Actually, it's a matter of Changxing Marquis' Mansion, and it has something to do with their fifth lady."

"Chu Jinyao?" Qin Yi couldn't help but stop when he heard the name and asked, "What's wrong with her?"

The prince even knew the nickname of the fifth lady... Wei Wu felt more and more that he knew something extraordinary. He no longer hesitated and told him everything about Su's father and mother making trouble, Su Hui asking for help, and old lady Chu taking the whole family to the Prince's Mansion.

The more Qin Yi listened, the colder his expression became. When he finally heard that Madam Chu and the Prince's Mansion had a quarrel and left unpleasantly, and returned to the mansion early, Qin Yi's three feet around him were almost frozen. "They are so brave."

Wei Wu was not sure whether the "they" the prince was talking about was the Lin family, the Chu family, or the couple from the Su family, so he had to lower his head and keep silent to avoid saying the wrong thing. Qin Yi paused for a while, took a deep breath, and picked up the teacup to calm himself: "What did the Lin family say in the end?"

"Yesterday I received a message from my son Fei Pigeon. The letter said that the old princess of the Lin family intended to let the fifth girl be the prince's concubine. They..."

Wei Wu had not finished speaking when he suddenly heard the sound of porcelain exploding. Wei Wu secretly looked up and found that Qin Yi's face was frighteningly gloomy. The expensive blue porcelain cup was knocked on the table. Looking closely, there was a vertical crack on the blue glaze. It was actually crushed by Qin Yi.

Qin Yi let go, and the porcelain cup that looked neat just now suddenly broke into pieces and fell to the ground with a bang.

Wei Wu didn't dare to say anything, but looking at the bloodstains on the broken porcelain pieces, he couldn't help but ask: "Your Highness, your hand..."

"It's okay." Qin Yi stopped the eunuch who wanted to come forward to bandage his hand, still looking up at Wei Wu, "Are you serious?"

"Really."

"What did the Chu family say?"

"When I left, the Changxing Marquis' Mansion had not yet expressed its position. Yesterday's flying pigeon message only said that the Prince's Mansion intended to make Miss Chu Wu a concubine, but did not mention the attitude of the Marquis' Mansion." Wei Wu looked at Qin Yi's face and added, "They should not have agreed yet."

Qin Yi sneered: "They are sensible. If they really dare to agree... I will be the first to not forgive them."

Wei Wu lowered his head, not daring to think about what the prince meant. After a while, Qin Yi waved and said, "There is nothing for you to do now, go down."

"Yes."

Wei Wu and Xiao Linzi retreated, and when they went out, Xiao Linzi closed the tent quietly.

After the tent was closed, it suddenly became dark inside. When the door was closed, a gust of wind swirled in from outside, blowing the flame of the candlestick up and down. Qin Yi stared at the candlelight, absent-minded for a long time.

He once promised himself that Chu Jinyao would live a peaceful life. He would take care of the affairs of the officialdom, and Chu Jinyao only needed to be a daughter of a noble family who was ignorant of the sufferings of the world, and become an official's wife in the future, with her husband having a successful career and her son rising to prominence. She lived a life of luxury and spent her life in a confused and happy way.

He had fully believed that he could do it.

But the facts left Qin Yi speechless, and he didn't even dare to face it.

He is the prince of the Eastern Palace, he is the backbone of the army, he has too many national interests to consider, so unknowingly, he neglected the person he once vowed to protect. Attacking the Tatars, confronting the emperor's younger brother, maneuvering the forces in the court, and remotely controlling the situation in the capital, he has so many things to do, and he didn't know when Chu Jinyao was falsely accused of stealing his reputation and plotting for wealth, and he didn't know when Chu Jinyao was forced to be a concubine.

Qin Yi was simply scared. If Wei Wu hadn't rushed to report, would he have let these people go and made such a big mistake?

Qin Yi sat alone in the tent for a long time. He thought a lot. Finally, he called out, "Come here, prepare ink."

In the Forbidden City, the golden lions were glaring, the coiled dragons were dancing, and the officials in red robes and purple silks were bowing their heads, solemnly and hurriedly shuttling on the white marble steps.

Outside the Wenyuan Pavilion in the south of the east wing of the palace, people were coming and going more and more regularly. From the outside, this is really an inconspicuous little house, but everyone who comes in and out here is proud. The reason is simple, because this is the place where the inner cabinet works, and it is the highest ideal of the literati in the world.

As Fan Zhengying walked along, everyone he met on the road stopped respectfully, cupped their hands, and called out with a smile: "Fan, the Prime Minister."

The Prime Minister approved documents on behalf of the emperor and often served the emperor. It can be said that this is the highest position that scholars in all dynasties can reach, and he is a role model for scholars all over the world. Fan Zhengying is over 60 years old, but this age is still very young for the cabinet, especially since he is a bachelor of Wenyuan Pavilion. Although Fan Zhengying is in a high position, he is cautious by nature. When he meets people on the road and greets them, no matter how close they are, he will always stop and nod and smile. But today Fan Zhengying was very careful, and he almost ran all the way to Wenyuan Pavilion.

The officials who greeted him on the road were all surprised when they saw him. Fan Shoufu was always neither fast nor slow, even during the winter solstice celebrations. When had he ever walked so fast? What happened today that could make Fan Shoufu so anxious?

An official nearby whispered, "It seems that there is a letter from the prince."

The official was startled, and then he couldn't hide his joy: "Your Highness is finally willing to come back?"

The other party shook his head mysteriously: "Only Prime Minister Fan knows this."

Fan Zhengying rushed to Wenyuan Pavilion and asked as soon as he entered the door: "The prince has sent a letter? Where is the letter?"

Others hurriedly presented the letter to Fan Zhengying. Fan Zhengying was so anxious that he had never been so anxious even for his grandson's marriage. He hurriedly took it and read it. After scanning it, he said in disbelief: "The prince actually asked the emperor to grant him a marriage and confer the title of prince on him. Concubine?"

Inside the Qianqing Palace, the emperor was also very puzzled: "He didn't write a letter for a year, that's all, but he suddenly sent a letter, and even asked me to give him a marriage?"

Of course, Qin Yi didn't ask the emperor to "give" him a marriage in the letter, what he said was: "Immediately confer the title of Chu Jinyao, the fifth daughter of the Changxing Marquis's Mansion, as the Crown Prince's principal wife."

The capital city a hundred miles away was turned upside down because of Qin Yi's letter, and in Datong City, after Qin Yi sent letters to the emperor, the prime minister, and the East Palace Zhanshi in turn, he became relaxed and leisurely, and even the faint anxiety in his heart these days was swept away. It is better to say that it is the action of Huailing County Prince's Mansion that finally gave him a reason to cut in rather than saying that the matter of the concubine forced him to express his position.

Damn concubines, these people in the Lin family are so shameless. Qin Yi was completely annoyed, and he decided to do it himself. These people in the Lin family should get as far away as possible.

As for Chu Jinyao's thoughts... oh, it doesn't matter. If Chu Jinyao still wants to marry Lin Xiyuan like a donkey kicked in the head, even if she doesn't care about being a concubine, then Qin Yi will pull her away from this fire pit and pour out the water in her head.

Xiao Linzi and Wei Wu watched with their own eyes as this earth-shattering marriage decree was completed before their eyes. Now their eyes were bigger than copper bells, and they dared not say a word. After Qin Yi finished writing the letter to Fan Shoufu, he easily spread out another piece of paper and wrote a letter to his subordinates. He wrote quickly, and after finishing it, he stuffed it directly into Wei Wu's pocket: "Give this letter to Zhong Fushi, and let him follow you back to Taiyuan to solve these messes."

Wei Wu took the letter with both hands and couldn't help asking: "How to solve it?"

Zhong Fushi was Jinyiwei, and he was a eunuch. They were used to being arrogant, so he must not be misunderstood by them and tortured.

Qin Yi hummed, thought for a while, and finally said: "Forget it, after all, they are her adoptive parents, and the eldest daughter of the Su family is not bad to her, so don't make her an enemy. Forget it, just hit her lightly, if you are still unsure of the severity, go and ask the Crown Princess."

Wei Wu sweated profusely after hearing this, he had just sent the letter, and here the Crown Princess had already been called. Wei Wu already understood the severity of the situation, he bowed and stepped back: "I understand, I'll take my leave."

Qin Yi's mood was much better than when he came, and he even said "hmm" to Wei Wu. Xiao Linzi stood aside and watched, silently complaining in his heart, the Crown Prince was still worried that he would hit too hard and make Miss Chu feel embarrassed, but when dealing with them, why was he never worried about hitting too hard?

Madam Chu was right. Seven or eight days later, the Prince's Mansion indeed sent someone to act as a lobbyist. The lobbyist was Chu Zhu.

Chu Zhu was the daughter-in-law of the Lin family and the aunt of the Chu family. She returned to her parents' home as a married woman, which was neither presumptuous nor conspicuous. It was very appropriate. Chu Zhu had already married and had children in the Prince's Mansion of Huailing. Her roots had already moved there, and the old princess was not afraid that Chu Zhu would not be on the side of the palace.

After Chu Zhu knew what Madam Chu had said to the old princess that day, she also complained to Madam Chu. She sat in Rongning Hall, and kept complaining to Old Lady Chu: "Mother, you are such a fool. If you have anything to say, just say it nicely. How could you just embarrass the old ancestor? I have been bullied by my mother-in-law and the princess these past few days because of this matter."

Old Lady Chu thought of her own daughter who was also working for the old princess, so she was afraid to act rashly and softened her tone. Old Madam Chu said, "I was inconsiderate that day. But your mother-in-law was also wrong. What she said was wrong. It was clearly agreed that Jinyao would be the Crown Prince's consort, but when the time came, she suddenly became a concubine. Is this what people do?"

Chu Zhu disagreed, "Mother, you can just say this to me, but you can't say it outside. My eldest sister-in-law's sister is about to become a phoenix. She can be the concubine of the Crown Prince of the County Prince's Mansion and the county lord's brother. This is a good thing that many people are fighting for. You and your eldest brother are not happy?"

Old Madam Chu saw that Chu Zhu's eyes were full of pride, and she couldn't help asking, "Is the county lord's matter settled?"

"The palace's decree hasn't come down yet, but the old lady of the Zhenbei Marquis' Mansion has already agreed, and said she would go to the palace to speak for the county lord. What kind of family is the Zhenbei Marquis' Mansion? Since they have agreed, it must be stable."

Old Madam Chu was curious: "How many things did you give to persuade the old lady of the Zhenbei Marquis' Mansion?"

Chu Zhu pointed with her fingers, and Old Madam Chu was amazed: "So many?"

"More than that, this doesn't include the four sets of clothes. Money is actually a small matter. This time, we can talk to Old Madam Qi, all thanks to a favor my mother-in-law did in her early years. We are indebted to her this time. If she wasn't familiar with Old Madam Qi and had a say in front of the old lady, otherwise, no matter how many things we gave, we would not be able to deliver them to the old lady."

So that's how it is. It was actually relying on the favor of the old princess in her early years. No wonder the old princess was so arrogant last time. The Changxing Marquisate could not help in this matter. No wonder the old princess was dissatisfied with Chu Jinyao and wanted to choose another one.

Chu Zhu and Old Lady Chu were talking in private inside, and the young people were sitting outside together, speechless.

This time Chu Zhu came back and brought Lin Xining and Lin Baohuan with her. Lin Baohuan was fine, but Lin Xining was in a daze and looked uneasy.

"Cousin Ning, what's wrong with you?" The Sixth Miss noticed Lin Xining's abnormality and asked with concern.

Lin Xining came back to his senses, and he couldn't help but glance in the direction of Chu Jinmiao, but finally forced himself to look away.

That day, Chu Jinmiao said that she had never met the Su family's parents. Lin Xining did not tell her that he had actually seen them.

He came out to call for help and happened to see Chu Jinmiao with her back to him, lowering her head and talking to the Su family couple. Lin Xining did not know what was going on at the time. He just thought that they were a pair of servants. Chu Jinmiao might have ordered them to do something, and they happened to call him. Lin Xining did not have time to talk to Chu Jinmiao and went back directly. Therefore, Chu Jinmiao did not know of his existence.

Later, Lin Xining saw Su's father and mother at Mrs. Chu's place, and then he realized something was wrong. With the last hope, he asked Chu Jinmiao as if he was deceiving himself: "Cousin, do you really not know these two people and have never met them?"

The answer later was self-evident. Lin Xining doubted himself at that moment. What kind of person did he like all these years? Did he really understand Chu Jinmiao?

Lin Xining couldn't think of it, and didn't dare to think about it. He has been in a daze since he returned home, and vaguely heard that his eldest brother and Chu Jinyao's marriage seemed to have changed. Lin Xining knew that his eldest brother liked Chu Jinyao very much. He had been secretly preparing for this for a long time. If he took a bath at the last minute, it would be too cruel to Lin Xiyuan.

Lin Xining knew that as long as he told the old princess, the princess of the county, and even Lin Xiyuan about Chu Jinmiao, the marriage between Lin Xiyuan and Chu Jinyao would immediately take a turn for the better. Lin Xining went to find Lin Xiyuan, but the words were already on his throat, and he finally gave up.

He couldn't bear to do so. Just think of it as the last time he obeyed his favorite fourth cousin. This time he could only be sorry to his eldest brother and fifth cousin, because he owed them.

When he went out today, Chu Zhu secretly asked him if he wanted to take the next step with Chu Jinmiao and change from cousins ​​to husband and wife. Lin Xining was stunned and fell silent, which was unusual.

Finally, Lin Xining told Chu Zhu not to mention this matter again and let him think about it carefully.

Lin Xining, for Chu Jinmiao, cruelly deceived his beloved elder brother, and watched his elder brother and Chu Jinyao miss each other. Lin Xining felt extremely guilty, and now when he saw Chu Jinmiao, he felt a ball of anger surging in his chest, but he couldn't find an outlet. Lin Xining didn't want to face Chu Jinmiao again, but he was too obvious before. Now once he held back from talking to Chu Jinmiao, not only Chu Jinmiao, but also other people would notice something was wrong.

Lin Xining looked tense, and didn't want to explain, and even ignored Chu Jinmiao's initiative to talk to him. Chu Jinmiao was used to being clingy to by Lin Xining. This was the first time that she was treated coldly by Lin Xining. Chu Jinmiao was unhappy and her expression immediately turned ugly. Chu

Jinyao was in no mood to care about the lawsuit between the two. In fact, Chu Jinyao had no interest in anything these days. She even began to doubt the code of conduct that she had believed in before. Was it really wrong for her to be down-to-earth and tolerant? Chu

Jinyao was in a trance. In her trance, she seemed to hear the voices of Su's father and mother. Chu Jinyao was stunned for a moment, and then she saw that everyone around her was looking outside. Chu Jinyao realized that she was not hallucinating, and it was indeed Su's father and mother who came.

But this time, Su's father and mother did not come alone, they were accompanied by several other people. Chu Jinyao saw the clothes of one of them and his eyes shrank.

Feiyu suit, Jinyiwei.

How did Su's father and mother offend these evil stars?