Chu Jinyao slowly frowned and looked at Qin Yi suspiciously: "What do you mean?"

Qin Yi was obviously in a good mood. He flipped through the things in his hands and couldn't help laughing: "Four Books, Book of Documents, University Commentaries... Have you been reading these recently?"

Chu Jinyao vaguely felt that something was wrong: "Didn't they say that all the noble ladies in the capital will read these?"

"You believe what they say." Qin Yi really couldn't help laughing. He reached out to rub Chu Jinyao's hair, but Chu Jinyao dodged angrily. Qin Yi was not annoyed, and tapped Chu Jinyao's forehead with his fingers: "Think about it yourself, what would Baoqing and the others say for the sake of face in front of a new Crown Princess? As for the legitimate daughter of Princess Rong'an, she just went to school with Duke Wei for a few days when she was a child, and she has been bragging about it ever since. How can I not know what level they are at?"

Chu Jinyao was completely stunned after hearing this: "It's actually fake? I I thought that in Beijing, people paid attention to educating their daughters, regardless of etiquette, and also let girls read the Four Books. I was still reading books for this matter the day before I got married. "

Qin Yi chuckled, Chu Jinyao glared at him, Qin Yi restrained himself a little, and said with a smile: "It's okay, it's good to read more books. You are really..."

Qin Yi didn't think of the right words, and Chu Jinyao listened and became unexpectedly depressed: "Your Highness, am I much worse than others?"

"What?"

"Every aspect." This thought has been lingering in Chu Jinyao's mind, and today he finally said it out loud, "I was delayed when I was young, and only saw the wealth of the world after returning to the Marquis' Mansion. I learned the etiquette of greeting and the rules of sitting and lying down in a hurry. But these visible things can be learned, what about those invisible things? When I was young, no one taught me, and I was far behind the young ladies who were looked after by female elders. But later, His Highness did not despise me and made me the Crown Princess. I am naturally grateful, and I have always been grateful to him. As long as you work hard, I will make up for whatever you lack. But when I came to the capital, I found that the women here are no more lax than me. They started from a higher point and have more skills than me. Your Highness, if you hadn't known me in advance, I would never have been the Crown Princess, right? I have to work very hard not to hold you back, but other women can help you instead. "

Qin Yi felt uncomfortable when he first heard it, and later, he retracted his smile, but still let Chu Jinyao finish. After Chu Jinyao uttered such a long speech, he suddenly felt extremely frustrated and felt that he had no face to face Qin Yi anymore. Chu Jinyao turned her head away and said in a low voice: "I'm sorry, Your Highness has been tired all day, and I still said these sad words. I'll go serve dinner to Your Highness..."

Chu Jinyao wanted to get up and leave Qin Yi's side. As soon as she stood up, Qin Yi grabbed her wrist.

"I didn't expect that you would think so." Qin Yi sighed slightly, pulled Chu Jinyao back to his side, and put her on his lap. Chu Jinyao did not resist and sat down obediently.

Qin Yi held Chu Jinyao with one hand, and did not continue what he had just said. Instead, he suddenly asked: "You also asked this question when I went to Taiyuan that time. What did I say then?"

"You told me to think about it myself."

"You really are good at remembering." Qin Yi was helpless, and nodded Chu Jinyao's head in frustration, "The previous sentence."

Chu Jinyao had to try hard to recall. She recalled for a moment and tentatively said: "You said that my personality is quite comfortable. Although my mind is not extremely smart, I'm not stupid. I can save time and gain speed..."

"Actually, these are all nice words, high-sounding, but there is no information."

Chu Jinyao immediately glared at Qin Yi: "Are you saying that you actually lied to me?"

Qin Yi was blocked for a moment, and obviously did not expect Chu Jinyao to notice this. He sighed and could only make excuses for himself: "It's not a complete cliché. Since I can say it, it won't be against my will. You were named the Crown Princess, and you felt puzzled for a while, but you might as well think about it the other way around, why did I do this?"

Yes, why did Qin Yi do this. He would not sacrifice himself just to take care of her. If he was not satisfied with her marriage, he could just issue an order to give her another marriage.

Qin Yi is now the Crown Prince, trusted by the Emperor, supported by the court officials, and he also made military achievements last year, and his popularity among the people is also very high. As a man like him, he could marry any woman he wanted, so why did he marry her?

Chu Jinyao shook her head honestly. She couldn't figure it out, so she kept doubting and feeling uneasy. Could it be that Qin Yi wanted her for her beauty? He wasn't such a superficial person.

"Alas." Qin Yi sighed. He put one hand on Chu Jinyao's waist and the other hand tapped her leg three times rhythmically. "Jinyao, let me ask you, in the palace, why do those who can guess the intentions of the superiors have the best life?"

Chu Jinyao thought vaguely. Qin Yi did not continue to speak, but smiled lightly and said, "Those people you mentioned, even if they are smart and good at talking, and have been familiar with poetry since childhood, what does it have to do with me?" Qin Yi reached out and grabbed Chu Jinyao's chin, rubbed her delicate jaw, looked straight at Chu Jinyao, and said, "Think about it yourself."

After Qin Yi said this, he put Chu Jinyao down and left. Chu Jinyao sat silently for a while, and also reached out to touch her chin.

She silently complained, what's wrong with the people in the palace? They don't say what they want to say, but make people guess.

However, after this incident, although Chu Jinyao still couldn't figure out Qin Yi's mind, she at least understood that Qin Yi didn't marry her for some inexplicable reasons. After Chu Jinyao learned this, the uneasiness in her heart receded a lot. Even if other women are outstanding, eloquent, and worldly-wise, Qin Yi married her, so this is their business and has nothing to do with others.

In fact, it's no wonder that Chu Jinyao can't figure out Qin Yi's mind, because Qin Yi himself doesn't know what he wants. Why don't the masters in the palace like to make things too clear? Because sometimes, they don't know what they mean. But the superiors' words are final, and changing orders every day is a taboo, so they can only speak vaguely and let the subordinates guess. If someone can figure out the master's mind and put the result that the master likes most in front of him, and the master goes with the flow, wouldn't it be a great achievement?

Qin Yi is like this now. He doesn't know why he does this. To be honest, Chu Jinyao is not a suitable candidate for the Crown Princess. He is now more powerful and does not have to rely on the power of his wife's family. The family background of the Crown Princess has weakened, but even so, marrying a wife with roots in another place is not a rational idea.

However, Qin Yi was strangely willing to do this. Qin Yi himself couldn't figure out why he was willing, so he told Chu Jinyao: "Think about it yourself."

Qin Yi was also looking forward to what result Chu Jinyao could come up with.

Chu Jinyao was busy for a few days and finally decorated the East Hall to her liking. She had nothing to do on weekdays, so she often spent time here. Qin Yi's words reassured Chu Jinyao that Qin Yi had never despised her. In this case, she had to work harder to keep up with Qin Yi's pace.

Chu Jinyao was reading comfortably in the sun today when the partition of the study was suddenly knocked.

"Crown Princess."

Chu Jinyao looked up and saw the person coming, and smiled knowingly. "Erxue, why are you here?"

"I am here to pay my respects to you." Erxue stood outside the partition and squatted deeply in front of Chu Jinyao, "I have something to say to the Crown Princess."

Ten days have passed since the day Chu Jinyao promoted Erxue. Judging from Erxue's face, she has not had a good time in these ten days.

Chu Jinyao called people up, closed the book and said, "Come in."

Erxue stood at the door without moving, her eyes darting around the servants.

"What's the matter?" Chu Jinyao asked.

"Crown Princess, I have something to say to you alone."

As soon as Erxue said this, the other maids standing in the room were unhappy, and they all looked at Erxue with strange eyes. Chu Jinyao raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "You guys go out first."

The maids serving in the room squatted down in unison and quietly retreated. Erxue stood at the door, and the maids glanced at Erxue secretly when they passed by her.

Er Xue's expression remained unchanged, but her heart gradually sank. After this incident, the news that she secretly talked with the Crown Princess would soon spread throughout Ciqing Palace. She knew that she had no way out.

After everyone left, Erxue fell to her knees with a thud, put her hands on the ground, and kowtowed resolutely: "I am guilty, please forgive me, Crown Princess."

Chu Jinyao did not respond, but asked: "What do you mean? What crime have you committed?"

Erxue gritted her teeth and said: "I came to the Crown Princess on the orders of the Empress to monitor the actions of the Crown Princess and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I have been in the East Palace for so many days, and I have seen that the Crown Princess is virtuous and fair. I am so miserable that I can't bear to use such a weird trick again, so I came to confess my crime to the Crown Princess and ask for your punishment."

Erxue said resolutely, and waited for Chu Jinyao's move with a righteous look. Whether Chu Jinyao was happy or pretending to be angry, she was prepared. However, she waited for a long time, but there was still no response from Chu Jinyao.

Erxue could not help it, and secretly looked up at Chu Jinyao: "Crown Princess?"

Chu Jinyao was drinking tea slowly, the new tea was a little hot, she skimmed it several times before taking a sip. Hearing Erxue's voice, Chu Jinyao closed the teacup and said "oh" nonchalantly.

Erxue was shocked, what kind of reaction was this? She told such serious news, whether Chu Jinyao pretended to be unbelievable or used both kindness and force, how could he just say "oh" and be done with it?

"Crown Princess, every word I said is from the heart, and I would never dare to deceive you. If you treat what I just said as a joke, then you are wronging me."

"Oh, what else should I do?" Chu Jinyao looked at Erxue leisurely, "Should I happily accept your half-hearted surrender, or should I simply go to the Empress and expose your attempt to sow discord and please both sides?"

Erxue's heart sank, and she felt cold all over. She came here today with some intention of delaying and neglecting others. The Crown Princess suddenly praised her so much, as if she was roasting Erxue on the fire, making her feel uncomfortable inside and out. It was really bad to be targeted by everyone. Erxue thought about it for a few days and felt that she needed to do something. She thought she was a smart person, and because of this intelligence, she was more or less contemptuous when she came here today.

She tried to defend herself: "Crown Princess, I am not, I would never dare to have such thoughts..."

"You dare not." Chu Jinyao smiled lightly, put down the teacup, and continued to open her book, "I think there are many things you dare to do."

Chu Jinyao read calmly and leisurely, and completely ignored Erxue. Erxue lay on the ground, many thoughts ran through her mind, and her body was shaking slightly. In the bright and elegant study, only the faint sound of Chu Jinyao turning pages could be heard. Chu Jinyao did not seem to care about the other person in the room at all, and continued to do her own thing. Erxue knelt on the ground and spent the longest period of her life. She broke out in layer after layer of cold sweat, almost soaking the clothes on her back.

Chu Jinyao was reading a book when suddenly the voices of two maids came from outside the window, as if they were scolding some maids. Noise was forbidden in the palace. If the palace maids or eunuchs were not of high status, they dared not even make any noise when walking. However, these two maids were so ostentatious that the sound of their scolding could be heard even in the palace.

Erxue was kneeling on the ground, so she naturally heard it clearly. She lowered her head more and more, not daring to breathe. Just when she was nervous, Chu Jinyao sighed softly and closed the book in her hand.

"What a trouble." Chu Jinyao sighed, and cast a glance at Erxue, "Go out."

Erxue wanted it very much, and immediately kowtowed and left. In fact, Chu Jinyao had not yet said whether she would accept Erxue's surrender or not, but Erxue did not dare to ask no matter what.

Erxue went outside and was blown by the cold wind. She realized that her back was sweating a lot. In just a short time, Erxue's mentality had changed completely. She was in great turmoil and was really afraid of the gentle and beautiful Crown Princess in the hall who was so gorgeous that she seemed to have walked out of a painting. She ran into two maids who were showing off their power. When the maids saw her, they stopped and talked to her with a smile. Erxue's eyes swept over the two imposing maids, and an unknown meaning flashed in her eyes. She bowed to the two maids and walked away quickly with her head lowered.

After Erxue left, Linglong came in and whispered, "Crown Princess, those two maids were scolding people outside just now. They are both very loud, I wonder if they disturbed you?"

"They knew I was in the palace, yet they still dared to make such a loud noise." Chu Jinyao laughed and said, "They are really arrogant enough."

"Crown Princess, should we continue to flatter them, or is it time to teach them a lesson?"

"Reprimanding them in the palace is nothing more than saying that they are unruly and embarrassing them. Since we are going to punish them, let's do it in a big way."

Linglong lowered her head and said nothing. After Chu Jinyao finished speaking, she thought for a while and suddenly said, "It's the end of the year, whether it's the folks or the New Year, it's all very lively and noisy."

Linglong didn't understand, she just thought Chu Jinyao was really looking forward to the New Year. So she smiled and said, "That's right, the palace has been really lively these days. Usually the palace is always well-behaved, only at times like this can it reveal some liveliness."

Chu Jinyao smiled and replied, "Yes, when the New Year comes, no one wants to put themselves in a difficult position." The New Year

is coming, and Aunt Liu is also eager to get some good food and wine for herself. However, the palace is a place where people are eaten without leaving any bones. No matter how big your face is, if you don't have money, you can't do anything.

Thinking of this, Madam Liu felt bitter. Others only saw that the Crown Princess was generous to the two madams, and the gifts were flowing down like water. However, these were jade pins, silks and satins, and the like. Although they looked beautiful, they could not be used as money. However, the eunuchs at all levels thought that she was wealthy and wanted to take advantage of her. Madam Liu was flattered to no end. The more she was flattered, the more she refused to lose face. She was very generous. The little eunuchs got the advantage and coaxed her more.

Gradually, the money in Madam Liu's hand was not enough, and Chu Jinyao's gift could not be cashed. Later, she heard someone suggest that she could ask the eunuchs to buy her New Year's goods. Madam Liu seemed to have a flash of inspiration. She secretly took the reward and went to Dongzhimen to ask someone to sell it, and then exchanged it for silver.

Madam Liu was terrified at the first one or two times, fearing that she would be discovered. Later, when she found that no one knew about it, she became more and more courageous. She started by selling the reward she received, and gradually, she was dazzled by the silver and set her sights on the furnishings in the palace.

Of course, she didn't dare to touch the things in the East Palace, because the furnishings here were all fixed. But there were so many palaces in the palace, and not every one was inhabited. If she took some antiques and furnishings from the abandoned palaces, or secretly took one or two pieces, no one would notice.

Madam Liu had nothing to do all day, and no one would notice her running around outside, but her movements could not be hidden from Madam Hong who lived in the same room. Madam Hong thought that Madam Liu was simply crazy, and later when she saw Madam Liu taking money back in bags, she was actually a little tempted.

The two of them came from Kunning Palace. It turned out that they were just ordinary maids in Kunning Palace, and they didn't even have the face to talk to the Empress. Later, when she heard that the Empress was going to Taiyuan to select people, Nanny Hong suddenly realized that this might be her chance to make a name for herself. She spent her retirement savings to buy people and got the position.

Later developments told Nanny Hong that her prediction was correct. The new Crown Princess's family was not strong enough, so they were always wary of them. The later events of the Crown Prince also confirmed this. The Crown Princess did not dare to offend them, because offending them would be offending the Empress.

Because they had this support in their hearts, the two Nannies became more and more bold. The servants in the East Palace bowed their heads when they saw them, and they could scold anyone they wanted. Even Linglong, who was the most trusted by the Crown Princess, had to bow her head and avoid them when she saw them. The two of them gradually acted like the Crown Princess's foster nanny, and once they started to act like that, they were reluctant to let it go. This illusion made Nanny Hong feel that no matter what she did, no one would dare to punish her.

Nanny Hong was like being possessed by a demon, and at dusk, she secretly followed Nanny Liu to Dongzhimen.

Even in the majestic Forbidden City, there are many tricks in private. There are many daring palace maids who take advantage of their duties to steal things from the palace, and then entrust them to the eunuchs they are on good terms with, so that they can sell them outside the palace. Palace maids are not allowed to leave the palace, but the eunuchs in charge of purchasing can.

Today, Nanny Liu went to the place she had agreed to meet with her acquaintance as usual, and brought Nanny Hong with her. Nanny Hong looked around anxiously, "Will we be discovered?"

"No, I've been walking for several days. They say it's easy to get into trouble when you're unfamiliar with a place. This is a familiar route for me, so how could anything go wrong?" Nanny Liu winked at Nanny Hong and said, "We agreed that I'll get 10% of the money from the sale."

Nanny Hong asked Nanny Liu for help, so naturally she had to give Nanny Liu some benefits. However, even so, Nanny Hong gritted her teeth after hearing this. However, this time, for some unknown reason, Nanny Liu's acquaintance did not arrive for a long time. Nanny Hong became more and more frightened as she waited, and could not help but say, "It's getting late today, why don't we go back first and talk about the sale next time."

"What do you mean by next time? It's almost New Year's Day, and the prices outside have been soaring these days. If you don't take this opportunity to make a fortune, what are you waiting for? Look at your cowardly courage. These eunuchs have jobs to do, and it's normal for them to be late occasionally. What are you afraid of?"

Nanny Hong's heart was pounding: "But I always feel uneasy..."

Before she could finish, a voice suddenly interrupted from behind: "Nanny Hong, what's uneasy about it?"

The two maids were startled, and the things in their hands fell to the ground without being held firmly.

Chu Jinyao was looking at the annual ceremony in the room. After a while, Linglong walked in quietly, smiling slightly, and whispered: "Crown Princess, Madam Gong brought people and arrested those two madams."

Chu Jinyao heard it, raised her eyes, and snapped the annual ceremony list.

In fact, Chu Jinyao was not surprised at this result at all. She had been preparing for this day for a long time. She deliberately did not give Madam Liu cash and led Madam Liu to Dongzhimen to resell. Chu Jinyao also saw Madam Liu's contact with the eunuchs outside. If it was not for the purpose of trapping the other Madam Hong, why would she endure it until now.

"Where are they?"

"They were caught with all their possessions by the palace maids. Now they are kneeling outside, awaiting their punishment."

Chu Jinyao stood up and said, "Prepare chairs. Also, call everyone in the palace over and have them wait in the courtyard."

Many people saw the palace maids bringing the two maids back, but no one dared to ask for the Crown Princess's face. After a while, they heard a call saying that the Crown Princess had summoned everyone to the courtyard.

Although everyone didn't understand why, they still put down their work and went. When they arrived at the courtyard of the back hall, the palace maids stood on the west side and the eunuchs stood on the east side, all standing with their heads bowed.

In the open space in front of everyone, the two maids were pushed to kneel in the middle, with their packages in front of them. Madam Liu and Madam Hong were too angry to speak, and both lowered their heads waiting for Chu Jinyao to appear.

In the center of the hall, Linglong had already moved a mahogany chair over, facing the palace servants and eunuchs outside through the hall door. This was the status of the Crown Princess. Even when interrogating servants, they had to do so through the door. Chu Jinyao sat inside the hall, while they stood outside. Chu

Jinyao walked calmly from the east hall, and sat on the armchair with the support of Jiejing. She bent one hand, with her joints placed on the wooden ring, but her back and body were straight.

As soon as Chu Jinyao appeared, the outside of the palace became obviously quiet. Everyone saluted Chu Jinyao in unison: "Long live the Crown Princess."

Nanny Liu and Nanny Hong knelt on the ground and kowtowed as well: "Greetings to the Crown Princess! Crown Princess, I am innocent. Please look into this matter."

Chu Jinyao looked at the pile of things in front of them and smiled softly: "You are quite decent. I treat you well because of our old friendship, but you are the first to ignore me, the

Crown Princess." As soon as Chu Jinyao said this, the other palace maids standing in the yard knelt down one after another, lowered their heads, and said carefully: "Crown Princess, calm down."