Shen thought, maybe it was because the other party's status was too high, and Sister Chen felt that there was no hope of becoming that man's wife, so she said she didn't want to get married?

Shen's right hand, which was holding Chu Qianchen's hand, subconsciously tightened a little, and her eyes kept moving around on her little face.

The family background of the Marquis' Mansion is not too bad, the only difference is that Sister Chen is a concubine's daughter. However, if Sister Chen is registered under her name, she will be a legitimate daughter.

She had to find a way to get Sister Chen to tell her who her sweetheart was. With this girl's taste, ordinary people would probably not be in her eyes.

As Shen thought about this, her eyes turned subtle as she looked at Chu Qianchen. They were kind and gentle, and there was also an indescribable hint of teasing.

Sister Chen is so good, if that man can’t see it, he is blind!

Shen gently rubbed the top of Chu Qianchen's head.

Chu Qianchen: “???”

She always felt that Shen's eyes were looking at her strangely. Did she say something wrong?

"Mother..." Chu Qianchen wanted to ask, but the carriage arrived at the Yongding Marquis Mansion at this time.

Let's talk about it later. Chu Qianchen thought to herself, and after the carriage stopped, she got off the carriage with Shen, planning to talk about it after reaching the main courtyard.

However, she did not have the chance to continue the topic. As soon as she arrived at the main courtyard, she was caught by Chu Yunmu who had just finished school.

"Chu Qianchen, let's go horseback riding!"

Chu Yunmu always said what he meant was wind or rain, but Shen would not let him do whatever he wanted. She negotiated conditions with him and asked him to have lunch and do his homework before he could play with Chu Qianchen.

Chu Yunmu's attempts to act like a spoiled child failed, so she could only speed up the process of lunch and homework. For the first time in her life, she completed her homework efficiently.

"Mom, look, I have finished my homework! Can I go out and play with Chu Qianchen?" Chu Yunmu said proudly.

Shen put down the silk cord in her hand and said, "Let me see."

Shen was the mistress of the house, so she didn't have much time to do needlework on weekdays. But even so, she would still take time to do some small embroidery work for the young Chu Yunmu, sometimes a pair of white socks, sometimes an embroidered belt, or a corduroy.

Chu Qianchen picked up the half-finished silk thread by Shen and took a look at it. He could roughly tell what she was weaving and continued to tidy up the ends for her.

It was at this time that Chu Qianhuang entered the east room and looked at the three people in the room.

This harmonious atmosphere made her seem a little out of place.

Chu Qianhuang couldn't help but stop at the door, and clenched his fists tightly in his sleeves.

She just stopped for a moment and continued walking forward until she came to Shen.

"Mom." Chu Qianhuang called in a low voice, looking a little embarrassed and panicked.

She didn't expect that Shen took Chu Qianchen out of the palace and returned home without waiting for her.

Chu Qianhuang originally thought that Chu Qianchen would definitely take advantage of the rare opportunity to be alone with the second prince.

After all, Chu Qianchen, like Chu Qianling, is in love with the Second Prince. For Chu Qianchen, the Second Prince is already her best choice...

Chu Qianhuang calculated the time carefully and did not stay too long with the Third Princess. She quickly returned to Zhongcui Palace, but she did not expect that Shen and Chu Qianchen had already left.

Shen put down Chu Yunmu's homework. Seeing this, Chu Yunmu said hurriedly, "Mom, I've finished everything! Let's go play."

He eagerly grabbed Chu Qianchen's hand and ran out, as if he was afraid that Shen would go back on his word.

Chu Qianchen was dragged forward by him and couldn't help but smile.

When Shen was looking at Chu Yunmu, she was still smiling slightly, but when her gaze shifted to Chu Qianhuang, her lips lowered and formed into a straight line, showing her majesty without even being angry.

Her bright and clear phoenix eyes made it almost impossible for Chu Qianhuang to look directly at her.

Nanny Chen, who followed Chu Qianhuang into the room, looked at the mother and daughter with a heavy heart.

Chu Qianhuang took the initiative to admit her mistake: "Mother, I haven't seen the Third Princess for a long time. The Third Princess sent someone to tell me, so I went. I should have told you before I went..."

Shen looked at Chu Qianhuang without blinking and said nothing.

As the silence spread, an invisible tension formed, as if the air was slightly condensed.

Chu Qianhuang felt a little flustered when Shen looked at her, and couldn't help but speculate: Could it be that Chu Qianchen had said something to his mother?

Chu Qianhuang clenched her hands even tighter in her sleeves, pinching her fingertips hard with her thumbs.

Shen suddenly said, "The Imperial Concubine told me that it was you who asked your grandmother to pass the message to her, so she summoned us to the palace."

Chu Qianhuang's eyes flickered, revealing a trace of panic, but she quickly explained innocently: "Mom, I just told grandma that I was worried about Dad's injury..."

Shen just thought her daughter's behavior was strange, so she casually suggested it was a lie, but she didn't expect that she was right.

It was as if all her energy had been drained away. The light in her eyes gradually faded away, and she looked a little powerless, a little disappointed, and a little tired...

Before this, Shen told herself again and again that she could correct her daughter's temper, but at this moment, she couldn't help but begin to doubt this.

Chu Qianchen had already been pulled away by Chu Yunmu and did not hear what the mother and daughter said afterwards.

Chu Yunmu acted like a little adult, which made Chu Qianchen laugh so hard that he couldn't help but tease him. The only thing left in his ears was Chu Yunmu's chattering voice:

"Chu Qianchen, you and Xiaoyun are already familiar with each other, you can ride it today."

"Xiaoyun is very well behaved, don't be afraid. If you are afraid, Xiaoyun will also feel your fear."

"Don't worry, I'll watch over you."

“…”

Chu Yunmu acted like a little adult, which made Chu Qianchen laugh. He couldn't help but tease him and completely forgot about what happened in the palace.

She didn't care, but the lady was worried about her for the whole day. When it was dusk, the first thing she asked was about Concubine Chu: "Azhi, how is the Concubine?"

The lady dowager actually had some resentment towards Shen. When Shen came back from the palace, she should have come to Rongfu Hall first, but she didn't come until this time.

Although she was dissatisfied, she still hoped that Concubine Chu would persuade Shen to go to Duke Mu's mansion to negotiate peace, so she could only endure it for the time being.

Shen said calmly, "Mother, please be at ease. The Imperial Concubine is fine, and His Royal Highness the Second Prince is also fine."

Shen pretended not to understand the lady's hint.

The lady was even more annoyed, but she still had a friendly smile on her face and asked, "Azhi, does the imperial concubine have any instructions?"

"When Her Majesty asked about your health, I said that you were fine." Shen said casually without mentioning Chu Lingxiao at all.

The Madam clutched the string of beads in her hand and said in a stiff voice, "Is that all the Madam said?"

Shen's topic only revolved around Concubine Chu and the Second Prince. Madam Ren asked for a while but didn't hear any news she wanted to hear. The smile on Madam Ren's face was almost unable to be maintained.

Seeing the undercurrents between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law, Liu watched the show idly from the side, hoping that the lady would get so angry that she would fall ill. In this way, everyone in the house would know that it was Shen who made the mother-in-law sick.

Chu Qianchen's mind had long since flown away, and whatever they were saying went in one ear and out the other...

Suddenly, a chaotic and hurried sound of footsteps was heard, and a little maid came in breathlessly, saying, "Madam, the Queen has sent Nanny Shan to deliver her instructions."

Nanny Shan was the capable nanny beside the Queen, and the Madam Dowager naturally knew it.

"Please come in quickly." The lady's eyes lit up and she said quickly.

Chu Qianhuang's eyes also lit up, not noticing that Shen was looking at her with a disappointed look.

Chu Qianchen was also looking at Chu Qianhuang, his eyes flickered slightly, and he quickly looked away.

After a while, a haughty-looking maid wearing a rust-colored jacket with dark patterns came down under the guidance of the maid in charge of the mansion.

Nanny Shan came on behalf of the Queen, so she just bowed briefly and said, "Madam, I am here on the orders of the Queen to deliver the Queen's imperial edict. The Queen has ordered the eldest daughter of the Marquis's Mansion to enter the palace to be the third princess's companion."

“…”

“…”

“…”

There was a moment of silence in the room, and Liu and the others were all shocked.

The lady was overjoyed and could not wait to accept the offer: "Thanks to the Queen's kindness, I am deeply honored. This is Sister Huang's blessing!"

The old lady thought that her eldest granddaughter was really capable. She had just entered the palace in the morning and the empress took the initiative to ask for help. Now even Shen could not object.

The lady looked at Chu Qianhuang with eyes filled with smiles, while Shen's pupils were as cold as a pond.

Shen frowned slightly and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "Madame Shan, I specifically informed the Queen a few days ago that my daughter is weak and often sick, and I am afraid she is not qualified to be the princess's companion."

Nanny Shan smiled so much that her eyes wrinkled deeply. She said politely, "The Third Princess likes your daughter. She has been missing you since you left the palace today and kept talking to the Queen."

Although she was smiling, a cold gleam of disdain flashed across her eyes as she looked at the mother and daughter of the Shen family. This wife of the Yongding Marquis was really good at pretending, saying one thing in front of her and another behind her back, otherwise why would she have urged Chu Qianhuang to look for the third princess!

The Madam was afraid that Shen would make the situation awkward, so she spoke before she could, "Madam Shan, my sister Huang just got a fever due to the change in weather a few days ago, but she has recovered a long time ago."

The lady felt that her family had been very unlucky recently, with one thing after another causing them no peace at all, until today when there was finally a happy event.

Finally, the Queen did not blame Chu Qianhuang and agreed to let her return to the palace to be the third princess's companion. This good thing cannot be ruined by Shen!

After all, Chu Lingxiao no longer had his job in the Banner Guard, and the Shen family had clearly refused to ask Duke Mu's Mansion for help. This job would probably not be returned in the short term, which meant that their Chu family was further away from the imperial power...

Shen naturally knew what the old lady was thinking, and she was too lazy to say anything more to her. She turned her head to look at Chu Qianhuang who was sitting on her right, and asked seriously, "Sister Huang, are you willing to go?"

Shen's eyes were clear and sharp, as if she could see through the secrets in Chu Qianhuang's heart.

Her expression was so calm, no emotion could be seen.

Chu Qianhuang felt a little panicked and subconsciously pinched her fingertips with her thumb, but then she thought of something and quickly let go.

She told herself that she couldn't retreat, and said softly, "Mother, this is the grace of the Queen."

“…” Shen felt increasingly powerless and even more disappointed with her daughter.

She didn't even care what Nanny Shan thought and just left. Chu Qianhuang moved her mouth but didn't follow her in the end.

After Chu Qianchen saluted the lady dowager, he took Chu Yunmu and followed Shen out of Rongfu Hall.

He squeezed Chu Qianchen's hand a little nervously, and Chu Qianchen gave him a reassuring smile.

In the morning in the Imperial Garden, Chu Qianchen noticed that Chu Qianhuang was a little fidgety. Later, she made an excuse to leave and go see the third princess. Chu Qianchen roughly guessed that Chu Qianhuang's entry into the palace today might be related to the third princess.

After all, just for Chu Lingxiao's matter, it would be enough for Concubine Chu to call Shen alone.

Chu Qianhuang went through so much trouble and went through so much trouble, it turns out it was just for this.

Chu Qianchen pointed at Shen's left hand and blinked at Chu Yunmu.

Chu Yunmu understood immediately and nodded.

The brother and sister walked forward together, one holding Shen's right hand and the other holding her left hand.

"Mom..." Chu Yunmu felt like a man now and wanted to comfort his mother. But before he could finish his words, he heard a gurgling sound in his stomach.

His stomach grumbled hungrily.

The sound was particularly loud in the silent courtyard.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

“Gululu…”

Shen burst out laughing. Chu Qianchen saw that Shen's expression had eased and said with a smile, "Mother, Mu Ge'er has a really good appetite. He clearly had hibiscus cake with me this afternoon."

Chu Yunmu pouted and said, "I'm a man, of course I eat a lot!"

Shen looked at the brother and sister, and felt relieved. She held Chu Yunmu's warm little hand and said, "Our brother Mu is really growing up. He should eat more."

Chu Yunmu touched his shriveled belly with his left hand and smiled happily, "That's right, I've grown another inch taller recently."

Chu Qianchen: “Really?”

Chu Yunmu: "Don't you see that I'm so... tall?!"

Nanny Chen walked behind, looking at the backs of the three of them, her expression a little dazed. For a moment, she almost had the illusion that "the three of them are a family."

She quickly shook her head and said to herself, what was she thinking about.

Chu Yunmu played for half a day in the afternoon. After dinner, he yawned repeatedly, but he still kept his eyelids open and refused to sleep, as if he was afraid that he would suffer if he went to bed early.

Shen and Chu Qianchen could only coax him to sleep together.

When the sun was about to set, Chu Qianhuang, who had seen off Nanny Shan, came to the main courtyard. Before she could enter the door, she was stopped under the eaves by Nanny Chen.

"Miss, Madam asked you to go back." Nanny Chen said helplessly.

Chu Qianhuang stood at the door of the main hall, staring at the door leading to the east room without blinking. The door was closed tightly, but a faint light could still be seen coming out from behind the door.

She suddenly asked, "Is the second sister in there?"

Nanny Chen nodded in response, hesitated for a moment, and then tactfully advised: "Young lady, you also know that things have been turbulent in the mansion recently, and Madam has been in a bad mood... Madam didn't let you enter the palace, of course, it was for your own good."

"Hey, luckily the Second Miss and the Fourth Young Master helped to comfort the Madam."

Chu Qianhuang tightly grasped the handkerchief in her hand, her eyes became darker and darker, and her heart felt as if an invisible boulder was pressing down on it.

For her own good?!

My mother always says that she is doing this for my own good, but she is just a woman in the inner chambers, and her thoughts and ideas are limited. My mother probably only asks of me to marry into a family of equal status. How could she know that there will be great changes in the Great Qi Dynasty in the future!

Thinking of the scene in the dream, Chu Qianhuang's body was tense, like a fully drawn bow.

She was silent for a while, then turned and left, leaving Nanny Chen looking at her back and sighing.

After Chu Qianhuang returned to Yuelu Courtyard, she immediately asked the maids to pack up. The next morning, she came to pay her respects to Shen, but Shen still did not see her. So Chu Qianhuang paid her respects to the lady dowager and went into the palace.

Chu Qianchen also heard what Amber said. When she went to the main courtyard, she found that Shen was the same as usual, and seemed to have let go of Chu Qianhuang's entry into the palace.

"Sister Chen, come here quickly." Shen had just finished weaving a butterfly string. After calling Chu Qianchen over, she tied it around the edge of Chu Qianchen's skirt and nodded slightly with satisfaction. "I made a pair, one for Brother Mu and one for you."

"This should go well with your new scarlet jacket."

Shen looked smiling, but the makeup on her face could not cover the faint dark blue under her eyes. She must have not slept all night.

Chu Qianchen knew that she couldn't persuade Shen. All she could do was to have someone bring some calming incense and have them light it for Shen at night to calm her mind.

She played with the butterfly string and said with a smile, "There is also a pair of embroidered shoes with a pair of butterflies on the toe, which can be matched."

Shen became more interested as she spoke, "Yesterday afternoon, the sewing room said that your dress is almost done, and you should be able to try it on today..."

"Madame Chen, go to the sewing room and ask if the second young lady's new clothes are ready."

Nanny Chen went to the sewing room in person, and when she came back she brought Chu Qianchen's new clothes.

It was the jacket made of the vermilion material from Yuzhifang that Shen had chosen for Chu Qianchen.

The servants in the mansion were all good at reading people's expressions. Because Shen asked about it yesterday, Nanny Zhao from the sewing room became more certain that Shen valued Chu Qianchen, so she gave her priority and finished making the new clothes overnight.

"Second Miss, please try it first. If there is anything wrong, I will take it back and modify it." Madam Zhao was extremely polite and respectful.

Chu Qianchen hurriedly tried on the new clothes surrounded by Amber and other maids. The vermilion brocade made her skin look brighter and gleamed like pearls.

Everyone in the room, from Mrs. Shen to the servants, praised the shirt highly. Mrs. Shen even planned to pick brightly colored fabrics for Chu Qianchen's autumn and winter shirts.

"Little girls should wear bright clothes, but look at you, you wear plainer clothes than your grandmother!"

"The size of the dress is perfect, but the hem is a bit dull. Add some cloud embroidery."

"Oh, by the way, make a light red undershirt, and remember to embroider cloud patterns on the collar."

Whatever Shen said, Nanny Zhao would agree.

After three full days of rushing around, when Chu Qianchen went to see Qin Yao for a follow-up visit, he finally put on the modified red dress.

If there was anything flawed, it was that her blue veil didn't quite match her new dress today.

Chu Qianchen thought about it and simply didn’t wear the veil. Anyway, she was not going to Jishiditang today.

Xue Fengyan had informed her in advance that there were many "flies" outside the palace, so Chu Qianchen went through some trouble this time and first went to a house next to Prince Chen's palace, where she was met by an ordinary-looking, plump old nanny.

"Please come this way, young lady." The old nanny respectfully led Chu Qianchen to the way. She couldn't help but glance at her with a look of amazement in her eyes.

This girl has already got such a stunning beauty even though she is not even 15 years old yet. When she grows up a few years later and fully develops, who knows how stunningly beautiful she will be.

The old nanny led Chu Qianchen through a secret door between the two mansions and into Prince Chen's Mansion. When the secret door was closed, the lush ivy vines drooped, and the secret door was hidden tightly again.

Chu Qianchen couldn't help but look back and thought: Was there a similar secret door here in my previous life?

She suddenly had a novel feeling. In this new life, there might be many places in this world worth exploring. Maybe she had missed some things she didn't know...

Her mood became brighter, and this brightness was also reflected in her demeanor.

"Is that... Miss Chu?"

Yunzhan in the water pavilion asked first, his tone sounding a little uncertain.

Hearing the sound, Gu Jue looked out through the open window. On the opposite side of the lake, Chu Qianchen was walking towards them along the lakeside.

She wore a scarlet jacket with twined flower patterns, her jet-black hair was tied up in a double bun, and two butterfly beads inlaid with garnets on her temples trembled slightly with her steps. She had bright eyes, white teeth, and a fair complexion, especially her phoenix eyes, which were brighter and more dazzling than the sun in the sky. They had a beauty that overshadowed the rest of the girl, and people couldn't help but look at them first.

She walked leisurely, her posture casual yet elegant, her steps light yet dashing.

Gu Jue raised his eyebrows, feeling that she seemed to be in a good mood.

No, it should be said that every time he saw her, she was in a good mood, as if the ups and downs around her could not affect her at all, whether it was the bad things that happened in her family, or the emperor running to Jishitang to find her and question her...

If Marquis Yongding had had a daughter like him, the Marquis's mansion would not have fallen to this point.

Chu Qianchen quickly walked to the water pavilion, first smiled obediently at Gu Jue, and then went to see Qin Yao for a follow-up visit as usual.

In fact, today's follow-up visit was dispensable, so Chu Qianchen casually took Qin Yao's pulse, prescribed him a prescription to reduce fever, and then ran to find Gu Jue in a hurry.

"Your Majesty."

Chu Qianchen actually wanted to play chess with Gu Jue, but the first thing Gu Jue said was: "Miss Chu, I have to leave Beijing in a few days..."

After he said this, Qin Yao, Yun Zhan and others all looked stern.

Chu Qianchen didn't pay any attention to the others and immediately said, "Then I'll make you some pills when I get back."

She didn't even ask him where he was going, and sighed in her heart: Your Majesty is destined to be a hard worker, it was like this in the past and it is like this now.

As she thought about it, she couldn't help but reveal a kind of helplessness on her face, as if she couldn't do anything about him.

Yun Zhan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the little genius doctor was really good-tempered. This was the second time that the prince had to leave Beijing, and she did not get angry, nor did she think that the prince was not cooperating with her treatment...

Chu Qianchen counted the time on his fingers and asked, "My Lord, how long will you be gone? This pill is more complicated than the last one. It will take at least five days to complete."

"Then I'll leave in five days." Gu Jue agreed.

"You must take the pills every day. You must not miss any."

Chu Qianchen gave him an earnest admonition, his black and white eyes looking at him with concern, as if saying, be obedient.

Gu Jue looked at her eyes that seemed to be able to speak, and felt interested, curious and interesting.

Ever since he went to the battlefield at the age of fifteen, he had been accustomed to giving orders and being followed and admired by others. Only she looked at him with conflicting eyes. On the one hand, she respected him, but on the other hand, she seemed to want to protect him under her wing.

Gu Jue's narrow eyes were filled with smiles, his eyelashes flickered, and he said, "I'll have to trouble Miss to prepare some for Qin Yao as well. He has to go with me, too."

Chu Qianchen nodded again, and then immediately glanced at Qin Yao with disdain.

"Prince Qin, I will prepare some more Jiuxu ointment for you. You can apply it twice a day." Chu Qianchen had guessed that the prince must have left Beijing for Qin Yao again. "If you don't want to be lame, don't get out of bed on this trip."

This Qin Yao is really worrying. Chu Qianchen looked at him with contempt.

(End of this chapter)