Upon hearing that Taoist Xuan Jing was coming, the emperor's expression eased a little, and he changed his tone and said, "Please invite Taoist Master in."
Eunuch Ni breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly went to welcome Xuan Jing in.
Xuan Jing was still wearing a simple black Taoist robe, his hair was pinned up with a bamboo hairpin, and the wide hem of his robe swayed gently with his steps, giving him a Taoist look.
Xuan Jing held a mahogany carved box in his hand. He saluted the emperor first, then presented the box to him. "Your Majesty, the first furnace of Nine-Layer Pills is ready. I am here to present it to Your Majesty."
The emperor's eyes lit up and he quickly presented it.
Eunuch Ni took the box and presented it to the emperor. As soon as the box was opened, the room was immediately filled with a scent that resembled sandalwood and bamboo.
The emperor felt refreshed just by smelling it.
Xuan Jing flicked his whisk and suggested with a smile: "Your Majesty, why don't you take the medicine now and let me protect you?"
This proposal was exactly what the emperor wanted, so he quickly ordered someone to give Taoist Master Xuan Jing a seat.
Eunuch Ni asked someone to bring the emperor a cup of warm water and a bright red Nine-Layered Pill. The emperor swallowed it with the water and then sat by the window with his eyes closed.
Xuan Jing sat cross-legged on a cushion, with a silver whisk hanging at one side, his eyes closed, looking solemn and sacred.
Eunuch Ni held his breath, not daring to even breathe, for fear of disturbing the emperor.
After a moment, the emperor felt his body getting hotter and hotter, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Eunuch Ni stared at the emperor without blinking and did not dare to wipe the emperor's sweat.
Finally, half a cup of tea later, the emperor opened his eyes. He looked radiant and seemed to have suddenly become several years younger.
"The Taoist priest is truly an immortal!" The emperor was in a good mood and praised him repeatedly, "Since I took the Nine-Returning Golden Pill, my health has been getting better and better, and my energy has been growing stronger and stronger, as if I have returned to when I was twenty years old."
"This Nine-Layer Pill is even more extraordinary. Now I understand what it means to cleanse the marrow and change the tendons, and to be reborn!"
The emperor just felt refreshed all over, and all his previous fatigue and depression were swept away.
Xuan Jing also opened his eyes, still sitting cross-legged on the cushion, neither arrogant nor impatient, with a bit of the air of a hermit.
"Your Majesty, you are too kind." Xuan Jing said with a smile, "Taoism follows nature. Your Majesty is destined to be an immortal."
The emperor felt that every word Xuan Jing said was appropriate, which made him feel more comfortable.
Only then did Eunuch Ni feel relieved and wiped the sweat from the emperor's forehead, and served tea to the emperor and Xuan Jing.
The emperor took a sip of tea and the topic turned to Gu Jue, "Master, how is Gu Jue's illness?"
Xuan Jing took out an ancient tortoise shell and six copper coins from his sleeve and said calmly, "Your Majesty, please allow me to tell your fortune."
He put the six copper coins into the brown tortoise shell, then sealed it with his right hand, closed his eyes, held the shell high, and shook it gently.
The sound of copper coins hitting the tortoise shell echoed clearly in the imperial study.
Xuan Jing shook the tortoise shell four or five times, then gently poured out the copper coins inside...
There was silence in the imperial study. The emperor and Eunuch Ni were both staring at Xuan Jing's every move.
I just heard a few birds flapping their wings and flying by outside the window, playing with each other.
Xuan Jing looked at the coins and muttered to himself, "Xu Gua, Tianshui Gua, there will be bumps on the road... The sixth and fourth lines are also called the blood line, which means disasters of blood... Waiting for a turnaround."
After a moment, Xuan Jing raised his head and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, Prince Chen is seriously ill and has narrowly escaped death. This is a sign of 'finding life in desperate situations'."
He stroked his beard mysteriously, with a gleam of light in his eyes.
He also accidentally learned that the people in the Prince Chen's Mansion were looking for a famous doctor in Jiangnan. In order to gain the emperor's trust, he told the emperor about it under the pretext of hexagrams. For this reason, the emperor trusted him more and repeatedly invited him to the palace and asked him to open the furnace to make elixirs.
The emperor's face darkened, thinking that Xuan Jing's calculation was too accurate.
Gu Jue is seriously ill, and the miracle doctor at Jishidiang is nothing but a charlatan. Logically, she should not be able to cure Gu Jue, but what if, as the hexagram says, Gu Jue is in a "narrow escape from death"?
The emperor put the teacup heavily on the tea table. The impact sound frightened Eunuch Ni so much that his heart skipped a beat and the whisk in his hand almost fell out of his hand.
The emperor was extremely unhappy: How could Gu Jue be so lucky that he could not even die from a bloody disaster like Xue Yao, and he continued to be an eyesore and block his way!
The air around also cooled down.
Xuan Jing twirled his beard, then bowed his head to look at the hexagram, and said hesitantly, "But..."
"But what?" the emperor asked anxiously.
"According to this hexagram, Prince Chen is at a critical moment of life and death. If he takes one wrong step, his only chance of survival will be gone..." Xuan Jing finished his words ambiguously.
The emperor narrowed his sharp eyes, concentrating on thinking about the meaning of Xuan Jing's words, and silently said in his heart: If I take a wrong step, my only hope of survival will be gone...
Taoist Xuan Jing saw that the emperor was silent, and said in a profound and mysterious way: "People's fate is determined by heaven, everything has its own destiny..."
The emperor's eyes narrowed.
Destined by Heaven?! He is the Son of Heaven, so he can go against Heaven's will!
Fate is determined by heaven?! He must weaken Gu Jue's fate...
Wait, weaken the fate!
The emperor thought of something and was about to ask Xuan Jing again, when at this moment, the Xiangfei curtain was lifted and a young eunuch in blue came in, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
The emperor immediately guessed something and his face became even uglier, as if a storm was about to come.
Xuan Jing was very good at reading people's expressions, so he tactfully withdrew: "Your Majesty still has state affairs to attend to, so I won't bother you any more."
The young eunuch in blue clothes then reported: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness Prince Chen refused to come."
He swallowed and lowered his head. He didn't even see Prince Chen. The people in Prince Chen's mansion sent him away with a single word: "Don't come."
The emperor became even more annoyed and clenched his fists tightly. He felt as if there was an angry dragon roaring and rolling in his chest.
Over the past two months, he summoned Gu Jue again and again, but Gu Jue ignored him and did not take him, the Emperor of Daqi, seriously at all.
He wants to go in person!
"Go to the Prince Chen's Palace!" the emperor said angrily, and strode out of the imperial study.
But before he reached the Qianqing Gate, the emperor changed his mind and suppressed his unhappiness.
"Go to Zhongcui Palace!" The emperor changed direction temporarily and went to Concubine Chu's Zhongcui Palace.
The emperor had not been to Zhongcui Palace for a long time. Concubine Chu was overjoyed and hurriedly put another five-phoenix rising-yang pearl hairpin in her hair. She looked at herself in the mirror and felt sorry for herself before going to welcome the emperor.
The emperor's arrival made the entire Zhongcui Palace beam with joy. The palace maids and eunuchs were all busy. Some served tea, fruits and snacks, some added ice basins to the east side hall, and some fanned them...
After taking a sip of tea, the emperor could not wait to get to the point: "A few days ago, I saw Nan Zhao with your two nieces in the imperial garden..."
Concubine Chu's eyelashes trembled as she thought, "That day, my sister-in-law brought her two nieces to visit me in the palace, and I asked the Second Prince to take them to the Imperial Garden to appreciate the flowers."
As Concubine Chu spoke, a trace of thought flashed across her eyes: The emperor suddenly brought up this matter, could it be because of Chu Qianchen...
Just as Concubine Chu guessed, the emperor did come for Chu Qianchen.
"What do you think of your second niece?" the emperor asked casually as he used the tea lid to wipe away the foam on the tea.
Concubine Chu's heart skipped a beat. Her son had mentioned to her that he wanted to ask his father to grant him and Chu Qianchen a marriage. At that time, she coaxed her son not to ask his father first. Could it be that her son went to his father without her knowledge? !
It must be that vixen Chu Qianchen who coaxed my son!
Concubine Chu thought to herself, hiding the strange color in her eyes, and sighed awkwardly, as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself: "My second niece is my younger brother's concubine's daughter..."
Her intention was to remind the emperor that a concubine's daughter was definitely not qualified to be the prince's principal wife.
"I heard from my sister-in-law that she is always quiet and gentle. She only does needlework at home and never leaves the house on weekdays."
"This child is a filial child. Since Sister Huang entered the palace to be the third princess's study companion, she often went to my eldest sister-in-law's place to keep her company. My younger brother and sister-in-law like her very much. They even brought her with them to the palace this time. I think even Sister Huang has to give way to her."
Concubine Chu spoke in a tactful and implicit manner, and with a hint of joking.
She didn't say a single bad word about Chu Qianchen. At first glance, it seemed like she was defending him, but in fact, every word she said was full of deep meaning, saying that Chu Qianchen took advantage of Chu Qianhuang's absence and swooped in, pretending to be filial in front of his stepmother and trying to steal the limelight from his eldest sister.
However, the more Concubine Chu said that it was not good, the more satisfied the emperor was, and the corners of his lips curled up. This is good!
The emperor put down the teacup, casually opened his folding fan, and fanned himself slowly. Xuan Jing's words that day rang in his ears again: "Some people become stronger when they meet a strong person, and weaker when they meet a weak person. If she meets the wrong person, she will weaken the other person's fate."
Interesting! This Chu Qianchen is really "good".
Concubine Chu had been observing the emperor's expression and was somewhat unsure of his attitude, so she asked tentatively, "Your Majesty, was she disrespectful that day?"
The emperor said perfunctorily, "No," with a cold expression. At this moment, he remembered the gilded sachet in Chu Qianhuang's hand that day, and praised, "Your niece is quite good."
When Concubine Chu heard that the emperor was praising Chu Qianhuang but had nothing good to say about Chu Qianchen, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and followed the emperor's words and praised, "Yes, Sister Huang is someone I have watched grow up since she was a child. She is a good person."
It seems that the imperial concubine really has her niece in mind as a concubine for the second prince. The emperor thought he understood what the imperial concubine Chu meant and said "hmm".
The topic about the Chu family ended here. Concubine Chu turned the topic to Gu Nanzhao's homework and said many good things about her son without leaving any trace.
The emperor listened with one ear and let it out with the other, then looked out the window again, towards the direction of Prince Chen's Palace.
The Wanshou Festival is not far away, and he can't wait to give Gu Jue a valuable gift.
The news that Prince Chen's Palace was closing its doors to visitors spread to everyone in the capital within two days.
Recalling the previous rumors that Prince Chen was seriously ill, many people were originally skeptical, but now they feel that it is nine out of ten times true, and the Prince Chen is probably really in danger of death.
Prince Chen is in charge of the Northern Army and has completely driven the Red Di out of the territory of Da Qi. Over the years, his prestige among the people and the army of Da Qi is almost as high as that of the emperor. His survival is bound to have a huge impact on the changes in the court.
Many court officials saw this as an opportunity and were eager to try, including Yongding Marquis Chu Lingxiao.
However, no matter how ambitious Chu Lingxiao was, he was powerless and could only place his hopes on his son.
"Brother Yi, you have to make your father proud!"
Chu Lingxiao patted Chu Yunyi on the shoulder and gave him a warning. He felt very aggrieved and felt that he was born at the wrong time.
This was actually a great opportunity.
Once Prince Chen falls, the monkeys will scatter like monkeys when the tree falls, and Prince Chen's lineage will be of no use. It is conceivable that there will be many vacancies in the army by then. If he can find a way to maneuver in the court, he may be able to move up to a higher level.
But now, he was trapped on the couch and could only watch helplessly as he missed this great opportunity!
Chu Lingxiao looked at his injured leg which was tightly bandaged, anger surged in his heart, and his injured leg began to hurt again.
During this period of time, he never gave up and invited many orthopedic doctors from the surrounding areas to come to the Marquis' Mansion, but all those so-called famous doctors said that the disease could not be cured.
Repeated failures and disappointments poured buckets of cold water on Chu Lingxiao, making his temper more and more irritable. He would scold and vent his anger on his servants at every turn, and the servants lived in fear every day.
"Don't worry, father. I will do my best." Chu Yunyi, who was sitting beside the couch, said confidently.
Looking at his eldest son who looked similar to him, Chu Lingxiao's expression eased a little.
His eldest son is like him in every way, both talented in literature and martial arts. He is his pride and will definitely bring honor to the Marquis' Mansion!
"This Wanshou Festival martial arts test is your best chance. As long as you make it to the finals, you will soar to the sky and become famous in the capital." Chu Lingxiao taught earnestly, looking like a kind father. "Brother Yi, you performed well in the preliminary round yesterday. You must not slack off in the sword competition and archery test later."
"During the sword competition, you can use the sword skills that Master Xu taught you. You will win with ease."
"You have always been excellent at riding and archery, and there are few rivals among your peers in Beijing. During the archery test, as long as you don't underestimate the enemy and don't panic, you will definitely stand out."
On the day of Wanshou Festival, there will be a military examination in the palace, which is a great opportunity for military generals and the children of nobles to show their reputation.
The martial arts test is divided into two rounds, one is a duel between military generals, and the other is for teenagers under the age of fifteen. As long as you pass the first three preliminary tests and enter the final on the day of the Wanshou Festival, you can show your face in front of the emperor and the barbarians from all directions who come to make pilgrimages.
Every year during the Wanshou Festival, the sons of military generals or nobles would have a bright future.
6◇9◇Book◇Bar
When Chu Lingxiao mentioned horse riding and archery, Chu Yunyi's brows twitched slightly, and he thought of Chu Qianchen and the Yunting Pavilion of that day.
Chu Qianchen's four arrows were more brilliant than the last, and he couldn't help but wonder how she would shoot the fifth arrow...
His father and Master Wu both praised him for his riding and archery skills, and he had always thought so. He had never lost in riding and archery competitions with other sons of nobles in the capital, but he was not as good as Chu Qianchen.
He lost, no doubt about it.
Chu Yunyi's lips were pressed into a straight line, revealing a bit of stubbornness and a unwillingness to admit defeat.
"Father, did you also teach my second sister archery?" Chu Yunyi clenched his fist and couldn't help asking.
Whether it was studying or riding and shooting, he and Chu Qianhuang were taught by Chu Lingxiao himself.
"..." Chu Lingxiao frowned, not understanding why Chu Yunyi suddenly asked this, and answered impatiently, "I didn't teach her."
Chu Lingxiao got angry whenever he thought of Chu Qianchen: This girl is an ungrateful person who can never be tamed. She is so unfilial and disrespectful that she doesn't care about her aunt or her father at all.
Chu Yunyi raised his eyebrows in surprise and said, "Father, my second sister's archery skills are superb. Last time I competed with her in Yunting Pavilion, I lost..."
Chu Yunyi was about to recount what happened that day in detail, but Chu Lingxiao was too impatient to listen and interrupted him with a sneer: "Your second sister is just a show-off." Chu Qianchen only knew how to please Shen every day and only took those unconventional ways. How good can her riding and archery be!
"..." Chu Yunyi hesitated to speak, always feeling that what his father said was not right.
The arrows Chu Qianchen shot in Yunting Pavilion were so exquisite that even the Second Prince, Prince Shun, and the First Prince of Nanhao, Wuhejialou, praised them highly. This shouldn't be just a show, right?
If this is called a flower stand, then what is the self who lost to her? !
Chu Yunyi pursed his lips and thought: Chu Qianchen has obviously worked hard to practice archery, but no one in the mansion knows about it, not even his father.
So, does Auntie know?!
The answer naturally came to his mind. Chu Yunyi was almost certain that Aunt Jiang probably knew nothing about it.
Chu Yunyi became more and more curious about Chu Qianchen, thinking about how she had easily overturned his affairs, and thinking about what he heard from the maid a few days ago about how she had saved his fourth brother.
Chu Lingxiao said something else afterwards, but Chu Yunyi just ignored it and responded sporadically.
Half an hour later, because Chu Lingxiao wanted to change the medicine, Chu Yunyi came out from him.
When I was leaving the yard, I suddenly heard a series of "bang bang" sounds of something being smashed coming from the house behind.
Chu Yunyi's servant heard the sound and looked back with a complicated expression.
There were no secrets in the Marquis's mansion. I had heard that the Marquis had been getting more and more irritable recently because of his leg injury, and even Aunt Jiang had taken her anger out on him several times. I was worried that my young master would also be taken out on by the Marquis...
"Young Master..." The servant withdrew his gaze and found that Chu Yunyi had already walked forward on his own. He seemed to be worried about something and was absent-minded.
Chu Yunyi was still thinking about Chu Qianchen, and before he knew it, he went to the martial arts arena.
At this time, the sun was setting, and the surrounding flowers, trees, pavilions, etc. were covered with bright rays of light.
"Chu Qianchen, demonstrate it to me again!" Chu Yunmu's excited voice came from the martial arts arena.
Chu Yunyi couldn't help but quicken his pace. The breeze blowing towards him was warm, making him feel a little stuffy.
After entering the martial arts arena, he immediately saw Chu Qianchen, who was wearing a lilac skirt, standing in front of him, casually taking an arrow and drawing a bow...
While demonstrating, she patiently talked to Chu Yunmu: "Brother Mu, look carefully, like this..."
"The mind must be calm, the eyes must be steady, and the hands must be steady."
"And then shoot the arrow..."
As the last word fell, her hand loosened the string, and the arrow flew out...
Chu Yunyi didn't look to see whether the arrow hit the target. Even if he didn't look, he knew that her arrow would definitely hit the center of the bull's eye.
His eyes were still on Chu Qianchen, on the confident smile on her lips.
That subtle feeling arose in his heart again, as if he had never known this biological sister in the past ten years.
The girl in front of me is familiar yet unfamiliar, so outstanding and so eye-catching.
“Pah, pah, pah!”
Chu Yunmu clapped his hands excitedly and praised generously: "Chu Qianchen, you hit the target again! You are so amazing. A good teacher produces a good student. I will also be as good as you, right?!"
Chu Qianchen took out another arrow and gently touched the top of his head with the end with the tail feathers. "If you want to be as 'powerful' as me, you must practice hard!"
“No matter what you learn, remember one sentence…”
"I know! It's nothing, it's just practice." Chu Yunmu said tacitly, "You've said it a hundred times."
He raised his chin proudly and confidently, and added: "If you can do it, so can I!"
Chu Yunyi looked at Chu Qianchen and Chu Yunmu with mixed feelings in his heart: admiration, surprise, praise, and a sense of unwillingness to admit defeat... He also felt a little sour, with a sour feeling rising up.
He is her younger brother, why doesn't she take him with her in training? !
Chu Yunyi clenched his fists and walked towards Chu Qianchen and Chu Yunmu awkwardly.
Chu Qianchen had actually noticed him coming a long time ago, but he ignored him and handed the feather arrow in his hand to Chu Yunmu, "Come on, you shoot!"
Chu Yunmu only saw Chu Yunyi at this time, and waved the hand holding the arrow, "Brother."
Chu Yunyi also greeted him stiffly: "Fourth brother."
He still felt awkward in his heart and deliberately avoided looking at Chu Qianchen or saying hello to her.
Chu Yunmu didn't notice that they didn't say anything and just continued shooting arrows.
As he put the arrow on the bow and drew the bow, he muttered and repeated Chu Qianchen's instructions just now: "Keep your mind calm, your eyes steady, and your hands steady."
Chu Yunmu has been practicing archery with Chu Qianchen for more than a month, basically regardless of rain or shine. He only stopped for a few days after his face was injured by a broken string. Now his archery skills have improved greatly, and every arrow can hit the target.
Chu Yunyi was also practicing archery nearby.
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”
He shot very quickly. In the time it took Chu Yunmu to shoot one arrow, he could shoot almost two arrows, and his shooting speed was getting faster and faster. There was an impatience in his every move, as if to vent his emotions.
The first few arrows hit the bull's eye, but the fifth arrow suddenly deviated and hit Chu Yunmu's target next to it, hitting the bull's eye again.
“Brother, you missed the target!” Chu Yunmu pointed at his target and chuckled, imitating Chu Qianchen’s tone to scold him, “Your mind is not at peace!”
"..." Chu Yunyi glanced at Chu Qianchen who was standing next to Chu Yunmu, waiting for Chu Qianchen to "laugh" at him together.
However, Chu Qianchen still didn't look at him, and gently rubbed Chu Yunmu's head, "You still have time to care about others, practice your own skills!"
"Others"' faces froze, and as they watched Chu Qianchen "gently" rubbing the top of Chu Yunmu's head, their hearts ached even more, and they recalled the times when they were thrown upside down by her, and their backs and buttocks began to ache again.
She...she...she treats people differently too much!
Chu Yunyi held his breath and said to himself, Humph, she ignores him and he ignores her!
He doesn't care about her!
Chu Yunyi turned around and wanted to talk to Chu Yunmu, but found that there was no one beside him. Chu Yunmu and Chu Qianchen were gone.
Where are the people?!
He looked around for a while before he saw the two of them walking towards the entrance of the martial arts arena, talking as they walked.
"Chu Qianchen, I heard from several cousins in the clan school today that there will be a sword competition tomorrow, and I also want to go and watch it." Chu Yunmu pulled Chu Qianchen's sleeve and looked up at her, obviously wanting her to take him with him.
"No, you have a lot of homework." Chu Qianchen refused without saying a word.
"Second sister~" Chu Yunmu shook Chu Qianchen's sleeve, dragging out a coquettish ending.
"If you're good, I'll take you to see the third show." Chu Qianchen negotiated with him.
"Be good! I'm the best!"
"oh."
"What do you mean by 'oh'? Am I not being nice?"
“…”
The brother and sister talked and laughed as they walked away.
Chu Yunyi's servant also looked at their backs as they left, and was actually a little surprised.
He had just returned to Beijing and had heard that the Second Young Lady and the Fourth Young Master were getting along well, but hearsay was not necessarily believing. It was not until he saw it with his own eyes that the servant felt that seeing was believing.
"Master..."
The servant wanted to ask him if he wanted to continue practicing archery, but he saw his master casually throw the bow aside and say, "No more practice!"
The servant scratched his head, feeling that his young master seemed a little weird today.
Chu Yunyi left angrily, holding his breath.
He will definitely not lose and will let Chu Qianchen see his abilities.
(End of this chapter)