This scene stunned everyone in the other rooms, and no one said a word for a while.

Everyone in the Marquis' Mansion had heard about the recent discord between Chu Lingxiao and the Shen couple, but they had never expected that their "discord" had reached this extent.

Everyone knew that Chu Lingxiao had been in a bad temper recently because of his leg injury, so they tried to avoid him and give in to him. What shocked them was that Shen, who was usually dignified and virtuous, looked like this when she got angry.

The lady frowned and scolded Shen: "Azhi, what are you doing?!"

The lady's temples were throbbing and her head was splitting. She felt that Chu Qianchen was really a troublemaker. Many things that had happened in the mansion recently were more or less related to her.

Shen calmly stroked her dress and said, "Mother, you should ask the Marquis this question."

She raised her eyes, not disguising the sarcasm in them.

Chu Lingxiao, with the help of two servants, managed to stand up, his injured leg aching with pain.

He gnashed his teeth and yelled, "Shen Zhi, are you crazy?!"

"How dare you attack me for such a troublemaker?! Do you know what it means to be gentle and graceful as a woman?"

Chu Lingxiao had just fallen, his hair was disheveled, and there was some dirt on his clothes. His handsome features were slightly distorted due to the pain, and he looked disheveled, in stark contrast to the proud Shen.

Chu Qianchen took a half step forward, walked to Shen's side, stared at Chu Lingxiao and asked, "Is father dissatisfied with Prince Chen or the emperor?"

Her question was very heart-wrenching.

Chu Lingxiao: “…”

Chu Lingxiao seemed to have his throat strangled and was speechless.

Being dissatisfied with the emperor would be tantamount to disobeying his order, and Chu Lingxiao did not dare to do that.

He also didn't dare to admit that he was dissatisfied with Prince Chen. Even though Prince Chen was seriously ill now, it would only take a flick of the finger for Prince Chen's men to clean up the Yongding Marquis Mansion!

Chu Qianchen saw through the weak Chu Lingxiao at a glance. She had seen many people like him in her previous life. They were just bullies at home.

In his previous life, Chu Qianchen's last impression of his biological father was his indifference and determination when he abandoned him.

In his heart, his daughter was dispensable and could be discarded at any time.

In the years that followed, that scene became a nightmare for her in the middle of the night, deeply engraved in her heart and memory.

It was not until a long, long time later that she became strong enough and Chu Lingxiao could no longer influence her in the slightest.

Chu Qianchen stared at Chu Lingxiao who was a few steps away, and said in a light but sharp tone: "If father is dissatisfied with this imperial decree, you can go to the emperor or go to Prince Chen's mansion to cancel the engagement. I will never say no."

"..." Chu Lingxiao was speechless, unable to speak because of her blocking him.

Chu Qianchen was too lazy to care about Chu Lingxiao anymore. She held up Shen's arm with one hand. When she looked at Shen, her eyes softened and her tone was a bit coquettish, "Mother, let's go."

She called Chu Yunmu again: "Brother Mu, let's go!"

"Oh." Chu Yunmu was used to listening to his sister, so he followed without thinking.

The five-year-old Chu Yunmu was still a little confused about the situation. As he walked, he asked, "Chu Qianchen, can I see the imperial edict?"

Chu Qianchen then stuffed the imperial edict into his hand and warned him, "Don't read it while walking. Read it after you go back."

"Oh." Chu Yunmu got what he wanted and agreed obediently.

The three of them left behind so many people in the marquis' mansion and left.

Looking at the backs of the three Shen family members, Chu Lingxiao's eyes were uncertain, and the veins on his neck were sometimes visible. He was like a volcano that could erupt at any time.

The atmosphere around became increasingly depressing and solemn.

The second master of the Chu family, Chu Lingyu, exchanged glances with his two younger brothers.

Chu Lingyu took a few steps forward hesitantly, cleared his throat and called out, "Brother."

Chu Lingyu and others also felt that the emperor's marriage arrangement was inappropriate, and wanted to discuss with Chu Lingxiao how to deal with it.

Chu Lingxiao looked at his three younger brothers, his face burning with pain. Thinking back to the scenes on the training ground, he felt ashamed and angry. He really lost face today.

He wanted to save the face of his family, so he said righteously in a deep voice: "Alas, your sister-in-law is short-sighted. The emperor's marriage sounds like a great honor, but everyone knows that Sister Chen is just a wedding for the sake of good fortune."

"The Prince of Chen is seriously ill now, and he may die at any time. Even if the Prince of Chen dies before Sister Chen gets married, our Chu family will be inseparable from the Prince of Chen's Mansion."

"When the time comes, the emperor will settle the old accounts. How can our Chu family have any chance to turn things around?"

"Your eldest sister-in-law has become more and more out of control recently. She only favors Sister Chen. I don't know what kind of magic potion Sister Chen has fed her."

Chu Lingxiao looked very angry and said, "This is all for the Chu family's sake."

What Chu Lingxiao said is also what Chu Lingyu and the others are worried about.

After all, no matter how much Chu Lingxiao and his wife quarrel, it is the Chu family's family affair, but Chu Qianchen's marriage will affect the entire Chu family.

The young masters and young ladies of the Chu family originally thought that Chu Qianchen's wedding was Chu's own business, but after hearing Chu Lingxiao's analysis, their faces changed, and they all felt worried, anxious, irritable, etc.

"Mother, what should we do?" Third Madam Yu looked at the Madam Dowager anxiously and asked hesitantly, "Should we go ask the Imperial Concubine and the Second Prince?"

In Yu's heart, she actually suspected that the Chu family or Concubine Chu had offended the emperor recently, which was why the emperor granted such a marriage.

"With so many eyes staring at the Marquis' Mansion, it's not appropriate to enter the palace at this time." The old lady rejected it without hesitation, tightly grasping the rosewood beads in her hands, her face as gloomy as water.

Originally, she wanted to give Chu Qianchen to the Second Prince as a concubine, but who knew that this girl was so ambitious and incompetent that she just refused, and kept saying that she didn't want to be a concubine. Now she has brought such a disaster to the Marquis' Mansion.

Just as the eldest son said, this was not just a princess, it was clearly a jinx that put the Chu family on the fire!

The Marquis' Mansion really suffered such a disaster for no reason!

The lady was holding back her anger, but she had nowhere to vent it. She couldn't help but vent her anger and said, "How did Aunt Jiang teach her daughter to become like this?"

"How can you blame Minshan for this? She looks like Shen Zhi!" Chu Lingxiao retorted.

He clenched the cane in his hand, his eyelids trembling, and said, "This girl has been following Shen Zhi recently and has alienated her aunt. It's not certain who taught her!"

As he spoke, his face became more angry and frustrated, as if he was still resentful of Shen for kicking away his crutches.

The lady rubbed her brows, looking exhausted, and said, "Ling Xiao, Ling Yu, Ling Ting, Ling Tao, the rest of you come with me, the rest of you go back."

The lady only called her four sons and sent away all her daughters-in-law and grandchildren.

Liu, Yu and the others all responded obediently and went back to their own courtyards. Only Chu Yunyi did not leave, staring blankly at the backs of the lady, Chu Lingxiao and the others as they walked away.

Chu Yunyi frowned slightly.

Judging from the conversation between my father and grandmother just now, this arranged marriage is not a good one.

Moreover, my father and grandmother were very angry, and it was obvious from their words that they were taking their anger out on my second sister.

"Young Master," his servant spoke up for his young master, "You have received praise from the Emperor today, which is a great joyous event. But unfortunately, the second girl..." The second girl is holding the young master back!

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Chu Yunyi came back to his senses and interrupted the servant unhappily, "Second sister didn't ask for this arranged marriage." His father and grandmother obviously knew this, but they still took their anger out on the second sister!

The servant regretted his hasty words. After all, the second young lady was the eldest young master's biological sister.

He quickly changed his words: "Young Master is right, who likes to bring good luck to others?"

Chu Yunyi whispered softly: "Prince Chen is probably just a sickly person, how can he be worthy of my second sister!"

Chu Yunyi felt unhappy when he thought that Chu Qianchen would be getting married in three days. When she got married, she would have to live in her husband's house and would not be able to come back often. Wouldn't he have no chance to impress her? !

The more Chu Yunyi thought about it, the more unhappy he felt. He just couldn't like the future second brother-in-law he had never met. There was already a fourth brother in the mansion who was always clinging to the second sister, and now there was another sickly one!

Thinking about how Chu Qianchen remembered to say hello to Chu Yunmu when he left, Chu Yunyi felt a little tight in his chest. He was obviously her biological brother, but she didn't even look at him.

This person is so heartless!

Chu Yunyi flicked his sleeves heavily and said two words to the servant: "Let's go."

The servant hurriedly followed, thinking that his young master was going back to his own courtyard, but he actually saw him heading towards the Neiyi Gate.

The servant naturally could not enter the inner courtyard. He scratched his head and thought: Could it be that the eldest young master is going to look for the second young lady? So the eldest young master is worried about the second young lady?

Chu Yunyi walked slowly towards the main courtyard. He was not worried about Chu Qianchen, he just wanted to ask her what her plans were.

Yes, that's it.

With Chu Qianchen's guts, he must be scared to death now, maybe he's crying...

Thinking of this, Chu Yunyi subconsciously quickened his pace.

But just as he crossed the threshold of the inner ceremonial gate, he changed his mind, turned back, and called his servant: "Accompany me out for a while."

The servant boy nodded in agreement, thinking that his young master was too fickle.

The sun was setting in the west, and specks of golden light were hanging among the treetops and flowers. At this moment, the mansion was exceptionally quiet. The servants subconsciously lowered their footsteps and voices, and the place was dead silent.

The same is true for the main courtyard.

Knowing that Shen and Chu Qianchen had something to say, Nanny Chen tactfully drove out all the other maids, and even Chu Yunmu was sent to "play" with the imperial edict.

“Boom!”

There was a strange noise coming from the east room.

"How ridiculous!" Shen was still angry. She put the half-empty teacup heavily on the coffee table. The tea spilled slightly, not on Shen herself, but accidentally splashed on Chu Qianchen's dress.

Shen frowned slightly, took Chu Qianchen's hand and stood up, saying: "Sister Chen, go change your clothes."

"You've grown taller, almost as tall as me. I happen to have a few clothes here that I've never worn. They were made when I was in my twenties. The colors were very bright. I'm not suitable to wear such light colors now, so I might as well give them to you."

Shen took Chu Qianchen's hand and walked towards the green gauze cabinet.

In fact, there were only a few finger-sized tea stains on Chu Qianchen's dress, which was not a big deal at all. But seeing that Shen was in a bad mood, Chu Qianchen just went along with her wishes.

Shen found clothes for Chu Qianchen and went out.

When Chu Qianchen changed her clothes and came out, she saw Shen sitting at the tea table with a set of tea sets prepared on it. White hot steam was coming out of the purple clay teapot on the small red clay stove next to it, and there was a slight sound of boiling water.

This is... Chu Qianchen's nose twitched and the corners of his lips curled up slightly.

Shen looked up at her and smiled, "This dress really looks good on you!"

Chu Qianchen was wearing a bright red skirt embroidered with hibiscus flowers. The bright material was embroidered with large hibiscus flowers, which made her skin look whiter than jade and more beautiful than flowers.

During the time Chu Qianchen had gone to change his clothes, Shen had sorted out her thoughts and calmed down a lot. She said softly, "Don't worry about this matter."

"Mother, I'm not in a hurry." Chu Qianchen sat down opposite Shen, smiled slightly, and gave her a sweet smile, "I'll make tea for you."

She picked up the purple clay teapot on the stove, and skillfully scalded the cups, washed the tea, brewed the tea, sealed the pot, and divided the tea into cups... The whole set of tea-making movements was as smooth and natural as flowing water, elegant and calm, with a certain degree of both hardness and softness.

As beautiful as a painting!

Shen stared at Chu Qianchen's every move in a daze, with mixed feelings.

Originally, she had already thought about it and wanted to find a suitable opportunity to ask Chu Qianchen if he had a crush on someone. She wanted to register this girl under her own name and find a good marriage for her. She didn't expect that the imperial decree to grant marriage came too suddenly...

Things suddenly became a little troublesome.

At this time, Chu Qianchen brewed tea and personally served it to Shen, "Mother, have some tea."

There was a faint smile on her lips, revealing a pair of shallow dimples. Her smile was charming and she looked calm and composed.

But in Shen's eyes, she felt that Chu Qianchen did this because he was afraid that she would worry.

She was just a girl under fourteen years old. How could she not panic when she suddenly encountered such a thing!

Shen took the blue and white porcelain teacup and put it aside. She held Chu Qianchen's hand and said methodically, "Sister Chen, although the emperor's words are golden, there may be room for maneuver in this marriage."

"As long as the marriage certificate has not been signed, this matter may not be successful. I will think of a way."

"I'm here, and I won't let you get married without knowing the reason."

Shen was thinking that she would go back to her parents' home early tomorrow morning to inquire about the situation.

Even if Chu Qianchen had to marry into Prince Chen's mansion, she would still have to follow the three letters and six ceremonies! She could never just be carried into the mansion in a sedan chair.

Shen looked at Chu Qianchen with heartache.

"Mother, don't worry, I'm fine." Chu Qianchen stared at Shen's eyes with his clear and bright phoenix eyes without blinking, with a serious expression.

She had her reasons for saying this. Wasn't it just an imperial decree granting marriage? There was always a way to solve it. Let's see what Xue Feng said. The key now was not to let the emperor know that the prince had left the capital.

Chu Qianchen pointed at the blue and white porcelain teacup and changed the subject: "Mother, the water for making tea is the dew on lotus flowers and lotus leaves that I spent several days collecting. The tea is clear and sweet, and it also has the refreshing fragrance of lotus. You must try it." She had someone deliver the water to the main courtyard early this morning.

"Then I'm in for a treat." Shen smiled and picked up the teacup. She blew away the foam floating on the tea soup and slowly sniffed the tea. "It really has a delicate lotus fragrance."

Then, she took a sip of the tea and found it refreshing and sweet. She praised, "Good tea!"

The tea was good, but Shen couldn't calm down and taste it. There was always a thorn in her heart, which made her feel a little painful: Sister Chen was such a good child, she deserved the best man in the world...but this child had a bad fate.

Although Prince Chen is of noble status, anyone can see that Chu Qianchen will be miserable if she marries him.

To Prince Chen, Chu Qianchen is a concubine's daughter with a low status, and was forced into the family by the Emperor. She cannot please the Emperor at all, and will even incur the Prince Chen's wrath.

As for the emperor, once Chu Qianchen married, she would be a member of the Prince Chen's Mansion. If something happened to the Prince Chen's Mansion in the future, Chu Qianchen would suffer along with him. The emperor was always high and mighty, and when he wanted to punish Chu Qianchen, he would not even think about the fact that this was a marriage he had granted.

In the eyes of outsiders, the emperor had said in public that Chu Qianchen was doing this to bring good luck to Prince Chen. Even if she married him, the words "bringing good luck to Prince Chen" would accompany her throughout her life, and she would always be pointed at and talked about.

And the Chu family...

Thinking of the Chu family, Shen felt heartbroken. The Chu family should have been Chu Qianchen's backer and should have supported the Chu family's daughter. However, from the attitudes of Chu Lingxiao and the lady dowager, it was clear that the Chu family would not support Chu Qianchen and even wanted to cut off ties with her.

Chu Qianchen could see that Shen was still worried about him, and a warm feeling flowed through his heart: at least the Chu family still had Shen and Chu Yunmu.

She said sternly, "Mother, this marriage will not be successful. What kind of person do you think Prince Chen is?"

Chu Qianchen pursed his lips and smiled, his eyes shining.

The prince is not a soft-hearted person who would allow the emperor to manipulate his marriage.

This is just the emperor's wishful thinking and will never succeed.

What concerned her was what the emperor meant by granting marriage, and why he chose her to marry the prince? The emperor probably didn't know that he was a doctor, so what was his reason for picking her?

"Prince Chen..." Shen murmured, and a vague figure appeared in her mind.

She has never seen Prince Chen again since he went to the north at the age of fifteen.

She had only heard her father praise Prince Chen for his intelligence and great talent, saying that as long as Prince Chen was there, Great Qi would be safe and stable.

Precisely because Prince Chen is so outstanding, Shen becomes even more worried: the more outstanding a person is, the more aloof and insolent he tends to be.

She was also afraid that Chu Qianchen would become a pawn in the game between Prince Chen and the Emperor.

How could they, the chosen ones, care about the future of a little girl like Chu Qianchen?

Shen's eyes flickered, she picked up the teacup and put it down again, and said in a hoarse voice: "Sister Chen, even if the marriage is not granted this time, it will be difficult for you to get married in the future."

The emperor's marriage has already linked Chu Qianchen and Prince Chen together. If Chu Qianchen wants to discuss marriage in the future, the noble families in the capital will probably be cautious, fearing that it might offend the emperor and Prince Chen.

It is precisely because of this that Shen is so heartbroken.

"That's perfect!" Chu Qianchen said with a smile.

Shen was stunned for a moment, and she heard again what Chu Qianchen had said to her that day: "Mother, I have no plans to get married."

However, Shen felt sad: Sister Chen probably didn't want her to worry about her. She might have someone she liked, but now that things had developed to this point, she was afraid to say it out loud...

She is gentle on the outside but strong on the inside. She won't say anything she doesn't want to say even if a knife is placed on her neck.

Well, things have to be dealt with one by one.

Shen said to herself, there is always a way out, let's first settle the marriage between Chen Jie'er and Prince Chen. Anyway, Chen Jie'er is still young, at most she can keep the child for a few more years after the marriage is cancelled.

"Madam," Dongmei's respectful voice came from outside the house, "The young master is here."

Shen guessed that Chu Yunyi was probably worried about Chu Qianchen, and said, "Let him in."

As soon as she finished speaking, she heard another voice excitedly interrupt: "Then the fourth young master wants to go in too!"

The boy's childish voice revealed a hint of dissatisfaction.

Chu Qianchen laughed and said, "Then the fourth young master, come in too."

Soon, the Xiangfei curtain was opened from the outside, and Chu Yunmu rushed in first, like a gust of wind, still holding the imperial edict in his hand.

Soon after, Chu Yunyi also walked in at great speed, with a hint of urgency in his expression.

When he saw Chu Qianchen sitting at the tea table, he was stunned.

He remembered clearly that Chu Qianchen was not wearing this dress when she received the order just now. How come she changed her clothes in such a short while?

Could it be that she had just cried and got her clothes dirty?

Chu Yunyi looked at Chu Qianchen's eyes carefully, and always felt that the corners of her eyes were slightly red. He said to himself in his heart, she must have cried!

Shen noticed Chu Yunyi's gaze, smiled slightly, and thought to herself, as expected.

"Mother, Second Sister," Chu Yunyi bowed first, then cleared his throat and said awkwardly, "I just went out to ask."

"Today, the emperor brought a lot of people from the parade ground to the Prince Chen's Mansion. After returning, he summoned Taoist Xuan Jing to meet him..."

"It is said that the Prince of Chen is seriously ill and unconscious. The Emperor has summoned the imperial physicians to see the Prince of Chen. The imperial physicians all said that the Prince of Chen is beyond saving, so the Emperor sought help from Taoist Priest Xuan Jing."

"Master Xuan Jing did a fortune telling for Prince Chen and said that Second Sister's horoscope is suitable for bringing happiness to Prince Chen and that she might be able to save him."

Chu Yunyi just went out of the house to find his good friends to inquire about the news. On the one hand, he wanted to find out what this arranged marriage was all about, and on the other hand, he also wanted to find out what happened to Prince Chen.

"Brother Yi, you are so thoughtful." Shen smiled gently at Chu Yunyi and thought to herself: Chu Lingxiao, as a father, is not even as good as a twelve-year-old child.

She turned to look at Chu Qianchen, her smile becoming gentler, "Sister Chen, I'm here. Look, Brother Yi has grown up too, he can help you get the news."

Shen wanted Chu Qianchen to know that she was not alone, she still had herself and Chu Yunyi.

Yes, yes, he is very capable, much more useful than the five-year-old fourth brother. Chu Yunyi raised his chin proudly, his eyes blazing, and said confidently: "I have a lot of connections in Beijing. If you want to know anything else, I will help you find out."

"I'm here!"

He quickly glanced at Chu Yunmu who was sticking to Chu Qianchen.

Humph, he was not doing this for Chu Qianchen. He wanted Chu Qianchen to know how powerful he was and to regret her disrespect for him!

Sooner or later, she would be willing to apologize to him, but he would not forgive her so easily for turning him over!

Chu Yunmu tilted his little face, always feeling that his elder brother looked familiar... Oh, right, his Yeying caught the branch he threw out in one bite, and when he came back he looked so "heroic and high-spirited", and even "wolf howled" to the sky to show off.

Chu Yunmu felt unconvinced, and puffed out his chest and said, "There's still me!"

"Chu Qianchen, I can help you too!"

Chu Yunmu didn't understand it before, but when Shen and Chu Qianchen were locked up here just now, he read the imperial edict several times and asked the maid what it meant. Only then did he understand why his father and mother had quarreled just now.

Chu Qianchen stretched out his finger and gently tapped Chu Yunmu's forehead, "Okay, you help me take care of Yueying."

Yueying is the little black cat that Chu Qianchen begged for from Jialou.

"Leave it to me." Chu Yunmu patted his chest confidently, "It's Yeying's little brother. I will definitely take good care of it."

"Then I'll leave it to you!" Chu Qianchen was amused by him and laughed out loud with a bright smile.

Seeing them having so much fun, Chu Yunyi felt a lump in his throat and picked up the teacup that the maid had just brought...

So hot!

He accidentally burned his tongue, but he could only force himself to close his mouth, frowning slightly.

Seeing Chu Qianchen looking at him, he quickly acted as if nothing had happened. His tongue was hot and painful.

Hmm, I hope it won’t get blisters.

At this moment, the Xiangfei curtain was lifted again, and Nanny Chen came in quickly and reported, "Madam, the Madam sent someone to summon the second young lady to Rongfu Hall."

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

(End of this chapter)