Nanny Chen sorted out her thoughts and began to report: "I checked and found that the midwife who delivered Aunt Jiang was surnamed Huang, but she moved away from the capital thirteen years ago. I asked Huang's former neighbors and they all said that she left in a hurry and I don't know where her family moved to."

"The second young lady's wet nurse died of illness when she was six years old. Last year, the nanny in charge of her courtyard, Nanny Yu, asked for mercy from Aunt Jiang and returned to her hometown to take care of her grandson."

Shen frowned slightly and asked, "Do you know where Nanny Yu's hometown is?"

“I don’t know.” Nanny Chen shook her head in embarrassment. “The roster with Nanny Yu’s name on it is missing.”

"Last winter was very damp, and the storeroom was damp. Several account books and rosters from previous years were damp, so Steward Xu had them taken out to dry together. Nothing else was lost, but that roster. Steward Xu was afraid you would blame him, so he didn't dare to say anything. It was only when I checked the rosters this time that Steward Xu couldn't hide it, so he had to admit it."

Because she lost the roster, she couldn't find out where Nanny Yu's hometown was.

"This is really unfortunate." Shen murmured to herself.

The midwife, wet nurse and nanny are all gone!

Shen calmed down and asked again, "Have all the people in Aunt Jiang's courtyard been replaced?"

"Yes, ma'am." Nanny Chen nodded.

This is for sure. It has been almost fourteen years. Those maids have already been married off, and the maids in the main courtyard have also been replaced. So this is not surprising.

But when all these are added together, there are too many coincidences.

Even Nanny Chen felt that something was not right about the whole thing.

Suddenly, a small sparrow flapped its wings and flew out from the flower bed not far behind. Its wings brushed the treetops, and a few scattered leaves swirled and slowly fell from the air, floating in the air.

Nanny Chen stared at a fallen leaf in the air, an idea popped up in her mind, and she whispered, "Madam, could it be that... the second young lady is not Aunt Jiang's biological child, but an adopted child from somewhere?"

Looking back, Nanny Chen vaguely remembered that Aunt Jiang had a miscarriage and gave birth prematurely. Giving birth is like having one foot in the gates of hell, and there are many cases where children are not raised after birth.

If the child was stillborn, and Aunt Jiang adopted a child as a daughter in order to consolidate her favor, the Marquis knew about it, and since she was just a girl, it would not confuse the bloodline of the Marquisate, so he let Aunt Jiang go.

Thinking about it this way, the Marquis and Aunt Jiang’s dislike and contempt for the Second Young Lady becomes explainable!

The more Nanny Chen thought about it, the more she felt that this was the case.

Shen pursed her lips tightly and remained silent.

This explanation seemed to make sense, but she still felt that something was not right. Chu Lingxiao's contemptuous and sarcastic look just now appeared in front of her eyes again, and there was a kind of malice hidden in it that was difficult to describe in words.

Even if Chu Qianchen was not Aunt Jiang's biological daughter, for the Chu family, it was just raising a girl and giving her a dowry. Even if it was just raising a pet, they should have developed feelings for the pet after raising it for more than ten years. However, Chu Lingxiao's attitude towards Chu Qianchen was not even as good as that of a pet. It was like... like treating an enemy!

Her intuition told her that there must be an unspeakable secret behind this.

Shen continued to walk forward, thinking as she walked. When she reached the eaves, she stopped and said in a deep voice, "Find Nanny Yu first... and continue to look for the whereabouts of the midwife."

"Yes, ma'am." Nanny Chen responded immediately.

Shen rubbed her brows tiredly. Nanny Chen knew that she didn't sleep well last night, so she advised her with concern: "Madam, why don't you take a nap first to avoid exhausting yourself."

Shen was in no mood to rest. She waved her hand and ordered, "Tell Dongmei and the others to pack up their things quickly, call Sister Chen, and wait for Brother Mu to come back from get out of class. We will leave immediately."

Nanny Chen: “…”

Nanny Chen widened her eyes slightly. Is Madam going to take the Second Young Lady and the Fourth Young Master to the Duke's Mansion?

Has it come to this?! …

However, it is difficult to change the fact that the second girl is going to get married. Even if they leave today, the second girl will still be surnamed Chu, and she will still have to get married from the Yongding Marquis's Mansion in a month.

Shen didn't explain much, and said after a moment's hesitation, "Also, bring the dowry list I prepared for Sister Huang, and take it with you."

Nanny Chen understood the implication of Shen's words and was shocked again.

This time, she couldn't help but ask, "Madam, do you want to..."

Shen sighed, "Time is too tight."

Her words confirmed Nanny Chen's guess.

Although the emperor had relented in the Golden Palace today and agreed to postpone the wedding date of Chu Qianchen and Prince Chen, one month was still too tight, and she definitely would not have enough time to prepare a dowry for Chu Qianchen from scratch.

Chu Qianhuang's dowry had already been prepared, and Shen thought that the dowry could be temporarily given to Chu Qianchen. After all, it would be at least two or three years before Chu Qianhuang got married, so she could buy it for her again.

Nanny Chen was Shen's confidant, so she naturally knew that Shen had personally prepared a dowry for Chu Qianhuang since she was ten years old. Everything was carefully selected and was Shen's hard work. Shen didn't hesitate to give her own daughter's dowry to Chu Qianchen first, which showed that she treated Chu Qianchen very well.

Nanny Chen had mixed feelings, but she didn't try to persuade her and immediately went to get the dowry list.

Then, Nanny Chen also passed on Shen's order. Some people went to pack up, some went to pick up Chu Yunmu after class, and some went to prepare the carriage. The main courtyard suddenly became busy.

Nanny Chen personally went to Wanyan Courtyard and told Chu Qianchen that the wedding date had been postponed for a month, and then said, "Second Miss, Madam asked you to pack your things. She will take you and the Fourth Young Master to stay at the Duke's Mansion later..."

Chu Qianchen put down the pestle in his hand, took the wet wipes handed to him by Amber, slowly wiped his slender white fingers, and simply said four words: "I know."

Chu Qianchen's eyes were cold and bright, like a clear spring or a mirror, as if they could see through everything. Nanny Chen always felt that she seemed to "know" something.

Alas, the second girl is really too smart, but too much smartness will lead to harm.

Nanny Chen thought with mixed feelings: Since the Madam and I have noticed that the Marquis dislikes the Second Young Miss, the Second Young Miss must have noticed it too, and she must be feeling bad.

Nanny Chen left with a lot on her mind. Amber helped Chu Qianchen see her off. When she returned to the small study, she saw Chu Qianchen sitting quietly by the window, looking towards the main courtyard outside the window.

The golden sunlight gently outlines her delicate facial features. The girl is as pretty as pearls and jade, more beautiful than flowers. Just sitting there, the flowers outside the window are eclipsed.

Amber wanted to ask Chu Qianchen how many sets of clothes she should pack, but she heard Chu Qianchen ask before she did, "Has mother seen father since she came back from the Duke's Mansion?"

Amber replied, "As soon as the Madam returned home, Nanny Wang invited her to Rongfu Hall, and the Madam Tai also asked someone to invite the Marquis to go there."

Chu Qianchen sneered, "Father wants me to die suddenly."

According to the Law of the Great Qi Dynasty, a father is not guilty of killing his son.

Shen, the stepmother, was a rational person. She would not take her children back to her parents' home for a short stay without any reason, nor would she just leave because she was angry. She did this naturally because she had no choice.

Amber was stunned and felt a chill rising from the soles of her feet.

Her first reaction was that the Marquis would not be so cruel, but she couldn't say it when the words came to her lips.

After all, in noble families, blood ties mean nothing. Many people would rather let their daughters die suddenly for the sake of innocence and reputation, such as Miss Yang San from the home of the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works.

Two years ago, the Yang family went back to their hometown to visit relatives. On the way, they encountered bandits who blocked their way and robbed several carriages. Even the third girl Yang was taken back to the mountain stronghold. Fortunately, they met people from Qingzhou Guards who went to the mountain stronghold to suppress the bandits. They rescued the third girl Yang from a false alarm and sent her back to the Yang family.

Not long after, Yang Sangu fell ill and died suddenly, silently.

It was last year when the girl of the deputy commander of Qingzhou Guard came to the capital with her father and brother to report on her work that she told her cousins ​​about this matter, and the news spread throughout the capital.

To put it bluntly, the Yang family felt that the third Miss Yang had been lost before and that her beauty had a flaw, so they abandoned her.

If the Yang family can abandon Miss Yang San, then the Chu family can naturally abandon their own daughter.

Amber felt heavy in her heart and was hesitant to speak.

In comparison, Chu Qianchen was calm and composed, not seeming sad or hurt at all.

In her previous life, she only knew that she was insignificant to Chu Lingxiao and could be easily discarded;

After living a new life, she finally realized how much Chu Lingxiao disliked and hated her!

She had no hope for Chu Lingxiao, so she didn't feel disappointed, she just felt it was ironic.

Chu Qianchen stood up gracefully, smoothed her dress, and combed her hair, then instructed, "Let them clean up simply. Amber, come with me to the main courtyard."

So, after a cup of tea, Shen received a report that Chu Qianchen had arrived.

Shen thought Chu Qianchen came to ask about the arranged marriage, so she affectionately invited her to sit next to her.

She was still considering her words when Chu Qianchen spoke, and her words were shocking:

"Mother, I am sick, very sick, I want to go to the farm to recuperate."

"Please ask mother to prepare a carriage for me. It doesn't have to be a very good carriage, just an ordinary one will do."

Shen opened her eyes wide in surprise. Her first reaction was whether Nanny Chen had said something to Chu Qianchen. Nanny Chen shook her head innocently and said nothing.

Nanny Chen couldn't help but think of Chu Qianchen's eyes that seemed to see through everything in Wanyan Courtyard just now. She was surprised and sighed: The second young lady really saw through it!

Shen also understood, and a wave of bitter pain began to rise in her heart again: This girl is so smart and considerate!

She took a deep breath, grasped Chu Qianchen's hand, and firmly stated her position: "Sister Chen, don't be so wronged, I'm here!"

"I am your mother, and I should protect you!" Shen said almost as if she was swearing.

Chu Qianchen smiled slightly, his brows relaxed and his smile was bright.

She also knew that Shen took her to Duke Mu's mansion at this time to support her and make the Chu family bow their heads. Shen had done too much for her, and a mother would treat her daughter no better than this... Of course, except for her own mother.

"I won't let myself be wronged." Chu Qianchen said with a smile and winked playfully, as if to ask, is she the kind of person who endures humiliation?

Shen looked deeply into her eyes.

"You can't let mother shoulder this matter alone," Chu Qianchen said with a mocking smile, "The Chu family alone wants to change the emperor's will? Besides, my dowry still needs to be paid by Gongzhong."

If we don’t let the Chu family suffer a little, wouldn’t we be letting down Chu Lingxiao’s kindness?

Indeed, this girl's approach was more direct. Shen understood Chu Qianchen's meaning and sighed in her heart: This girl is not even fourteen years old, but she sees things so clearly and thinks so clearly. When she was fourteen or fifteen years old, she was far inferior to this girl!

In less than a cup of tea, the gloomy atmosphere in the room was swept away.

Nanny Chen on the side stared at Chu Qianchen for a long time, her eyes revealing a mixture of admiration, sighing, and admiration.

Nanny Chen is already this old. In the past few decades, she has seen countless ladies and girls from famous families. Some of them have a smooth life, while others have a happy life before suffering. It is not uncommon for the family to suddenly fall into trouble or be exiled. When the nest is destroyed, all the eggs will be broken. Those once glamorous young ladies will only cry like rain and beg for help everywhere after encountering sudden changes.

From yesterday till now, even though she guessed that her father wanted to kill her, she remained so calm, smiling, and dignified.

It seems that no matter what happens, to her, it is just a trivial matter that cannot shake her at all. Under her delicate appearance, she hides a tenacious heart.

"Have you thought it through?" Shen asked seriously.

"I've thought about it." Chu Qianchen smiled at Shen openly. The three words were concise and to the point, and his voice was gentle, sounding like he was acting coquettishly.

Shen looked at Chu Qianchen, a slight smile appeared on her face, her heart softened, and she nodded and said, "Okay."

In the past few months, Shen had been watching Chu Qianchen, and gradually, she got to know her better and better.

This child is a person with a lot of thoughts and ideas. She can clearly distinguish between gratitude and resentment, and between relatives and strangers. She acts with moderation and has her own set of principles in dealing with people.

To outsiders, she is always polite, cold and distant;

But the way she treats herself and Mu Ge'er is completely different. She will joke, act coquettishly, and make fun of others... It seems that this is in line with her current age.

Shen rubbed Chu Qianchen's head and said softly, "Take good care of yourself."

"Yes." Chu Qianchen did not stay any longer and stood up to say goodbye, "Mother, I will go back to pack my things first."

Chu Qianchen brought Amber back to Wanyan Courtyard.

At this time, the maids and servants in the yard had already packed up most of the things.

In the past two days, they have been feeling somewhat restless and uneasy. After all, Chu Qianchen's marriage will also affect the future of servants like them. Maybe they will also have to go to Prince Chen's Mansion as part of the dowry. Everyone has a heavy feeling about the uncertain future.

Chu Qianchen couldn't wait to leave. The Marquis' Mansion had been in chaos recently, which greatly affected her efforts in making the Da Zao Pills. Making the Da Zao Pills required absolute concentration. If anything went wrong, all these medicinal materials would be wasted.

Compared to the prince's safety, everything else is nothing.

Chu Qianchen had asked Amber to help her pack a few summer clothes, and personally packed all the medicinal materials used to make the Da Zao Pills.

An hour later, Chu Qianchen's carriage drove out of the Marquis' Mansion in a simple and light manner, and Xue Fengyan also left the Marquis' Mansion with her.

Xue Fengyan did not go with Chu Qianchen, but rushed back to Prince Chen's Mansion.

He climbed over the back wall of the palace with familiarity. The palace was heavily guarded, and it was impossible for ordinary people to sneak into the palace quietly. Xue Fengyan's whereabouts could not be hidden from the eyes and ears of the palace guards. A guard pointed him in a direction, and Xue Fengyan went to the main hall of the outer courtyard.

There were seven or eight people sitting in the hall, all of them looking at Xue Fengyan, asking him with their eyes -

Aren’t you following Chu Qianchen?

Xue Fengyan ignored him and ate the whole plate of snacks like a whirlwind. He didn't start talking about business until he was half full. "The second Miss Chu is going to stay at Yanghe Manor outside the city for a few days. The manor is near Lijia Village in the western suburbs of the capital. She said that if there is anything, we can go to Yanghe Manor to find her."

After saying that, he poured himself a cup of tea, and continued to eat snacks and sip tea, like a starving ghost reincarnated.

"Who suggested that Miss Chu go to the manor?" a male voice with a bit of casualness asked with interest.

Xue Fengyan was still eating cakes and said vaguely, "It belongs to Miss Chu Er."

Even if Chu Qianchen didn't say it himself, Xue Fengyan could guess it. This second Miss Chu shouldn't be so opinionated!

"Oh~" the teasing male voice responded casually, his slightly raised tone carrying a hint of playfulness.

Xue Fengyan felt that the word spoken by the other party was meaningful, so he looked in the direction of the other party.

The owner of the voice was a man in his thirties with an elegant appearance. He was wearing a green bamboo-colored robe with cloud patterns and had a faint smile on his lips.

He sat upright, in stark contrast to Xue Fengyan, who sat in an awkward manner.

Xue Fengyan was busy eating, so Cheng Linhua kindly asked on Xue Fengyan's behalf, "Su Mubai, what are you planning?"

Everyone else's eyes turned to Su Mubai.

Su Mubai took a sip of hot tea and said, "Don't you think it would be good if this marriage could be accomplished? We still need a mistress in our palace."

After Su Mubai said this, everyone else was stunned, as if they were under a spell, and stood still like stone sculptures.

Gradually, their expressions became subtle, as if they had suddenly been enlightened.

"Miss Chu is extremely intelligent, has excellent medical skills, and..." Su Mubai paused and continued, "Although I have never met her, from your description, I feel that she is very 'special' to the prince."

Yunzhan's eyebrows moved slightly, as if he was thinking about something, and he continued: "The way she looks at the prince is like us..."

Cheng Hualin's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he clapped his hands and agreed, "That's right, that's it!"

That's right, Chu Qianchen was just like them. She looked at the prince with unreserved trust in her eyes. Cheng Hualin gave Yun Zhan an admiring look. Yun Zhan was usually careless, but occasionally he was a bit meticulous.

Another middle-aged man muttered, "Marriages arranged by the emperor always make people feel a little uncomfortable."

It was no secret that the emperor asked Xuan Jing to calculate his horoscope. It had long been known in the capital, so they naturally knew about it. Although they could guess at a glance that the emperor and Xuan Jing were just playing a trick, it was true that after Chu Qianchen appeared, the prince's health got better day by day. Not only did he have fewer attacks, but the prince was also obviously in better spirits.

For them, the mistress of the palace does not need to be a lady from a noble family, what matters is that she is suitable.

Su Mubai looked at Cheng Hualin, Yun Zhan and Xue Fengyan and asked, "What do you three think?"

Among all the people present, only Cheng Hualin, Yun Zhan and Xue Fengyan had come into contact with Chu Qianchen, so their perceptions were the most direct.

Cheng Hualin, Yun Zhan and Xue Fengyan looked at each other. In their opinion, Chu Qianchen was indeed more outstanding than those noble ladies they knew.

only--

"I don't know if Miss Chu Er is interested in our prince."

Xue Fengyan finished his cake and started biting a peach. He kept talking and his speech was unclear.

“…”

“…”

“…”

The room suddenly became quiet.

Xue Feng hit the nail on the head when he said this. Chu Qianchen is extremely talented and naturally has high standards. It is hard to say whether she can look down on the prince.

After a moment, Cheng Hualin cleared his throat and said, "I think the Chu family seems to be in some trouble..."

Yun Zhan had smashed the plaque at the Yongding Marquis's mansion last time and had a confrontation with Chu Lingxiao. He said, "The Yongding Marquis will most likely oppose this marriage."

"Wrong." Su Mubai picked up the teacup and said with a half-smile, "He will definitely object!"

His tone was very certain.

Everyone looked at each other, and the middle-aged man pondered and said, "I remember Chu Lingxiao once sought the job of deputy commander of the flag bearer guard, right?"

"That's right." Another person nodded immediately and said, "He should be aiming for the position of commander, pointing at Commander Wang Dingyou!"

Chu Lingxiao thought he was doing it secretly, but in fact many people knew his intentions, and most of them looked down on people like Chu Lingxiao.

"Chu Lingxiao is a person with a very narrow vision." Cheng Linhua said sarcastically. For a man like him to give birth to a daughter like Miss Chu Er is simply a blessing in disguise.

"..." Yun Zhan hesitated to speak, thinking that Cheng Linhua was being polite. This Chu Lingxiao was not only narrow-minded, but also had a despicable character.

Su Mubai took a sip of hot tea and suddenly said, "He... wouldn't he want Miss Chu to die suddenly?"

The hall suddenly fell into silence again.

Everyone looked at each other again, and saw similar meanings in each other's eyes -

Very likely!

Yesterday, before the emperor issued the decree to grant the marriage, he summoned Chu Lingxiao to the parade ground. That is to say, Chu Lingxiao actually had the opportunity to oppose this marriage, but he did not dare to say no to the emperor, so he did not have many options left.

Either they hope that the prince will disobey the order, or ask someone to persuade the emperor, or they have to start with the Chu family. Just imagine, if Chu Qianchen is gone, this arranged marriage will naturally come to nothing.

"Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. This Chu Lingxiao is really..." someone sighed softly.

Everyone looked at Yunzhan with complicated expressions.

Yun Zhan curled his lips in sarcasm, looking calm. Even if there were things he couldn't see through before, after he had been through the gates of hell, he was reborn in blood.

Once upon a time, he went to the North to join the army in order to prove himself to his father and the Yun family;

Now, he has completely let go of the past, has let it go, and has thought it through.

Wait! Yun Zhan's mind moved, and he turned to Xue Fengyan nervously and asked, "Fengyan, did Miss Chu Er mention this matter?"

Xue Fengyan ate two plates of snacks, a plate of peaches and three cups of tea, and finally felt full. He wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and shook his head.

Everyone frowned slightly, and all thought in the same direction.

Chu Qianchen is going to the manor now. She is alone and weak. Will the Yongding Marquis take the opportunity to attack her? !

Xue Fengyan immediately stood up and casually patted his robe, "I'm leaving."

Before he finished speaking, his men appeared outside the hall.

Su Mubai stroked the white porcelain teacup with embossed patterns on his hand and said slowly, "We need to send someone to keep an eye on the Yongding Marquis's Mansion to prevent Chu Lingxiao from playing any tricks."

Xue Fengyan outside the hall waved his hand with his back to them, meaning, see you later.

Xue Fengyan immediately went after Chu Qianchen, while on the other hand, the Yongding Marquis Mansion also had some ripples because of Chu Qianchen's departure.

The Madam had already learned that Chu Qianchen had "suddenly fallen seriously ill" and had gone to the manor to "recuperate". She finally breathed a sigh of relief and advised Chu Lingxiao in a gentle voice, "Lingxiao, don't quarrel with Azhi in the future. If you have something to say, talk to her nicely. She will eventually figure it out."

(End of this chapter)