Before Nanny Yan could say anything, she heard Chu Qianchen respond obediently and thanked Empress Dowager Yin again.
Nanny Yan held the handkerchief hesitantly, wanting to say something but stopping herself. At this moment, Empress Dowager Yin glanced at her lightly, which made her heart skip a beat.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Nanny Yan no longer dared to hesitate and could only kneel down respectfully to accept the order.
Queen Mother Yin raised her hand and rubbed her brows. A strong sense of fatigue suddenly surged up. She waved her hand and said, "I am tired. You all can go down."
Normally, Empress Dowager Yin would feel tired easily, and the palace servants in Shouning Palace were used to it. Several palace maids and eunuchs left the bedroom in an orderly manner, leaving only Nanny He and the head palace maid to serve her.
Chu Qianchen untied a primrose-colored crescent-shaped sachet with cloud patterns from her waist and presented it to Queen Mother Yin with both hands respectfully. "Your Majesty, the spices in this sachet can calm your mind and spirit. This servant made it by hand."
Queen Mother Yin took the sachet, casually placed it on the coffee table, and said calmly: "You have such filial piety, I will remember it."
Nanny Yan glanced quickly at the crescent-shaped sachet, then lowered her eyes, a hint of disdain flashing across her eyes.
The embroidery of this sachet is very ordinary, just like any purse sold in any embroidery shop outside. She wants to please the Queen Mother by using such a sachet. She is truly a concubine's daughter who is not presentable enough!
After Chu Qianchen knelt down to salute, he took his leave with Nanny Yan.
Queen Mother Yin stared at Chu Qianchen's slender back in a daze, her eyes showing satisfaction, sigh, hope, relief, and also a bit of regret: she also wanted to have a good talk with Chu Qianchen and ask about Gu Jue's recent situation, but now was not the right time.
When leaving the palace, Nanny Yan couldn't help but look back, and then she heard Nanny He suggest, "Empress Dowager, I see this ginseng tea is cold, you should warm it up before drinking it."
The Xiangfei curtain fell down, blocking the sound from behind, so Nanny Yan could not hear what Empress Dowager Yin said.
After Nanny Yan followed Chu Qianchen out of the main hall, she said indifferently, "Second Miss Chu, I will take you back to Mingde Hall first, and then come back to pack your luggage. After the birthday banquet is over, I will go back to Yongding Marquis Mansion with you. Do you think this is okay?"
Chu Qianchen agreed gently, and under the guidance of Nanny Yan, he returned the same way and slowly walked towards the direction of Mingde Hall.
She secretly breathed a sigh of relief: her trip to the palace was not in vain.
Queen Mother Yin's condition was much better than she expected. What puzzled her was that the Queen Mother was clearly not at the end of her life. Why did she die so early in her previous life...
Is there something else that she doesn't know?
It is now past the middle of the Si hour, the sun is scorching, and the sun is burning the earth. Coming out of Shouning Palace, I feel a gust of hot wind blowing towards me.
Chu Qianchen didn't care at all and walked forward thoughtfully.
When she came to her senses, she was already outside the parade ground in front of Mingde Hall.
From a distance, you can see two tall men competing on the ring. They are dodging and attacking nimbly, their movements are swift and murderous, and they seem to be evenly matched, and it is hard to tell who is the winner.
The area around the training ground was noisier than before she left. People seemed not to feel the sultry summer heat. They were talking and laughing, and they all looked radiant.
At the entrance of the parade ground, a group of young men in gorgeous clothes surrounded a young man in black clothes and talked to him like stars surrounding the moon. Some congratulated him, some laughed, some applauded, and some patted his shoulders and pushed him. It was very lively.
Chu Qianchen glanced around casually and his eyes fell on a young man wearing bamboo green Hu clothing not far away.
The young man hung his head with a sullen look, kicking a stone with his feet and trampling on it over and over again.
Amber cleverly went to inquire about it, and when she came back, she said to Chu Qianchen with a subtle look: "Miss, the competition for the youth group under fifteen years old has just ended, and the eldest young master won the third place."
Chu Yunyi just turned twelve years old. In fact, considering his age, getting third place is already quite good.
Chu Qianchen stared at Chu Yunyi for a while, then casually said to Nanny Yan behind him, "Nanny Yan, I'll go over and talk to my brother."
Without waiting for Nanny Yan to react, she walked towards Chu Yunyi on her own.
Nanny Yan frowned, with undisguised disapproval written on her face.
The Queen Mother asked her to teach Chu Qianchen the rules. Logically, she should give him some reminders. However, the less presentable Chu Qianchen is, the more satisfied "that one" will be. She should not overstep the boundaries!
Thinking of this, Nanny Yan raised her eyes and looked towards the stands in the middle. The figure in the bright yellow dragon robe was particularly eye-catching in the sun.
Nanny Yan quickly withdrew her gaze and waited with lowered head.
Chu Qianchen walked towards Chu Yunyi slowly, staring at his stubborn profile.
A child with a blurry face appeared in her mind, and as she walked forward step by step, the child's face gradually became clearer.
Chu Yunyi started learning martial arts from his father Chu Lingxiao at the age of four. He learned how to ride a horse before he even picked up a pen.
Chu Lingxiao obviously had high hopes for him, and he did not disappoint his father's expectations, training very hard in the hottest days of summer and the coldest days of winter.
When she was a child, she also secretly watched him practice martial arts without Aunt Jiang's knowledge. She saw that his palms were covered with blisters from the rubbing of bows and arrows, but he still wanted to practice. So she ran over and wrapped his hands with white cloth, and then watched him continue to practice.
She cheered and applauded him from the sidelines.
Later, Aunt Jiang somehow found out about this and told her not to disturb Chu Yunyi's martial arts practice. She also watched her practice needlework for several days...
Since she was a child, Aunt Jiang had intentionally or unintentionally prevented her from getting close to Chu Yunyi. However, as they lived in the same mansion, Chu Qianchen could not help but hear a lot about Chu Yunyi.
She has only recently started to think about these things bit by bit.
Chu Qianchen was lost in thought as he walked.
Right in front of him, Chu Yunyi, with his head down, was still kicking the small stone, which rolled back and forth.
Suddenly, he saw a bright red dress coming into his sight. On the embroidered shoes under the skirt were a pair of vivid butterflies, and the butterfly wings, like cicada wings, fluttered gently with their owner.
Chu Yunyi moved his eyes upwards, and two feet away, Chu Qianchen's familiar face came into his sight.
The brilliant sunshine poured down and gently enveloped her, making the girl look more dignified than usual, like a golden lotus before a Bodhisattva.
The brother and sister's eyes met.
At this moment, the surrounding sounds seemed to fade away, and Chu Yunyi felt as if they were the only two left here.
He pursed his lips awkwardly, his thin lips formed into a straight line, and his eyes were deep.
That day, he heard that his father and grandmother wanted Chu Qianchen to die suddenly. He originally wanted to go to the manor to inform Chu Qianchen, but he was locked up by his father instead.
Although Chu Qianchen returned safely from the manor, he was of no help at all in the whole incident.
Whenever Chu Yunyi thought of it, he felt frustrated and his heart was stuffy. He tossed and turned last night and almost didn't sleep all night.
Originally, he planned to win the championship in today's martial arts test and make Chu Qianchen feel proud, but he did not perform well and only got third place.
There is no first in literature, and no second in martial arts.
He lost, he was so useless!
This feeling of powerlessness and frustration grew steadily and reached its highest point when he saw Chu Qianchen walking towards him.
The distance between the two was getting closer and closer. Chu Yunyi suddenly turned around and wanted to run.
Chu Qianchen's mouth twitched, and he said in a calm tone: "Chu Yunyi, try taking another step forward!"
This sentence is simple, neither light nor heavy, but the intimidation is evident in the words.
Chu Yunyi accidentally recalled the last time he was overthrown by Chu Qianchen in the Marquis' Mansion.
If he fell on his back in public, it would be more embarrassing than if he lost the martial arts test today. If that were the case, he might as well just kill himself with a piece of tofu!
Chu Yunyi stopped, his body as stiff as a stone sculpture, motionless.
Chu Qianchen walked slowly to Chu Yunyi, stopped one step away from him, and asked directly, "Lost?"
“……” Chu Yunyi looked away awkwardly, completely unable to look her in the eyes.
He heard from Yu Qi that if the sisters in the family are bullied by their husband's family after they get married, the brothers from their natal family will be their support.
He is the eldest son, seven years older than Chu Yunmu, and he should be the one to shoulder the burden!
But he is so bad that he can’t protect Chu Qianchen before she gets married. How can he be Chu Qianchen’s supporter in the future?
I heard that girls who don't have brothers to rely on will be bullied by their husband's family.
On the day when the emperor issued an edict to grant the marriage, he still had the audacity to say in front of his stepmother and Chu Qianchen that he was the one!
Thinking of this, Chu Yunyi felt his face burning.
He is such a disgrace!!
The young man's youthful face showed stubbornness, shame, guilt, and a hint of unwillingness to accept defeat.
After a while, he nodded stiffly.
Yes, he lost.
Let her laugh at him and taunt him!
He deserves it anyway.
Chu Yunyi raised his chin proudly and finally looked into Chu Qianchen's eyes.
"Open your mouth!" Chu Qianchen ordered.
Then, he thought in annoyance: He is not Chu Yunmu, so why should he do whatever she tells him to do!
Chu Qianchen took out a rose pine nut candy from his purse through the handkerchief and stuffed it into his mouth.
She said nothing and just left.
Chu Yunyi only felt the sweet smell mixed with roses, pine nuts and honey filling his mouth. It was a familiar taste, and he knew that this was the candy made by Chu Qianchen himself.
It tastes fragrant and sweet in the mouth.
Chu Yunyi couldn't help curling up the corners of his lips as he held the candy in his mouth. He perked up again and swore in his heart that he would not lose next time, whether it was on the training ground or in the mansion...
He is the eldest son, he will definitely be Chu Qianchen’s backer and make her look at him with new eyes!!!
Chu Yunyi raised his chin, turned around and walked away with his head held high, with a bit of arrogance as if he was the best in the world.
Chu Qianchen returned to his seat on the podium.
6◇9◇Book◇Bar
Nanny Yan followed her like a shadow and escorted her to her seat.
Anle, Chang Ning, Chu Qianhuang and other noble ladies were still sitting in their original seats, and they all looked towards Chu Qianchen.
When Chu Qianchen sat down, the corner of her eye swept across the arena below. After a moment of pause, she noticed that one of the two people competing on the arena was Su Mubai.
Su Mubai was wearing a blue robe and holding a long sword that shone with silver. He had an elegant appearance and a thin figure.
His opponent was a bearded alien with a pair of ice-blue eyes as sharp as a lone wolf. He was half a head taller than Su Mubai, like a giant bear standing upright, with well-developed muscles and holding a pair of heavy meteor hammers.
The two men, one gentle and the other rough, formed a sharp contrast.
Especially the meteor hammer in the hand of this alien was as big as a human head and covered with sharp silver spikes. When it was swung, the meteor hammer brought up a sharp gust of wind, which was very powerful.
The tall and burly alien moved very flexibly and swiftly, using his double hammers to attack frequently, forcing Su Mubai to retreat again and again. He could only defend but not attack, and seemed to be in a very passive position.
Several times, everyone in the audience thought that the meteor hammer was about to hit Su Mubai. They exclaimed in surprise and couldn't take their eyes off the ring.
Chu Qianchen just glanced at the arena and then looked away.
She had some understanding of Su Mubai's abilities, so she could tell at a glance that he was handling the situation with ease.
Su Mubai has always been a cautious person, hoping to make plans before taking action. Once he has a thorough understanding of his opponent, it is time to take action.
Seeing Chu Qianchen sitting down, Nanny Yan bowed and said goodbye, saying with a somewhat arrogant attitude: "Second Miss Chu, I will go back to pack my luggage."
She didn't even wait for Chu Qianchen's response and just walked away. It was obvious that she didn't take Chu Qianchen seriously at all.
The other noble ladies looked at Nanny Yan's back with complicated expressions.
Just now, when Chu Qianchen came to the outside of the training ground, they took advantage of their high position on the platform and saw Nanny Yan who had sent Chu Qianchen back.
At that time, they just glanced at her and didn't pay much attention to her. But from the meaning of Nanny Yan's words just now, they understood that Empress Dowager Yin had given Nanny Yan to Chu Qianchen.
Obviously, Empress Dowager Yin disliked Chu Qianchen for being a concubine's daughter and having no rules, so she sent a nanny to the Marquis' Mansion to train her.
Several noble ladies exchanged tacit glances with each other.
At the beginning, many people were somewhat interested in Chu Qianchen and were observing her secretly. They thought Chu Qianchen looked well-behaved on the outside, but she couldn't utter a word for a long time. It was obvious that she was introverted and not generous enough.
Now, she just went to Shouning Palace to meet Queen Mother Yin, and Queen Mother Yin gave her a nanny in dissatisfaction. It seems that she is indeed a cowardly concubine's daughter as the rumors said. Not only is she not presentable, she can't even control a nanny!
Even if a girl like this married into Prince Chen's mansion and became Prince Chen's Consort, she probably wouldn't be able to keep things under control in the future.
Thinking of this, when they looked at Chu Qianchen again, there was a hint of contempt in their eyes.
Yes, how good can this girl who comes to bring good luck to others be!
Amidst the scrutinizing gazes, a brisk and lively voice broke the silence around.
"Sister," the third princess Anle saw Chu Qianchen finally came back, and she rushed towards her like a young swallow returning to its nest, holding her arm affectionately and said coquettishly, "Where have you been? I'm so bored."
"The two people below have been fighting for quite a while, but it's still unclear who's winning..."
“Zheng!”
The sound of a fierce weapon collision suddenly rang out, interrupting Anle's words.
On the ring, the alien roared in pain, and the meteor hammer in his left hand fell to the ground. There was a bloody cut on his left wrist, and blood flowed and dripped onto the ground.
Only the meteor hammer in his right hand was still firmly held in his hand.
His rough face was filled with bloodshot eyes, as if he wanted to pounce on Su Mubai and tear him apart.
When the audience thought that the alien was going to attack again, they saw him angrily throw away the other meteor hammer in his right hand and go straight down to the ring.
This action means that he admits defeat!
An official from the Ministry of War immediately announced loudly: "The winner is Su Mubai!"
“Pah pah pah…”
Suddenly, warm applause broke out from the surrounding viewing platforms, rising and falling like thunder, wave after wave.
Only the stands where the blue-eyed alien and his people were were silent.
The emperor also raised his hands and clapped, looking very proud and confident, as if he had won the competition himself.
"Prince Wuhe," the emperor turned to look at the white-robed monk sitting next to him and said with a smug smile, "This Su Mubai is a lieutenant general of the Fifth Army Camp of our Great Qi. He was the top martial arts champion six years ago. He is not even thirty yet and has made many contributions to our Great Qi."
The emperor's seemingly nonchalant tone contained a hint of bragging and demonstration.
This was originally one of the purposes of today's martial arts test. The emperor wanted to let Nan Hao and the surrounding foreign tribes know that Da Qi not only has Prince Gu Jue, but also many young and brave soldiers.
These people are not weaker than Gu Jue!
Even if Gu Jue died, Da Qi was not a pie in the sky that everyone could have a bite of.
Below, Su Mubai glanced in the direction of the emperor and Jialou, then sheathed his sword. Someone else came to clean up the mess on the ring, taking away the pair of meteor hammers and wiping off the bloodstains on the ring.
Jialou stared at Su Mubai's back and praised: "Your country's Lieutenant General Su is not only an extraordinary martial artist, but also has an extraordinary vision, boldness and carefulness."
Eyesight?! The emperor was stunned, not understanding what Jialou meant.
The young man in blue behind Jialou said, "Left-handed... Meteor Hammer is left-handed."
Although the alien who used the meteor hammer just now used two hammers, people's left and right hands must be stronger or weaker. A left-handed person's left hand is naturally more flexible and stronger. Since this person even lost the meteor hammer in his left hand, it is naturally impossible for him to defeat Su Mubai with his right hand alone. This is why he did not fight to the end and admitted defeat calmly.
The emperor's face froze slightly. He didn't even realize that the blue-eyed foreigner was left-handed.
Jialou smiled slightly, his eyes warm, and praised the young man in green: "Not bad, your eyesight has improved."
The young man in blue raised his chin as if he had received a huge compliment.
Jialou looked at the emperor again and continued, "Da Qi is really full of talented people. I heard that this Lieutenant General Su has been in the Northern Army for a few years? Your king is really good at training people."
"..." The emperor's expression suddenly became even uglier. Although the sun was shining brightly at the moment, the emperor's face seemed to be covered by dark clouds.
The whisk in Eunuch Ni's hand trembled and his body tensed.
He could guess how angry the emperor was at the moment. Among so many people present, perhaps only the eldest prince of Nanhao, Wuhejialou, dared to speak to the emperor like this.
The other nobles and court officials around him also lowered their eyes, pretending not to hear that the emperor had been slapped in the face.
Jialuo was still smiling, his smile was gentle and elegant, as if he didn't think there was anything wrong with what he had just said.
The expression on the emperor's face was almost unbearable.
At this time, the next round of competition began.
Two men of different appearances came onto the stage from two directions. The winner of this round of competition will fight with Su Mubai to decide the final winner of this martial arts test.
A loud gong sounded, and the two men faced each other with knives, swinging their knives with murderous intent...
Crown Prince Gu Nanjin clenched his fists, fearing that the situation would become increasingly awkward. He cleared his throat and smiled, "The Ninth Prince is indeed a young talent, both civil and military, and extremely talented."
"I heard that the Grand Prince Wuhe is also a first-class man of both civil and military talents in your country. In the future, the Grand Prince Wuhe and my Great Qi will be one family."
As soon as Gu Nanjin said this, the atmosphere around them suddenly became very subtle.
This was true for the Hao people brought from Da Qi to Jialou.
The platform where the emperor sat fell into an eerie silence.
(End of this chapter)