At this time, one of the palace maids squatted down and said to Chu Qianchen, "Miss Chu Er, next, I will measure your feet and take off your shoes and socks first."
One of the two palace maids was taking off Chu Qianchen's shoes and socks, while the other was spreading paper on the ground.
Chu Qianchen sat there fanning himself slowly with a round fan, not saying a word, letting the palace maid toss him around.
This scene fell into the eyes of Nanny Qiu, who was very satisfied. She thought: Nanny Yan has trained people well. Look, they are talking here, and Chu Qianchen doesn't dare to interrupt even a word.
Nanny Yan is indeed a capable person. I heard that all the palace maids who came under her care were extremely obedient.
Over the years, many palace maids trained by Nanny Yan were quietly placed in the palaces of other concubines by the Queen. Some of these secret agents were incompetent, while some of them even became the confidants of those concubines, such as Xia Lian, the head maid of Concubine Chu, Yan Xiang of Concubine Li Shu, and Nanny Fang, the wet nurse of Concubine Zhang Hui, and so on.
These people were all very loyal and obedient, and they kept passing messages to the queen in secret.
The corners of Aunt Qiu's mouth curled up almost imperceptibly, and she let out a mocking smile.
She believed that with Nanny Yan's ability, it would be easy for a concubine's daughter like Chu Qianchen to be obedient.
The two palace maids skillfully made several marks on the white paper and measured Chu Qianchen's feet.
At this point, all the dimensions have been measured.
The two palace maids were busy packing up and checking the data they had just recorded. Aunt Qiu walked towards Chu Qianchen, bowed, and said, "Second Miss Chu, when the first sample of the wedding dress is ready, I will bring it to you for you to try on."
Time is running out and the wedding dress can only be altered once, so we have to be more careful and cautious.
The emperor attached so much importance to this marriage that there must not be any mistakes in the bride's phoenix coronet and bridal bridal gown, and no one could find fault with it.
Chu Qianchen politely responded, "Thank you, Ma'am," and Amber squatted on the ground to help her put on her shoes and socks again.
Aunt Qiu had work to do and was in a hurry to get back to work, so she didn't stay for long. She smiled and said, "No, no. This is my duty."
"Miss Chu, I just went to see the Empress Dowager. She is worried about you and asked you to go to Shouning Palace to pay your respects tomorrow."
Chu Qianchen agreed with a smile.
After that, Nanny Qiu said goodbye and left impatiently with the two palace maids.
As they walked away, the room gradually became quiet.
Chu Qianchen, who was sitting in the same place, did not say anything. He looked at Nanny Yan with a smile and continued to play with the round fan in his hand.
Looking at the round fan that was turning flexibly between her fingers, Nanny Yan's heart began to lift up little by little. The pain of someone strangling her heart came back, making her feel breathless.
Her legs went weak and she fell to her knees with a plop, lowering her head, not daring to look at Chu Qianchen at all.
Her heartbeat was pounding uncontrollably.
She had hardly slept in the past two days and no one paid any attention to her until early this morning when Amber brought people to help her wash and change her clothes, which she had not taken off in the past few days since she came to the Marquis' Mansion.
Those old clothes gave off a strange smell like pickled vegetables.
Nanny Yan had never been like this since she entered the palace decades ago, which reminded her of the life she had lived in the quagmire before she was ten years old.
Nanny Yan's eyes flickered and even her heartbeat became disordered, beating more and more violently like a drum.
Only now did she understand.
I see.
Miss Chu Er had known that this would happen today and that someone would want to see her, so she had someone dress herself up carefully in advance.
This Miss Chu was so scheming that she had figured out everything the Emperor and the Empress were thinking.
I can't get over her Five Finger Mountain at all...
The more Nanny Yan thought about it, the more disappointed she became.
At this moment, she regretted taking the job to Shouning Palace. It would be better for her to stay in the palace and educate the palace maids for the rest of her life. Even if she didn't become rich, at least she could live the rest of her life in peace.
And now, she has been trapped in this trap and has revealed the secret that the Queen Mother asked her to drug the Queen Mother.
This secret alone was enough to make the Queen Mother and the Empress want to kill her.
She seemed to be stuck in a cold, dark quagmire.
The more she struggled, the deeper she sank...
Now, she has no other choice but to chase the only ray of light in the darkness.
Nanny Yan looked up at Chu Qianchen tremblingly, and a spark of hope vaguely appeared in her dark and confused eyes.
If it was this unfathomable Miss Chu Er...
Chu Qianchen just smiled without saying anything and casually put the round fan in her hand aside. She took the teacup presented by Amber and took a sip slowly.
Nanny Yan became even more panicked, and the last words Chu Qianchen said the day before rang clearly in her ears: "Unfortunately, I don't believe you."
In the past two days, she has been thinking about how to make Chu Qianchen trust her. Just when she saw Aunt Qiu just now, she vaguely got the answer and hurriedly said, "Second Miss Chu, I have something to report!"
Fearing that she would be taken back to that dark room again, Nanny Yan could not wait to continue, "When I was in the palace, I trained many palace maids. Some of them were sent to other palaces as secret agents of the Empress."
"I can tell you the names of these people!"
Chu Qianchen gave a wink, and Amber immediately prepared the pen and ink, then handed a wolf-hair brush to Nanny Yan.
Nanny Yan's eyelids trembled. She did not dare to hesitate at all. With trembling hands, she wrote down all the names she knew in one go. Finally, she spontaneously pressed her thumb print as a token of her sincerity in surrendering to Chu Qianchen.
Nanny Yan raised three fingers of her right hand, pointed to the sky, the earth, and her heart, and swore: "Second Miss Chu, what I wrote is absolutely true, otherwise I will be struck by lightning and die a miserable death!"
Nanny Yan thought to herself: She has pointed out Xia Lian, the senior palace maid beside Imperial Concubine Chu. Chu Qianchen can totally use this to curry favor with Imperial Concubine Chu. In this way, she should finally believe in her sincerity.
Amber put away the silk paper written by Nanny Yan, blew away the ink, and showed it to Chu Qianchen.
Chu Qianchen only glanced at her, still calm and nonchalant, and said: "In that case, Nanny Yan, please come with me to the palace tomorrow."
Nanny Yan opened her eyes slightly wide, unable to hide her surprise.
Chu Qianchen actually dared to bring her into the palace. The palace is not a marquis's residence. Isn't she afraid that she will complain to the queen?
Chu Qianchen smiled slightly, showing his composure as if facing a collapse of Mount Tai.
Nanny Yan had the answer in her mind.
She is not afraid.
Looking at the silk paper in Amber's hand, Nanny Yan felt powerless and tired.
She had already submitted this letter of surrender, which was equivalent to handing the real evidence to Chu Qianchen. Even if she went to complain, what would happen?!
It is the emperor's will that Chu Qianchen marry into Prince Chen's Mansion. No matter what happens, this cannot be changed. Chu Qianchen will definitely be the future Princess Chen.
She leaked such a big secret of the Queen. It is normal for a servant to die in the palace. She will definitely be in trouble!
Nanny Yan quickly realized the reality, kowtowed respectfully to Chu Qianchen, and replied honestly: "Yes, young lady."
She changed her address to show that she really recognized Chu Qianchen as her master.
Chu Qianchen waved his hand casually, "We have to go to the palace early tomorrow morning, you can go down and have a good rest."
Manju took Nanny Yan downstairs to rest.
Chu Qianchen first went back to the inner room, changed out of her brand new clothes, put on a simple jade-colored silk shirt, and then went to the small study to continue making her Da Zao Wan.
Thinking that she had to go to the palace the next morning, she did not stay up late that night, and went to bed at the second watch. The calming incense burned for half the night, and she slept very well. When she opened her eyes the next morning, it was already bright.
She went out early in the morning with Amber and Nanny Yan, and arrived at the palace gate in the marquis's carriage.
The procedures for her previous two entries into the palace were extremely complicated, but this time, it was much simpler.
With the token given by the Empress at the birthday banquet, she easily entered the palace gate and went straight to Shouning Palace. Nanny Yan respectfully lagged behind half a step and led the way for Chu Qianchen.
When Queen Dowager Yin saw Chu Qianchen coming, her eyes showed joy.
The engagement was made yesterday, and the marriage is set in stone. Chu Qianchen is already her daughter-in-law.
However, seeing that Nanny Yan was also there, Empress Dowager Yin still acted reserved and dignified, and seemed neither cold nor enthusiastic in her expressions.
After Chu Qianchen paid her respects, she calmly asked someone to give her a seat.
A maid in green served Chu Qianchen tea, and then Nanny Yan calmly ordered, "Everyone go down."
The palace maid was stunned for a moment, looked at Nanny Yan, then at Nanny He, then she lowered her head and responded submissively, and left the bedroom with another palace maid.
In the bedroom, only Empress Dowager Yin, Chu Qianchen, Nanny Yan and Nanny He, the Empress Dowager's confidant, were left.
Chu Qianchen took out a small blue and white porcelain bottle from his sleeve, handed it to Nanny He, and said, "Empress Dowager, take one pill of this medicine every morning and evening. It should be effective in four or five days."
Although pills don't work as quickly as decoctions, there is more than one "Madame Yan" in Shouning Palace. There are probably the emperor's spies everywhere. It is impossible to boil medicine, so he has to settle for the next best thing.
Empress Dowager Yin was stunned when she saw Chu Qianchen giving her the pill without any hesitation in front of Nanny Yan.
Nanny He was so shocked that her hand slipped and the small porcelain bottle in her hand almost fell out of her hand.
Both of them looked at Nanny Yan standing behind Chu Qianchen with complicated eyes. Seeing her lowered head and submissive look, they both understood immediately.
Counting the days, it has been less than six days since Nanny Yan followed Chu Qianchen to the Yongding Marquis Mansion. And in just such a short period of time, Chu Qianchen has actually managed to completely subdue Nanny Yan.
Thinking of this, Empress Dowager Yin had a complicated expression and exchanged glances with Nanny He.
They had long known that Nanny Yan was sent by the Emperor to Shouning Palace to keep an eye on the Empress Dowager.
The problem is that this huge palace belongs to the emperor, and everyone in the palace is the emperor's people. Even if the empress dowager drives away Nanny Yan today, there will be more spies following suit. By then, there will be a mixture of good and bad people, and it will be even more difficult to judge.
It would be better to keep Nanny Yan. At least she is still within their sight, and they can also pass some information to the emperor through her.
Of course, Empress Dowager Yin also thought about subduing Nanny Yan, and secretly asked Nanny He to investigate Nanny Yan's background, origin, preferences, etc. Nanny Yan had naturally committed crimes and done some shameful things in the years since she entered the palace, but these things were far from enough for her to use to control Nanny Yan. Therefore, Empress Dowager Yin did not act rashly, for fear of not being able to subdue her but alerting the enemy.
And her daughter-in-law easily subdued Nanny Yan.
Queen Dowager Yin was both surprised and delighted, and she looked at Chu Qianchen with even greater admiration.
Chu Qianchen was still talking to Nanny He about the precautions for taking the medicine: "Just dissolve the pill in warm water and let the Queen Mother take it."
"During the period of taking the medicine, you cannot drink alcohol, eat spicy and greasy food, eat cold seafood or river food... and you cannot smoke dry tobacco."
Nanny He agreed repeatedly and wrote down everything in detail.
Then, Chu Qianchen looked at Nanny Yan and ordered, "You can stay here. You don't have to go back with me."
Nanny Yan was overwhelmed. Yesterday, Nanny Qiu had conveyed the Queen's oral order, asking her to stay in the Marquis' Mansion for a few more days. But now that Chu Qianchen had spoken, how could she dare to say no? She just agreed.
This scene made Queen Mother Yin more certain of her guess, and she liked this future daughter-in-law more in her heart.
This girl was smart, clever, well-behaved, and acted with great courage and resolution. She was also very beautiful and was more suitable for her son than any noble lady she knew.
There was absolutely no way the emperor would be so kind as to find such a good wife for Jue'er, so her previous guess must have been correct. This marriage was indeed obtained by Jue'er's own scheme.
Considering how excited Chu Qianchen was when he mentioned Gu Jue before, Queen Mother Yin felt that perhaps these two people had already fallen in love with each other.
Good, very good.
With Chu Qianchen around, Jue'er at least has no worries and doesn't have to worry about a fire in the backyard.
Just thinking about it, Queen Mother Yin's eyes towards Chu Qianchen became softer and more loving, and the more she thought about it, the more satisfied she became.
A faint medicinal fragrance wafted into her nose. Empress Dowager Yin had been taking medicine for many years and was very familiar with the taste of medicine. She was about to swallow it in one gulp, but after taking a sip, she raised her eyebrows in surprise.
Not too bitter, and has a sweet flavor.
After drinking the medicine, Queen Dowager Yin rinsed her mouth with another cup of tea and wiped the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief. Then she looked at Chu Qianchen again with a smile in her eyes.
This girl is really a thoughtful person.
Queen Mother Yin felt very comfortable and waved to Chu Qianchen, wanting to have a private conversation with her. At this moment, a palace maid's voice came from outside the bedroom:
"The Queen asked Nanny Shan to bring some melons to the Queen Mother."
Chu Qianchen threw a glance over lightly, and Nanny Yan naturally went out to greet her.
Nanny He observed Nanny Yan for quite a while, and sighed in her heart: Nanny Yan used to be a cold and shrewd person. She had been in the palace for so many years, and her subordinates had been involved in murders. But now, she seemed like a different person, as if her "core" had changed.
After leaving the bedroom, Nanny Yan felt relieved and breathed a sigh of relief.
6◇9◇Book◇Bar
She felt that staying in the same room with Chu Qianchen was simply fatal.
Nanny Yan took two deep breaths, calmed down a lot, and walked out of the hall as if nothing had happened.
Nanny Shan and two young eunuchs were waiting under the eaves outside the main hall. She said with a smile, "Nanny Yan, I haven't seen you for a few days. You look well."
Nanny Yan felt it was ironic in her heart, but she responded with a smile, "Not at all," and praised Nanny Shan for looking several years younger.
Nanny Shan gestured and continued, "This is the melon that was just delivered as tribute. It is sweet and juicy. It is perfect for summer heat relief and thirst. The Queen Mother specially asked me to bring a basket of melons to the Queen Mother."
A young eunuch gave Nanny Yan a basket of melons and stuffed a heavy purse into her sleeve.
Nanny Yan's heart skipped a beat and she could almost smell the familiar scent of medicine.
She knew it must be the kind of medicine bag that was added to ginseng tea.
Thinking of her recent symptoms of forgetfulness, insomnia and palpitations, Nanny Yan felt as if there was a huge rock hidden in her sleeve, so heavy that she was about to collapse.
She couldn't help but wonder: Did the Queen know that even smelling this medicine would cause trouble? !
The answer is obvious.
The Queen must know that in the eyes of those nobles, the life of a slave like her is insignificant.
If the king wants his subjects to die, the subjects have to die.
Even if the Queen said it frankly, could I refuse? !
You can only bear it. Whether you can survive depends on your own fate!
Seeing that Nanny Yan seemed to be in a daze, Nanny Shan called out, "Nanny Yan?"
Nanny Yan quickly came to her senses and said nonchalantly, "This is the Queen's filial piety. I will go cut the melon myself and give it to the Queen Mother later."
As she spoke, Nanny Yan finally figured it out.
Chu Qianchen had asked him to stay in Shouning Palace just for the tea-drinking matter.
As long as she is in the palace, she will make the ginseng tea every day. She can add medicine or not. But if she is not in the palace, the Queen Mother will have to choose someone else, and then things will become troublesome.
Empress Dowager Yin could also pour the ginseng tea, but the problem was that the emperor would only feel at ease if she "drank" the ginseng tea.
Nanny Yan felt a splitting headache, but she still smiled and continued, "The Queen Mother said that the ginseng tea I made was good, so she kept me and said she would send another nanny to the second Miss Chu."
"Ms. Chu is gentle and docile, and I think she will get along well with other maids."
In Nanny Shan's ears, the so-called "gentle and docile" meant cowardice, which was exactly the same as what Nanny Qiu said yesterday after she came back from taking Chu Qianchen's measurements.
Nanny Shan was very satisfied and thought that it would be better for Nanny Yan to return to Shouning Palace. While she was away, the Empress had been thinking about who should be the best at making ginseng tea these days. This task was too important and could not be handed over to ordinary people.
Nanny Shan thought for a moment, and seeing that there were no outsiders around, she lowered her voice and said, "Find a way to send Lan Ruo to the Marquis' Mansion to Miss Chu Er."
Nanny Yan agreed without hesitation, feeling a little sympathy for Lanruo: she had just escaped from the wolf's den, and now it was Lanruo's turn to experience the methods of the second Miss Chu!
Nanny Shan was also afraid that she and Nanny Yan would talk too much and arouse suspicion, so she smiled and said, "I still have to go back and report to the Queen, so I'll take my leave now."
Nanny Yan bowed and asked someone to help her send Nanny Shan away, while she returned to her bedroom.
There was a harmonious atmosphere in the bedroom.
Chu Qianchen was playing Gobang with Queen Mother Yin. Gobang was a simple and effortless game, and Queen Mother Yin played casually. While playing, she glanced at Chu Qianchen with a smile on her face.
Nanny Yan felt that Chu Qianchen was a smiling fox. Even without watching, she could guess who had the upper hand in this game of chess.
“Pah.”
After Chu Qianchen made a move, he looked towards Nanny Yan with an indifferent gaze.
Nanny Yan shuddered and subconsciously quickened her pace. She walked to Chu Qianchen, bowed politely first, and then told him everything about her conversation with Nanny Shan and the Queen's intentions.
Queen Mother Yin: “…”
Nanny He: “…”
They clearly knew that Nanny Yan had been subdued by Chu Qianchen, but at this moment, they still felt a strange sense of disharmony.
Empress Dowager Yin naturally knew the Lan Ruo that Nanny Yan was talking about. She was the old palace maid in charge of cleaning and taking care of the flowers and trees in Shouning Palace. The younger palace maids had to respect her as "Auntie", but they didn't have many opportunities to get close to Empress Dowager Yin on weekdays.
This means that Lan Ruo is at least a person who does things without making mistakes.
Queen Mother Yin placed a move absentmindedly and looked at Chu Qianchen with some worry.
Although she didn't know how Chu Qianchen had conquered Nanny Yan, she should have at least grasped some of Nanny Yan's weaknesses. If it were Lan Ruo...
Chu Qianchen smiled slightly and said lightly: "Then let her go back with me..."
She didn't look worried at all and placed another white piece.
Nanny Yan was not surprised at all and shed tears of sympathy for Lan Ruo again.
But that’s all.
She didn't want to go to Yongding Marquis' Mansion again, and she wanted to have a good sleep tonight!
Nanny Yan had never missed her bed and bedding so much before. It was the first time that she understood the saying: A nest of gold or silver is not as good as one's own thatched nest.
Chu Qianchen didn't stay too long. He played the game of chess with Queen Mother Yin and left without having lunch.
After all, now everyone in the harem knows that Queen Mother Yin is very dissatisfied with Chu Qianchen, her future daughter-in-law, because Chu Qianchen's status is too low, she has little talent and knowledge, her temperament is dull and cowardly, and she is not presentable, etc.
Under such circumstances, if Queen Dowager Yin kept Chu Qianchen for too long, it would only arouse suspicion.
Furthermore, everyone knew that Empress Dowager Yin was in poor health and often felt depressed.
So, under the watchful eyes of so many people in the palace, Chu Qianchen came out of Shouning Palace before noon.
There were three people when they came, and there were still three people when they left.
The person who replaced Nanny Yan was a thin palace maid in her thirties. She looked very serious and even every step she took seemed to have been measured with a ruler, neither too much nor too little, and neither too fast nor too slow.
Amber had been secretly looking at Aunt Lanruo, feeling shocked.
Lan Ruo also felt Amber's gaze and secretly sighed that Amber was really unruly. She also couldn't help but feel that Nanny Yan was not doing her job well. She had disciplined Chu Qianchen well, but had not disciplined the maidservant beside her!
It's really outrageous!
The next time she returns to the palace, she will definitely find a way to report it to Nanny Yan.
They returned to Wanyan Courtyard in silence. Lan Ruo was criticizing in her mind as she walked along, and she had a lot of words prepared. She planned to speak out when the time came, and she must subdue Miss Chu Er as soon as possible and take over the control of her courtyard.
With a creaky sound, the door closed.
Lan Ruo came back to her senses from her chaotic thoughts and found that only Chu Qianchen and Amber were in the room.
The midday sun shines through the window into the room, and two ice basins are placed in the corner. Although it is midsummer, the room is cool and comfortable like early spring.
Amber handed the round fan embroidered with a black cat to Chu Qianchen, and gave Lan Ruo a sympathetic look.
Lan Ruo's heart skipped a beat, and she vaguely felt that something was wrong with the atmosphere.
What's wrong?
By the way, this courtyard is in perfect order inside and out. When she was on her way to Wanyan Courtyard just now, there were maids and old women from the Marquis's Mansion hiding in corners and quietly pointing at her, but when she arrived at this courtyard, no one even looked at her.
Just like at this moment, the three of them were in the room, and outside the room was silent, not even the whispers or rustling sounds of the maids could be heard.
It was eerily quiet inside and outside the house.
The servants here followed strict rules, and she could hardly find any fault with anything around them.
This yard is like an airtight iron barrel. It doesn't seem like the yard of a fourteen-year-old girl, nor is it the effect that Nanny Yan can achieve in just a few days of training.
“Meow…”
I don't know where the sound of a cat's meow came from.
Chu Qianchen recognized it immediately. It was Yueying's voice, a little coquettish and lively.
Ever since Yueying was able to walk with her injured leg, the little guy has become more lively and active, pestering her to play all day long.
She had to deal with Lan Ruo as soon as possible so that she could go play with Yue Ying.
As Chu Qianchen thought about it, his eyes became cold and sharp, and his entire temperament changed drastically.
Lan Ruo's heart sank and her hair stood on end. For a moment, she felt like a mouse that had entered a cat's cave.
And she has been targeted!
Hundreds of miles away in Nanyang, the second young master of the Nanyang Palace was like a mouse being stared at by a cat. He was sweating profusely and his heart was beating so wildly that it almost jumped out of his throat.
There were seven or eight people sitting in the huge tent. The atmosphere was heavy and tense, ready to explode.
A young man in a moon-white robe sat at the top. He had a handsome appearance, an elegant temperament, and was cold and arrogant. He formed a sharp contrast with those burly old veterans.
The young man just sat leisurely behind the general's desk, without saying a word, and his arrogant look carried him like a king.
It's like the misty mountain fog and the ethereal clouds, so far away, so out of reach, and so difficult to get close to.
Yesterday, I was so angry that I didn't upload the manuscript to the backend until after midnight, and then I set it to be published at 7 o'clock the next day. I completely forgot that it was already after midnight, and I should have published it at 7 o'clock that day.
That's so stupid.
The prince you have been waiting for is here.
There are still two chapters without any chapters. I have thought about it. If you say I update too little, I will divide it into chapters! (Tsundere face~)
(End of this chapter)