In fact, they also felt that the second Miss Chu was good, better than so many noble ladies in the capital, but the matter of marriage still had to be decided by the prince himself.
He finished the bowl of cold noodles in just a few bites, rinsed his mouth with water, and was now completely full.
"Prince Qin, can you find the prince?" Tang Yuchu asked again, but in fact he already had a vague answer in his heart.
Qin Yao touched his chin again, looked at the Helan Gobi Desert on the map again, put away the playful smile on his lips, and said seriously: "Difficult."
After a pause, he explained, "If we want to find Brother Nine, we will have to send out a lot of people and search in several directions. But if we do it in such a big way, I'm afraid it will alert the enemy."
They had originally planned to fight a quick battle and finish off the Lin people within ten days. Once the news leaked out and the Lin people became wary, they could also split up into smaller groups, which would inevitably put the people on the border in a dangerous situation and increase the casualties of the soldiers.
On the battlefield, the most taboo thing is to leak military intelligence.
A small mistake could cost hundreds, thousands or even tens of thousands of lives.
Both Qin Yao and Tang Yuchu are very clear about this.
Tang Yuchu: "..."
Tang Yuchu was silent, feeling that he was hungry again, and asked Yuanbao first: "Do you have any cakes?"
Yuanbao: “…”
Yuanbao felt that Captain Tang was simply a starving ghost reincarnated, so he replied "yes" and went downstairs to get the cakes.
Tang Yuchu asked desperately, "Prince Qin, what should we do?"
He was also overwhelmed, thinking: Xue Feng should have played the role, then he wouldn't be the one with the headache! Qin Yao spread his hands, he didn't know either.
The two looked at each other.
After a while, Yuanbao came back with a bowl of fragrant, hot frosted millet cake, breaking the silence here.
Qin Yao also pinched a piece of millet cake and ate it, saying, "My ninth brother and I have calculated that this battle will be over in nine or ten days at the earliest. Let's wait for my ninth brother to come back."
Nine or ten days...
Tang Yuchu calculated silently, that is to say, it would take another day or two for the prince to return here, and then if they rushed back to the capital, it might be too late.
Tang Yuchu ate the millet cake as if to vent his feelings, and sighed again in his heart: The chefs here are really skilled.
Qin Yao laughed heartlessly, "Old Tang, you haven't slept for a few days, right?"
"Just stay here and relax, things will work out when the time comes!"
"It's not a bad thing anyway, right?"
Qin Yao ate the cakes happily, thinking randomly: it was just like those storybooks he had read in the capital, where if something bad happened, one had to defy fate and change one's destiny, shouting "My destiny is in my own hands" and so on.
But now this is a good thing, a happy thing.
In his opinion, they should just follow the will of heaven… In fact, it’s really good for that girl to marry Ninth Brother.
Tang Yuchu felt that what Qin Yao said made sense and nodded subconsciously.
Yuan Bao interrupted, "Captain Tang, your tent is ready."
Tang Yuchu felt as if the bed was waving to him. He was conflicted for a while, but still felt that they could not make the decision for the prince, so he changed his words and said, "I still have to go look for it."
"Since we can't do it in a big way, let's just look for it secretly."
Qin Yao was also afraid that Tang Yuchu would die of exhaustion in the northwest, so he said, "I'll send some people to help you look for him."
So, after an incense stick of time, Tang Yuchu set off lightly with five disguised Nanyang army soldiers.
They hoped to catch up with Gu Jue before he and the army entered the Helan Gobi Desert. However, by the time he arrived in the Helan Gobi Desert, the moon was already above the willows.
The Gobi Desert is desolate and silent at night, with a cold wind blowing, as if autumn has suddenly arrived.
Looking at the endless Gobi Desert, Tang Yuchu felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. He finally understood why Qin Yao said it was "difficult". It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack for them to find the prince here.
Tang Yuchu searched in the Gobi Desert for three full days, but finally gave up and returned to the Nanyang military camp.
He had a feeling in his heart: It was estimated that their prince was really going to marry a princess! Chu Qianchen naturally knew nothing about all this.
It was not even the beginning of the morning, but she had already gotten up and was looking at the Dazaowan pills that had just been made at midnight yesterday.
After being left to dry for half the night, the big pill was finally completed.
She used so many medicinal herbs, but in the end she only made ten brown pills the size of fingers.
Chu Qianchen carefully used silver tweezers to put the pills into a small pastel porcelain bottle.
In the early morning light, this small porcelain bottle shines with a lustrous luster, like a bright pearl.
Chu Qianchen stroked the small porcelain bottle with her fingertips with a curved lip, planning in her mind: wait for the prince to return to the capital, take the Dazao Pills, and then carefully recuperate for a period of time, then she can operate on him and remove the hidden danger in his chest.
Chu Qianchen carefully locked it in the secret compartment of the drawer. Calculating the days, Xue Fengyan and the others would probably get news from the prince soon.
Outside the small study, a respectful and rigid female voice sounded: "Girl."
"Come in." Chu Qianchen stretched slowly and said in a lazy tone.
The door curtain was lifted, and a thin palace maid in her thirties came in with her head lowered and her face submissive. It was Lan Ruo, who was "rewarded" to Chu Qianchen by Empress Dowager Yin.
Lan Ruo also saw Chu Qianchen stretching, and silently turned her eyes away, pretending not to see it, and asked: "Miss, are we going to the main courtyard?"
Looking at Lan Ruo's respectful manner, which was completely different from the day she first came to the Marquis' Mansion, Amber sighed in her heart again: This Aunt Lan Ruo was obviously much more sensible than Nanny Yan, and had suffered less than her.
"Let's go." Chu Qianchen stroked his sleeves and walked out.
Amber followed first, and Lanruo wisely followed behind Amber, knowing clearly her position in Wanyan Courtyard.
Shen had exempted Chu Qianchen from the morning and evening visits long ago. The reason why Chu Qianchen got up so early today was to go to Duke Mu's Mansion with Shen.
Lan Ruo also wanted to go along, but she knew her position clearly. Chu Qianchen took her out just for the Queen to see.
So, when she entered the main courtyard, she tactfully waited in the corridor;
After her masters got on the carriage, she did not dare to sit in the carriage with them; when they arrived at the Duke Mu's Mansion, she was even more tactful and did not go to see the Duke Mu's wife. She waited obediently beside the carriage of the Marquis' Mansion with the accompanying maids, and watched Shen and Chu Qianchen walk towards the inner courtyard.
Her gaze fell on the gold-studded and ruby-inlaid pearl flower on Chu Qianchen's temple, her eyes flickering.
She was sure that before Chu Qianchen entered the main courtyard to meet Shen this morning, she did not have this pearl flower on her head. It was obvious who gave her this homemade pearl flower.
The marquis's wife treated this concubine's daughter even better than her legitimate daughter.
Soon, the figures of Shen and Chu Qianchen disappeared behind the screen wall, and Lan Ruo withdrew her gaze. Her back was still straight, and she exuded an aura of "keep away from strangers".
Led by a housekeeper, Shen and Chu Qianchen came to the main courtyard.
The wife of Duke Mu had been waiting for them in the side room for a long time. She was sitting on a rosewood bed with a swastika pattern on it. She looked energetic and smiling.
She stared at Chu Qian behind Shen without blinking, her gaze seemed to be fixed on her, without any movement for a long time.
Shen was always perceptive. She noticed that her mother was staring at Chu Qianchen in a trance. She slowed down her steps and walked forward as if nothing had happened.
"Mother," Shen walked up to Lady Mu and bowed, "Do you still remember Sister Chen?"
Chu Qianchen also knelt down and bowed.
"Remember, remember." Lady Mu immediately helped Chu Qianchen up and took off a bracelet for her to wear. "I didn't give you a gift last time."
Chu Qianchen thanked him generously, neither servile nor arrogant.
Lady Mu looked at Chu Qianchen with eyes that deepened a little, and praised with a smile: "This jade bracelet will look much better on you little girls."
As she spoke, the smile on her face deepened, and she said to Shen: "Looking at these young people, I feel that I am several years younger."
"Yes." Shen agreed, "Sister Chen is good in everything except that she dresses too plainly."
Lady Mu, the Duke's wife, agreed with this and waved to the old nanny, telling her to get her jewelry box.
Madam Mu asked Shen and Chu Qianchen to sit down, and sighed with a hint of regret: "Azhi, Sister Chen is so well-behaved and beautiful, why have I never seen her before."
The wife of Duke Mu had also been to the Marquis's residence to visit her daughter, and her daughter would also call the concubines' daughters to pay their respects to her. After all, according to etiquette, these concubines' daughters under the Shen family were also the granddaughters of the wife of the Duke.
However, before the birthday banquet, Lady Mu, the Duke's wife, had never met Chu Qianchen.
Shen said calmly, "Her aunt was not in good health before. She caught a cold every now and then. Sister Chen was a good child and often went to bring her tea and boil medicine."
At first glance, what Shen said sounded fine, but anyone with a brain would be able to hear something fishy.
Aunt Jiang is just an aunt, she is just in poor health, and there are maids to serve her and make tea and medicine. Besides, it is just a minor illness like a cold and cough, there is no need for a girl from the Marquis's Mansion to personally go to her aunt's bedside to take care of her.
The eyes of Lady Mu Guogong flickered for a moment, and she smiled and said, "I do know someone who is good at curing colds. I'll write it to you later."
Chu Qianchen looked stunned.
It has only been a few months, and she almost forgot that she and her stepmother were not close in the past.
In her memory, Aunt Jiang had been telling her over and over again that her stepmother disliked her: "Alas, your father and I have been childhood sweethearts, and our relationship is like no other. Madam has always had a thorn in her heart..."
"Later, I became pregnant half a month earlier than Madam, and Madam disliked me even more because of this... Madam was also angry with you as well."
"You should stay away from the lady."
"Madam doesn't like you. I always remember that when she was one month old, I took you to her. She looked at you with disgust as if you were looking at dust."
"Sister Chen, you were born in my belly because of your bad luck. Don't blame Madam for not liking you..."
“…”
However, in the past few months, she has eyes and a heart, and can see and feel.
Her stepmother treated her almost the same as Chu Qianhuang, and it was not like what Aunt Jiang kept saying. Aunt Jiang said that her stepmother was jealous of her father's favor, but Chu Qianchen could see clearly that her stepmother was indifferent to her father, and it could not even be said that she was in love with him.
Thinking about it this way, Aunt Jiang seemed to intentionally not want her to get close to her stepmother...
At this moment, Chu Qianchen heard the wife of Duke Mu calling out, "Sister Chen, come and see what you like?"
The old maid had brought over a jewelry box filled with all kinds of gold, silver, jade and jewels.
Chu Qianchen: “…”
Her daughter Yueying is obviously very cute, but she is young and shy. She once snorted fiercely at her stepmother.
In short, there was obviously no room for Chu Qianchen to speak here.
Shen and the wife of Duke Mu, mother and daughter, began to pick out jewelry with great interest.
Chu Qianchen thought about what Shen said last time that Lady Mu often felt dizzy, and observed her complexion carefully. He felt a little strange: Lady Mu looked ruddy and her eyes were bright, which meant that she had sufficient blood and energy. She looked very healthy, and did not look like she had a headache. Could it be that she had found a famous doctor? "Azhi, I think this necklace is good!" Lady Mu picked a gold necklace inlaid with eight treasures from the box, and looked at Chu Qianchen. Their eyes met in mid-air.
Chu Qianchen smiled slightly and sat there quietly. Her slender figure was upright yet not restrained. The elegance emanating from her bones seemed to be engraved in her bones.
This girl is really outstanding in demeanor! Lady Mu praised her secretly.
Although Shen didn't say it directly, she also heard that Chu Qianchen was raised by her aunt since he was a child. But she looked good and had a good demeanor, not like that aunt Jiang at all.
A hint of complexity and entanglement flashed across the eyes of Lady Mu, and then she returned to calm.
6◇9◇Book◇Bar
Lady of Duke Mu and Shen picked out a pair of earrings and a jade pendant for Chu Qianchen before they stopped. All these jewellery were put on Chu Qianchen.
Nanny Chen and the old nanny praised the mother and daughter's vision and also praised Chu Qianchen.
In the lively atmosphere, Lady Mu Guogong's face was covered with a few more smile lines as she smiled. She asked lovingly, "Sister Chen, what do you like to do?"
Because Lady Mu, the Duke of Mu's wife, was Shen's biological mother, Chu Qianchen had some love for her and her family, so his expression was sincere and respectful, and his answers were not perfunctory at all.
"I usually like to play chess and read books." After a pause, she continued obediently, "And play with Mu Ge'er. Mu Ge'er wanted to come today, but he had to go to school, and he asked me to say hello to you."
Speaking of her grandson, Lady Mu was in a happier mood. She asked about Chu Yunmu, and Chu Qianchen answered every question. She also subtly said a few good words for her daughter Yueying in the name of Chu Yunmu.
Shen heard it and couldn't help laughing. She just said it casually, but this girl was thinking about it. She was just like her fourth brother, very protective of his shortcomings.
The three of them were chatting and laughing until someone came to say that the eldest girl had arrived.
Miss Shen, Shen Congzhen, was about 18 years old, petite, half a head shorter than Chu Qianchen, with round cheeks and a pair of bright almond eyes, looking very friendly.
"Grandmother, aunt." Miss Shen bowed gracefully and saluted the elders, then greeted Chu Qianchen as well.
Lady Mu smiled lovingly at Miss Shen and said, "It's rare for your cousin Chen to come to the mansion to play. You can take her to the garden to play. We are cousins. We have never met before. You can visit each other more often in the future. Don't be so shy."
Shen Congzhen responded with a smile, looking at Chu Qianchen with a bit of curiosity in his eyes.
Firstly, she had never seen this cousin of the Chu family; secondly, the emperor's marriage arrangement had been widely reported recently, and there were all kinds of rumors about Chu Qianchen in the capital, so she was also curious about what the future Princess Chen would look like.
It's not just her. Her younger sisters at home also came to her yesterday and told her to remember it clearly and tell them later.
"Cousin Chen, there is a lotus pond in my family's garden. I saw there was a lotus embroidered on your purse. You like lotus too, right?" Miss Shen led Chu Qianchen out.
"I like it." Chu Qianchen smiled and found some of Chu Yunmu's shadow in Miss Shen's face, with a friendly smile.
She was good-looking, and her smile was even more stunning, so bright and beautiful that Miss Shen was slightly choked and felt dazzled.
Chu Qianchen and Miss Shen walked away while chatting and laughing.
The door curtain leading to the main room swayed slightly, making a rustling sound. After a moment, it calmed down and hung down motionlessly.
After making sure that the two girls outside had left the room, Shen asked seriously, "Mother, what do you want to tell me?"
Shen could see that her mother had deliberately sent Chu Qianchen away, obviously because she had something to tell her.
"..." Lady Mu, Duke of Mu, suddenly felt like she didn't know where to start.
Shen guessed that her mother wanted to have a long talk, so she simply asked the old nanny to bring the tea set over.
Anyway, it was still early and she was in no rush. She made tea for the wife of Duke Mu herself. Her movements were smooth and deft, and her expression was calm, elegant and quiet.
After a while, the aroma of tea spread along with the hot steam, filling the room with fragrance.
Lady Mu, the Duke's wife, quietly watched Shen making tea gracefully, her eyes dazed for a moment.
In an instant, the image of her daughter in her boudoir many years ago appeared before her eyes, as if it were yesterday.
Lady Mu was lost in thought again until Shen brought the teacup to her.
Shen continued to make a cup of tea for herself.
The wife of Duke Mu picked up the white porcelain teacup with embossed patterns, put it under her nose and smelled the tea.
The bright orange tea soup exudes a rich aroma with a hint of orchid scent.
Lady Mu took a sip of tea and said with a smile, "This is the Dahongpao that came from Nanhao a few days ago."
Shen also tasted it and praised it: "It tastes sweet and refreshing, mellow and smooth."
Madam Mu took a few sips of hot tea before asking calmly, "How is your family doing lately?"
She looked calm, neither happy nor angry, as if she was asking casually.
Shen put down the teacup and briefly mentioned the matter of the Marquis' Mansion: "Chu Lingxiao has been idle at home recently. I'm afraid he will never be able to leave his foot without a cane in his life."
The last time Chu Lingxiao was caned by the emperor, not only his buttocks were injured, but also his foot. Later, he had a high fever. The Marquis' Mansion invited several doctors in the capital who were good at surgery and orthopedics to examine his injuries. Those doctors all said that Chu Lingxiao's leg could not be saved.
Now Chu Lingxiao loses his temper at home every day, throws things and makes a lot of noise.
Anyway, there are enough things in the Marquis's Mansion, so there is no need to worry about him dropping anything. He has his concubine Jiang to take care of him, so Shen is too lazy to care.
Lady Mu was silent for a moment, then said sternly, "Azhi, my son-in-law's leg is so injured that I'm afraid he can't take on any more duties. According to your father and I, it would be better for the Marquis' Mansion to appoint a crown prince as soon as possible."
Shen also agreed with this. Chu Yunmu was already six years old. If it were another family, they would have established a crown prince long ago.
Seeing that the teacup of Lady Mu was almost empty, Shen started to make her a second cup of tea. She lowered her eyes, her eyes flickering.
She also knew that Chu Lingxiao had never wanted to ask for Chu Yunmu to be made the crown prince, but now it was not up to him whether he was willing or not.
Lady Mu could see that her daughter didn't want to mention Chu Lingxiao, so she sighed inwardly and changed the subject, asking, "How is Sister Chen's marriage going?"
As long as Chu Lingxiao wasn't mentioned, Shen's interest in talking would immediately rise. She put down the teapot and sighed, "A few days ago, the Princess of Li came to place a small engagement for His Royal Highness Prince Chen. The marriage is settled."
"Ah, Sister Chen has had a hard time. She was forced into this marriage. Now her grandmother and father are angry with her, but she still acts like nothing happened. She eats, drinks, and plays every day."
"I believe that if I were her age, I wouldn't be able to do what she does!"
"This child is so pitiful!"
Speaking of Chu Qianchen, Shen's face showed a look of heartache.
The wife of Duke Mu felt sorry for her daughter: her Ah Zhi had never had an easy life! Back then, when Ah Zhi first married into the Yongding Marquis's Mansion, she had only just reached the age of marriage. At such a young age, she had to face such a large family in the Marquis's Mansion, and had to face Chu Lingxiao's partiality for his concubine, Aunt Jiang...
But Azhi never complained about herself and never blamed them.
Lady Mu, Duke of Mu, had a thought: Chu Qianchen’s character is indeed somewhat similar to her Azhi.
She picked up a handkerchief and wiped the corners of her mouth calmly.
"Mother," Shen's right hand reached across the table and gently pulled the sleeve of Lady Mu, "Sister Chen just called you grandmother, you have to add some makeup to her."
There was a hint of coquettishness in her tone.
A faint smile, half indulgent and half joking.
Lady Mu had not heard her daughter speak to her in this tone for a long time since her daughter got married. This reminded her of the past and she seemed to see Shen Zhi before she was fifteen years old.
Lady Mu's heart softened, and her mood improved. She smiled and said, "You are so kind to Sister Chen, but what about Sister Huang?"
Half of her intention was joking, and the other half was to remind Shen not to be biased. No matter how good Chu Qianchen was, Chu Qianhuang was her daughter who she had carried for ten months and gave birth to. As a mother, she had to treat the two equally and not let her own daughter feel unnecessary resentment.
Speaking of Chu Qianhuang, the smile on Shen's lips faded slightly, and she felt weak all over.
She also wanted to teach Chu Qianhuang well, but Chu Qianhuang had grown up, had her own opinions, and had learned to pretend to obey but secretly disobey. She was no longer the obedient girl she remembered...
Seeing Shen's strange expression, Lady Mu's face became serious and she asked, "Azhi, what's going on between you and Sister Huang?"
Shen didn't say much else, just gave a general account of picking up the princess's study companion. Lady Mu's expression became serious as she listened.
The matter of the princess's study companion was originally a trivial matter, but Chu Qianhuang did not hesitate to pretend to obey Shen for the matter of study companionship, and secretly made efforts with the third princess and the queen. This was a little inappropriate.
Shen rubbed her brows and said with a slightly tired look, "I plan to ask the Queen to resign from the princess's companionship and send her to Shangde Academy."
Shangde Academy is a women's academy in northern Hebei, only fifty miles away from the capital. The rules of Shangde Academy are strict, and female students live in the academy all year round. Only during festivals are students allowed to go home to visit their families.
Although the academy would not treat students harshly, life in the academy was definitely much harder than at home, and each female student was only allowed to bring one maid to study with her. The noble families in the capital rarely sent their daughters to Shangde Academy.
Lady Mu heard her daughter's determination, sighed, and nodded, "Okay."
Shen was a little surprised to hear this. She had thought her mother would be reluctant and would advise her not to be too harsh on Chu Qianhuang.
Thinking about it again, she felt that she was overthinking.
Like them sisters, they were also strictly disciplined by their grandmother and mother when they were young. No matter how old they were, whenever they made a mistake, they had to kneel in the ancestral hall as punishment and copy the clan rules, "Instructions for Women", etc.
She was the eldest sister and had to be a role model for her younger sisters, so her mother was even strict in raising her.
Lady Mu took another sip of Da Hong Pao and sighed, "I think Sister Huang was not a stubborn person before. She understood things very quickly. Maybe she encountered something and lost her mind for a moment."
"As a girl grows up, it's inevitable that she will have her own worries and won't tell her elders everything. Weren't you the same before?"
Shen was silent: "..."
She also knew that she was unfilial, as her mother was already old and had to worry about her affairs all these years.
Lady Mu was still talking: "When you gave birth to Sister Huang, you also suffered a lot... Hey, you kept it a secret from me at the beginning. If Awan hadn't let it slip, I'm afraid I would still be kept in the dark."
Fourteen years ago, the previous patriarch of the Chu family, the old marquis's eldest cousin, died of an acute illness. Chu Lingxiao and his entire family rushed to his hometown in Yuzhou to attend the funeral. At that time, Shen's belly was almost eight months pregnant.
Maybe it was because of the rush on the journey that she had a miscarriage. That day, when they were staying in a temple, she suddenly went into labor.
(End of this chapter)