The lady-in-waiting and others were also relieved, as long as the dowry was delivered to the door.

"However," the servant swallowed his saliva and then continued, "the people in the palace did not allow the full blessing to enter, and only allowed to put down the second lady's dowry."

According to the rules, in addition to delivering the dowry to the man today, the woman's married man also has to go to the bridal chamber prepared by the man to decorate it.

It is against etiquette for Prince Chen's Mansion to not allow married people to enter, but compared with the previous situation where Prince Chen's Mansion had always closed its doors to visitors and did not make any response to this marriage, today they finally accepted the dowry and completed the last ceremony before the wedding, and the rest are just minor matters.

The lady at the top put down the blue and white porcelain teacup and said with a graceful smile: "The imperial edict has been issued, even the Prince Chen's Mansion dare not disobey it."

She looked so calm and composed as if she had already expected that Prince Chen's Mansion would not dare to refuse the dowry.

Liu, Yu and other sisters-in-law all echoed the Madam and said:

“That’s it!”

"The Emperor has taken great pains to bring happiness to His Royal Highness Prince Chen, so the Prince Chen should be grateful."

"How can the Prince Chen's Mansion interfere in this marriage granted by the Emperor?"

“…”

Amber silently glanced at the Madam and the others, then silently lowered her head and stared at the tip of her shoes, thinking: The Prince of Chen’s Mansion is not afraid to disobey the order, but they are eager for their daughter to marry there! Their daughter is actually going to become the Princess of Chen! Amber still feels that it is not real, and quietly pinches her thigh. It hurts.

More than half an hour later, the people from the Marquis' Mansion who went to deliver the dowry came back, which meant that today's ceremony was over.

Shen and Chu Lingxiao went to see off the officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Rites in person. Chu Qianchen was about to take her leave, but she saw the lady turning around and looking at her with a majestic look.

"Sister Chen, you are getting married tomorrow." The lady said lightly.

Chu Qianchen: “…”

The lady said in a tone of admonition: "You are the daughter of the Chu family. The honor and disgrace of the Chu family also concern you."

"When you marry into Prince Chen's Mansion, you must not forget your roots. You must remember that only when the Chu family prospers can you gain a firm foothold in Prince Chen's Mansion."

There was a hint of superiority in the lady's expression.

Since this marriage cannot be changed, the Chu family has no choice but to keep Chu Qianchen firmly in their hands to show their loyalty to the emperor.

Following the lady's words, the expressions of the people in the hall became extremely subtle. They exchanged glances in twos and threes, especially Liu, who had a mocking look in her eyes.

Chu Qianchen just smiled and neither responded nor said anything.

Seeing Chu Qianchen unable to utter a single word for a long time, the Madam became angry and said in a colder voice, "Don't think you are so proud of yourself just because you are the princess. Don't you think that although the Prince of Chen is noble, can he be more noble than the Emperor?"

"Besides, the King of Chen will not live long..."

Chu Qianchen originally ignored the words of the Madam and didn't take them to heart at all. He just smiled with his lips pursed slightly.

When Chu Qianchen heard the lady dowager say that Prince Chen had no control over his fate, the smile on her delicate little face instantly disappeared and her eyes became cold, like a sharp arrow and ice.

"Grandma, be careful with your words!" Chu Qianchen warned.

"..." The lady shuddered, feeling frightened and unable to continue speaking.

She was unhappy, her face became stern, and she said coldly: "Kneel down!"

Everyone else's eyes turned to Chu Qianchen, most of them were just watching the fun. Only Chu Qianhuang had a look of coldness in his eyes.

Chu Qianchen stood up calmly.

The lady raised her chin even higher, thinking that Chu Qianchen had given in. She opened her lips slightly and was about to scold him again, but she saw Chu Qianchen said, "Grandma, I'll take my leave first."

She turned around and walked out slowly with a calm expression.

She will be leaving the Chu family tomorrow, and she no longer needs to pretend to be nice to the Madam and the others.

The lady could hardly believe her eyes.

She is the old lady of this mansion. Everyone respects her and obeys her. No one in this mansion has ever dared to disobey her like this.

"How dare you!" The lady was so angry that her whole body trembled slightly, her face turned blue, and she raised her voice and ordered, "Come here, stop the second young lady!"

Outside the hall, the two maids guarding under the eaves looked at each other with hesitation, wanting to stop him but not daring to.

Chu Qianchen stopped and turned around to face the lady.

The expression on that exquisite face was gentle yet distant.

"Grandma, I'm getting married tomorrow and I have to go back to the yard to pack up. Do you have any advice for me?" Even when talking about getting married, Chu Qianchen remained calm, without a trace of shyness of a bride-to-be on her face.

Madam: “…”

The lady's face darkened even more, and she couldn't help but think of the last time Chu Qianchen extorted 30,000 taels of silver from her in Yanghezhuang.

At that time, the girl was also like this, acting as if it was a matter of course.

The more the lady thought about it, the angrier she became, and all new and old grudges came to her mind at once.

"Chu Qianchen, you think..."

What the lady was thinking was, do you think I can't do anything to you?

However, he choked up before he could finish his sentence.

She could punish this girl by making her kneel in the ancestral hall for her rude words, but what about tomorrow’s wedding? If anything went wrong at the Marquis’s Mansion at tomorrow’s wedding, the emperor would not blame Chu Qianchen, but would only put the blame on the Chu family.

This Chu Qianchen is simply a giant Buddha. You cannot scold him or hit him.

The veins on the lady's forehead throbbed and she held her breath in her chest.

Chu Qianchen didn't have the Chu family in his heart at all. How could he let her be used by the Chu family in the future? What value did such a concubine have to the Chu family? !

Too.

Chu Qianchen doesn't even care about her own mother who gave birth to her and raised her, so how could she care about the Chu family! !

The lady's face turned increasingly blue, and she covered her chest in pain.

Nanny Wang was afraid that the lady would get angry, so she tried to calm her down.

Chu Qianchen looked at the lady quietly and raised his eyebrows, as if to say, do you have any further instructions?

The hall fell into dead silence.

At this time, Shen came back after sending the person away.

As smart as Shen was, she guessed what was going on even without asking.

She walked quickly into the hall and bowed to the lady, "Mother, Sister Chen is getting married tomorrow, and I have something to tell her, so we'll take our leave first."

What Shen said was reasonable. Before a girl's wedding, mothers would always have some intimate words with their daughters.

The problem is that Chu Qianchen is just a concubine's daughter.

Normally, when it comes to the marriage of a concubine's daughter, a stepmother would just observe superficial formalities and would never do it personally. This is no different when it comes to treating her own daughter.

The lady, who was in a state of embarrassment, walked down the stairs and said coldly, "Go ahead."

Chu Yunmu jumped up from his chair and said with a smile, "Grandma, I'm going to go back to do my homework. I'll come to pay my respects to you in the evening."

Chu Yunmu happily followed Shen and Chu Qianchen away, and the three of them headed towards the main courtyard.

There was a festive atmosphere in the Marquis' Mansion, and the servants were still talking about the grand occasion when the dowry was delivered just now.

After walking into a winding corridor, Shen saw that there was no one around, so she asked, "Did your grandmother tell you to remember that you are a daughter of the Chu family and that the Chu family is your support?"

Chu Qianchen just smiled and didn't comment.

And Shen didn't need her to answer. She stopped, grasped one of Chu Qianchen's hands, stared into her eyes, and said seriously: "Sister Chen, you don't have to pay attention to what your grandmother said."

"After you marry, just live your life well in Prince Chen's Mansion and don't worry about the Chu family!"

This was not the first time that Shen had said something similar. Chu Qianchen understood her intentions. She was afraid that she would be controlled by her grandmother, so she kept reminding him so impatiently.

"Mother, don't worry, I will listen to you." Chu Qianchen took Shen's arm affectionately and continued to walk forward.

In her previous life, the Chu family had oppressed her, exploited her in every way, and finally kicked her out of the house, and they had long since severed all ties with her.

Living her life over again, how could she be so foolish as to care about the Chu family again? They were just using each other.

The only thing that made her reluctant to let go of the Chu family was probably Shen and Chu Yunmu.

besides……

Chu Yunyi's awkward face suddenly appeared in her mind, and she curled her lips slightly.

Chu Qianchen looked at the blue sky above, walking briskly, steadily and calmly.

Chu Yunmu, who was left alone, felt as if he was being excluded. He grabbed Shen's other hand and said hurriedly, "Mom, I will listen to you too!"

Shen, who was originally worried, was amused by Chu Yunmu, "Forget it, if you were a little bit as obedient as your second sister, I would pray to the gods."

"Mom!" Chu Yunmu refused.

The three of them quickly arrived at the main courtyard. Shen still had something to say to Chu Qianchen, but they had just sat down when the housekeeper, Nanny Jin, who was sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, arrived.

Nanny Jin's visit to the Marquis' Mansion at this time was naturally about the wedding.

Shen ordered someone to bring her in.

Nanny Jin was about fifty years old, with a round face, kind eyes and a smiling face. She wore a purple jacket and was dressed neatly.

"Madam Hou, Second Miss Chu," Nanny Jin knelt down and bowed, "I am here to explain the ceremony of tomorrow's wedding to you two."

"Second Miss Chu, His Royal Highness Prince Chen is seriously ill and cannot walk well. The wedding ceremony can only be simplified as much as possible."

"Tomorrow, His Royal Highness Prince Chen will definitely not be able to come in person to welcome the bride. At that time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Rites will send a sedan chair to take the girl to the palace, and the girl will hold the rooster to complete the ceremony of worship..."

"Also, the day after tomorrow morning, you will have to go to the palace alone to recognize your relatives. At that time, you will have to pay your respects to the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and the royal family. There will be a lot of people, so I will give you a general idea first, and someone will remind you on that day..."

“…”

Shen listened, frowned slightly, and felt very unhappy: This is too unfair to Sister Chen! The prince was seriously ill, and the prince's brother could have taken his place to welcome the bride, but the emperor chose to humiliate the prince and Chu Qianchen in this way. Who couldn't understand his thoughts!

Chu Qianchen remained silent and did not hear anything.

Anyway, after she entered the palace, no one could do anything to her, and who could control whether she hugged the rooster or not! Nanny Jin talked nonstop for a cup of tea, and finally finished, and then asked Chu Qianchen: "Second Miss Chu, do you remember what I said?"

"If you don't remember, I can say it again. Don't try to be stubborn."

"You will be the Princess of Chen in the future. Your words and actions represent the style of the royal family..."

Shen frowned as she listened and interrupted Nanny Jin directly: "I didn't know that the Ministry of Internal Affairs could even control Princess Chen."

Aunt Jin: “…”

Nanny Jin was choked and remained speechless.

According to etiquette, no one except the Queen Mother and the Empress has the right to reprimand Princess Chen, let alone the Imperial Household Department.

Nanny Jin's face looked a little ugly, and she regretted her loss of composure.

Before she came to the Marquis' Mansion, the Queen sent someone to call her there. She did not see the Queen, but it was Aunt Xu, the Queen's confidant, who saw her. It was Aunt Xu who told her about the wedding ceremony tomorrow and asked her to come to the Marquis' Mansion to convey the message.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

She thought that she had the support of the Queen, so she forgot herself for a moment. However, she also knew that the Queen must not be dragged into this matter, so she could only smile and say, "Madam Hou, I was wrong."

"The wedding is tomorrow, and I am afraid that something might go wrong during the ceremony, and I will have a hard time explaining it. Since Miss Chu has remembered everything, I will take my leave."

Nanny Jin seemed afraid that Shen would call her back, so she quickly took her leave.

After she left the east side room, she stopped, turned back and curled her lips in disdain, thinking that Shen was really ungrateful, standing up for a concubine's daughter, what a shame! Nanny Jin threw her handkerchief and walked away with her fat waist twisted.

On the other side of the door curtain, Shen looked at the swaying Xiangfei curtain with flickering eyes, and became even more worried about Chu Qianchen's situation.

It is not an exaggeration to describe Chu Qianchen's current situation as "being attacked from all sides". The Chu family hates her but wants to use her; the emperor and empress in the palace intend to use her to humiliate Prince Chen; outsiders want to see her make a fuss and laugh; and there is also Prince Chen's Mansion...

Shen clenched her handkerchief, smiled at Chu Yunmu, raised her hand and pointed to the courtyard outside the window and said, "Brother Mu, look, the roses over there are blooming beautifully. Can you pick a few roses for us to put in the vase?"

Nanny Chen saw that Shen wanted to send Chu Yunmu away, so she smiled and coaxed him, "Fourth Young Master, can I accompany you to choose together?"

Chu Yunmu always felt that his mother disliked him and looked back and forth between her and Chu Qianchen. At this moment, a "meow" sound came from outside the window.

He followed the sound and saw a small black cat squatting on a tall sycamore tree. The branch it was sitting on was at least seven or eight feet above the ground.

"Moon Shadow!"

Chu Yunmu became anxious, and took a group of people to rescue the cat in a grand manner.

The room soon became quiet.

Dongmei tactfully went out to guard the door for them.

Shen seized the opportunity and quickly asked, "Sister Chen, is Prince Chen's illness real?"

Ever since the day when the Emperor led his men to break into Prince Chen's mansion, the news that the miracle doctor at Jishidiang was treating Prince Chen had spread throughout the capital. The rumor spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred, so naturally it was inevitable that some of it was distorted or absurd.

Shen had heard about it a long time ago, but had never confirmed it with Chu Qianchen until today.

Chu Qianchen just nodded and didn't say much.

"..." Shen heaved a long sigh of relief, and the heart that had been hanging for many days finally felt a little relieved.

The status of Prince Chen and Chu Qianchen is too different, and they are not a good match. If it were not for the emperor's marriage, Shen would never want Chu Qianchen to marry into Prince Chen's mansion.

However, there are many things in this world that are beyond our control.

The emperor's sudden marriage arrangement brought together two people who should have had nothing in common.

Since Chu Qianchen had to get married, Shen only hoped that her life would be better after marriage.

From Chu Qianchen's nod just now, Shen guessed a lot: Prince Chen was ill, most likely seriously ill, so she needed Chu Qianchen's help, and from Chu Qianchen's calm attitude, she should be able to cure Prince Chen.

That's enough.

As long as Chu Qianchen can cure Prince Chen, based on this alone, Prince Chen and everyone in Prince Chen's mansion will respect Chu Qianchen.

Chu Qianchen's medical skills should be able to help her gain a foothold in Prince Chen's Mansion.

With Chu Qianchen's personality, as long as she could earn a place in Prince Chen's Mansion, her life would not be too miserable.

Silence is better than words at this moment. There are some things that Shen didn't say, but Chu Qianchen also understood them. A warm current flowed through her heart.

She couldn't tell Shen directly about Gu Jue's situation, so she could only whisper, "Mother, don't worry. I will be fine."

"When Sanchao returns home, I will come back to see you and Mu Ge'er."

"..." Shen was even more reluctant.

When Chu Yunmu came back holding the little black cat, he felt that the atmosphere in the room was a little strange, as if his mother had had the same expression when he secretly heard her tell Nanny Chen one night that she was reluctant to see Chu Qianchen get married.

Chu Yunmu freed one hand and gently patted Shen's hand, "Mother, I'm here."

After a pause, he added: "I won't marry."

Shen: “…”

Chu Qianchen: “…”

The two of them laughed out loud almost at the same time, their clear laughter swept away the originally gloomy atmosphere in the room.

"Meow?"

The little black cat looked at them in confusion and struggled to get down, but Chu Yunmu held him even tighter.

"Chu Qianchen, you and Yueying should stay for dinner, right?" Chu Yunmu was also reluctant to see Chu Qianchen get married, and wished that tomorrow would never come.

Chu Qianchen responded with a smile and rubbed Chu Yunmu's head. He thought that when Chu Yunmu had days off in the future, he could often take him to Prince Chen's Mansion to play and let Yun Zhan and Xue Fengyan teach this boy some martial arts.

Chu Yunmu was feeling sad, and didn't care about being rubbed on the head: Since Chu Qianchen couldn't bear to part with him, let her rub his head for once. In the future, when he is taller than her, it will be his turn to rub her head! Chu Yunmu became energetic again, and felt that he had to eat an extra bowl of rice in the evening to grow faster.

On this day, it was not until it was completely dark that Chu Qianchen and Shen left the main courtyard and headed towards Wanyan Courtyard.

According to the rules of the Great Qi Dynasty, before a girl gets married, her mother will stay with her for one night, talk to her in private, and then give her a "something" that she has kept as a treasure.

The night is as cool as water, and summer nights are probably the most comfortable time of the day.

The night sky above is full of stars;

In the marquis' mansion below, big red lanterns were hung everywhere. The lit red lanterns were like big red rubies, shining brightly.

The little black cat followed Chu Qianchen closely, hiding in her shadow.

Chu Qianchen walked fast, and it walked fast too;

Chu Qianchen walked slowly, and it walked slowly too;

Chu Qianchen stopped, and it also stopped, then raised its little head curiously.

In front, a mother and daughter were blocking the end of the bluestone path, both with their heads held high and chests puffed out, with an attitude of “those who come with ill intentions, and those with good intentions, don’t come.”

Shen frowned slightly, feeling that all kinds of monsters had come to her door today and they all refused to calm down.

"Sister-in-law, Sister Chen," Liu called out in a sarcastic tone, "What a coincidence."

"Sister Chen, your dowry today is really magnificent!"

Liu's tone was sour.

She knew that Chu Qianchen's dowry was given by Shen according to the share of the eldest daughter. Not only that, Shen also gave her an additional 20,000 taels of silver as dowry.

Chu Qianchen's dowry was too generous. Liu suspected that when Chu Qianhuang got married in the future, her dowry might not exceed Chu Qianchen's.

Liu thought Shen was simply crazy, being so open-hearted to a concubine's daughter.

Liu stroked her sleeves and continued, "You will be leaving home tomorrow. Will His Royal Highness Prince Chen accompany you back on the day you return home?" As she spoke, she deliberately sighed and covered her mouth, "His Royal Highness Prince Chen is so ill that he can't even come to pick you up in person tomorrow. I'm afraid... Hey, Sister Chen, it will be difficult for you to come back in the future."

Chu Qianling's eyes flickered. Sometimes she looked at Chu Qianchen, and sometimes she lowered her eyes.

"..."Chu Qianchen's face turned cold.

What Liu almost said was that Chu Qianchen would not be able to go out casually after becoming a widow in the future.

Chu Qianchen didn't wait for her to say anything else and said directly: "I want the Perfect Cream, but I don't have it!"

Shen also felt that Liu was too short-sighted, and sneered: "Second sister-in-law, this is not the attitude you should have when asking for help!"

"Sister Chen, let's go."

Shen pulled Chu Qianchen and continued walking forward, not wanting to ruin her mood because of these insignificant people.

Liu: “…”

Liu's face turned dark as if ink had been splashed on it. She stopped Chu Qianchen and Shen again and asked them by name, "Chu Qianchen, aren't you afraid that I will tell you about that?!"

The threat in Liu's words was evident.

To put it bluntly, Chu Qianchen was just relying on the fact that she was going to become the Princess of Chen, and he was just throwing away all hope, so he dared to be so arrogant.

Shen raised her eyebrows, not knowing what was going on.

Chu Qianchen was too lazy to deal with them and said, "That thing? Are you talking about the time when my aunt gave birth to a stillborn baby and I was the illegitimate daughter that my father brought back?"

“…”

“…”

“…”

There was a moment of silence around, with only the chirping of insects in the bushes and grass, as if they were singing.

Liu was stunned. She had never expected Chu Qianchen to say this without hesitation. Wasn't this little bitch afraid that the secret of her life experience would be spread? !

What?! Shen opened her eyes slightly, as if struck by lightning, and many past events flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern.

The two faces of Chu Qianhuang and Chu Qianchen, with very different temperaments, gradually overlapped...

(End of this chapter)