That year, she gave birth to Chu Qianhuang on the way to her hometown. She was delayed on the road for a few days. It was not until she arrived at her hometown that she learned that Aunt Jiang had given birth to a girl, who was only a few hours younger than Chu Qianhuang.
Two baby girls of the same age grew up little by little, from babbling to toddling, and slowly grew into young girls, each with her own strengths.
Shen stared at Chu Qianchen in a daze.
Even Nanny Chen's eyes widened in astonishment, thinking: The second young lady is actually a concubine's daughter?! ... Then the affairs of Huang Wenpo and Nanny Yu seemed to be explained.
"Chu Qianchen," Liu came back to her senses, took a step forward, and threatened in a harsh voice, "Aren't you afraid that I will publicize your life story?"
Liu curled her lips coldly, and glanced at the shocked Shen from the corner of her eye.
Shen Shi didn't expect Chu Qianchen to be a concubine's daughter, right? !
Once the secret of Chu Qianchen's mistress got out, it would be a slap in the face of the Shen family! In this noble family, it was natural for a man to take a concubine, but Chu Lingxiao secretly kept a mistress outside, which hurt the face of the wife. Others would only speculate whether the Shen family was jealous and could not even tolerate a concubine.
The reason why Liu chose to block the road at this time was because he was targeting Shen.
Chu Qianchen kept saying that they were making up stories and refused to admit that she was a concubine's daughter. But it didn't matter if she didn't admit it, as long as Shen believed it! Shen was a person who always cared about her reputation, and she would definitely not let the news that Chu Qianchen was a concubine's daughter spread out!
Liu was full of confidence and said, "Sister-in-law, the perfect ointment can keep our mouths shut. What do you think?"
Chu Qianchen has now won the favor of Shen. As long as Shen asks for help, Chu Qianchen will definitely not dare to disobey her.
However, Shen stood there in a daze, without any reaction at all.
Liu frowned slightly and looked straight at Shen, "Sister-in-law..."
"Second aunt, who do you want to tell?" Chu Qianchen interrupted Liu and smiled, "Grandmother?"
"That's perfect. My third sister seems to be only a few months younger than me." Chu Qianchen looked at Chu Qianling with a smile.
Liu: “!!!”
Liu's eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat.
By the way, a mere concubine’s daughter is certainly not qualified to bring good luck to Prince Chen.
She almost forgot, if Chu Qianchen was not qualified to marry Prince Chen, then who would be the next in line? The wedding was tomorrow, and it was absolutely impossible to cancel it at the last minute. The only girl of the Chu family who could replace Chu Qianchen was her own daughter!
Liu thought in doubt and uncertainty, and her face became even uglier.
Chu Qianling hadn't figured it out yet, when she saw Liu suddenly stop talking, she pulled Liu's sleeve in an urging manner.
"Why isn't Second Aunt speaking?" Chu Qianchen tilted her little face. Under the bright moonlight, her smile was as bright as stars, and she approached Liu step by step.
Liu only felt that Chu Qianchen's eyes were shockingly bright and he was completely unable to look her in the face.
She couldn't help but take a step back, and her body bumped into the bushes behind her. Her sleeves were caught on the branches of the bushes, and she yanked them away in annoyance.
“Shh!”
This pull caused a big hole in the right sleeve.
Liu stood there in a state of utter embarrassment, her face turning blue and white.
Only then did she realize that she was actually suppressed by such a little girl like Chu Qianchen.
Chu Qianchen took a step back and shook his head with a sigh, "Second Aunt, you are already so old, and you don't know how to walk carefully."
"..." Liu was breathing heavily, her chest heaving, and veins popping out on her forehead.
Chu Qianchen retracted his gaze, smiled at Shen, and continued to walk forward with her arm around him, "Mother, let's go."
The little black cat followed spontaneously, walking briskly, and rubbed Chu Qianchen's skirt with its little head as it walked.
This time, Liu didn't stop them. She stared blankly at Chu Qianchen's leaving back, her eyes flickering.
"Mother." Chu Qianling became even more panicked. She grabbed Liu's sleeve tightly with one hand and became more and more at a loss.
A corner of her veil was blown up by the wind, revealing her trembling cherry lips, as pale as paper.
Her heart sank, but she didn't dare to chase after him.
She was really afraid of Chu Qianchen, and Chu Qianchen was unmoved by any persuasion.
The surroundings fell into deathly silence, with only the rustling sound of branches and leaves in the night wind.
Chu Qianchen held Shen's arm and walked slowly forward. She knew that Shen had many questions in her mind, so she told her roughly how Chu Qianling came to her a few days ago to ask for the Shiquan Cream and what Liu said about what happened fourteen years ago, including how Mrs. Xu said she saw Chu Lingxiao carrying a swaddling cloth into Aunt Jiang's delivery room.
Finally, she concluded in a calm tone: "It's probably a mixture of true and false, with more false than true."
Shen was still a little stunned and remained silent all the way, as if she was absent-minded.
The two of them soon arrived at Wanyan Courtyard.
The boxes and other things in the yard have been put away, and red lanterns are hung inside and outside the yard. The maids' faces are all filled with unusually bright looks.
Chu Qianchen had to get up at dawn tomorrow morning, so she and Shen went to bed early tonight and slept on the same couch.
Chu Qianchen had never slept in the same bed with anyone before, so it felt a little novel and interesting.
The lights were off and the room was pitch black. Only the black cat at the bedside had a pair of emerald eyes open, giving people a chilly feeling in the silent night.
Shen once again felt that Chu Qianchen's taste in cats was really weird.
"Meow?" The black cat also stared at Shen, its emerald green eyes glowing in the darkness like night pearls.
Shen suddenly said, "Sister Chen, what your second aunt said..."
Chu Qianchen said calmly: "If this is true, it's actually good."
If Aunt Jiang was her biological mother, then even if she didn't care about her anymore, she still had to face her;
If she was really not born by Aunt Jiang, it meant that she had finally found the answer to a puzzle that had puzzled her in her previous life. No wonder Aunt Jiang disliked her.
That's not bad.
Shen suddenly moved, stretched out her long arms, and gently embraced Chu Qianchen's thin shoulders.
There was a warm fragrance coming from her body, neither strong nor weak, which made people feel very warm and comfortable.
Chu Qianchen's heart gradually calmed down.
She felt safe and relaxed.
She knew that the person next to her truly cared about her and considered her.
It feels so good.
Chu Qianchen fell asleep quickly, breathing evenly and deeply.
But Shen couldn't fall asleep and stared at the bed curtains above.
In her mind, the words that Chu Qianling told Chu Qianchen lingered: Fourteen years ago, Chu Lingxiao went to his hometown with a swaddling baby and entered Aunt Jiang’s delivery room.
Shen still remembered that she suddenly gave birth prematurely in the temple and was in a coma for a day and a night.
When she woke up, she only knew that the old marquis asked Chu Lingxiao to rush back to his hometown to pay his respects to his cousin and explain the reasons for their delay. He also asked him to invite a gynecologist from his hometown for her.
She and others rested in the temple for two days before continuing on their journey and meeting Chu Lingxiao on the way.
If what the old lady Xu that Liu found was saying was true, then where did the swaddling clothes that Chu Lingxiao took away come from in just a few days? And where did the swaddling clothes that he took out go? Bang! Bang! Bang! Shen's heart was beating wildly, like a drum.
My throat felt like it was being strangled and I felt suffocated.
She moved cautiously, turned sideways, and looked at Chu Qianchen's peaceful sleeping face. The room was dark, but the big red lanterns in the courtyard outside were still lit, letting in some light.
The girl's facial features appeared very soft in the night, her eyes were closed, her thick and curly eyelashes were thin and dense, and the corners of her eyes were slightly upturned.
Even if she closed her eyes at this moment, Shen could still picture her beautiful phoenix eyes in her mind.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Shen's heart beat faster and harder.
Her mind was a mess, like a tangled mess that couldn't be cut or sorted out.
She stared at Chu Qianchen's face without blinking, her eyes feeling sore.
It was too dark around her, so she couldn't see Qian Chen's face clearly. She couldn't help but raise her hand and gently touch the girl's flawless and delicate cheek like jade, then withdrew her hand as if she was afraid of disturbing her.
Chu Qianchen looked motionless, but in fact his fingers hidden in the quilt were slightly bent, and his breathing was as even as before.
She had spent more than ten years in the military camp in her previous life and had always been a light sleeper. She had already woken up when Shen turned sideways just now, but she just didn't open her eyes.
That day, when Chu Qianling said that Chu Lingxiao had taken a baby to his hometown, Chu Qianchen had a vague idea in his mind.
But there was no evidence for this idea, and it could not have been proposed by her, so she pushed Liu.
She was about to get married, and once she left the Chu family, it was natural for a married woman not to return to her parents' home for a year or two. So for the sake of the Ten-Perfect Cream, Liu's mother and daughter would definitely come to her stepmother to make a fuss, either before she got married or on the day she returned home for the third day.
The fact that Liu dared to come to her today and say these words in front of Shen also proved her guess that there really was such a person as Xu Pozi, and what she said should be somewhat true...
Chu Qianchen remained motionless. She could feel Shen's fingertips gently touching her eyebrows and eyes, outlining the lines of her facial features...
She tried to make her breathing as gentle and long as possible, just like when she was sleeping.
In fact, she didn't know what kind of answer she wanted.
She just remembered the prince's words, and only by facing the truth can she take the initiative.
At this moment, she felt the hand that was caressing her cheek stop.
Shen withdrew her hand, then quietly stood up, put on a cloak, and walked out of the inner room.
She passed through several door curtains and came to the main room.
It was late at night, and silver moonlight was pouring down in the courtyard outside.
The maid on night duty saw Shen stand up and hurriedly saluted her in a low voice.
"Go and call Nanny Chen." Shen ordered.
The little maid obeyed the order and left in a hurry.
Shen sat alone in the main room, looking up at the starry night sky outside. The stars twinkled and twinkled in a disorderly manner, just like her mood at the moment.
She felt as if the truth was right before her eyes, yet it seemed thousands of miles away, and there were still many things that didn't make sense...
After a while, Nanny Chen came with the little maid. She probably hadn't rested yet, and her clothes were the same as during the day.
Shen sent the little maid away and only kept Nanny Chen by her side.
After confirming that there was no one around, she whispered, "What happened during the time I was in a coma when I gave birth to my child in the temple where I was staying fourteen years ago?"
On the one hand, Shen told herself this, but on the other hand, her thoughts were wandering uncontrollably.
"Madam..." Nanny Chen looked at Shen with confusion, wondering why she suddenly mentioned the birth in the temple that year.
Shen closed her eyes, her eyes were red, and the fingers holding the handkerchief were trembling.
Nanny Chen felt that something was wrong with Shen's expression and tried hard to recall.
More than a decade had passed, and her memory had become fuzzy. She hesitated and said, "After you gave birth to the eldest daughter, you fainted. I was anxious, so I ran out and sent several groups of people to the nearby town to find a doctor."
"At that time, we stayed in a temple. We were unfamiliar with the place and everything was a mess..."
"I was so anxious that I followed a young master from the temple to a nearby village and asked for a midwife who knew medical skills."
"When I returned to the temple, you were still unconscious, but a doctor had already examined you and given you medicine."
"The doctors said that you are not seriously ill, but you are suffering from blood deficiency and exhaustion..."
As she spoke, Nanny Chen remembered something and her expression changed slightly, "That's right."
6◇9◇Book◇Bar
Shen asked, "What did you think?"
"When I brought the midwife back to the temple, I learned that the young lady had almost died of suffocation due to amniotic fluid... There was no doctor in the temple at the time, and the Marquis said that the abbot was good at medicine, so the young lady was taken to the abbot."
Shen's eyes were deep. She only knew that Chu Qianhuang was almost suffocated when she was born, but was rescued. She didn't know about all these twists and turns.
She took a deep breath and asked, "When was Sister Huang brought back?"
"Early the next morning." Nanny Chen sighed, "They say that if you are seven months old, you will die eight months old. The eldest girl was eight months old at that time..."
As she spoke, Nanny Chen shuddered, remembering the confrontation between Liu and Chu Qianchen. According to the Second Madam, the Second Miss was brought back from outside by the Marquis to Aunt Jiang...
Nanny Chen's pupils shrank, and she knew roughly what Shen was suspecting.
Back then, Aunt Jiang became pregnant a month earlier than Shen. Later, the old marquis decided to send Aunt Jiang back to his hometown because he was worried that the marquis would favor his concubine over his wife. The reason why the marquis agreed was probably because he was worried that Shen would harm Aunt Jiang.
Nanny Chen murmured, "Madam, no."
"The elder girl looks so much like you."
Chu Qianhuang looks a lot like Shen. Except for the eyes, her facial features are at least 50% similar to Shen. Lady Mu and the Crown Prince also said that Chu Qianhuang looked more like Shen when she was young.
In comparison, Chu Qianchen only resembles Shen's in this pair of phoenix eyes.
Especially the shapes of the nose and lips are completely different.
Chu Qianchen's personality has changed now. Her temperament is indeed about 60% similar to Shen's. Even the wife of Duke Mu looks at her differently. In the past, Chu Qianchen's words and deeds were very petty, cowardly and docile, with dull eyes and always half-lowered face. No one would ever associate her with Shen.
“…” Shen’s mind became even more confused.
After Nanny Chen calmed down, she continued, "Madam, all this is just the second lady's one-sided story. It is most likely made up to trick the second young lady into giving her the Perfect Cream."
This is indeed the best explanation.
There was no evidence, it was just Liu's one-sided statement. Normally, Shen would have simply disdained it, but now, because the thorn that Chu Qianhuang had stabbed in her heart was getting deeper and deeper, she couldn't help but want to investigate, and she had to wonder if the reason why Chu Qianhuang did those things was because...
Shen's heart tightened, and she raised her hand to cover her chest, with her brows furrowed tightly.
Nanny Chen personally poured Shen a cup of warm tea and comforted her, "Madam, you think too much. It hurts your mind and body. You should go to bed early. Tomorrow is the big day for the second young lady."
Shen: “…”
Shen raised her eyes and looked towards the inner room, her mood still fluctuating.
Yes, tomorrow is the day Chu Qianchen is getting married. At this point, no matter what the truth behind Chu Qianchen’s life experience is, this marriage cannot be changed.
We'll talk about the rest after tomorrow.
Getting married is the most important day in a woman's life, and nothing is more important than Chu Qianchen's wedding...
Shen told herself this over and over again in her heart, suppressed the myriad thoughts in her mind, and stood up.
Nanny Chen left Wanyan Courtyard again. Shen gathered her cloak and returned to the inner room.
The inner room was still pitch black.
The little black cat curled up on the bedside table opened its eyes sharply, looked at Shen proudly with its green eyes, and then curled its head back.
Shen took off her cloak and lay back down next to Chu Qianchen. She was still restless and had no desire to sleep.
She wanted to look at Chu Qianchen again, but she saw Chu Qianchen moaning softly, opening his eyes dazedly, and speaking in a slightly hoarse voice, "Mother, can't you sleep?"
She smiled softly at Shen, and the sleepy girl looked even more innocent than usual. "I recognize my own bed, too. Let me light some calming incense for you."
Before Shen could object, Chu Qianchen had already turned over and got off the couch, lighting the calming incense with skillful movements.
The subtle fragrance of the calming incense permeated the room, refreshing the heart.
Shen smelled the fragrance and closed her eyes.
This time, she fell asleep quickly. When she woke up, it was already dawn. The roosters outside were crowing so loudly. There was no one around her. She didn't know when Chu Qianchen got up.
Wanyan Courtyard is busy.
Amber and others first helped Chu Qianchen bathe, and then helped her put on the complicated wedding dress, layer by layer, and put on a bright red shirt and shawl on the outside.
This wedding dress was custom-made by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Different from ordinary wedding dresses, it was the ceremonial dress for a prince's wife. Both the gown and the shawl were decorated with gold-embroidered cloud and phoenix patterns. It was also matched with a jade leather belt, a jade flower-shaped ribbon, a jade sceptre, a jade pendant, and so on.
Her phoenix crown was a nine-翟 crown. In addition to the nine 翟 birds woven with gold thread on the crown, there was also a pair of golden phoenix hairpins, as well as countless other gold and pearl beads, emerald flowers, emerald leaves, pearl and emerald clouds, etc., which was extremely gorgeous.
This jeweled Nine-Di Crown just placed quietly on the tray attracted the attention of all the women.
The girls from the Chu family who came to congratulate Chu Qianchen couldn't help but take a few more glances at the Nine-Di Crown.
The wedding ceremony went on in an orderly manner. From the morning on, relatives and friends came to the Marquis's Mansion to congratulate them one after another.
As the auspicious time got closer, the Marquis's Mansion was filled with joy.
Perhaps only Shen had a trace of anxiety in her heart that was unknown to others. The head maid Dongmei knew that the lady had not eaten much since morning.
Before dawn, the emperor's edict suddenly arrived.
This imperial edict was for the bride, so Chu Qianchen could only wear her heavy wedding dress and come to the ceremonial gate to receive the edict.
The emperor officially conferred the title of Princess Chen on Chu Qianchen in the imperial edict.
Generally speaking, the princess consort would be formally canonized and her name would be added to the imperial genealogy only after the grand ceremony. Chu Qianchen estimated that she was an exception that had never happened in the Great Qi Dynasty.
The middle-aged eunuch who came to announce the decree smiled and read out "Imperial Order" before closing the imperial decree and pretending to say to Chu Qianchen, "Second Miss Chu, no, I should call you Princess. This is the Emperor's favor to you. You can take good care of His Royal Highness Prince Chen in the future!"
Chu Qianchen raised his hand to receive the decree, then stood up with the help of Amber, and said with a smile: "Please, eunuch, thank the emperor for me."
Chu Qianchen smiled slightly, with understanding and insight in his smile.
The emperor is afraid that the prince will not admit it! Her smile deepened, and the smile could not stop overflowing from the corners of her eyes, eyebrows and dimples on her lips.
Like a delicate flower, like a bright pearl, bright and charming.
She has a charming smile and beautiful eyes.
Even the middle-aged eunuch, who thought he had seen three thousand beauties in the palace, was stunned for a moment and thought to himself: This second Miss Chu is indeed very beautiful, she is so beautiful that she can topple a country.
No wonder beautiful women are often unlucky. She is also a person with little fortune.
Thinking of this, the middle-aged eunuch couldn't help but have a little more mockery in his eyes, and said with a smile: "It's good that the princess understands the emperor's painstaking efforts."
Nanny Chen secretly stuffed a red envelope into the middle-aged eunuch's hand and personally sent all the angels away.
Chu Qianchen returned to Wanyan Courtyard, while Shen stayed in the main hall and ordered people to find Chu Lingxiao.
It was less than an incense stick's time left to the auspicious time. According to etiquette, when the bridal sedan arrived, Chu Qianchen had to go to the main hall to say goodbye to his parents before getting on the sedan.
Shen looked at Chu Qianchen's back as he walked away, her eyes ached again. The scenes of last night flashed through her mind for the umpteenth time, and her heart began to tighten again.
Shen felt very unhappy: Chu Qianchen's wedding seemed grand, but in Shen's eyes it was always a little lacking.
When other girls got married, their husbands came to pick them up in person. Only Chu Qianchen's wedding was so awkward. Since the emperor's marriage decree came down last month, the prince had never shown up...
This means that after Chu Qianchen gets married, she will have to spend a lot of energy to win the recognition of Prince Chen's Mansion and the recognition of various mansions in the capital before she can become the real Princess Chen.
Even if Chu Qianchen had the imperial decree of being a princess before she got married, so what? !
The emperor's decree was not an honor at all, it was putting Chu Qianchen on the spot. He was deliberately forcing Prince Chen. If Chu Qianchen did not have excellent medical skills, she would have been caught between the emperor and Prince Chen, and her life would have been even more difficult.
Shen was drinking her tea anxiously. When she had finished half of the tea, she heard the sound of firecrackers outside the house.
Only then did Shen come to her senses and realized that the auspicious time had arrived.
Sure enough, the little maid ran over breathlessly, shouting, "The bridal sedan is here, the bridal sedan from the Imperial Household Department is here!"
In addition to the bridal sedan from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, there was also Nanny Jin.
The bridal sedan from the Ministry of Internal Affairs arrived with much fanfare, but the groom was not there, so no one from the Marquis's residence stopped the sedan, and it was carried directly to Wanyan's courtyard.
Nanny Jin also came, followed by a little eunuch holding a big rooster.
When the firecrackers stopped, the atmosphere became a little weird.
Everyone's eyes fell on the big rooster with complicated expressions.
"Princess, the bridal sedan is here. You should go and say goodbye to your parents first." Nanny Jin also knew that Chu Qianchen had received the imperial decree to be crowned as princess, so she changed her address and said with a fake smile, "Hold the rooster."
"No need." Chu Qianchen put on the red veil on herself and walked out without the help of the maid.
"Princess!" Nanny Jin quickly chased after her and shouted, "This is against the rules!"
Chu Yunyi was standing under the eaves at the door. He didn't know how long he had been waiting. When he saw Chu Qianchen coming, he stopped Chu Qianchen and said, "I'll carry you..."
"No……"
Chu Qianchen wanted to say no, but at this moment, a round-faced maid ran over breathlessly, shouting intermittently: "Here it comes... Here it comes!"
"The second uncle is here to pick up the bride!"
Second uncle?! The maids in the yard looked at each other, none of them reacted yet.
Nanny Jin was stunned for a moment, then blurted out in disbelief: "Your Highness Prince Chen?!"
The answer is d (end of this chapter)