They were also annoyed. Everyone knew that being sent to the Prince Chen's Palace by the Queen was a good job, but once they were sent back, they could not expect to be reused.

As time passed slowly, the cicadas' chirping seemed to become sharper.

After an incense stick of time, they saw Nanny Jin coming out of the main room. Her steps were unsteady, her face was pale, and she was sweating profusely. She looked like she had been fished out of the water.

What happened to Aunt Jin?!

Several palace maids exchanged glances secretly. Seeing that Nanny Jin was unharmed, it did not look like she had been beaten by the princess.

Why does she look like she has lost half of her soul? !

When Nanny Jin walked up to the palace maids and eunuchs, she had already calmed down and looked arrogant with an expressionless face.

"Let's go."

She stroked her sleeves, said this, and walked down the stone steps.

The palace maids and eunuchs looked at each other and realized that Nanny Jin had obviously failed to convince the princess to accept them.

Could it be that Nanny Jin is so worried because she won't be able to explain to the Queen when she returns?

These palace maids and eunuchs felt that they had little influence and did not dare to ask any questions. They all followed Nanny Jin away in silence.

The two maids from the palace quickly led Nanny Jin and her group out.

The main courtyard returned to its original tranquility.

After a cup of tea, Chu Qianchen also walked out of the main courtyard.

The sun was scorching outside and the heat was high, so Amber quickly held an umbrella for her to block the sun.

Chu Qianchen went to the outer study room in the front yard with a clear purpose, naturally to find Gu Jue.

The outer study is located in the northeast corner of the palace, surrounded by a quiet bamboo forest and winding paths, making people feel as if they are isolated from the scorching sun outside.

Amber suddenly felt that the surroundings were much cooler, and secretly sighed that the layout of this palace was truly wonderful.

"Princess, the prince is inside." The servant from the outer study walked in front to lead her.

But Chu Qianchen did not rush into the house. Instead, he stopped outside the threshold and stared blankly at the plaque in front of him, which had three large characters "Ziqing Pavilion" written on it.

"Princess?" The servant stopped and looked at Chu Qianchen in confusion.

The prince has instructed that if the princess comes, there is no need to inform her, just let her in directly.

Chu Qianchen pursed his lips and smiled, then stepped over the threshold.

These three words are the same as the plaque on the Prince Chen's Palace outside. They were written by the late emperor when he bestowed the palace upon him.

Chu Qianchen knows every place in the outer courtyard of Prince Chen's Mansion like the back of his hand, and he is definitely more familiar with it than the prince!

In the study, not only Gu Jue was there, Su Mubai and Cheng Linhua were also there.

When the servant opened the curtain, Cheng Linhua's solemn voice came from inside: "The emperor scolded the prince in the imperial study today, saying that the prince has no demeanor of a crown prince. There is no reason for the prince of Daqi to be a bodyguard for Wuhe. If it gets out, people will only think that Daqi is afraid of Nanhao and is servile to him."

"The Emperor ordered the Crown Prince to return to the East Palace and reflect on his mistakes."

When Chu Qianchen walked in, Cheng Linhua and Su Mubai couldn't help but take a second look at her. Su Mubai curled his lips and quickly glanced between Chu Qianchen and Gu Jue.

Seeing that they were talking about serious matters, Chu Qianchen didn't rush to talk to Gu Jue and walked to the window and sat down.

She casually took out a half-finished ribbon from her sleeve pocket and started weaving it, with the corners of her lips slightly curved.

Su Mubai took a sip of tea and said, "Your Majesty, Wuhejia Tower has not yet responded."

In the final analysis, whether this matter will be successful or not depends on Wuhe Jialou's attitude. If Jialou does not agree, the prince will be powerless; if Jialou agrees, the emperor will compromise.

Gu Jue smiled and said, "Wuhejialou is a resolute person and not a hesitant person. He just wants to stay in Daqi for a few more days."

Just like Wuhejialou must have known that the person who assassinated him in Furong Garden last time was not a Qi person, but a Hao person.

Su Mubai rubbed his fingers on the white porcelain teacup with embossed patterns at hand twice, and said thoughtfully: "Your Highness, do you mean to say what kind of changes have occurred in the country of Nanhao?" This stopped Wuhejialou in his tracks.

Cheng Linhua was completely confused and felt that the two people's speech was too jumpy.

No wonder, only the prince can subdue Su Mubai, this dead fox! When Cheng Linhua glanced at Chu Qianchen from the corner of his eye, he found that she was also nodding slightly, as if agreeing with Su Mubai.

So, the princess understood it, too? Cheng Linhua couldn't help but start to wonder if he was distracted just now, or... was he just too stupid?

Gu Jue was silent. He tapped the knuckles of his right hand twice on the coffee table. He recalled the conversation he had with Wu Hejialou in Shaohua Hall the day before yesterday, and his eyes flashed.

After a while, Gu Jue paused with his right hand and casually ordered, "Cheng Linhua, you personally post the notice downstairs of Wuhejia Building."

"Yes, Your Highness." Cheng Linhua took the order and left, and Su Mubai also took his leave.

In the outer study room, only Gu Jue and Chu Qianchen were left.

Chu Qianchen was still sitting there, continuing to weave the silk cord with a focused look on his face.

The golden sunlight is filtered through the lush green bamboo forest outside the window layer by layer, like a layer of golden gauze, crystal clear and soft.

The girl had no makeup on her face. She wore a primrose-colored cross-collared silk gown with dark cloud patterns. Her thick black hair was tied up in a loose bun. Her slender neck was as graceful as a swan under her black hair. The pine-colored rope made her slender fingers look even whiter, as smooth as jade, and as delicate as porcelain.

Her fingers were so flexible that it was hard to believe that such a fragile wrist and such slender fingers could pull a longbow and kill a villain with one arrow.

She just sat there quietly, emitting a light like the bright moon, quiet and soft, yet dazzling.

Gu Jue knew clearly that this girl didn't need anyone's pity or regret.

She is strong enough, both in ability and in heart, and those external doubts will not shake her at all.

But even though he knew it, he still couldn't help but feel pity for this girl.

This feeling is novel and interesting.

Gu Jue walked silently to her side and sat down.

At this time, Chu Qianchen raised his head and stretched out his right hand towards him.

Gu Jue subconsciously raised his hand, but she pointed at his waist and said, "Jade pendant."

Jade pendant?! Gu Jue was stunned for a moment. He changed the direction of his hand that was about to reach out to her, took off the white jade pendant with bamboo knot pattern on his waist, and handed it to her.

Chu Qianchen quickly untied the string from the jade pendant. She had noticed this morning that the string on Gu Jue's jade pendant was a bit old and worn out, so she re-woven it for him.

Gu Jue lowered his eyes and looked at his right hand.

Is he being controlled by this girl? A faint smile rose unconsciously at the corner of his mouth.

Chu Qianchen moved quickly and put the jade pendant on in just a few seconds.

There are thousands of different knots, and Chu Qianchen makes the knots based entirely on her intuition. She just does whatever she wants to match the jade pendant. Finally, she ties two Vajra knots to finish it off.

"alright."

When she finished weaving the web and looked up at Gu Jue again, she saw a smile on the corners of his lips, and even his usually cold face became charming.

"Does my braid look good?" Chu Qianchen asked with a smug smile. He grabbed the rope above the jade pendant in his hand and shook the jade pendant back and forth.

In mid-air, the oval-shaped white jade pendant gleamed in the sunlight.

"It looks good." He raised his hand to take the jade pendant, a smile slowly creeping up his eyes and eyebrows, "Please weave another one for me."

Chu Qianchen felt that this was a great affirmation of her, and nodded without thinking.

Gu Jue stood up and took out another white jade pendant from the drawer of the desk. The pendant was engraved with cloud and phoenix patterns.

Chu Qianchen subconsciously looked at her waist. She was wearing a white jade pendant on her waist that was similar to Gu Jue's, but hers was engraved with a phoenix pattern. This pendant was given by Queen Mother Yin on the Wanshou Festival.

These two rings are obviously a pair.

"My mother gave it to me the day before yesterday." Gu Jue said, "I'll make a silk cord similar to yours."

Chu Qianchen hesitated a little.

She wove herself a heart-shaped plum blossom, with a dark-colored string and bright red whiskers, and some gold threads, which was very bright. The prince usually preferred plain colors.

She only hesitated for a moment, because the prince would look good in anything he wore.

She immediately called Amber in and asked her to go back to the main courtyard to get the cords, ribbons, etc. for weaving the net.

As Amber came in and out, Chu Qianchen finally remembered why she came, and he showed off with a smile: "Your Highness, Nanny Jin from the Ministry of Internal Affairs came just now. The emperor asked her to fill in the gap."

Chu Qianchen described in vivid detail how she had tricked Nanny Jin into believing that she had been poisoned.

Gu Jue noticed her smug look, listened to her story with a smile, and even poured her some tea.

The structure of the Imperial Household Department is extremely complex, and it has undergone many changes since the founding of the Great Qi Dynasty. Now the Imperial Household Department has seven departments, three academies and thirty affiliated institutions. It also governs the three main halls, Shouning Palace, Jingshifang, Wenyuan Pavilion, Imperial Pharmacy, etc.

It can be said that the Imperial Household Department is indispensable in the palace.

This girl used Nanny Jin to plant a thorn in the side of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which was very useful.

Chu Qianchen finished his words in one breath, wrinkled his nose, and finally sighed: "The emperor is always restless and annoying."

She saw admiration in Gu Jue's eyes and felt even more proud. The cat's tail behind her wagged briskly.

Gu Jue didn't take the emperor seriously. Seeing her so funny, he couldn't help but raise his hand and touch her soft head, laughing and saying, "Just a clown."

Chu Qianchen agreed with it and smiled freely.

Those beautiful phoenix eyes seemed to be filled with starlight, twinkling, and when she smiled, her cheeks were as delicate and beautiful as hibiscus flowers, so bright and beautiful that they were beyond description.

Gu Jue looked at her with a smile, and felt that he saw another side of her——

Free and open.

This girl has many sides. Sometimes she is calm and generous, sometimes she is simple and lively, sometimes she is elegant and dignified, and sometimes she is cold and aloof...

Chu Qianchen also looked back at him with a smile.

Her mood was calm and peaceful. She relished the warmth of the moment and hoped that such days could continue forever.

At this time, Amber, who had just gone to get the embroidery basket, came back with not only the thread for weaving, but also a note, "Princess, the fourth uncle sent another note."

More than an hour ago, after Chu Qianchen received the note from Chu Yunmu, he immediately replied to her and asked Manou to deliver it to the Marquis' Mansion. Unexpectedly, Chu Yunmu sent a second note so soon.

Chu Qianchen took the post, read it quickly, and said with a smile, "Brother Mu just posted a message today asking if I could take him to watch the Imperial College entrance examination in three days. I replied and thought I would go to Duke Mu's mansion to pick him up in three days."

She waved the post in her hand and said, "In this post, he insisted on coming here to pick me up.

Chu Yunmu kept his word. Three days later, he came to the palace to pick up Chu Qianchen, and he arrived half an hour early.

Chu Qianchen deliberately wore men's clothes, a blue straight robe, his hair tied up with a headband of the same color, a purse and a small bloodstone seal on his waist. He had red lips and white teeth, and a handsome appearance. He looked like an elegant young man.

The Imperial College is located in Guozijian Hutong in the east of the city. The whole alley is shrouded in lush green trees, quiet and peaceful. Most of the people coming and going here on weekdays are students from the Imperial College.

However, today there are many more gorgeous carriages coming and going on the streets.

Some of them came to the Imperial College today to take the exam, while others, like Chu Qianchen and Chu Yunmu, came to cheer up their relatives and friends.

Although Chu Qianchen and his companions had set out early on purpose, plans could not keep up with changes. When they were almost at Guozijian Hutong, two carriages in front of them collided with each other. Both families were prominent and they were competing with each other. As a result, they attracted a lot of onlookers, causing other carriages and horses to be unable to move forward.

Chu Qianchen made a prompt decision to take a detour, but it still took some time to get out of the bustling crowd. When they arrived at the Imperial College, the exam had already started for a quarter of an hour.

With the help of the invitation from Duke Mu's Mansion, the brother and sister entered the Imperial College smoothly.

The Imperial College had a special servant to greet today's guests. Led by a servant, the brother and sister soon arrived at the martial arts examination hall.

The examination hall was a spacious field with temporary bamboo sheds on three sides serving as auditoriums. The auditoriums were crowded and bustling.

In the center of the parade ground, two young men were dueling with silver spears with red tassels. The young men were dressed in bright clothes and wielded spears. Their thin sleeves fluttered in the wind with their movements, making rustling sounds, and they were full of vigor and vitality.

Chu Yunmu's eyes lit up, and he pointed at a young man in front of him wearing a sky-blue collared Hu suit and said, "Second...brother, look, it's the eldest brother!"

After saying this, Chu Yunmu suddenly felt like something was wrong.

One of the young men in the field was Chu Yunyi.

The one fighting against Chu Yunyi was a young man in royal blue Hu clothing. The young man wielded the spear in his hand with great power and attacked Chu Yunyi like thunder.

The spear vibrated in the air, making a buzzing sound.

Chu Yunyi was forced to retreat step by step and could only defend without attacking.

Both the spectators in the surrounding audience seats and Chu Qianchen could see that Chu Yunyi was at a disadvantage at the moment and was not far from complete defeat.

Chu Qianchen frowned. She only knew some basic self-defense skills and could not use a gun. However, in her previous life, there were many experts who used spears around her. Even if she had never eaten pork, she had seen pigs run. Xue Fengyan and Tang Yuchu were both good at spear skills. Their spear skills were tempered on the battlefield and were full of bloodiness and murderous intent. However, the spear skills of this young man in blue were flashy, just like those martial artists on the stage, which were just fancy moves that looked good when performed.

In the past few months, she had also seen Chu Yunyi practicing martial arts in the Marquis' Mansion. Although his skills were not as good as Xue Fengyan, Tang Yuchu and others, he was definitely far better than his opponents.

“Boom!”

There was a loud collision sound, and the spear in Chu Yunyi's hand flew out of his hand, and with a bang, the spear fell to the ground.

It also means that Chu Yunyi lost.

There was a burst of warm applause in the audience, and those people were cheering and applauding for the winner.

The victorious young man in blue was in high spirits. He raised his spear high in front of his relatives and friends, declaring his arrogance as a winner.

In contrast, the defeated Chu Yunyi had a dim look in his eyes.

“Brother!”

Chu Yunmu shouted at Chu Yunyi. Chu Yunyi's body trembled violently and he looked in the direction of Chu Yunmu and Chu Qianchen.

Naturally, he also recognized Chu Qianchen, who was disguised as a man. His eyes widened slightly and he stared at Chu Qianchen with an extremely complicated look.

He stood there for a long time without moving, like a stone statue.

Chu Yunmu shouted "Big Brother" again. The next moment, Chu Yunyi turned around without saying a word, turned his back to Chu Qianchen and Chu Yunmu, and ran in the other direction with big strides, escaping in a panic.

Chu Yunmu: "..."

Chu Qianchen raised his eyebrows and called out, "Jiang Yuan."

She didn't need to say anything more. Jiang Yuan rushed out immediately, and almost in the blink of an eye, he was in front of Chu Yunyi and quickly blocked Chu Yunyi's way.

Chu Yunyi wanted to go around her, but no matter which direction he turned, the other party seemed to be able to guess his movements in advance and quickly blocked in front of him.

Chu Yunmu was stunned. This maid of the second sister was too powerful!

"Brother Mu, let's go over there." Chu Qianchen smiled slightly, slowly took Chu Yunmu over, and walked in front of Chu Yunyi.

Chu Yunyi: “…”

The young man's handsome face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye. He was completely unable to face Chu Qianchen. He was ashamed, annoyed, helpless, and couldn't raise his head.

"Brother..." Chu Yunmu racked his brains to think of how to comfort Chu Yunyi. This was only the first round of the martial arts test in the morning. It didn't matter if he failed, there would be a second round in the afternoon.

Before he could finish his next words, Chu Qianchen suggested, "It's almost noon, let's go eat."

Chu Qianchen didn't mention the competition just now.

Chu Yunmu: "Okay!"

Chu Yunyi: “No.”

Chu Qianchen ignored Chu Yunyi and took Chu Yunmu with him and walked in another direction.

Chu Yunmu hesitated a little, looked at Chu Yunyi, and then at Chu Qianchen. He always followed Chu Qianchen's lead, so he happily chased after Chu Qianchen.

Chu Yunyi, who was left alone, stared at their backs for a long time, and finally caught up, following Chu Qianchen sullenly.

Chu Yunyi looked at Chu Qianchen's profile from time to time. Looking at this biological sister who was as tall as him, he didn't know what to say.

To be honest, he used to think that his sister, who had the same father and mother as him, was dull and weak. He had been closer to the eldest sister since he was a child and had more to talk to, while the second sister always avoided him.

However, after leaving the house this year and coming back, within a few months, he felt that his world had changed drastically. He found that many things he had believed in were not true.

Grandmother, father, aunt, second sister...

The faces of these people closest to him flashed before his eyes, and his thoughts went back to the day when Chu Qianchen returned home after three days of mourning.

In the past few days, he hardly slept well. When he was awake or dreaming, he couldn't help but think of the scenes of that day...

All of this followed him like a nightmare.

During the whole journey, Chu Qianchen ignored Chu Yunyi and only chatted with Chu Yunmu: "Brother Mu, Zuixiaolou is nearby. Not only is the wine there good, but the snacks are also good. How about going there for dinner today?"

"Okay. It's my treat today!"

"So generous?"

"I've always been very generous... Well, mother, give me fifty taels of silver!"

“…”

The three siblings went all the way to Zuixiao Tower, which was not far from the Imperial College. Chu Yunyi felt even more aggrieved when he was ignored.

He almost turned around and left, but he obeyed and followed Chu Qianchen.

The waiter led them to a private room on the second floor, where Gu Jue was lazily leaning against the window, drinking tea, waiting for them.

"Second brother-in-law." Chu Yunmu called him obediently, and the look in his eyes when he looked at Gu Jue was always scrutinizing and evaluating, as if he was finding fault with something, or like a mother-in-law looking at her daughter-in-law, trying to find some fault.

Whenever Amber saw Chu Yunmu's eyes, she wanted to laugh.

Chu Qianchen and Chu Yunmu sat down next to Gu Jue. Only Chu Yunyi hesitated and slowly crossed the threshold of the private room.

Gu Jue personally poured tea for Chu Qianchen and casually asked, "How did your brother do in the exam?"

As soon as he saw Gu Jue, Chu Yunyi felt his cheeks burning with pain. He remembered the day when Chu Qianchen got married. When he carried her on his back to the bridal sedan, he vowed: "If he bullies you, tell me and I will help you."

But today, he contradicted himself.

Chu Qianchen glanced at the arrogant boy and uttered only one word: "Rotten!"

Chu Yunyi: “!!!”

Although Chu Yunyi himself knew that his performance was not good enough, when his own sister told her brother-in-law so bluntly, he still felt an urge to turn around and leave.

Is this what his sister said? !

Chu Qianchen didn't give Chu Yunyi any face at all, and said: "Other people will take good care of themselves before the exam, but he is different. I don't know if he was a thief the past few nights. He is not in good spirits."

"He used his own weakness to attack his opponent's strength. He was obviously not good at using a spear, but he insisted on choosing the same weapon as his opponent."

"During the competition, he was distracted and disrespectful to his opponent. He deserved to lose! It's better for people like him not to go to the battlefield and harm their comrades."

“…”

Chu Qianchen pointed out several of Chu Yunmu’s mistakes in a very direct way.

Chu Yunmu felt the same way and thought that every word his second sister said was golden advice. He wanted to take a small notebook to write it down.

Chu Yunyi was a little indignant at first, but the more he listened to Chu Qianchen, the more ashamed he became. He wanted to run away, but he couldn't.

The stubborn young man could only stand there with a red face, and said to himself that Chu Qianchen had no one to rely on in her mother's family. If he ran away in front of Prince Chen, he would definitely be looked down upon by Prince Chen. If Prince Chen bullied Chu Qianchen in the future, he would not have the face to support her.

He repeatedly convinced himself in his heart, and his emotions stabilized a little. He held his chin high and said unyieldingly: "I didn't play well in the last game. I will definitely not lose this afternoon!"

He felt as if he was facing three examiners at this moment, and he held his head high.

Chu Qianchen played with the white porcelain teacup in his hand, and curled his cherry lips in a smile.

Sometimes, silence is better than words. In Chu Yunyi's eyes, Chu Qianchen's expression was like a silent question, more effective than whipping him.

Chu Yunyi's competitive spirit was aroused, and he felt that he must let Chu Qianchen see how powerful he was. He was not a person who only boasted.

Chu Yunyi said solemnly: "I will definitely win, and I will definitely be admitted to the Imperial College."

Gu Jue raised the corners of his lips vaguely, he put down the teacup, and suddenly said: "If you pass the exam, I will have someone take you to live in Xuanjia Camp for a month."

Everyone knows that the Black Armor Army is the elite among the Northern Army, and Chu Yunyi certainly knows that too.

His eyes lit up as if they were lit candles, and he was eager to try.

He cleared his throat, and after recognizing his relatives, he called out for the second time: "Second brother-in-law~"

The sound is a bit weird.

In order to be able to go to Xuanjia Camp for training for a month, Chu Yunyi took the risk and hurriedly poured tea and water for Gu Jue.

(End of this chapter)