Chu Qianchen shut her up with just a few words, and now no matter how she answered, it would be wrong.

If she continued to ask Chu Qianchen about the Wuhejia Tower, it would be a woman interfering in politics, which would be a slap in the face. She would never tell Chu Qianchen that the emperor did not want to appoint the Prince of Nanyang as the new King of Nanyang.

The east hall fell silent. The palace servants all held their breath and the air was frozen.

Chu Qianchen was still smiling, and her smile was bright and dazzling.

The Queen's eyes fell on her face and the two looked at each other.

Chu Qianchen kept smiling, and there was not the slightest wavering in his expression.

Silence spread.

Gradually, even the Queen became a little unsure whether Chu Qianchen really didn't know or was deliberately blocking her.

The lady clenched the Buddhist beads in her hand and her whole body was tense.

The Madam was also summoned to the palace by the Queen today, and she arrived just a stick of incense ago. She was a little timid at first, but she didn't expect the Queen to be so kind and friendly to her, and every word she said was praising the Chu family:

"The Chu family has good upbringing. I think the imperial concubine is gentle and generous, and Qian Huang is also a good child. Madam Chu really taught her well."

"Marquis Yongding has made great contributions during his trip to the northwest. The emperor has praised Marquis Yongding several times in front of me, saying that there are few capable ministers in the court, and Marquis Yongding is one of them. This trip to the northwest will definitely not disappoint him..."

Although the queen's words were vague, the implication was very clear. If Chu Lingxiao did a good job in his mission in the northwest this time, the emperor would definitely use and promote him when he returned to Beijing.

The lady was just about to say a few good words on behalf of her eldest son when Chu Qianchen arrived.

This girl is simply a disaster. She just arrived and said only two or three words, but the lady could feel that something was wrong with the queen's expression, and her heart sank little by little.

If it was in Fengluan Palace at this moment, the lady would probably have been furious.

This girl Chu Qianchen is so rude. When she speaks to the queen in this manner, it will only make the queen feel that she can't even take care of a granddaughter.

This girl must be the enemy of their Chu family in their previous life, and she came here to collect debts in this life! As the silence continued, the lady's face became more and more ugly, and she looked at the queen on Luohan's bed nervously.

She wanted to say a few words to ease the situation, but was afraid that she would backfire and cause the Queen to get angry instead.

The queen's face was uncertain, as if something was raging under her skin.

I don't know how long it took, but the queen finally moved, picked up the teacup beside her, and took two more sips of tea.

Nanny Shan had served the Queen for many years and could tell at a glance that the Queen's fingers, painted with bright red nail polish, were tense. Since the Emperor ascended the throne, the Queen had been living a smooth life, and had only suffered two setbacks from Chu Qianchen.

After the queen put down the teacup, her expression returned to normal and she suppressed her displeasure.

She turned her gaze to the Madam again and stiffly changed the subject: "Madam Chu is so lucky. She has raised both of her granddaughters well."

"An Le often praises Qian Huang in front of me. Two days ago, when Princess Jing came, she also told me that thanks to Qian Huang's personal visit to Wuwei Temple to get the magic water for Princess Hui'an, Princess Hui'an is now in great shape."

Upon hearing this, the Madam's eyes suddenly lit up and she said with a smile, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. My eldest granddaughter has always been well-behaved and kind."

The Madam always liked Chu Qianhuang, her eldest granddaughter, and thought she had the demeanor of a legitimate daughter of a marquisate. When she heard the Queen praising her granddaughter, she felt that Chu Qianhuang was much better than the petty Chu Qianchen. Chu Qianchen was really ruined by Aunt Jiang, and she didn't care about the Chu family at all.

Chu Qianchen: “…”

Chu Qianchen, who had been smiling the whole time, changed her expression slightly. She had just been to Duke Mu's Mansion the day before, but had not heard Shen mention this matter.

The Queen's words clearly meant that Gu Zhiyan's absence disorder had recurred a few days ago, and it was Chu Qianhuang who asked for talisman water to cure her.

Thinking about Gu Zhiyan's illness, Chu Qianchen frowned slightly, his eyes deep.

Gu Zhiyan’s illness is a mental illness, and medication is only a temporary solution, not a cure for the disease, and can only alleviate Gu Zhiyan’s symptoms.

This heart disease needs to be treated with heart medicine. If she wants to cure Gu Zhiyan, she still has to start from the "root". However, she has never known the cause of the disease, so she can only use incense to ease Gu Zhiyan's emotions.

Gu Zhiyan fell ill, but after taking the talisman water that Chu Qianhuang asked for, her symptoms were relieved. So what kind of talisman water did Chu Qianhuang ask for from Wuwei Temple?

Chu Qianchen was immersed in his own thoughts and didn't listen to the empty courtesies between the Queen and the Dowager Lady... until Amber quietly pulled Chu Qianchen's sleeves without making a sound, and Chu Qianchen came back to his senses.

"What do you think, sister-in-law?" The queen asked Chu Qianchen with a smile.

Chu Qianchen looked at the queen, smiling without saying a word.

In fact, she didn't hear what they said just now, but her face didn't show it at all, and others couldn't tell that she was absent-minded just now.

Just by looking at Chu Qianchen, the Queen's anger grew rapidly.

The queen withdrew her hands from her knees, hid them in her sleeves, and pinched her palms with her fingertips.

Thinking of the purpose of summoning Chu Qianchen today, the Queen finally accepted it. With a graceful smile on her face, she continued, "Ninth brother's wife is so lucky. When she was at her mother's house, she had the elders to take care of her and the sisters to help her. Naturally, her life was comfortable and proper."

The lady nodded sympathetically.

Amber curled her lips in sarcasm, and felt that the words of the Queen, such as "good fortune", "comfortable and appropriate", etc., were extremely harsh. Her own princess had suffered so much injustice in the Marquis's Mansion over the past ten years, how could she be so lucky! The Queen acted like an elder sister-in-law like a mother, and said, "Now that you are married, the Chen Wang Mansion is small in population, the Queen Mother is taking care of you in the palace, and there is no one in the Wang Mansion to take care of you. As the eldest sister-in-law, I am also worried about my ninth brother's wife."

"Last month, I asked Nanny Jin from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to send a few palace maids to the palace for my ninth brother's wife to serve, but my ninth brother's wife confiscated them..."

Of course it was the emperor's idea to stuff people into Prince Chen's mansion, but he just borrowed the queen's name. At that time, all the palace maids brought by Nanny Jin were returned. The emperor was furious about this, but he could do nothing about Gu Jue, so the matter had to be left unresolved.

The Queen gave a look and Nanny Shan clapped her hands twice.

The next moment, five palace maids in the same palace dress walked in from outside the hall. Their movements were uniform, elegant and beautiful. Their manners and bearing were no worse than those of the noble ladies in the mansions of the nobility.

"..." The lady's expression changed again. It was not until now that she realized that Chu Qianchen even dared to refuse the person given by the Queen. She despised Chu Qianchen again in her heart, and her anger grew.

The Queen continued, "Sister-in-law, you have just become a wife and have never managed a household before. I am afraid you don't know that there are so many people in the outer and inner courtyards of a royal palace, and so many things to do. It will not work without help."

"This time, I personally selected a few people for my ninth sister-in-law. Each of them is outstanding, one in a hundred. Today, my ninth sister-in-law will take them back to the palace."

"Take these people back with you today, Ninth Brother and Sister-in-law. If you like them, please make them concubines in a few days and ask them to serve you well in the future."

What she meant was that the palace maids that Nanny Jin sent to Prince Chen's Mansion last time were too mediocre, and no wonder Chu Qianchen looked down on them, but this time the palace maids were all carefully selected by her personally, and each one of them was good.

The queen raised her chin slightly and talked to herself for a while. After she finished saying everything she wanted to say, she asked Chu Qianchen symbolically, "What do you think, Ninth Brother's wife?"

The Queen's attitude towards Chu Qianchen revealed a sense of self-righteous arrogance. In her mind, she never thought that Chu Qianchen had the right to refuse.

Recently, the emperor has been disliking the prince and blaming him for letting Gu Jue escort Wuhejialou back to Hao. During this period of time, the emperor has been critical of the prince a lot. The queen naturally feels sorry for her son and is indignant for the prince.

The Queen felt that Gu Jue’s absence from the capital was an opportunity.

Without Gu Jue's support, can a weak woman like Chu Qianchen still support Prince Chen's Mansion? !

She is the queen and Chu Qianchen's elder sister-in-law. An elder sister-in-law is like a mother. No matter what she says when she sends someone to Prince Chen's Mansion, it is reasonable and Chu Qianchen has to accept it even if he doesn't want to.

If Chu Qianchen doesn't want to accept it today, he has to please himself.

If Chu Qianchen accepted it, not only would he be able to suppress Chu Qianchen and her momentum, but he would also be able to successfully plant spies in Prince Chen's Mansion.

No matter what, she is invincible.

The queen smiled confidently and picked up the teacup again, but this time, her movements revealed a sense of leisure and comfort.

Chu Qianchen patiently let the queen finish her words, without even moving her eyes or eyebrows, and refused without saying a word: "No."

“…”

“…”

“…”

There was dead silence in the side hall, making the chirping of cicadas outside seem particularly sharp and piercing.

"..." The teacup in the queen's hand slipped and almost fell out of her hand. The smile on her lips could no longer be maintained.

Chu Qianchen calmly added two more words: "Too ugly."

The queen placed the teacup heavily on the tea table. Her movement was so big that it made a clattering sound, which scared the palace maids around her so much that their hearts skipped a beat.

The five palace maids couldn't help but look at Chu Qianchen.

The brightly dressed girl has slightly curved eyebrows and eyes like stars. She is like a delicate flower bathing in the sun, delicate and beautiful, full of fragrance; she is also like a bright and clear pearl, dazzling.

Her appearance and temperament are both outstanding, and she is born with a dazzling brilliance that makes others pale in comparison.

The palace maids had different expressions and all lowered their heads.

The five of them were carefully selected by the Queen from hundreds of palace maids. Naturally, they were all beauties. Some were gorgeous and charming, some were playful and cute, some were gentle and steady, and some were weak and shy. They were all beautiful and graceful, each with her own merits.

They are all beauties, but they are just beauties. Compared with Chu Qianchen, they are far inferior to her.

Amber tried hard to hold back her laughter, and secretly applauded her princess in her heart.

With Chu Qianchen's stunning appearance, she was strictly speaking right when she said that these palace maids were ugly.

In other words, the words are more straightforward and don't give people any face at all.

However, the Empress and Prince Chen's Mansion had already torn their faces apart, so why should they show any mercy! Before the Empress said anything, the Madam finally couldn't suppress her irritability and anxiety, and scolded Chu Qianchen again: "Sister Chen, what are you talking about? How can you be so rude!!"

"The Queen has good intentions and has chosen someone to share your burden. How can you judge based on appearance?"

The lady's chest heaved and she was very angry.

She really didn't know what this granddaughter was thinking. Did she want to completely offend the emperor and empress and bring disaster to the entire Chu family? !

"Grandmother is right." Chu Qianchen nodded seriously and agreed, "Aunt Noble Concubine should also share some of the Queen's worries and take on more palace affairs to prevent the Queen from working too hard."

Chu Qianchen fought back with great force.

Since the lady-in-waiting said that the concubine awarded by the empress was to relieve her worries, then the noble concubine, as the emperor's "concubine", should also relieve the worries of the empress, the principal wife.

The atmosphere became tense again, and the word "outrageous" was on the Queen's lips.

The palace servants bowed their heads even lower.

How could the Queen allow others to snore beside her bed? Of course, she would not share power with Concubine Chu.

Concubine Chu gave birth to the second prince and was also a concubine. She seemed noble, but everyone in the palace knew that what Concubine Chu had was just an external honor. In fact, she was neither favored by the emperor nor had any real power in the palace.

Therefore, Concubine Chu always obeyed the Queen's orders in the palace, and also instructed the Second Prince to listen to the Crown Prince in everything.

The lady was angry, afraid, and uneasy, but Chu Qianchen was smiling, a bright and carefree smile.

She looked at the queen with a smile and asked, "My Queen, is this what I said?"

"..." The Queen was once again speechless by Chu Qianchen and was in a dilemma.

If she said that concubines were just playthings, Chu Qianchen had already said that those palace maids were too ugly - indeed, if there was no comparison, these palace maids were still acceptable, but compared with Chu Qianchen, they seemed not up to standard. To put it bluntly, how could a silk flower possibly compete with the real king of flowers, the peony!

However, she couldn't support Mrs. Chu's remarks.

If she said that Madam Chu was right, it would be tantamount to agreeing to share power with Concubine Chu.

This girl Chu Qianchen is so cunning that she blocked everyone's words.

Ignoring the queen's livid face, Chu Qianchen suddenly covered his mouth and whispered, "Queen, is the inner treasury tight recently?"

What she said was equivalent to saying that there was no money in the palace and the queen could not afford to support anyone, so she wanted to send the person to the prince's palace to eat free meals.

Amber nodded secretly in agreement.

The princess is right. These palace maids are too ugly. They are an eyesore if you look at them for too long. They cannot help the princess with the important work. They are just eating for free. Do they really think that the Prince Chen's Palace will accept all the good and the bad?

This last sentence was like a sharp arrow piercing the queen's chest.

The queen felt a dull pain in her heart and anger welled up in her eyes.

How dare such a concubine's daughter speak to the queen? She is so ignorant! Not only did the queen hate Chu Qianchen, but even the lady-in-waiting also hated her.

If you think about it carefully, the words said by this pair of grandparents and grandchildren are simply the same, one plays the villain and the other plays the good guy. Did they discuss it in advance and want to take the opportunity to help Concubine Chu share power from themselves? !

The more the queen thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

As a grandmother, Mrs. Chu has never said a good word for her granddaughter Chu Qianchen since she entered the palace. This is obviously unreasonable.

The Queen looked back and forth at Chu Qianchen and the Dowager Lady with suspicion, which made the Dowager Lady's scalp tingle and cold sweat seep out of her forehead.

Chu Qianchen, however, remained calm and composed.

She didn't care what the Queen was thinking at all, and answered herself with a smile: "It's inconvenient for the Queen to say it, so forget it."

She said, "I won't force you to do anything." She stood up and said, "My Queen, it's rare for me to go to the palace. I have to pay my respects to my mother."

Finally, she added, "My mother must be in good health these days, otherwise the queen would not be in the mood to entertain me and my grandmother."

She bowed as a way of saying goodbye, not giving the queen a chance to speak again, and left on her own.

The lady was dumbfounded again. She couldn't believe that Chu Qianchen just walked away so blatantly, totally ignoring the queen.

The lady's lips moved slightly, her heart became even more confused, her eyes went dark, she secretly exclaimed "what a sin", and hated Aunt Jiang even more in her heart.

She didn't shout out, but another voice shouted out: "Chu, Qian, Chen."

The Queen called Chu Qianchen's name, and she was so angry that her whole body was shaking uncontrollably, and her face turned pale.

Chu Qianchen stopped and turned around.

"Don't forget, the ninth prince is not in the capital now." The queen said slowly, her voice so cold that it almost seemed to drop ice chips, and her eyes were as cold as the cold winter in December.

Did Chu Qianchen really think that she, the queen, could do nothing to her? Chu Qianchen laughed as if she had heard some joke.

Chu Qianchen asked: "Fengtai has nice scenery, has the Queen ever been there?"

Her words sounded completely irrelevant. The lady-in-waiting didn't understand and frowned even more tightly, but the queen understood.

Gu Jue is not here, but the 30,000 Black Armored Army is still in the capital.

Now Fengtai Camp has become the garrison of the Xuanjia Army, and the Xuanjia Camp only offers the Zhongchen Palace.

Chu Qianchen's words were a blatant threat, asking the queen to think carefully.

"You..." The queen felt as if she heard a sound of something exploding. Her head was buzzing. She was so angry that her chest seemed to explode, and her body trembled even more violently.

She felt a sweetness in her throat and vomited a mouthful of blood.

The bright red blood left two pools of blood on the carpet, so red that it was shocking.

All the palace maids opened their eyes wide, their minds going blank with fear.

"Empress!"

The Madam, Nanny Shan and others shouted at the same time, but Chu Qianchen remained as still as a mountain.

The lady stood up from her chair at once, sweating profusely, and said, "Your Majesty, calm down!"

The lady-in-waiting hurried over to show her loyalty and wanted to support the queen, but before her hand touched the queen's sleeve, she was pushed away harshly by the queen.

"roll!"

The Queen said coldly, her voice full of anger and disgust, venting all her dissatisfaction with Chu Qianchen on the Madam.

The lady was wearing heavy makeup and was running so fast that she hadn't even stood firmly when the queen pushed her hard. She lost her balance, twisted her ankle, and staggered to the ground.

Even her hair bun was a little loose, with a few strands of gray hair scattered on her cheeks. The luxurious hairpin and crown were tilted to one side, and she looked like a mad woman.

The lady was even more panicked, thinking that the queen must be holding a grudge against the Chu family because of Chu Qianchen.

The lady felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

Now Chu Qianchen is just a concubine's daughter, but if the emperor and empress knew that Chu Qianchen was the real eldest daughter, then what future would the Chu family have? ! Just thinking about it, the lady felt a gloom in front of her eyes and her limbs were slightly cold.

A cup of tea ago, she thought her eldest son had a bright future, but now, she felt as if she had fallen from heaven to hell. Their Chu family was like standing on the edge of a cliff. If they were not careful, they would fall into the abyss and there would be no recovery.

It’s over, the Chu family is all finished!

The lady's mind was in a mess, and she couldn't think at all. She shouted, "Imperial Physician, call the Imperial Physician!"

Nanny Shan also shouted and asked for the imperial physician to come over.

The Fengluan Palace was in chaos with everyone in turmoil.

No one noticed when Chu Qianchen went out. They all gathered around the queen. Some went to call the imperial physician, some helped the queen to the inner room, and some went to pour tea and water...

Chu Qianchen, who had already walked out of Fengluan Palace, also heard the commotion inside, but did not stop at all.

Chu Qianchen's steps became even lighter, and he went to Shouning Palace happily.

Naturally, the fact that Chu Qianchen entered the palace could not be hidden from Empress Dowager Yin. She had been eagerly waiting for him. However, the palace was full of the Emperor and Empress's spies, so she could not send anyone to pick up Chu Qianchen. She could only wait patiently in Shouning Palace.

Queen Dowager Yin thought she would have to wait for an hour, but Chu Qianchen arrived at Shouning Palace in less than an incense stick of time.

Chu Qianchen checked Queen Mother Yin's pulse again. Compared with two months ago, Queen Mother Yin's health was much better. Although Queen Mother Yin still appeared dazed, the residual drug in her body had been almost completely removed.

With Nanny Yan around, no one noticed that Empress Dowager Yin's health was getting better day by day.

This time, Chu Qianchen came to the palace again and brought her specially made pills. She asked Queen Mother Yin to take them and told her some things about Gu Jue.

For example, Jingfeng told her how Gu Jue saved her little black cat with a tea lid; for example, when she and Gu Jue went to watch a circus together, she caught two goldfish for him; for example, she recently planned to help Gu Jue renovate the courtyard of the outer study room a little bit...

She also specially brought the revised drawings to show to Queen Mother Yin, and asked her for some ideas.

Queen Mother Yin smiled and was in a good mood just by looking at her.

After Chu Qianchen had lunch with the empress dowager in Shouning Palace, she left the palace and did not go to Fengluan Palace to bid farewell to the empress. Anyway, the empress probably didn't want to see her.

She thought that the Queen was obviously very angry today and probably would not summon her to the palace again for a while, so how would she go to the palace to see the Queen Mother next time?

Well, the Double Ninth Festival is not far away. In just over a month, it will be the Empress Dowager’s birthday.

There will always be opportunities.

Chu Qianchen was in a good mood and went to Duke Mu's Mansion for Gu Zhiyan.

Although from what the Queen said, Gu Zhiyan should be fine now, Chu Qianchen was still a little worried and planned to ask again.

Shen was originally planning to take a nap, but when she heard that Chu Qianchen had arrived, she was overjoyed. She did not even change her clothes and directly asked the head maid to take Chu Qianchen to the inner room.

"Sister Chen, why are you here?" Shen looked at Chu Qianchen with surprise and pulled her to sit beside the couch. She looked up and down at the heavy makeup on Chu Qianchen's body and asked, "Did you enter the palace today?"

Chu Qianchen had just been here the day before and had originally agreed to come to the Duke's Mansion again tomorrow.

Chu Qianchen nodded first, "Mom, I just came out of the palace. I heard that Qi Niang's amnesia recurred?"

Speaking of Gu Zhiyan's fright, Shen's face showed a sigh, and she talked about how ten days ago a woman named Furong stopped the carriage of the Prince's Mansion, threatened her, and finally committed suicide in front of the carriage. Gu Zhiyan was frightened by this.

This matter concerned the private affairs of Prince Jing's Mansion, so when Shen saw that Gu Zhiyan was not seriously injured, she did not tell Chu Qianchen.

Shen asked curiously, "Sister Chen, did you meet your third aunt in the palace?"

Chu Qianchen shook his head. "I heard from the Queen that Chu Qianhuang went to Wuwei Temple to ask for talisman water for Qi Niang, and only then did Qi Niang's loss of consciousness ease."

Shen grabbed Chu Qianchen's hand and asked worriedly, "Did the Queen make things difficult for you when you entered the palace today?"

Shen could guess after thinking about it that Queen Xuan Chu Qianchen must have come to the palace with ill intentions and must have some ulterior motive.

Chu Qianchen knew that Shen was always worried about her, so she smiled and told her about the things in the palace in a relaxed tone, even the fact that she had angered the queen to the point of vomiting blood. Finally, she said jokingly:

"Mom, don't worry, no one can bully me!"

If she was so easily bullied, wouldn't she be letting down the prince's teachings in her previous life!

Amber felt the same way and nodded frequently.

It's different from before. The girl used to be alone in the marquis's mansion, but now she is the Princess of Chen. Behind her are the Prince of Chen and his mansion, as well as so many soldiers of the Black Armor Army.

(End of this chapter)