Leaving behind the broken porcelain pieces.

Amber held her forehead with her hand and quickly told the maid to pick up the broken porcelain pieces on the ground.

Chu Qianchen stepped over the threshold and walked into the main room. He yawned lazily and told Amber, "Help me wash up."

Amber quickly followed Chu Qianchen into the house, and asked the maid to prepare hot water, scented soap, roses, etc. for bathing.

Jiang Yuan stopped outside the house and looked at Chu Qianchen's brisk steps. He had the answer in his mind and looked back towards the outer courtyard.

She couldn't help but think of Su Mubai, and whispered to herself: "The princess and the prince are so alike..."

The little maid who had just finished sweeping up the broken porcelain pieces happened to hear it and couldn't help asking, "Does it look like it?"

She doesn't think it looks like that at all.

The prince was so aloof that even when she saw him from a distance, she wanted to take a detour. She was not as friendly as the princess! Jiang Yuan said nothing and turned around to walk out of the courtyard.

The prince dealt with Su Mubai in the same way last time. After giving him a few words of advice, he let him figure it out on his own and let Su Mubai kneel for a whole night.

She guessed that the princess would not pay any attention to Chu Yunyi tonight.

Since this is what the princess wants, she will not meddle in it.

Jiang Yuan returned to his room.

She guessed correctly. After Chu Qianchen returned to the house, he washed up and went to bed. As expected, he ignored Chu Yunyi.

Chu Yunyi stood alone in Shaohua Hall for the entire night.

This night was short and long.

Chu Yunyi thought about a lot of things. He thought about Shi Zice and the others, the things on the 14th floor, Chu Lingxiao and Aunt Jiang, and Chu Qianchen...

What he was thinking about more was what he would have to face if he had not been taken away by the people from Prince Chen's Mansion.

When a loud rooster crowed in the distance, Chu Yunyi suddenly came back to his senses and found that the sky outside had become dim.

A night passed.

Chu Yunyi touched his sticky hair, wondering if he should go home and wash up. Before he walked out of the hall, he saw a familiar figure walking towards him.

The young man, wearing a light blue robe, had a friendly smile and walked briskly. The scar on his neck was very eye-catching.

Chu Yunyi had seen Yun Zhan many times when he was in the Xuanjia Camp, and he called out hesitantly, "Captain Yun."

Thinking of his current appearance, Chu Yunyi felt somewhat embarrassed, with a hint of embarrassment on the young and immature face of the boy.

How could Yunzhan not see it? He patted Chu Yunyi's left shoulder and said, "Come on, follow me. I'll take you to wash up."

A night passed, but the smell of alcohol on Chu Yunyi's body was still there. Mixed with the smell of hangover tea, it turned into a sour smell of pickled vegetables.

Chu Yunyi said "hmm" and followed without saying a word.

Yunzhan led Chu Yunyi as if nothing had happened, glancing at him from the corner of his eyes from time to time, thinking that Jiang Yuan was right, the princess's style of behavior was indeed like that of the prince! This was much more cruel than the saying "a filial son is born under the stick"!

Ahem, this metaphor doesn't seem quite appropriate.

Yunzhan didn't think any more and took Chu Yunyi to the guest house. He arranged for him to take a bath and change his clothes, and then changed into a bamboo moon-colored robe.

This robe was found by Jingfeng after he rummaged through boxes and drawers and found the clothes that Gu Jue had never worn when he was young.

After Chu Yunyi had breakfast, Yunzhan left. A little maid came over and took Chu Yunyi to see Chu Qianchen.

Chu Qianchen had just finished breakfast and was flipping through an account book.

There was no longer a pair of cat eyes full of contempt in the room, and Chu Yunyi suddenly felt relieved.

It was the same people from last night, except the little black cat was missing.

He strode up to Chu Qianchen, took a deep breath, and admitted his mistake: "I was wrong."

Chu Qianchen didn't look at him, casually flipped through a page of the account book, and asked, "What's wrong?"

At first glance, the conversation seemed to be exactly the same as last night.

But this time, Chu Yunyi was not giving in, he really understood.

"They did it on purpose," he affirmed.

Chu Yunyi was not a fool without any thoughts. After thinking about it for a whole night, he not only figured out what was wrong with Shi Zice and the others on the 14th floor, but also figured out why Shi Zice was targeting him.

Chu Yunyi clenched his fists tightly and continued, "Yesterday at the Ten... Ahem, during the banquet, Shi Zice, Li Chongtao, and He Yanzhang took the Imperial College martial arts exam with me, but they all failed. Li Chongtao was very unconvinced at the time and even came to provoke me, but Shi Zice and the others persuaded him to stop. At the time, Shi Zice's words when he tried to stop the fight were very sour."

At that time, Shi Zice repeatedly emphasized in his words that he was lucky. At that time, Chu Yunyi found it harsh, but thinking that the other party might be in a bad mood because of failing the exam, he did not bother with them.

Chu Yunyi also knew that although the examinations of the Imperial College seemed fair on the surface, there were actually a lot of tricks. After all, the examinations of the Imperial College were not as strict as the imperial examinations. In particular, both the literary and military examinations required written tests. In the end, who would be admitted was just a matter of a word from the officials of the Imperial College.

Chu Yunyi became more and more angry as he spoke, "Actually, I'm not that familiar with them. At most, we're just casual acquaintances. We've played pot-tossing and polo together a few times."

"They were so enthusiastic about getting me drunk yesterday. If I had been more sober, I would have known something was wrong."

As he spoke, he flexed his knuckles, making a crackling sound.

"We can't just let this go!"

"Humph, if you have the ability, just fight with real swords and guns on the field. What kind of ability is it to do these shady things in private and plot against others!"

Chu Yunyi couldn't swallow this anger. He had to settle the account. He couldn't just suffer this loss in silence.

Chu Yunyi talked for a long time until his mouth was dry, and then he realized that Chu Qianchen had not said a word.

He coughed twice to clear his throat, his eyes wandered around, and then he looked at Chu Qianchen.

Chu Qianchen was still looking at the account book in her hand. He slowly turned another page and said two words: "How stupid."

Since Chu Yunyi was a child, people have scolded him for being naughty, for having a bad temper, and for causing trouble, but he has never been called stupid.

His face didn't look good, his thin lips were pursed into a straight line, the line of his chin was tense, and he had a bit of the pride and spirit of a young man.

Oh, you're still not convinced! Chu Qianchen glanced at him indifferently and said, "You figured it out so late, aren't you stupid?"

Every word she said was sharp and pointed, and she didn't give Chu Yunyi any face at all.

"When something as trivial as this happened, you just followed others and drank alone, and then let others take advantage of you. Isn't that stupid?"

"You were almost instigated by someone and started a fight with the people in the palace. Isn't that stupid?"

"You are so stupid, do you still want to join the army in the future? Don't let the enemy plot against you on the battlefield and cause your entire army to be wiped out!"

As Chu Qianchen spoke, Chu Yunyi's expression and mood changed several times.

At first, he was angry and unwilling to accept it, but later on, he turned to shame and self-reflection.

Just as Chu Qianchen said, if she hadn't had someone drag him out of the fourteenth floor, he would probably have been expelled from the Imperial College by now. Judging from the result, he was just stupid.

Stupid enough to be sold out and still count money for others.

But--

As a sister, couldn't she show some mercy to him? ! Are they still siblings? ! Chu Yunyi's face was burning, and he said angrily: "I am just stupid!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Qianchen put down the account book in his hand, stood up from the Arhat bed, and approached him step by step.

Chu Yunyi couldn't help but recall the tragic incidents of him being beaten up by Chu Qianchen twice, and he unconsciously raised his right foot slightly and tried to step back.

In the end, he did not retreat. He used all his strength to hold back. If he really retreated, it would be too embarrassing for him!

Chu Qianchen walked past him calmly and said, "You said you would support me, but you are so stupid, it seems you can't rely on me."

Chu Yunyi: “…”

Chu Yunyi was stunned for a moment and didn't react.

Chu Qianchen walked past him without stopping, left the east room, and entered the small study.

Chu Yunyi could only stare blankly at her back as she disappeared behind the door curtain and stood alone in the east room.

At this moment, stubbornness and unwillingness to admit defeat overwhelmed shame.

Was he being looked down upon?! A flame of dissatisfaction ignited in Chu Yunyi's pupils, becoming increasingly hotter and brighter.

After Chu Qianchen entered the small study, he sat down in an armchair by the window.

Jiang Yuan also followed him in, feeling inexplicably sympathetic towards Chu Yunyi.

Yunzhan told her about Chu Yunyi's performance in the army. Considering his age and the fact that he was a young master who had been brought up in a marquis's mansion, his performance was considered quite good.

However, if a brother meets a sister like the princess, he must have a strong heart.

Chu Qianchen looked at the drawings on the table. These were the styles she had drawn yesterday morning. There were straight robes, Taoist robes, and round-necked wide-sleeved shirts.

She was still not satisfied and thought she needed to make some changes, so she asked casually, "Amber, has the cloth shop come yet?"

She thought that she could modify the style according to the materials from the fabric shop.

"Princess, the fabric samples have just arrived." Amber replied immediately. It was because Chu Qianchen was talking to Chu Yunyi just now that she didn't dare to disturb him.

Amber took out a thick book bound with cloth samples and handed it to Chu Qianchen.

As a prince, Gu Jue had many clothes, including crown clothes, court clothes, sacrificial clothes, official clothes, bestowed clothes, and daily clothes. The court had its own regulations for other clothes, and only daily clothes could be changed according to the owner's own preferences.

Because Gu Jue likes plain colors, Chu Qianchen asked the cloth shop to send materials with mainly plain colors and dark patterns, such as moon white, stone blue, duck egg blue, blue-gray, water color, etc. The patterns are mostly brocade patterns, dark eight immortals, sea water patterns, cloud patterns, Ruyi patterns, etc.

Looking at these materials, Chu Qianchen had an idea. He asked Amber to spread paper and grind ink, and then he repainted a loose Taoist robe and a slim-fitting lapel Hu clothing.

Taoist robes can be worn at home, while Hu clothing can be worn when riding, so the style of the Hu clothing must match the prince's horse.

Thinking of this, Chu Qianchen enthusiastically painted a black horse with four snow-white hooves. The black horse was tall and agile, with a cold look in its eyes, and looked lively and agile.

Just as she put down her pen, Jiang Yuan came in and said, "Princess, Master Chu has gone back."

Chu Qianchen didn't say anything, but her eyes were still on the black horse she had just drawn. She nodded with a smile on her face, meaning that she understood.

She picked up the pen again, dipped it in ink, paused in mid-air, and ordered, "Tell the secret guards to keep an eye on him."

This kid is really worrying.

"Yes, Princess." Jiang Yuan's voice was flat, and a barely visible smile flashed across his eyes.

The princess really looks like the prince.

After Chu Yunyi left Prince Chen’s Mansion, he returned to the Marquis’ Mansion.

He did not return home overnight, and the lady was a little worried, so she asked someone to guard the ceremonial gate of the mansion. As soon as he entered the door, the maid took him to Rongfu Hall.

Seeing him like this, the lady felt very distressed and asked him, "Brother Yi, where did you go last night? Did you not sleep all night?"

"You didn't come home all night, and your grandmother was very worried."

"Hey, this matter has nothing to do with you, so don't be angry with yourself."

“…”

After the lady said this, Chu Yunyi suddenly remembered why he went to Prince Chen's Mansion yesterday and why he got drunk.

Because of the matters on the Fourteenth Floor and Shi Zice, he actually forgot about Chu Qianchen's matter for a moment.

Thinking about this incident again at this moment, he felt much calmer than yesterday.

He understood.

Although Chu Qianchen scolded him for being stupid, she still treated him as her own brother, so she hired someone to keep an eye on him, and the people from Prince Chen's Mansion rushed to the fourteenth floor as soon as possible...

Chu Yunyi suddenly felt enlightened, and said to himself in his heart, Grandma and father are obviously unreliable, and Chu Yunmu is just a five-year-old kid, so Chu Qianchen can only rely on him! If he doesn't live up to his expectations, Chu Qianchen will have no one to rely on, how pitiful.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

Chu Qianchen said those words to him to provoke him, probably because he was angry at him for not fighting back. That's right, it must be like this!

Chu Yunyi cheered up.

The lady was still nagging, and the topic turned to Aunt Jiang: "Hey, your aunt...don't worry about it. Grandmother knows that you are filial, but this matter is a matter of the previous generation. Let's wait until your father returns from the northwest to discuss everything."

"The Imperial College will open in a few days, and this is the most important thing. For the glory of our Chu family, you should prepare well and let others see that our Chu family's children and grandchildren are all talented."

"Brother Yi, don't focus on the present. As long as you are successful, your aunt will also be honored by your son."

The old lady gave a lot of advice, but Chu Yunyi only felt it was ironic and suddenly interrupted her: "Father can even do such a thing, what glory can the Chu family have?"

Madam: “…”

The lady's face froze. She thought that this child was good in every way except for his bad mouth.

Nanny Wang hurriedly tried to smooth things over and advised, "Young Master, you are hurting Madam Tai's heart by saying this. Madam Tai's efforts are all for the Chu family and for you, Young Master."

Chu Yunyi didn't care about the lady's expression at all.

He once thought that his loving grandmother had changed beyond all recognition since the emperor's imperial decree granting marriage was delivered to the Marquis' Mansion.

Such a Chu family would not make Chu Qianchen feel proud, but it doesn’t matter, she still has her younger brother, and he will make her feel proud.

Chu Yunyi suddenly felt like he was carrying a heavy burden.

Chu Yunyi's handsome face became more prominent, with bright eyes and brows.

"Grandma, I will study hard." Chu Yunyi said.

Even though the lady was a little unhappy just now, when she heard Chu Yunyi say this, that little bit of unhappiness disappeared.

The lady smiled and said, "Brother Yi, it's good that you know what's going on."

Chu Yunyi is the eldest grandson of the old lady. She really loves this eldest grandson. After all, no matter which grandson inherits the title in the future, it will make no difference to the old lady.

As long as Chu Yunyi has a promising future, whether he inherits the title or not, it will be icing on the cake for the Chu family. Unlike this girl, it will be enough for her to marry a good man. Otherwise, she will be like Chu Qianchen. A daughter who is married off is like spilled water. It is a blessing that she does not bring trouble to the Chu family.

At this time, a little maid came in and reported, "Madam, Master Shi and several other young masters from the Chang'an Marquis's Mansion have arrived and are waiting outside the mansion. Please go out and play, young master."

When the Madam heard that it was the Marquis of Chang'an's Mansion, she immediately smiled and said, "Brother Yi, you don't have to accompany me, go quickly."

She thought that the other young men with the Young Master of Chang'an Marquis must also be from noble families. Young people could only develop friendships if they played together more often. Naturally, Chu Yunyi would go.

A sneer appeared on Chu Yunyi's lips. He responded casually and left Rongfu Hall.

When he walked out of the inner gate, his personal servant was waiting for him outside the door and asked uncertainly: "Master, are you really going?"

Chu Yunyi walked forward with his hands behind his back, a sneer on his face.

"Why..." No! !

He had originally been planning to say this, thinking that he must go and give Shi Zice and Yi Cheng a good beating to see if they would dare to plot against him again in the future.

But halfway through his words, Chu Yunyi hesitated again, remembering what Chu Qianchen had said, especially the two words "really stupid", which seemed like a knife stabbing him again and again.

If he went, Chu Qianchen would definitely scold him as stupid again.

Chu Yunyi changed his words and said, "Forget it, go out and tell them that I am still drunk."

After Chu Yunyi suppressed his anger, he figured it out.

I'm not afraid of thieves stealing, I'm afraid of thieves thinking about it. He knew that Shi Zice and the others were definitely still plotting against him, but he still insisted on jumping into the trap. That was stupid.

If Chu Qianchen heard this, he would definitely think that he was just like that little brat Chu Yunmu.

"Also, have someone prepare the horses." Chu Yunyi added.

The servant heard that Chu Yunyi was planning to go somewhere else, so he quickly responded and ran towards the gate.

Chu Yunyi walked slowly with his hands behind his back. When he arrived at the outer ceremonial gate, the people in the stable had already prepared a horse for him.

Chu Yunyi got on his horse. He was planning to go to the Mansion of Duke Mu. But when he came out of the Mansion, he saw five or six young men on horses gathered outside the gate of the Mansion. Chu Yunyi's servant was talking to them in a nice voice.

Shi Zice spotted Chu Yunyi coming out of the corner gate and asked in a sarcastic tone, "Brother Chu, where are you going?"

Chu Yunyi's servant was a little embarrassed. He didn't expect his master to come out so soon.

Chu Yunyi glanced at Shi Zice and the others, too lazy to pay attention to them, and rode forward as if he heard nothing.

Shi Zice looked at Chu Yunyi riding away on his horse, and his expression changed slightly.

He squeezed the horse's belly and whipped it hard twice, then chased after Chu Yunyi and stopped Chu Yunyi together with several other people.

Yi Cheng said sarcastically: "Brother Chu, what do you mean by pretending not to see us!"

"Didn't you say that you were drunk and haven't woken up yet?" Shi Zice interjected.

Chu Yunyi's servant had just told them in all seriousness that Chu Yunyi "was still hungover", and Shi Zice believed it. Unexpectedly, Chu Yunyi came out of the Marquis' Mansion, and he didn't look like he had a hangover at all.

Shi Zice began to feel something was wrong.

He and Yi Cheng exchanged glances, and the same thought emerged in their minds: Could it be that Chu Yunyi knew?

If Chu Yunyi had been drunk yesterday, he might not have noticed the quarrel between the two.

But now that Chu Yunyi was on guard, he naturally did not miss these details and laughed sarcastically in his heart.

Chu Yunyi said lazily: "I am not awake yet. If I were sober, would you still be able to catch up with me?"

As he said this, he raised his chin with confidence, looking arrogant, flamboyant and unruly.

“…”

Shi Zice and the others all looked unhappy.

Chu Yunyi has the right to be proud. He is not good at studying, but he is the best among them in riding, archery and polo.

Shi Zice tightly grasped the polo ball, the smile on his lips had long since frozen, and he felt more and more that Chu Yunyi might know it.

Chu Yunyi accidentally escaped yesterday. Shi Zice had originally wanted to follow his original plan to provoke Chu Yunyi to go horse racing with them, so that he would be frightened by the horse and break his leg.

As long as Chu Yunyi injured his leg, I would definitely be the one to replace him.

Shi Zice had a sinister look in his eyes.

Chu Yunyi was just a small bastard from a marquis's mansion, yet he dared to compete with him for a spot.

Originally, everything was arranged at home, but unfortunately, I didn't make it into the top ten on the first day of the martial arts test, and the Imperial College had to protect Chu Yunyi, so I had to eliminate myself.

There are only three days left before the Imperial College starts, and it’s almost too late.

If Chu Yunyi really knew, then he would be on guard now, and it would be difficult for me to set a trap for him again.

Looking at Shi Zice's changeable expression, Chu Yunyi gave a sarcastic smile.

Humph, he just wouldn't fall into their trap. He just wanted to make sure Shi Zice couldn't get what he wanted. It would be best if he could anger Shi Zice to death when he entered the Imperial Academy to study in a few days.

"If you don't have anything else to do, I'll leave first."

Chu Yunyi kicked his horse's belly and rode past Shi Zice, looking heroic and arrogant, as if he was the last one to leave the others far behind.

Shi Zice subconsciously turned his horse's head and looked at Chu Yunyi's back getting farther and farther away, his expression becoming increasingly uglier.

Yi Cheng and others around looked at each other with stiff expressions.

These people have always followed Shi Zice's lead, and they were a little nervous when they saw that he was unhappy.

One of them winked at Yi Cheng, so Yi Cheng cleared his throat and changed the subject: "Brother Zice, I think I saw Asi on the fourteenth floor last night."

Another young man casually asked, "Meng Mingsi from the Marquis of Jingyong's Mansion?" His tone was quite disdainful.

Shi Zice frowned slightly and was not very happy when he heard the name Meng Mingsi.

Yi Cheng continued, "Meng Mingsi relied on Kang Hongda's favor and didn't take you, Brother Zi Ce, seriously before. I saw that he was in a bad mood last night. I wonder if Kang Hongda hates him?"

He knew that Shi Zice and Meng Mingsi had always been at odds with each other. In the previous polo match, Meng Mingsi borrowed people from Kang Hongda and beat them miserably. He also mocked Shi Zice. Shi Zice was very angry and said that he would teach Meng Mingsi a lesson sooner or later.

Yi Cheng now mentioned the fact that Meng Mingsi was disliked by Kang Hongda in order to make Shi Zice happy.

Shi Zice's brows relaxed, and he curled his lips sarcastically, "It's just using your beauty to please others, it won't last long."

Yi Cheng nodded, thinking that Chu Yunyi would not be able to be proud of his status as the brother-in-law of the Prince of Chen for many days, but another young man with triangular eyes said first: "Come to think of it, I seemed to see Kang Hongda's servant asking the maid about Chu Yunyi last night."

Everyone was shocked when they heard this and guessed what it meant.

They looked at each other again, and one of them said hesitantly, "Could it be that Kang Hongda has taken a fancy to him?"

The boys' eyes widened slightly and they all fell silent.

Time seemed to stop for a moment.

"Hahaha!" Shi Zice was the first to laugh, laughing unscrupulously and gloatingly.

"This is good." Shi Zice clapped his hands and smiled with tears in his eyes. He thought maliciously in his heart: Chu Yunyi dared to argue with him, haha, he is just a plaything that will be submissively subdued by others sooner or later? !

Shi Zice had previously felt that his plan to get Chu Yunyi to the fourteenth floor last night had failed, but now it seemed that Chu Yunyi had caught Kang Hongda's eye by some coincidence.

As he thought about it, the anger in his heart was mostly relieved.

(End of this chapter)