As everyone knows, Kang Hongda has a homosexual habit. He is powerful, has sons and daughters, so naturally no one cares about his romantic affairs. Since the emperor ascended the throne, he has used Kang Hongda. Kang Hongda used to hide it, but now he is unscrupulous and has done many things to bully men. Some people are willing, such as Meng Mingsi, some are half-hearted, and some are chaste and strong men.
No matter who they are, unless they come out of the Kang Mansion sideways, no one can escape Kang Hongda's clutches.
Chu Yunyi was naturally no exception.
Shi Zice was in a good mood and called out to the others, "Let's go out of the capital and go horse racing!"
He glanced at Chu Yunyi who was more than a hundred feet ahead, then turned his horse around and drove it in another direction. He felt that Chu Yunyi's fate was doomed. What future could a man who fell into Kang Hongda's hands have? !
The Imperial College would never accept students who have a grudge against Long Yang! Chu Yunyi had long forgotten about scum like Shi Zice, and felt that even paying a little attention to them would be a waste of his time.
He went straight to Duke Mu's mansion. Although he did not send in the invitation in advance, he still met Shen smoothly.
Shen was enjoying the flowers and drinking tea in the flower hall of the small garden. The leisurely and comfortable life in the Duke's Mansion had made her plumper than before. She looked healthy and her face was rosy.
As the distance between the two of them grew closer, Chu Yunyi became more and more uneasy, and he was too ashamed to look directly into Shen's eyes.
Without saying a word, he lifted his robe and knelt in front of Shen. His resolute attitude scared Nanny Chen and Dongmei.
Shen was a smart person. Just by looking at Chu Yunyi's expression, she was sure that he also knew about that matter.
Shen looked at Chu Yunyi three feet away with mixed feelings.
She had no ill feelings towards the child Chu Yunyi.
Before Chu Yunmu was born, Chu Yunyi was raised in her care. Chu Lingxiao repeatedly urged her to register Chu Yunyi as the eldest son, but she never agreed. However, she also did her best to educate Chu Yunyi and fulfilled her duties as a legitimate mother.
After Chu Yunmu was born, Chu Yunyi was taken away from her by Chu Lingxiao on the grounds that he was old and should live in the front yard. Later, Chu Lingxiao tried every means to prevent her from interfering in Chu Yunyi's affairs. Shen Shi was too lazy to care about Chu Yunyi anymore, because Chu Lingxiao would not harm him anyway.
Chu Yunyi is a good boy. He would come to pay his respects to her from time to time, and he also got along well with Chu Qianhuang.
Thinking of Chu Qianhuang, Shen's eyes rippled slightly, then disappeared.
She said sternly: "Brother Yi, you don't have to be like this. This matter has nothing to do with you."
Chu Yunyi raised his head and met Shen's eyes. His pupils were as black as ink jade, flashing with an incomparably determined light.
Shen tasted something from his eyes, and she asked according to her intuition: "Have you met your second sister?"
Chu Yunyi nodded and answered vaguely: "Yesterday, I went to Prince Chen's Mansion."
He also wanted to save his face, so he didn't mention anything about the 14th floor.
Chu Yunyi calmed down and said, "Mother, even if the Chu family is unreliable, I will work hard and support my second sister."
Shen was stunned for a moment, then she pursed her lips and smiled, her eyes softening.
Even Nanny Chen was slightly moved when she heard this.
Because of Aunt Jiang, Nanny Chen has always disliked Chu Yunyi, but now she refuses to admit that good bamboo shoots can be produced from bad bamboo.
Before Shen could say anything, a blue wind whizzed in from outside the flower hall, as fast as Nezha riding on his wind-fire wheels.
"Wrong, wrong. I should be the one supporting Chu Qianchen."
Chu Yunmu rushed to Chu Yunyi in one breath and said with a solemn oath.
He had just returned from school and wanted to ask his mother to have lunch together. He happened to hear Chu Yunyi's bold words outside the hall and felt dissatisfied.
"You are still young." Chu Yunyi raised his hand and rubbed Chu Yunmu's head. Even though he was kneeling on the ground at this moment, he was still much taller than the five-year-old Chu Yunmu. This action carried a sense of declaring sovereignty.
The implication was that Chu Yunmu was just a little brat. If Shen hadn't been there, he would have already said the word "little brat".
Chu Yunmu felt humiliated, and he raised his chin and boasted emphatically: "I am Chu Qianchen's younger brother."
They are siblings from the same father and mother, so of course they are closer than other brothers and sisters, so Chu Qianchen likes him the most.
If it was yesterday, Chu Yunyi might have been overwhelmed by Chu Yunmu's aura, but after last night and this morning, he felt like a new life and had figured things out.
"I am Chu Qianchen's biological brother, and also your eldest brother, so of course you have to listen to me!"
Chu Yunyi acted like an elder brother who was like a father.
Chu Yunmu was not so easily fooled, he raised his chin even higher, "You are the eldest brother, Chu Qianchen is still the eldest sister!"
After a pause, he emphasized: "Your eldest sister!"
If they have to talk about seniority, they all have to listen to Chu Qianchen.
Chu Yunmu became more energetic. He was Chu Qianchen's favorite Brother Mu, and she would definitely stand on his side.
Chu Yunmu thought confidently, and took Chu Yunyi's hand, "Get up, let's go to Chu Qianchen to seek justice."
He pulled Chu Yunyi and wanted to go out.
The two brothers left in such a hurry.
Nanny Chen and Dongmei looked at each other and couldn't help laughing. Suddenly, they had a premonition that their wives would eventually see the light of day.
The future of the Chu family cannot rely on the Marquis, but on the generation of Chu Yunyi and Chu Yunmu.
Shen smiled again, a cheerful smile, and watched the two children disappear in the small garden.
She whispered to herself, "It looks like Brother Mu won't dine with me."
Shen decided to go to the wife of Duke Mu to have a meal, so she stood up and went towards the main courtyard.
The autumn wind is warm and the air is fresh, carrying the scent of chrysanthemum, osmanthus, hibiscus and other flowers.
When you are in it, you can't help but relax.
There was a smile on Shen's lips all the time. When she walked past a pond, she suddenly stopped and saw a familiar figure on the corridor opposite the pond.
The man, who was in his thirties, wore a stone-blue straight gown. He had a tall and slender figure, a handsome face, and a calm and resolute look, with a somewhat serious air.
The man seemed to feel Shen's gaze, turned around, and looked over with eyes as sharp as swords. The two men's eyes met.
Dongmei was slightly surprised and said, "It's Deputy General Pei."
The next moment, Pei Linye in the corridor nodded to Shen, and his expression softened.
Shen smiled slightly, bowed to Pei Linye as a greeting, and then left.
She left, completely unaware that Pei Linye stayed there, looking at her with deep and complex eyes.
The grass and trees beside the veranda danced in the wind, casting swaying, mottled shadows on his face.
Pei Linye didn't look away until her figure disappeared behind the rockery and continued walking along the corridor.
He had specifically asked to see Duke Mu.
Duke Mu was carving a small seal, holding the carving knife in one hand and a piece of Qingtian stone in the other. He had only carved a rough outline of the seal knob, with branches and knots vaguely visible.
Seeing Pei Linye coming, Duke Mu put down his carving knife, handed the Qingtian stone in his hand to him, and said, "I just got this Qingtian stone recently. I haven't carved with it for a while, so I feel a little itchy."
Pei Linye smiled slightly, put the Qingtian stone seal button in the sun and played with it casually, then said with a smile: "Excellent light freeze."
This piece of Qingtian stone is a uniform light yellow color, with a fine and mellow texture. It is the finest light yellow and a treasure among seals.
"Is my cousin planning to carve a plum blossom?" Pei Linye guessed from the shape of the seal button.
Duke Mu nodded and said with a smile: "Your vision is indeed sharp."
In the next sentence, Pei Linye changed the subject and got to the point: "There is news about Chu Lingxiao."
Pei Linye's eyes were deep, like a bottomless black pool.
He came to the Duke's Mansion today just for Chu Lingxiao.
"..." Duke Mu's eyes narrowed.
Although he did not tell anyone about Chu Qianchen and Chu Qianhuang, he still asked someone to inquire about Chu Lingxiao, wanting to see when he would return from the northwest. Pei Linye was a member of the Northern Army and had some connections in the North and West. After much deliberation, Duke Mu asked Pei Linye for help.
Pei Linye said: "I just received a pigeon message from the northwest. Chu Lingxiao suddenly left Nanyang without saying goodbye a few days ago."
Duke Mu was stunned and a little surprised.
Chu Lingxiao received an imperial edict to go to the northwest in order to find out the cause of death of King Nanyang. It was really unreasonable for him to leave suddenly without saying goodbye.
Duke Mu thought for a moment and asked, "Did Chu Lingxiao find out the cause of King Nanyang's death?"
"After he arrived in Nanyang, the Prince of Nanyang ignored him for half a month and didn't even see him." Pei Linye played with the Qingtian stone seal button in his hand.
Pei Linye also guessed that this seal button should have been carved by Duke Mu specifically for his daughter. The fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold, which is his hope for his daughter as a father.
In the sunlight, this Qingtian stone appears translucent and as bright as a lamp.
Duke Mu: “…”
Pei Linye hesitated for a moment and added: "It is said that during those days, there were spies from Fengmi Country lurking among the people in Nanyang..."
Duke Mu frowned and subconsciously asked, "Could it be that the spies from Fengmi Country took Chu Lingxiao away..." He rejected the question as soon as he said it, "No, it's unlikely. Even if the spies wanted to arrest someone, they should have arrested Princess Nanyang."
Logically speaking, only by capturing the Princess of Nanyang can they threaten the Prince of Nanyang, Qin Yao, into submission.
Duke Mu pondered for a moment and guessed uncertainly: "Could it be that Chu Lingxiao was tricked by the Prince of Nanyang and thrown out of Nanyang?"
Pei Linye shook his head and handed the Qingtian stone seal button back to Duke Mu. "I don't know about that."
Duke Mu thought about it and it made sense. Pei Linye was not in the northwest, and he just asked people to inquire about some information from the northwest, so what he knew was naturally limited.
Duke Mu's old, wrinkled fingers stroked the Qingtian stone seal button and asked, "Do you know where Chu Lingxiao is now?"
Duke Mu pursed his lips, lowered his eyes and remained silent.
From his point of view, he certainly hoped that Chu Lingxiao would not be in danger of his life. In case he died and his eldest daughter had not divorced him, wouldn't he have to be a widow for the rest of his life? That would be too unprofitable!
Duke Mu stroked the Qingtian stone seal button with his fingertips, deep in thought.
Looking at Duke Mu's complicated eyes, Pei Linye frowned.
He didn't know why Duke Mu was in a hurry to find Chu Lingxiao. It was obvious that Chu Lingxiao had taken on this task before, and Duke Mu's Mansion had not intervened. Therefore, Duke Mu should not be worried about whether Chu Lingxiao would mess up this task.
Pei Linye's eyes flashed with a faint light, and he took out a rectangular mahogany box and said, "Uncle, I heard that cousin Zhi was seriously ill a while ago. It happened that a subordinate who used to be in the Northern Army sent a hundred-year-old ginseng from Liaodong. It would be good to take it to cousin to nourish her body."
He opened the box, and placed on the red velvet cloth was a ginseng as thick as a baby's arm, with a thin and curly head and strong roots.
Duke Mu was a connoisseur of ginseng. His eyes lit up and he said, "This ginseng should be nearly two hundred years old."
Wild ginseng grows very slowly, and it would take more than a hundred years for it to grow to this thickness.
Duke Mu didn't bother to be polite with him and accepted it with a smile: "Lin Ye, you are so thoughtful."
6◇9◇Book◇Bar
The eldest daughter needs to take more supplements. Although the Duke's Mansion is wealthy and powerful, good old ginseng is priceless and hard to come by.
Pei Linye smiled faintly.
Duke Mu was a man with a plan in mind, and wanted to return the favor, so he picked up the teacup and asked, "Lin Ye, is your recent work going well?"
Since returning to Beijing this spring, Pei Linye has been serving in the Fifth Military Camp for the past few months.
"I will soon be transferred to the Northern Pacification Division to serve as the deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard." Pei Linye replied calmly, as if he was talking about an insignificant matter.
Duke Mu was startled and almost choked on the tea in his mouth. He looked at Pei Linye with a complicated expression.
The game between Gu Jue and the emperor before leaving Beijing had already been widely spread in the court. The emperor had lost the position of Fengtai Camp and deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to Gu Jue.
Because of this incident, the emperor is still "sick" and has suspended court until now. The crown prince is temporarily in charge of court affairs.
Duke Mu originally thought that Gu Jue would transfer Su Mubai or Yun Zhan to the Jinyiwei, but he didn't expect that he would choose Pei Linye.
Thinking about the complicated state affairs today, Duke Mu felt heavy in his heart.
The emperor would never tolerate Gu Jue. Anyone could see that it was impossible for Gu Jue and the emperor to coexist peacefully. Originally, Duke Mu planned to stand on a neutral position and watch from the sidelines.
After all, no matter how unreliable the emperor was, he was still the successor chosen by the previous emperor and the legitimate emperor of Da Qi.
However, in the past few years, Duke Mu has witnessed everything that has happened since the emperor ascended the throne, and he is somewhat disappointed with this emperor.
Duke Mu sighed deeply in his heart.
He knew that it would be difficult for the Duke Mu's Mansion to stay out of the matter. After all, Chu Qianchen was already married to Prince Chen and was enthroned as the Princess of Chen.
Even if they wanted to be loyal subjects, given the emperor's narrow-mindedness and suspicion, he would not let the Duke Mu's Mansion go once he knew that Chu Qianchen was his own granddaughter.
If Prince Chen really lost, even if Duke Mu's Mansion did nothing, the outcome would be predictable. At best, he would be on the bench, and at worst, he would be stripped of his title and exiled.
The future of hundreds of people in the Shen family will also be ruined.
Duke Mu felt a dull pain in his forehead just thinking about it.
Duke Mu had just asked about Pei Linye's job because he was thinking that if his job in the Fifth Army Camp was not going well, he could try to help him out.
However, now that he heard that Pei Linye had actually gone to work for the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Duke Mu could no longer speak.
In the eyes of many people, Jinyiwei is a good job. Joining Jinyiwei means being the emperor's personal guard. All the important officials and nobles in the court are afraid of you.
The problem is that Pei Linye has been in the North for more than ten years. Ever since Prince Chen went to the North, Pei Linye has been under Prince Chen's command all these years. Since Prince Chen transferred him to the Jinyiwei, it is equivalent to telling others clearly that Pei Linye is his confidant.
Under this premise, Pei Linye would definitely be targeted by the Jinyiwei after he joined them, and his days would definitely not be easy.
Even if Duke Mu knew this, he could do nothing about it.
Prince Chen values Pei Linye so much and entrusts him with important tasks. Even if Duke Mu intends to help Pei Linye move to another position, Pei Linye will definitely not agree.
Duke Mu is a smart man, so he didn't waste any more words.
He invited Pei Linye to have lunch at the Duke's Mansion, and Pei Linye did not leave the Mansion until 3 p.m.
In the next few days, the capital was calm and the weather became cooler day by day.
On the fifth day of September, Pei Linye visited Duke Mu's Mansion again, this time with news about Chu Lingxiao.
"Uncle, we found traces of Chu Lingxiao in Pingxian County, Sizhou two days ago. He should be at the border between Sizhou and Jizhou now. He should be able to reach the capital in three to five days."
"I heard that he rode very fast all the way, looking very embarrassed, and only had a servant with him, as if he was trying to avoid being seen."
Pei Linye was able to find out Chu Lingxiao's whereabouts by using some of the Jinyiwei's connections. Although Jinyiwei commander Lu Siji was on high alert against him, there were so many people with different minds that Lu Siji couldn't prevent them all.
Pei Linye left after he finished speaking, leaving Duke Mu curious and worried.
What makes people curious is how Chu Lingxiao, an imperial envoy, could end up in such a state.
What I am worried about is that Chu Lingxiao is being tormented by Qin Yao, the prince of Nanyang.
If this is true, Chu Lingxiao will definitely complain to the emperor after returning to Beijing. Qin Yao and Gu Jue have always been good friends. At that time, the emperor will vent his anger on Gu Jue.
Duke Mu became more and more worried, so he quickly asked someone to call Shen over and tell her about this.
Shen was also anxious, so she went out immediately and went to Prince Chen's Mansion with Nanny Chen.
When Shen came, Chu Qianchen was concentrating on making clothes in the east room.
In her previous life, she had learned needlework before she was fourteen years old, but she had abandoned it since she was kicked out of the Chu family.
She never made clothes for herself again, except for the time when she patched up her torn clothes in the military camp, she hadn't picked up an embroidery needle for more than ten years. After her rebirth in this life, she devoted all her energy to medical skills and never did needlework.
In the end, it took Shen less than a cup of tea to talk about Chu Lingxiao, but it took her a full hour to teach Chu Qianchen needlework.
After Amber sent Shen away, she came back and saw Chu Qianchen still sewing his sleeves with needle and thread.
"..." Amber hesitated to speak, thinking that Shen had come all the way here, she felt that this matter should not be simple.
Chu Qianchen was threading the needle slowly and leisurely. On the outside, he seemed indifferent to Chu Lingxiao's affairs, but in fact, he had already thought about the matter several times in his mind.
Others didn't know that Gu Jue secretly went to the northwest under the pretext of seeing Wuhejialou off, but Chu Qianchen knew it.
Even if Gu Jue didn't say anything else, she could guess that he was playing the next game of chess. The fact that Chu Lingxiao ended up in such an embarrassing situation must have something to do with Gu Jue.
Thinking of this, Chu Qianchen curled up the corners of his lips and revealed a faint smile.
Her smile was light, with a touch of casualness, a touch of willfulness, and a touch of arrogance.
In addition, there is a little bit of regret.
She should have persuaded the prince to take her along as well.
She was trying to do two things at once and accidentally got the needle tip stuck in her finger.
A drop of bright red blood appeared on the middle finger of his left hand.
Over the past few days, Chu Qianchen has pricked the five fingers of his left hand several times. Amber was a little panicked at the first time, but now she is calm and composed. She quickly wiped Chu Qianchen's wounds with strong liquor and then bandaged them with white cloth.
"Princess, be careful not to strain your eyes. Why not take a break?" Amber advised gently.
She thought their princess was really amazing.
Mingming's left and right hands are so flexible that she can write with both hands, give patients acupuncture, and shoot arrows with her left and right hands. But when it comes to needlework and embroidery, her hands become clumsy, as if she had replaced a pair of hands.
Over the past few days, Amber watched Chu Qianchen take out the needle and thread and work hard to sew clothes. She had been busy for several days, but the progress of the dress was barely 20%.
It should be in time. Chu Qianchen thought to himself that he had to finish making the dress before the prince returned to Beijing. If the "homework" assigned by the prince was not completed, at least he could use this to make up for it.
Chu Qianchen put down his needlework, drank two sips of tea, and said calmly: "Jiang Yuan, ask Su Mubai to come to the palace."
Jiang Yuan agreed and hurried to find Su Mubai.
On this day, Su Mubai quietly entered Prince Chen's Mansion through the back door and stayed there for half an hour before leaving.
After that, no one entered or left Prince Chen's Mansion, either the front door or the back door.
When Chu Lingxiao arrived in the capital, it was already the afternoon three days later.
Chu Lingxiao, who rushed back to the capital from the northwest, looked shabby. He had been wearing the robe for seven or eight days without changing it. He had lost a lot of weight, his skin was tanned, his hair was greasy and covered with dust, and he looked like a refugee fleeing famine.
Chu Lingxiao was extremely exhausted. He had never been so hard in his life. Even though the old marquis committed a crime and the mansion fell into decline, the mansion still had some foundation, and a life of luxury was not a problem.
He traveled thousands of miles from the northwest back to the capital, and he lived like a rat in a gutter, enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens. He dared not be high-profile and did not dare to stay in the post station, for fear that the people from the Nanyang Palace would catch up with him and kill him to silence him.
Most of the banknotes he and his servant had on them were left in Nanyang. They did not have much cash on them, and they spent it like water along the way. In the end, he had no money left, so he had to pawn his hairpins, jade pendants and other personal belongings.
As soon as he arrived in Beijing, Chu Lingxiao didn't even bother to go back to the Marquis' Mansion to wash up. He went to the palace first to ask to see the emperor, completely ignoring the disdainful look of Eunuch Ni.
It was not until the moment he saw the emperor in the Palace of Tranquil Longevity that Chu Lingxiao felt that he had truly escaped death and was relieved.
He knelt down before the emperor, and the first thing he said was -
"Your Majesty, Gu Jue and Qin Yao are planning a rebellion!"
Chu Lingxiao's voice was high-pitched, his face showed an indignant expression of loyalty to the emperor, his heartbeat quickened, and he was so excited that his heart was about to jump out of his chest.
He has accomplished a great deed this time! (End of this chapter)