The emperor has been "sick" for a long time. During this period, he didn't even meet with the cabinet elders. Today, it was because Chu Lingxiao said he had something urgent to discuss that the emperor agreed to see him. He also wanted to hear what he had found out in the northwest.

Unexpectedly, what Chu Lingxiao found out was actually related to Gu Jue.

The emperor looked solemn. His first reaction was that Chu Lingxiao must have found some evidence of Gu Jue and Qin Yao's collusion in Nanyang. He said seriously, "Chu Lingxiao, please speak slowly."

The emperor was in no mood to play chess anymore. He clenched his right fist tightly, his eyes were sinister. As expected, he knew that Gu Jue had rebellious intentions! !

"Your Majesty, I saw Prince Gu Jue in the Nanyang military camp." Chu Lingxiao made another shocking statement.

What?! The emperor was so shocked that he almost stood up and slammed the table. His face became even gloomier.

Didn't Gu Jue escort Wuhejialou and his group south to Nanhao? Why did he go to the northwest? ! The emperor was confused and asked again: "Are you sure you saw Gu Jue?"

"Sure." Chu Lingxiao nodded affirmatively.

In fact, he didn't see Gu Jue at all that day, he just heard his voice across the tent. But in front of the emperor, he certainly couldn't show cowardice, let alone hesitate.

So, Chu Lingxiao started from the day when he discovered Qin Yao and Gu Jue having a secret conversation in the main tent, and exaggerated their conversation, saying that they intended to conspire to take Bingzhou, that they wanted to establish themselves as kings, that they wanted to connect the northwest, Bingzhou and the north to threaten the emperor, and so on.

Finally, he tearfully recounted his sufferings, expressing how he had endured humiliation and endured great hardships in his escape from Nanyang, how he had traveled day and night to avoid being seen, and how he had finally returned to the capital to report the news.

As he spoke, Chu Lingxiao's eyes lit up, and he felt that he could finally turn bad luck into good.

“Bang!”

The emperor slammed his palm heavily on the edge of the chessboard. The tabletop shook, and the chessboard also shook. The black and white chess pieces on the board were mixed together in a mess.

"Gu Jue really has bad intentions!" the emperor said angrily, with veins throbbing on his forehead.

He guessed that Gu Jue had other intentions. He said he was escorting Wuhejialou to Nanhao, but he actually secretly ran to the northwest to meet Qin Yao. He was simply despicable.

As the emperor became more and more furious, the temperature in the hall dropped drastically and all the eunuchs in the hall held their breath.

Chu Lingxiao raised his eyes and quickly glanced at the emperor's face, then said, "Your Majesty, if you don't believe me, why don't you go to Prince Chen's Mansion to find out. I am sure that Gu Jue is definitely not in Prince Chen's Mansion now."

Chu Lingxiao acted loyal and righteous, and tried his best to distance himself from Gu Jue.

Chu Lingxiao had no idea that Gu Jue had gone to Nanhao, but Eunuch Ni knew about it and glanced at Chu Lingxiao with a strange expression.

The emperor narrowed his eyes and slowly turned the jade ring on his thumb.

Chu Lingxiao, kneeling on the ground, was secretly delighted: He knew that he had made a great contribution this time.

On the way of fleeing from the northwest to the capital, Chu Lingxiao had already thought it through clearly. When the emperor knew about this, he would definitely send troops to attack the northwest and the north. If he could take on this mission, their Yongding Marquis Mansion would be able to rise.

Moreover, the Yongding Marquis' Mansion can completely sever its ties with Gu Jue. Even if the emperor liquidates the vassals of the Prince Chen's Mansion in the future, their Chu family will not be implicated, and may even have made contributions to the country.

Just thinking about it, Chu Lingxiao felt his blood boiling, as if he saw the day when he would return triumphantly and bring honor to his family.

"Your Majesty, Qin Yao and Gu Jue dared to have rebellious thoughts. I am willing to share your worries and go to fight them." Chu Lingxiao volunteered, his back straight, his eyes sparkling, looking passionate and righteous.

Chu Lingxiao thought the emperor would agree immediately, but unexpectedly, there was silence.

The emperor stared at him expressionlessly and said nothing for a long time.

The silence lasted too long, so long that Chu Lingxiao began to feel a little uncomfortable.

Suddenly, the emperor asked, "I remember that your second daughter is Gu Jue's princess?"

Chu Lingxiao's heart skipped a beat and he secretly groaned. He wanted to say that this marriage was granted by the emperor, but he bit his tongue and didn't dare to say it.

Thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all grace from the emperor. If the emperor thinks that he has long been dissatisfied with this arranged marriage and holds a grudge, then it would be counterproductive.

Chu Lingxiao carefully considered his words and said, "Your Majesty, please understand. I have a sincere heart towards you and Da Qi, and will never be affected by my daughter's husband."

"If Your Majesty does not believe me, I am willing to swear..."

"Forget it." The emperor waved his hand to interrupt Chu Lingxiao. He was not a woman, so why should he listen to a man swearing something while pointing to the sky and the earth?

Chu Lingxiao just closed his mouth, lowered his head humbly, rested his forehead on the ground, and waited quietly for the emperor's verdict.

After a while, the emperor's voice came from above: "Chu Lingxiao, you should go back first."

"Come here, summon the Crown Prince to the audience."

Chu Lingxiao raised his head again, kowtowed to thank the emperor for his grace, then retreated with his head lowered, feeling confused.

Chu Lingxiao left the palace under the guidance of a young eunuch, with an uncertain expression.

His servant was waiting for him with a horse. After he got on the horse, he could not help but look back towards the palace. His face looked so ugly that ink seemed to drip out of it.

It must be Chu Qianchen! That's right, it must be Chu Qianchen who implicated me.

The emperor must have been afraid that he and Gu Jue, as father-in-law and son-in-law, might be implicated, so he was unwilling to entrust him with such an important task.

Chu Lingxiao gripped the reins tightly, feeling unwilling, angry, and exhausted.

wrong!

He thought carefully about what the emperor had just said, and felt that there seemed to be something else behind his words.

This was a marriage granted by the Emperor. How could he not know that his second daughter was married to Prince Chen, yet he still asked knowingly?

Could it be that... the emperor was hinting that he should go to Prince Chen's mansion to get some information? Bang bang!

Chu Lingxiao's heart beat faster and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that this was possible.

He pulled the reins to turn the horse around and said to himself, the Chu family raised Chu Qianchen to this age, now it is time for her to repay the family.

Chu Lingxiao was a little impatient, so he simply rode his horse directly to Prince Chen's Palace.

So, Chu Qianchen, who was still struggling with needle and thread, learned from Amber that Chu Lingxiao had come to his house.

Finally, Amber added: "I heard from the concierge that the Marquis seemed to have rolled in ashes."

Amber felt complicated. Whenever she thought of what Chu Lingxiao had done, she couldn't help but feel sorry for Chu Qianchen.

Chu Qianchen slowly finished sewing a line of border before he looked up. He slowly realized what Amber meant by this and was several beats slow to react.

Amber thought Chu Qianchen wouldn't want to see Chu Lingxiao, didn't want to -

"Let him in."

As Chu Qianchen spoke, he placed the needle and thread in his hand into the sewing basket and carried the basket to Xuanwei Hall.

Chu Lingxiao arrived very quickly. Chu Qianchen had just sat down on the armchair at the top when he saw him rushing into the main hall in a menacing manner.

For a moment, Amber almost thought that it was a robber who came to her house. On the other hand, she sighed that the description given by the concierge was very appropriate. The Marquis really looked like he had rolled in ashes once, no, several times.

She had never seen him like this before. If she met him on the street, she might not recognize him.

As soon as Chu Lingxiao came in, he preemptively asked Chu Qianchen, "Where is Gu Jue?"

His expression and tone were aggressive. He looked Chu Qianchen up and down, and also noticed the sewing basket she placed beside him.

After returning home after three days, Chu Lingxiao received an imperial decree and went to the northwest. This was the first time he saw Chu Qianchen after that day. He felt that this girl didn't have any outstanding talents and could only do some needlework to please men.

Chu Lingxiao smiled contemptuously in his heart, and his expression became more calm. Gu Jue was not in Beijing, so it would be easy for him to control Chu Qianchen.

Chu Qianchen answered obediently: "The emperor ordered the prince to escort Wuhejialou back to Nanhao."

Chu Lingxiao opened his eyes slightly, then he suddenly realized.

No wonder the Emperor and Eunuch Ni had that expression when he just suggested in the Yangxin Palace that the Emperor could pay a private visit to Prince Chen's Mansion.

No wonder Gu Jue secretly went to the northwest without telling the emperor!

Chu Lingxiao calmed down a lot because of this incident, and said in a commanding manner: "I have something to tell you, please ask them to leave."

Chu Qianchen told Amber, Jiang Yuan and the others to go out.

Amber looked at Chu Qianchen hesitantly, and thinking that her own princess would definitely not suffer any loss, she retreated as she was told.

Only the father and daughter were left in the main hall. It was quiet except for the occasional faint chirping of birds outside the house.

Chu Lingxiao sorted out his thoughts and said, "The Chu family has raised you for so many years. Now that you are married, you must always remember that your last name is Chu."

"A married woman relies on her parents' home. If her parents' home is good, then you can be good."

He gave a long lecture with a dignified look, trying to suppress Chu Qianchen with his fatherly authority.

Chu Qianchen knew that Chu Lingxiao had not returned to the Marquis' Mansion since returning to Beijing today, so he didn't know that her and Chu Qianhuang's life stories had been revealed.

However, based on her understanding of Chu Lingxiao, even if he knew the truth had been revealed, for the sake of profit, he would still shamelessly go through this and say these words.

In his view, he is the father and can do whatever he wants to his children.

Chu Qianchen stared at him without blinking with a pair of dark phoenix eyes, which made Chu Lingxiao frown unhappily. He couldn't help but think of another pair of similar phoenix eyes, and his dislike for her became even stronger.

"Father is right." Chu Qianchen said gently.

Her five words suppressed Chu Lingxiao's anger that was about to explode.

Chu Lingxiao calmed down and asked, "Did Gu Jue say anything to you before leaving Beijing?"

"No." Chu Qianchen shook his head, his long eyelashes trembled twice, and his eyes wandered to the birds flying outside the window.

Chu Lingxiao kept staring at Chu Qianchen, feeling that she seemed to be hesitant to speak, feeling a little anxious, he asked: "What did he say to you?"

“……”Chu Qianchen shook his head again.

Chu Lingxiao's anger began to rise again, thinking of the day when Sanchao returned home, and the emperor's ambiguous attitude in the Yangxin Palace just now...

He wanted to get angry, but thinking of Gu Jue who was not in the capital at the moment, he held back and reluctantly softened his tone: "Sister Chen, is there anything you can't say to your father?"

"Meow?"

The kitten responded with a puzzled cry.

The little black cat appeared on the windowsill out of nowhere, tilted its head and looked at the stranger in the room. Its pupils shrank into a thin line, and its emerald green eyes were shining.

Chu Qianchen didn't look at Chu Lingxiao, but only at Mao'er, and shook his head again, "Father, please go back."

He exerted a little force on his hands, and the sticky orange juice flowed down through his fingers...

He sat back down, put the orange down, and picked up a handkerchief to wipe his fingers.

He patiently comforted Chu Qianchen and said, "Sister Chen, I know it was my fault to send you to the manor before. I was also doing this for the Chu family, right? There is no such thing as an overnight grudge between father and daughter."

"Although you are the princess, you are only a concubine. Once there are concubines coming into the house in the future, their status will be higher than yours. How will you deal with it?"

"Only when the Chu family is well, will you be well."

He talked nonstop, and seeing that Chu Qianchen hadn't said anything, he took the initiative to promise: "In the future, I will come forward and register you under the name of your stepmother, then you can also become a legitimate daughter."

Chu Qianchen answered the question irrelevantly: "Father, have you been to the Duke's Mansion to see mother?"

Chu Lingxiao was stunned. He didn't expect that it had been almost two months and Shen was still staying in Duke Mu's Mansion and not returning to the Marquis' Mansion.

He frowned, thinking that Shen was really willful, but at the same time he felt relieved.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

He felt that the reason Chu Qianchen asked this was because he was afraid that he could not persuade Shen to return to the Marquis' Mansion. He felt complacent and felt that he had seen through Chu Qianchen a long time ago.

Over the past few months, Chu Qianchen has been ignoring Aunt Jiang and deliberately trying to please Shen and Chu Yunmu. To put it bluntly, she just wants the title of legitimate daughter.

People like her, who once gained power, started jumping around in her mother's house, making the Chu family uneasy. Not only is she narrow-minded, but she is also petty-minded.

Did she think that the Prince of Chen went to meet the bride in person because he valued her? Did she think that the Prince of Chen went to the Chu family and made a scene because he valued her? Humph, the Prince of Chen was just trying to slap the emperor in the face.

Now, she should finally understand that even if she marries into Prince Chen's Mansion, it doesn't mean that she will really become a phoenix.

She had nothing as a princess except the title, and no one would take her, a concubine's daughter from a marquis's mansion, seriously.

This girl must have had a hard time in the palace over the past month. This is what reality teaches you how to behave! Chu Lingxiao brushed his sleeves carelessly and curled his lips in a sarcastic way.

"Don't worry, leave this matter to me." Chu Lingxiao comforted Chu Qianchen.

Chu Lingxiao felt that he had almost grasped Chu Qianchen, so he turned to the main topic: "I went to the northwest this time to thoroughly investigate the cause of death of Prince Nanyang, and found something related to Prince Chen's Mansion..."

Chu Qianchen peeled the orange slowly, and his slender white fingers paused for a moment.

Chu Lingxiao also paused before continuing, "This matter is very serious."

"If things go wrong, the emperor will strip Gu Jue of his title and confiscate his property. If you marry Gu Jue, you will definitely be implicated and will have to share the same fate with him. Only the Chu family can protect you."

"Now is your only chance to atone for your sins."

"Think carefully, your arms cannot bend your thighs!"

Chu Lingxiao spoke again, patted Chu Qianchen on the shoulder, and put pressure on her again, with an attitude of "I'm doing this for your own good."

Chu Qianchen lowered her eyes and didn't speak for a long time. It was not until the little black cat on the windowsill "meowed" again that she raised her head hesitantly and stammered, "A few days ago, when I was cleaning the study for the prince, I saw a letter. I didn't mean to read it. It just happened that the letter fell on the ground. When I picked it up, I took a quick look at it and put the letter away."

Chu Lingxiao felt like something was tickling his chest, and he couldn't wait to know what was written in the letter.

To be honest, Chu Lingxiao was somewhat surprised that Chu Qianchen could enter and leave Gu Jue's study at will. In other words, as he guessed, the people in this palace did not take her seriously, and no one thought that Chu Qianchen could do anything weird.

Chu Lingxiao calmed down, his eyes sparkling, and asked eagerly, "What did you see?"

Chu Qianchen: “…”

Chu Lingxiao subconsciously grasped the fabric on Chu Qianchen's shoulders tighter, and asked again: "Sister Chen, think carefully, what exactly is written in the letter?"

Chu Qianchen stammered, "I... I didn't dare to look at it for too long. I just glanced at it and it seemed that the letter mentioned 'Bingzhou'."

Bingzhou?! Chu Lingxiao's eyes lit up, and he thought of the conversation he overheard in the Northwest Camp: "...In my opinion, we don't have to take down Fengmi Country, how about starting with Bingzhou Guards?"

This letter must be the key!

Chu Lingxiao was so excited that his blood was boiling. He asked, "Where is the letter now? Can you get it?"

Chu Qianchen pursed his lips and fell silent again.

Her fingers slowly peeled the orange peel from the orange petals, one strand at a time.

Seeing her hesitation, Chu Lingxiao could only coax her and said, "You did a good job."

"If you can get the letter, you can definitely atone for your crime. It's better to settle this matter quickly before it gets out of hand. The emperor will definitely be lenient with him, and I, your father, will help the prince plead with the emperor."

"Really?" Chu Qianchen raised his head and asked.

She seemed to be asking, could this "really" atone for his crime? Would he "really" plead for Gu Jue? Chu Lingxiao didn't care what Chu Qianchen meant, and nodded, "Of course it's true."

Chu Qianchen peeled off another bit of the orange peel, then put the peeled orange aside, "I'll go to the prince's study to take a look."

"Go quickly. I'll wait for you here." Chu Lingxiao said hurriedly.

Chu Qianchen left, and the little black cat on the windowsill jumped down lightly, following Chu Qianchen's butt and leaving like a shadow.

Chu Lingxiao was the only one left in the main hall.

He couldn't sit still at all, and paced back and forth in the room, anxious, expectant, and a little uneasy...

He didn't know how many times he walked back and forth. He wanted to call the maid in several times to ask if Chu Qianchen had returned, but he held back.

After a long, long time, the soft cat meow was finally heard outside.

Chu Lingxiao, who had his back to the door, turned his head excitedly, and saw Chu Qianchen walking around the screen wall and appearing in the courtyard outside, walking towards him slowly.

It was still one person and one cat, but there was an extra letter in her hand.

Chu Lingxiao's eyes suddenly lit up incredibly, and he stared at the envelope in Chu Qianchen's hand, like a hungry beast seeing its prey.

"Is this..." He took two steps forward, snatched the letter from Chu Qianchen's hand, then quickly took out the letter from the envelope and read it in one gulp.

Chu Lingxiao's eyes became brighter and brighter, and his fingers trembled slightly with excitement.

With this letter, Gu Jue and Qin Yao’s guilt was confirmed, with both human and material evidence being irrefutable!

Chu Lingxiao put away the letter and said impatiently, "I'm leaving first."

Chu Qianchen didn't keep him, but just said: "Father, grandma misses you very much."

"I'll be back later." Chu Lingxiao said this and walked out with big strides.

A little maid hurriedly saw the guest off.

Chu Qianchen sat down again.

Amber looked towards the door curtain with some uneasiness and asked, "Princess, will the Marquis return to the Marquis' Mansion first?"

Amber was worried.

If the Marquis returns to the Mansion now, he will naturally know that the princess's background has been revealed. Then the Marquis's promise just now to register the princess under the name of the First Lady will become a huge joke.

The Marquis made promises and belittled the princess, using both soft and hard tactics to say so much, but the princess did not refute the Marquis at all. The Marquis was not a fool, and he would know after thinking about it that the princess was deliberately setting a trap for him.

"No." Chu Qianchen ate the orange slowly and leisurely.

The little black cat jumped lightly onto Chu Qianchen's lap and cried twice, "Awooo!" as if to say that the annoying person had left again.

Amber looked at the cat speechlessly, thinking that it would only act well in front of its master. It had just broken a vase today! Chu Qianchen stretched out his finger and pushed it away, "No, you can't eat it."

The corners of her mouth curled up into an arc that seemed like a smile. Based on her understanding of Chu Lingxiao, he was probably so eager to make achievements that he would not have the time to return to the Marquis' Mansion.

Indeed, after Chu Lingxiao left Prince Chen's Mansion, he did not return to Marquis Yongding's Mansion, but hurried back the same way, and anxiously entered the palace again to go to the Yangxin Palace to ask to see the emperor.

Although the young eunuch was impatient, he still went in to report and sent Chu Lingxiao to guard under the eaves.

The atmosphere in the Hall of Mental Cultivation was depressing.

The young eunuch took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and then walked into the side hall with his head held high.

The air inside seemed to freeze.

The emperor, Crown Prince Gu Nanjin and Jinyiwei commander Lu Siji were all there.

The emperor sat behind his desk, his chest heaving violently and his face as dark as water.

The young eunuch had also heard the noise inside and knew that the emperor had just lost his temper at the prince.

Gu Nanjin's face also didn't look good. There was a tea stain on his chest, broken porcelain pieces beside his shoes, and tea mixed with tea leaves flowing on the gold brick floor.

He was in the East Palace today dealing with state affairs with several cabinet elders. Half an hour ago, the emperor suddenly sent someone to call him in. As soon as he arrived, he was scolded by the emperor, who blamed him for letting Gu Jue leave the capital and threw a teacup at him.

The emperor didn't even give Gu Nanjin a chance to speak and just went on a rage.

Gu Nanjin listened for a long time before he understood what had happened. Chu Lingxiao had returned from the northwest and said that Gu Jue and Qin Yao were planning a rebellion.

In fact, Gu Nanjin didn't believe that Gu Jue and Qin Yao had the intention of rebellion. The most urgent thing was to find out what happened first, rather than convicting them based on Chu Lingxiao's few words.

Besides, if Gu Jue really wanted to rebel, it would be of no help if the emperor got furious here now.

Gu Nanjin had a lot to say, but he had no chance to speak. Several times when he opened his mouth, he only mentioned "Ninth Uncle" and "Prince Qin", and the emperor exploded and scolded him again.

Gu Nanjin wanted to say something else, but at this moment, the eunuch came in and said, "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Yongding wishes to see you."

The emperor frowned. He didn't expect that Chu Lingxiao would come back again.

Could it be that Chu Lingxiao remembered some clues? With this thought in mind, the emperor quickly said, "Announce."

So the young eunuch brought Chu Lingxiao in and then left.

Chu Lingxiao was a little surprised that Lu Siji was there, but thinking that he was the emperor's confidant, he took out the letter from Chu Qianchen and presented it to him, "Your Majesty, please read this secret letter."

Eunuch Ni took the letter and presented it to the emperor personally.

The emperor's pupils shrank slightly, and he read the letter carefully, his expression becoming increasingly gloomy.

(End of this chapter)