This was the first time she felt real fear.

Even when the fact that she and Chu Qianchen were switched was exposed, she had never been so panicked and confused.

At that time, even if she lost her status as the daughter of the Marquis's family, she knew that she was still the third princess's study partner. She knew that she could still go to Nanhao with the third princess to change her fate...

The most important thing for her now is her identity as the princess's companion.

Over the past few months, everything she had done was to ensure that she could continue to stay with the Third Princess.

Thinking of this, Chu Qianhuang resolutely raised her head again, with a determined light flashing in her eyes, and wanted to use the third princess to appeal to his emotions.

However, the Queen would not be soft-hearted just because Chu Qianhuang kowtowed twice, so she waved her hand and said, "Take him away!"

The two eunuchs smiled coldly at Chu Qianhuang who was kneeling on the ground, and said forcefully: "Miss Chu, get up."

The eunuch's voice was flat without any ups and downs, and the warning in his words was obvious.

Queen Mother Yin ignored all this. She pulled Chu Qianchen and turned around to walk back. "Qianchen, if anyone dares to bully you in the future, just tell me and I will take care of it for you."

Chu Qianchen smiled slightly and replied briskly: "Mother, don't worry."

She held Empress Dowager Yin's arm affectionately, and was so well-behaved and docile, like a lovable Persian cat, that Empress Dowager Yin's heart almost melted.

The queen also turned around slowly and her eyes swept lightly over Yuan Zhitong.

Yuan Zhitong's eyes flickered, and he took a step forward and followed.

"..." Chu Qianhuang looked at the backs of Queen Mother Yin and Chu Qianchen as they left, then looked at the Queen. She knew that it was useless for her to plead now, as it would only bring humiliation upon herself.

She bit her lower lip tightly, enduring the pain on her face and in her heart, trying hard not to let her tears fall.

Her hair was soaked with sweat, and strands of wet hair fell messily on her face, covering one of Chu Qianhuang's eyes.

Her other eye was fixed on Chu Qianchen's departing back, with deep hatred surging in the depths of her eyes, so thick that it was almost overflowing.

At this moment, Chu Qianhuang understood what hatred was.

After she traveled to this world, she never took the initiative to harm anyone. She just wanted to live well, get rid of the original plot, and no longer be trampled on by others.

However, none of them would let him go. It was they who went too far, and it was Chu Qianchen who kept pressing him.

The scenes that happened in the past six months flashed before her eyes like a kaleidoscope of time, and each and every one of them is still fresh in her memory.

Chu Qianhuang didn't want to ask for help anymore.

Good people are often bullied, this is an eternal truth.

She slowly stood up from the ground and saluted towards the queen's back.

So what about the Queen Mother and the Empress? They may seem to be in power, but in fact, they won’t be able to enjoy their glory for many days...

Thinking about the ending of the two people in the dream, Chu Qianhuang had a hint of cold sarcasm in his eyes, and then he left without looking back under the escort of the two eunuchs.

Her back was so thin and frail, exuding a kind of arrogance as if she was the only one sober while everyone else was drunk.

The Queen had already caught up with Queen Mother Yin and said with an apologetic smile, "I am sorry to have troubled you, Mother."

Queen Mother Yin said calmly, "Who picked this study partner for Anle? The choice is not very good."

"..." The queen's face suddenly froze. Everyone in the palace knew that Anle's two study partners were personally selected by her, the queen.

The Queen directly skipped the question and said nonchalantly, "Mother, Anle is in need of a study companion right now. I think Miss Yuan is smart, generous, virtuous and kind. Why not keep her in the palace? That way, she can come and talk to you when she's free. What do you think?"

The Queen suggested considerately, as if she was thinking of the Queen Mother.

Queen Mother Yin stopped and raised her eyebrows, but did not agree immediately. She looked at Yuan Zhitong with a look of scrutiny, examination, and contemplation.

Yuan Zhitong showed a pleasantly surprised smile, knelt down and bowed to the queen: "Thank you, Queen, for your appreciation."

Queen Mother Yin didn't say anything. She glanced at the Queen with a smile, then continued walking towards the Imperial Garden with Chu Qianchen.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law chatted casually:

"Qian Chen, you didn't watch the Monkey King's Havoc in Heaven just now, did you? From what I saw, this monkey show was really not very good, and it was very noisy."

"Mother, let's go to the Imperial Garden to enjoy the flowers and calm our minds."

The speaker may not mean it, but the listener may take it seriously.

To the Queen's ears, every word seemed to be meaningful.

The queen forced a smile and agreed, "Mother, today my daughter-in-law asked the imperial kitchen to prepare a lot of snacks with flowers. Mother and my ninth brother and sister-in-law must try them later."

After that, she said to Yuan Zhitong, "Zhitong, follow Xiao Changzi to find the third princess."

The queen also knew that too much is as bad as too little, so she sent Yuan Zhitong away.

"Yes, Queen." Yuan Zhitong accepted the order respectfully, her manners were elegant, as if they were measured with a ruler, "I will take my leave."

Yuan Zhitong stayed where she was and saw them off before turning around.

However, Yuan Zhitong did not rush to find the third princess. Instead, she stuffed a silver ingot into Xiao Changzi's pocket and asked him to take her somewhere else first.

Yuan Zhitong hurried and finally caught up with Chu Qianhuang near Longzong Gate.

Chu Qianhuang had already put on a bright red cloak. The wide hood of the cloak covered her messy hair and also blocked some inquiring gazes.

"Miss Chu," Yuan Zhitong called Chu Qianhuang, took out a new frosty white handkerchief and handed it to Chu Qianhuang, sighing apologetically, "I couldn't help you."

She hesitated for a moment and said tactfully: "I didn't expect your sister to be like this..."

The words ended with a sigh, and the wind blew them away.

At the same time, Yuan Zhitong's maid also stuffed silver into the two eunuchs who were escorting Chu Qianhuang. The eunuchs turned a blind eye and let them talk, which didn't take up much time.

Chu Qianhuang clenched her right hand and finally accepted the goodwill extended by Yuan Zhitong.

"Thank you Miss Yuan for pleading for me. You don't have to worry about it." She instead advised the other party.

Her voice was a little hoarse, but her expression had calmed down at this moment, and her eyes were deep and quiet. Although she still looked disheveled, there was a sense of open-mindedness in her expression.

Chu Qianhuang felt extremely mocked in her heart.

Even a stranger who had never met her knew to pity her situation. Chu Qianchen, who was her half-sister, was always on guard against her, not hesitating to speculate about her with the greatest malice, and insisted on stepping on her to climb up.

It was her fault.

She was concerned about the blood relationship between them, but in Chu Qianchen's eyes, no matter whether she was Chu Qianhuang or not, she was her enemy.

Who made "Chu Qianhuang" once occupy the position of Chu Qianchen's legitimate daughter and enjoy the honor of a legitimate daughter for all these years?

This is original sin.

Chu Qianhuang wiped the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief, and the frosty white handkerchief was immediately stained with blood from her lips, which was as bright red as a plum blossom on the snow, shocking to the eye.

Yuan Zhitong glanced in the direction of Changying. Of course, he couldn't see Changyin Pavilion from this position. All he could see was the blue sky and the glazed tiles sparkling in the sun.

Yuan Zhitong said softly with some helplessness: "My cousin's mother dotes on her, and my cousin Prince Chen also dotes on her. Now she is angry, and even the queen can't do anything... Miss Chu, I will find a way to plead for you another day."

Chu Qianhuang smiled bitterly, wiped her lips with a handkerchief, and turned her eyes away.

Hearing Yuan Zhitong calling Empress Dowager Yin her cousin aunt and Prince Chen her cousin, Chu Qianhuang suddenly realized that Yuan Zhitong and Empress Dowager Yin had a close relationship.

A feeling of malice suddenly arose in Chu Qianhuang's heart, and that malice spread rapidly.

She bit her swollen and peeling lips with her pearly teeth and said, "Everything she has now is only thanks to Prince Chen."

Yes, the reason Chu Qianchen can now look down on everything from a high position is only because he relies on King Chen.

When Prince Chen and Queen Mother Yin are gone in the future, Chu Qianchen will only be left with the empty title of Prince Chen’s Consort.

She originally didn't want to bother with Chu Qianchen. After all, Chu Qianchen's glory was like a seemingly gorgeous butterfly. The butterfly emerged from its cocoon and seemed to have gained a new life, but few people knew that a butterfly that had transformed into an adult would not live for more than half a month.

How short-lived its brilliance is! Yuan Zhitong smiled lightly, with an elegant and gentle expression, "If I have the opportunity to meet my cousin, Prince Chen, I will ask him to persuade your sister."

Chu Qianhuang's eyelashes trembled, and a hint of sneer flashed across her eyes.

The King?!

Chu Qianchen is now a wife honored by her husband, but the brilliance and glory she possesses is ultimately just a false illusion.

Didn't Chu Qianchen just say that he was being generous to others? !

Oh, then I will give her a taste of her own medicine. What is fake cannot become real. I will tear apart the "false image" as she wishes! Chu Qianhuang raised his chin and looked in the direction of Changyin Pavilion.

She frowned and sighed, as if she couldn't speak. After pursing her lips, she whispered, "I was also wrong just now. I was so angry that I forgot my composure and pushed my sister."

"I didn't expect her to change so quickly."

"Change?" Yuan Zhitong raised his eyebrows in confusion.

Chu Qianhuang's expression was filled with a sigh, and her voice was so low that only the two of them could hear, "Thunder and rain are all grace from the emperor. Who would have thought that the emperor would suddenly grant her and His Royal Highness Prince Chen a marriage decree, forcing my second sister to 'have to' marry into Prince Chen's mansion."

"She already had someone in her heart..."

Hearing this, Yuan Zhitong's eyes suddenly lit up and she stared at Chu Qianhuang without blinking.

Chu Qianhuang closed her mouth and forced a smile, saying, "I spoke out of turn. Miss Yuan, just forget about it."

At this time, a middle-aged eunuch who was waiting a few feet away urged impatiently: "Are you done talking?" They still had to go back and report to the queen! "Sorry for keeping you waiting for a long time, eunuchs." Chu Qianhuang said politely to the two eunuchs and said goodbye to Yuan Zhitong.

"Miss Chu, take care."

Yuan Zhitong looked at Chu Qianhuang's back, her dark almond-shaped eyes gleaming with a faint light. She stood gracefully with an extremely elegant posture.

Chu Qianhuang walked neither fast nor slow, with a straight figure, like a pine or cypress in the snow.

It was Chu Qianchen who was unkind first, so she became unjust.

The more talented a man is, the more aloof and proud he is, and he cannot tolerate any sand in his eyes.

If the Prince of Chen knew that Chu Qianchen had been devotedly in love with the Second Prince, would he still tolerate her? ! Success is due to Xiao He, and failure is also due to Xiao He.

She'll just have to wait and see.

I hope Yuan Zhitong won’t let her down.

Today, the place where female guests change their clothes is Guifuzhai, less than a cup of tea away from Changyin Pavilion.

The third princess, Anle, was still in Guifuzhai. She had already been to the purification room. The two senior palace maids who were serving her carefully tidied her clothes and planned to help her get a new sachet.

Anle picked and chose, and didn't like any of the sachets.

"I don't like this, and I don't like that." Anle turned her head and pouted.

Yuan Zhitong walked up to Anle and knelt down to greet her: "Your Highness, Third Princess, Miss Chu has left the palace. From now on, I will be your new study partner."

"Sister Huang doesn't want to be my study partner anymore?" Anle's eyes widened and he suddenly lost the mood to pick sachets.

Without Sister Huang, wouldn’t her life in the palace be even more boring?

"Yeah." Yuan Zhitong pretended not to see it and nodded.

She took off a gourd-shaped sachet from her waist and said, "Your Highness, how about this sachet? I think the parrot embroidered here is very cute and lively."

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

Yuan Zhitong had inquired and found out that the third princess had a parrot that could mimic human speech.

"This is so cute!" Anle finally smiled, her smile was bright and innocent, and the two palace maids also breathed a sigh of relief.

After appeasing the third princess, Yuan Zhitong went with her to the flower-viewing banquet in the Imperial Garden.

Today is the flower-viewing banquet hosted by the Queen. Even if the Queen is just using this as a cover, it is a "flower-viewing banquet" after all. The Queen still asked people to get a lot of seasonal flowers, such as chrysanthemums, begonias, bauhinias, cymbidiums, orchids, dendrobiums, etc. Although October is not the peak flowering period for camellia, some camellias have bloomed one after another, and those flowering camellia bonsai have also been moved over by the eunuchs.

At first glance, the flowers piled up by the lake in the Imperial Garden can barely be considered a riot of colour.

The breeze is blowing, and the fragrance of flowers drifts away in the wind, refreshing the heart.

When Anle and Yuan Zhitong arrived, Chu Qianchen had already sat down in the water pavilion by the lake with Queen Dowager Yin, and the Queen was sitting on the other side of the Queen Dowager.

There were also some princesses sitting in the water pavilion, sitting in groups of three or four, drinking tea and chatting.

As for the young noble ladies, they could not sit still. Some were feeding fish in the nearby pavilion, some were listening to musicians playing the piano, some were appreciating flowers and painting, and some were gathering together to play the game of pitching pots.

There were a dozen double-handled iron kettles placed on the ground, and the sound of falling arrows could be heard one after another around them.

As soon as Anle arrived, Princess Changning of Shunwang Mansion called him to play pot-tossing: "Anle, you came at the right time, we are just short of one person."

The queen looked at Anle outside the water pavilion and said to Queen Mother Yin with a smile: "Mother, you see Anle is a playful child. He is already thirteen years old, but he still can't calm down."

"This child particularly likes Ninth Brother's Wife and always calls her Sister Chen. I have told her several times that she is Ninth Emperor Auntie, but she always calls her the wrong name."

Anle, who was outside the water pavilion, took the bamboo arrow handed to him by Princess Changning and threw it out casually.

The bamboo arrow hit the pot's mouth neatly, drawing a round of warm applause.

Princess Changning, Yuan Zhitong and others surrounded Anle and applauded her. The young girls in their prime smiled brightly, even more beautiful than the flowers around them.

Queen Mother Yin disliked the Queen, but she had no ill feelings towards the Third Princess. She smiled and said, "Anle is indeed a lovable child."

The Queen observed Queen Mother Yin's expression and continued, "Anle is just like her brother. She is outspoken and has clear likes and dislikes. The Crown Prince always says that the Ninth Prince is a pillar of the country..."

The queen sighed and her eyes flickered.

Since the current emperor ascended the throne, the Queen Mother Yin has never been so humble again. No, even before the current emperor ascended the throne, Queen Mother Yin was the successor and the Queen Mother was the daughter-in-law of Queen Mother Yuan, but she was not respectful to Queen Mother Yin. At most, she would pay her respects to Queen Mother Yin on the first and fifteenth day of the month, just for show. It was only because the Queen had the Crown Prince to rely on that she could live a free and easy life in the harem for the past ten years and look down on everyone.

But now the emperor wanted to depose the prince, and the queen was also panicking.

She had just said these words to help the prince to curry favor with Queen Mother Yin and Chu Qianchen. Indeed, the prince was now disliked by the emperor, partly because of Gu Jue.

Queen Dowager Yin knew the Queen's intention very well, but she just smiled and said nothing.

When the Queen saw that Empress Dowager Yin did not respond, she felt a little upset, but she did not dare to show it.

The emperor wanted to depose the crown prince, and she couldn't just sit there and do something.

She had discussed the matter carefully with her father and brothers from her mother's side, and now the only person who could help the prince was Prince Chen.

There has always been a feud between the Prince of Chen and the Emperor, from before the Emperor ascended the throne until now, and the relationship between the brothers has been getting worse and worse. It is no exaggeration to say that the situation is tense.

However, the emperor was unable to suppress Prince Chen. Instead, he was suppressed by him. Since Prince Chen had returned to the capital from the north, it meant that he would not seize the throne for the sake of the relationship between the monarch and his subjects.

It would be better for Prince Chen to support the next king who is friendly to him.

Conversely, as long as he has the support of the Prince of Chen, the emperor cannot depose the crown prince.

The cooperation between the Crown Prince and the Prince of Chen is beneficial to both parties and complements each other.

There was a cold gleam of determination in the queen's eyes.

Over the years, she has been a virtuous queen and has never deliberately suppressed the concubines and princes in the harem. The prince has also devoted himself to the court. As a result, the emperor does not remember the kindness between her and the prince at all and has repeatedly suppressed the prince.

The prince was a kind and filial man. Even when he was punished by the emperor to kneel in the Taimiao, he never said a word against the emperor.

But she couldn't just sit there and wait for death.

She couldn't just watch others take away everything that belonged to the prince! Therefore, the queen specially arranged this flower-viewing banquet, not only to entertain the queen mother and Princess Chen, but also to use this flower-viewing banquet to show goodwill to other nobles.

Queen Mother Yin knew all about the Queen's inner thoughts, and she was impatient to entertain the Queen, so she dismissed her without saying anything: "Queen, there are many guests today, you don't have to accompany me."

The queen stood up and said, "Mother, I will leave now."

The queen was thinking about talking to other ladies, so she left.

Queen Dowager Yin knew that Chu Qianchen was not going anywhere because he wanted to accompany her, so she pulled the little girl up.

"Let's go enjoy the flowers."

As Empress Dowager Yin walked, she glanced at the Queen who was not far away. The Queen sat down next to the Princess of Li and the Princess of Rui.

Queen Mother Yin stroked her sleeves gracefully and said with a half-smile, "The Queen is too impatient. The Crown Prince's position is still stable. Is it necessary for her to be like this?"

"Your Majesty is right." Chu Qianchen smiled slightly. A pair of shallow dimples appeared on his palm-sized face, and there seemed to be a rosy glow in his eyes.

Chu Qianchen didn't say this just to please Queen Mother Yin, she really believed it.

The crown prince is the grandson appointed by the previous emperor and the emperor's eldest son.

Even if the emperor now accused the prince of being unfilial in order to control him, he still could not be deposed by just one word from the emperor. In the previous life, the prince was seriously injured and disabled, which gave the emperor the first opportunity to depose the crown prince.

But now, it is far from the time.

She was sure that if the emperor dared to say that the crown prince should be deposed now, a group of old ministers left by the previous emperor would kneel in the Yangxin Palace and make their remonstrances.

As they were talking, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law walked to a cold orchid and stopped. Purple flowers bloomed among the leaves. The leaves were elegant and handsome, and the fragrance of the flowers was pure and mellow.

The two of them were standing in a position where they could see several girls playing the game of tossing pots by the lake. Yuan Zhitong raised her arm and threw the bamboo arrow in her hand.

She used too much force, and the bamboo arrow flew over the mouth of the pot with a "whoosh" and hit the lake with a "splash", splashing a lot of water.

Ripples appeared on the surface of the lake, sparkling.

"Too hard." Chu Qianchen said casually, not knowing who he was talking about.

Everyone knew that the Queen's flower-viewing banquet today had other purposes, so everyone was watching the Queen's every move.

In the past, the queen had always been high and mighty, but now she has suddenly lowered her posture so much that it is no exaggeration to say that there is a world of difference between their behavior. This will only cause people with ulterior motives to have wild speculations.

Originally, after a few days, the emperor's anger would have subsided, and the prince would have returned to court, and everyone would have forgotten about the matter. But now, the queen's desperate move will make people in the various mansions think that the prince's position is really going to be lost, so the queen is so anxious to win over the various mansions.

The Queen would only end up making things worse and harm the Crown Prince instead.

The Queen made a very stupid move today.

Queen Mother Yin sighed, "The Queen has been too successful these past few years. She loses her sense of propriety when things get a little complicated, and doesn't behave like a queen mother at all. Princess Jingle was bullied to the point of indifference, but she made a fuss over something that didn't make any sense."

Queen Mother Yin looked at the Queen with a distant and indifferent look, as if she had nothing to do with it.

Chu Qianchen: "Princess Jingle?"

"Princess Jingle had some disputes with her husband and was whipped by him," said Queen Mother Yin. "I heard that it was because he wanted to marry his cousin."

"I was just listening to an opera when I happened to overhear something like 'Drunken Beating of the Golden Branch'."

Queen Mother Yin said as she casually picked up a purple orchid. She compared the orchid to Chu Qianchen and personally helped her put it on her temples. She smiled with satisfaction and asked Nanny He, "How is it?"

Nanny He smiled and said, "The Queen Mother has good taste. This flower really suits the princess, and she is more beautiful than the flower."

Queen Mother Yin was amused and smiled widely, her expression and behavior were much more cheerful than when she was talking to the Queen.

Chu Qianchen raised his eyebrows.

Any consort who marries a princess has both gains and losses. This consort married a cousin and was also a "drunk and drunken princess". Does he think that life is not good? There was another round of warm applause in front, cheering for Anle and Princess Changning.

Most of the noble ladies have been eliminated, leaving only Anle and Princess Changning in the final battle.

When the little girls get together, there is a youthful vigor.

Queen Mother Yin looked at them, then at her daughter-in-law, "Ajue said you are good at archery, so you must be good at pitching pots too. Go and play with them."

Queen Mother Yin felt that it was really boring for her daughter-in-law to accompany her all the time. As a little girl who had not yet reached the age of marriage, she should play more with people of the same age and did not need to be so calm.

Chu Qianchen smiled slightly and said seriously: "I am really good at throwing pots... I will compete with the prince in the future, but you have to let the prince let me shoot three arrows!"

"But..." She tilted her face and said seriously, "I am the elder, so I won't bully Anle and the others."

The third princess and her friends’ skills in throwing pots were pretty good, but compared to her, they were really nothing. She decided not to bully children.

Chu Qianchen was sincere, but in the eyes of Queen Mother Yin, it was really funny for a little girl like her to act like an elder.

Queen Mother Yin was amused again and was about to say something when Nanny He suddenly reported, "Queen Mother, the Imperial Concubine is here."

Queen Mother Yin and Chu Qianchen both looked in the direction Nanny He was looking.

A few feet away, Concubine Chu, wearing a red jacket and a nine-pheonix and four-phoenix crown, walked slowly towards them. The four-phoenix hairpin on the crown held long pearl knots, and when she walked, the long pearl knots swayed slightly, making her beautiful face even more eye-catching.

Concubine Chu was obviously five points more beautiful than the Queen in appearance. She used to be very low-key, but now she had a spirit of high spirits.

(End of this chapter)