Chu Qianhuang lost her composure for a moment and almost asked the other party "Really?", but she suppressed it.

"Mr. Ming, thank you so much." Chu Qianhuang smiled brightly at the young man sitting opposite the stone table. Her smile was bright and her eyes were as clear as the moon.

The young man whom she called Mr. Ming was about fifteen or sixteen years old. He was wearing a light blue robe and a black brocade belt embroidered with an endless pattern of swastikas around his waist. He also had a small seal and a purse on his waist. He was dressed very formally.

The boy's angular square face was not handsome, just decent. He was tall and lean, with the heroic spirit unique to young people.

When his eyes met Chu Qianhuang's smiling face, a hint of embarrassment appeared on his young face.

Chu Qianhuang lowered her eyes and picked up the enamel teacup on the stone table. Her face remained expressionless, but she felt extremely ironic in her heart.

She persisted for so long, spoke and acted cautiously in the palace, and kept a low profile for a whole six months before she finally set up the plan. However, when it was about to succeed, it was easily ruined by Chu Qianchen.

The resentment in Chu Qianhuang's heart burned even more fiercely, and her hatred was surging unbearable. Her face, hidden under the aqua red veil, began to hurt again, and the sound of the slaps she received that day was still ringing in her ears.

Her face was treated for three days but still hadn't healed.

How could she forget such a deep humiliation and such unforgettable pain, how could she not hate it?

But facing the young man in front of her, Chu Qianhuang did not show any abnormality. She just lowered her little face and sighed slightly.

The veiled girl looked elegant, mysterious, and pitiful, with a kind of beauty that made Master Ming feel a little uncomfortable.

"Miss Chu..." Master Ming called in a soft voice, fearing that he might offend the beauty.

Chu Qianhuang put down the teacup, raised her eyes to meet Master Ming's, and said, "Master Ming, can you please help me find out who will send the third princess to Nanhao?"

"I have been with the Third Princess for half a year. I originally thought I could send her to Nanhao, but now..."

"I don't know how the third princess is doing now. She has traveled a long way and I am afraid I will never see her again in this lifetime."

Chu Qianhuang could not hide the sadness and worry in her words, and there was a faint light of sadness in her eyes, which was very sad.

The breeze from the garden blew into the pavilion where they were, and a few fingernail-sized petals gently fell on the girl's forehead and shoulders.

A corner of the girl's veil flew up in the wind, and the light gauze fluttered like a butterfly wing, revealing the girl's fair chin, which was whiter than the white petals.

Master Ming stared at Chu Qianhuang with burning eyes.

The next moment, Chu Qianhuang raised her hand and stroked down her veil.

Master Ming was stunned for a moment, then he came to his senses and drank a sip of tea to cover up his gaffe.

He calmed down his emotions and said seriously, "Miss Chu, don't worry, leave this matter to me."

"The girl is really a person of temperament."

Master Ming sighed from the bottom of his heart, feeling a little sad.

He could understand Chu Qianhuang's feelings.

Throughout history, only a handful of princesses who were married to foreign countries could return to their homeland in their lifetime. Most of the princesses who were married to foreign countries would die in a foreign country for various reasons.

Master Ming felt that Chu Qianhuang was a truly passionate and kind person.

He had also heard other people talk about the Third Princess's marriage to Nanhao. Most people's expressions and tones were condescending, and some even described the marriage as a diplomatic marriage, saying that even if the Third Princess was the Queen's daughter, she still had to marry into a vassal state.

As he thought about it, the admiration in Master Ming's eyes grew stronger and his pupils sparkled.

"Thank you for the compliment, young master." Chu Qianhuang said with a smile.

She stood up and bowed solemnly to Master Ming, "Thank you, Master Ming."

As she bowed, a determined light flashed in her eyes, and she told herself in her heart: She had paid so much to get to this point, and she would never give up easily.

Now that her life story has been revealed, given Shen's narrow-mindedness, if she just stayed in the capital, she would just be married off to a random family. From then on, she would have to live a mediocre life in some square house.

And she, don't want to live this kind of life! Seeing Chu Qianhuang kneeling and bowing, Master Ming subconsciously raised his hand to help her, but soon realized that it was wrong and put his hand down again.

He cleared his throat awkwardly and said, "It's just a small matter. Miss Chu, you don't have to be so polite."

Chu Qianhuang smiled slightly and poured tea for the other party personally.

Mr. Ming took the tea somewhat flattered and drank several sips in succession.

Chu Qianhuang poured herself some tea, her thoughts still turning.

She knew clearly that no one in the Chu family could get her. Chu Lingxiao couldn't help her, and the lady-in-waiting couldn't help her either.

The only person who can help her is herself.

She must try again. If it really doesn't work, then the worst step is for her to go to Nanhao alone.

Chu Qianhuang's heart tightened, as if something was stuffed in his chest.

This era is different from the modern era. A woman's reputation is more important than anything else. Once she leaves the Chu family alone, she will never be able to return to the Chu family again.

This means that she has no way out.

Moreover, the journey to Nanhao is thousands of miles away, and one has to cross the river that separates the two countries before reaching Nanhao.

As you can imagine, this journey will definitely be more difficult.

After she arrived in Nanhao, she was unfamiliar with the place and needed help to find Wuhejia Tower... None of this was so easy.

What she had to face was another completely unfamiliar capital.

Chu Qianhuang didn't want to take this risky move unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Mr. Ming, I'll offer you a glass of tea instead of wine." Chu Qianhuang raised the teacup gracefully and made a toast.

Master Ming also responded, and then Chu Qianhuang took the initiative to say goodbye: "Master Ming, I still have to help my grandmother go to Huichun Hall, so I'll take my leave first. If you have any news, you can send someone to pass a message to the gatekeeper of the Marquis' Mansion."

Master Ming agreed immediately. He didn't want to keep her, so he could only stand in the pavilion and watch her leave. He thought she was a kind and filial girl.

Young Master Ming did not stay long. After settling the bill, he returned to General Ming's Mansion from Yunting Pavilion.

He always kept Chu Qianhuang's request in mind, and tried to inquire about it in the Imperial College over the next three days, but to no avail.

He also wanted to ask his father, but his father had not been at home for the past few days. Mrs. Ming only said that his father had gone for training.

After waiting for a long time, Master Ming finally saw his father Ming Xiyang coming back.

"Dad," Master Ming personally served tea to Ming Xiyang, and was so attentive that he almost patted his back and legs, "Do you know who will send the third princess to Nanhao?"

He was anxious and couldn't wait to ask directly.

Ming Xiyang crossed his legs, drank the tea his son gave him, and looked at him strangely, "Ming Nanfeng, why are you asking this?"

Ming Xiyang gained weight in just half a year after his hematemesis was cured. However, he was a warrior and had the habit of practicing martial arts on a daily basis. His body was full of muscles and his figure became more and more handsome and agile.

Ming Nanfeng secretly regretted that he was too impatient and should have been more patient and persuasive. However, he immediately found an excuse and said, "The Imperial College has been talking about the marriage between the two countries these days. Cheng Xuezheng happened to hear it and tested us in class."

"He asked us about the relationship between Da Qi and Nan Hao, whether the two countries were likely to go to war in the next few years, and what impact the marriage between the two countries would have on Da Qi..."

Ming Nanfeng had a solemn expression on his face and spoke in a very serious manner.

The Imperial Academy is the highest institution of learning in Da Qi. The doctors and academicians there often mention current affairs for discussion when teaching the students. For example, the palace coup in Hao State and the arrival of the envoys of the new Emperor Hao in Da Qi are hot topics of concern recently. Other academicians have assigned similar assignments to the students before.

Ming Xiyang also knew all this.

He was a military general and was often not at home, but whenever he was at home, he would ask about his son's homework and supplement him with some current affairs to prevent him from being oblivious to what was happening outside.

Ming Xiyang patiently replied, "The marriage between the two countries was just decided a few days ago, and some specific details are still being discussed. Nanhao's engagement letter has not yet been issued, and the Imperial Observatory still needs to choose an auspicious time and date for departure. In addition, the third princess's dowry represents the dignity of Daqi, and we have to look at Nanhao's betrothal gift. It can't be too much, nor too shabby. The emperor also needs to discuss it carefully with the six ministers and the clan affairs office."

"The third princess should accompany Prince Andaman to the Kingdom of Hao as a vassal. The royal family is temporarily preferring Prince Jing to marry the third princess. In addition, the wedding procession cannot be shabby. They should recruit more nobles and military generals to accompany and protect the emperor."

The generals who belong to the Chen Wang faction are of course not eager to grab this job, but those noble generals who want to please the emperor will probably fight for it, after all, they can easily earn credit without going to the battlefield.

Ming Xiyang said, Ming Nanfeng took it in his mind, and then asked casually: "Dad, will His Royal Highness Prince Chen go this time?"

Ming Xiyang was stunned. He had never thought about this question before. He raised his hand and touched his stubbled chin. "I don't know about that. According to the prince's personality, he should not be interested in getting involved in this matter."

Logically speaking, for a marriage between the two countries, it would be a little weak and not solemn enough for Prince Jing to be the bridegroom. After all, this is a marriage of alliance, not a marriage of peace. However, at the morning meeting today, a civil official proposed that the prince should marry his sister, but it was directly rejected by the emperor.

The emperor's mind is unpredictable, and no one knows what the emperor is planning.

Ming Xiyang took another sip of tea, looked at his absent-minded son, and asked, "How are your studies lately? How was your grade in the last monthly exam?"

Ming Nanfeng almost choked on his saliva and said vaguely, "That's it."

"It's B again?" Ming Xiyang asked.

Ming Nanfeng nodded awkwardly.

Ming Xiyang didn't need to ask any more questions, as it must be the military strategies and books that were holding his stupid son back.

Even so, he had previously said something inexplicably about giving up martial arts and pursuing literature, without even thinking about whether he had a talent for studying? !

He really has no self-awareness. Does he think he is a genius like the King of Chen? !

Whenever he thought of this, Ming Xiyang wanted to hit the fool on the head a few times until he was subdued. But his wife said, "General, this 15- or 16-year-old boy just thinks he is the best in the world. The more you hit him, the more he rebels. Don't stop him. Don't you know his level? Even if we agree, can the doctors and scholars of the Imperial College agree to let him switch to liberal arts?"

Ming Xiyang thought about it and felt that it made sense. It was not so easy to switch from the military to the liberal arts. Most of the liberal arts students in the Imperial Academy were successful candidates in the imperial examinations. In addition, there were students from aristocratic families, or those who held letters of recommendation from great scholars of the time.

The liberal arts threshold of the Imperial College is very high.

Ming Xiyang told himself in his heart that what the lady said was true, and he resisted the urge to hit him, and asked, "Do you want to go to the Xuanjia Army for training?"

"The prince asked Tang Yuchu to take the princess's brother to practice in the Black Armor Camp whenever the Imperial College is closed. You can also go there and learn a little. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Ming Nanfeng: “…”

Ming Nanfeng's face froze. He had said it many times that he wanted to study literature!

Otherwise, he, a mere warrior, would not be worthy of Miss Chu.

He remembered that when Chu Qianhuang talked about the former Prime Minister Tang Zhenqin, he praised him for his outstanding talent and was selected as the top scholar by Emperor Wenzong; he praised him for his talent and that he was a veteran of two dynasties and helped two generations of emperors to stabilize the country...

Ming Nanfeng knew that Chu Qianhuang liked men who were well-educated.

As a man who came from a family of military generals, he looked at his father who was crossing his legs, and then looked at his own burly figure. He thought he was too rough, and even when standing next to her, he would feel ashamed.

"No." Ming Nanfeng flatly refused and made up an excuse, "The monthly exam is coming soon, I need to prepare for it, and this time, I must get an A. Dad, I'm going to study."

The corner of Ming Xiyang's mouth twitched. Even if this stupid boy didn't say it, he could tell what he was thinking.

This stupid boy really hasn't given up yet and still wants to switch to liberal arts! "Ming Nanfeng, stop right there!"

Ming Xiyang stood up suddenly and wanted to chase after him in a rage, but was stopped by Madam Ming who came over with the medicinal food.

Madam Ming smiled and said, "The miracle doctor said, General, you can't get angry. Anxiety can easily affect your heart."

General Ming seemed to have a bucket of cold water poured over his head and became dispirited.

He paced back and forth, muttering, "Such a good opportunity was wasted by this stupid boy!"

"I've already thought of how to get close to the prince, but this guy refuses to go!"

"Such a son will die of stupidity sooner or later!"

“…”

Ming Xiyang muttered to himself and complained a lot.

As for Ming Nanfeng, after he left the hall, he did not go to his study, but ran out of the general's mansion and went to Yunting Pavilion.

When Chu Qianhuang came after hearing the news, he told Chu Qianhuang the news he had just heard.

When Chu Qianhuang heard that it was likely that Prince Jing would marry the third princess, she finally smiled with relief. Facts had proved that her previous efforts and arrangements had not been in vain, but it was too early to be happy now...

She had to think carefully about what to do next to be absolutely safe.

The progress of Qi Hao's marriage was watched not only by Chu Qianhuang, but also by everyone in the capital, from the noble officials to the common people.

On October 20th, the emperor officially issued an edict to announce to the world that the third princess, Anle, would be married to the crown prince of Hao State, Uhatuna, and ordered the Ministry of Rites to prepare for the wedding.

The imperial edict meant that the marriage between the two countries was a done deal and there would be no more variables.

Immediately afterwards, the envoy of the Hao Kingdom, the Prince of Andaman, presented a betrothal gift to the royal family on behalf of the new Hao Emperor Uhadula according to the etiquette of the Da Qi Dynasty. The betrothal gift was ten thousand taels of gold, three thousand fine horses, three thousand pieces of silk, in addition to countless rare treasures, antique jewelry, etc.

When the eunuch read out the betrothal gifts in the court, all the civil and military officials were shocked.

This extremely luxurious betrothal gift represented Emperor Hao's importance and sincerity towards the marriage between the two countries. It also greatly satisfied the emperor's vanity. He felt that he had the style of a king of the Celestial Empire, and readily agreed to the wedding date on the spot.

The third princess, Anle, will be born on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

At the same time, the Ministry of Rites began to get busy with preparations for the princess' wedding.

Since it was a marriage between two countries and the princess was to be married off, the officials of the Ministry of Rites were so busy that they wished they had three heads and six arms. They could not use the past practices as a reference and could only list the rules one by one and then ask the emperor for instructions. The Minister of Rites was really overwhelmed.

On October 29th, Crown Prince Gu Nanjin, who had been "ill" for more than half a month, finally returned to the court. He was obviously much thinner and looked like he had just recovered from a serious illness.

On the first day the crown prince returned to court, the emperor issued an edict to set out for winter hunting on the fifth day of November. In previous years, the crown prince was generally the regent when the emperor went hunting, but this time the crown prince was not mentioned at all in the imperial edict.

All the court officials were shrewd men and had sensed something was going on. Many of them were watching the situation cautiously, secretly lamenting that the emperor's mind was hard to predict and that things were really going to change in the court.

For a moment, the seemingly calm court felt somewhat urgent and undercurrent.

The imperial edict regarding the winter hunt spread out like snowflakes, and of course Prince Chen’s Mansion also received the edict.

No one even opened the imperial edict, and Gu Jue just casually threw it onto the kang.

"Meow!"

The little black cat Yueying really liked the bumpy texture of the imperial edict. It felt great when it sharpened its claws on it, making a "crunching" sound. It didn't take long for it to scratch the originally shiny imperial edict, which was now covered with fuzz.

Amber silently looked away, and quickly removed the almost cold tea from the masters' cups and served them new tea.

"Do you want to go out and have some fun?" Gu Jue asked Chu Qianchen.

He was leaning on the warm kang, holding a book in his hand that he had only read a few pages of.

In the past few days, the temperature has dropped sharply, the cold wind is howling outside, and most of the flowers and trees in the courtyard have turned more or less withered yellow. Silver charcoal basins are burning in the house, and it is as warm as spring.

The two of them have basically stayed in the palace for the past half month and hardly ever left the house.

Gu Jue felt that if he didn't mention it, this girl would never be able to think of anything else. She would just stay in the house all day, living a contented life, and not go out for several years.

Just by looking at her, Gu Jue's heart would be filled with warmth and softness, as well as a hint of helplessness as he had no idea what to do with her.

Well, he could only think more about her.

Chu Qianchen was leaning lazily on him and knitting, but when she heard that, she stopped what she was doing.

The big red ribbon was wrapped around her slender fingers, making her skin look whiter than snow and gleaming like pearls.

Chu Qianchen raised his eyes and looked at Gu Jue, with a glimmer of excitement in his pupils.

She didn't like traveling with the emperor, but according to the ancestral system of the Great Qi Dynasty, royal family members could not leave the capital without the emperor's order. She couldn't let the emperor catch any handle against Gu Jue. Perhaps hunting was the only opportunity that allowed her to go out and play with the prince openly.

Although she didn't say anything, Gu Jue understood her eyes at a glance.

"Go if you want to!" He rubbed her head, a smile in his eyes.

The little girl grew up in the capital city. She has been trapped in the Yongding Marquis Mansion for the past ten years. She has never left the capital, let alone had the opportunity to go out and have fun.

She is not a sheep and should not be kept in a sheepfold.

Gu Jue looked at her with pity in his eyes and immediately told Jiang Yuan to talk to Steward Sui about preparing for the trip.

Gu Jue had participated in many large-scale hunting trips with the late emperor since he was a child. Later, when he came to the north, during the period of truce between the two armies, he would go hunting on the grassland with the soldiers from time to time, but he had never looked forward to it as much as this time.

Chu Qianchen was also looking forward to it. He leaned forward eagerly and pinched his sleeve. "My Lord, take me hunting!"

Gu Jue smiled and nodded: "Okay."

Chu Qianchen: "We can also roast pheasants!" The pheasants she roasted were delicious.

Gu Jue: “Okay.”

Whatever Chu Qianchen said, Gu Jue would nod and agree.

The more Chu Qianchen spoke, the more excited she became. In her previous life, she had never hunted with the prince.

This time, it was her turn to hunt pheasants for the prince to eat.

Chu Qianchen suddenly had a sense of mission to support his family.

Although Gu Jue didn't say any sweet words or do any intimate actions, Amber, who was standing beside him, could sense some tenderness and affection in him.

Amber lowered her head, feeling as if she was a little redundant.

She was just wondering if she should leave when she heard the princess briskly tell her to "prepare the pen and ink."

Chu Qianchen sat up straight and counted on his fingers with great interest: "Bow and arrow, horse whip, riding clothes, cloak, deerskin boots, arm guards, rings, spices..."

"Oh, and I need to prepare some ointment to prevent frostbite and cracks."

Chu Qianchen's eyes sparkled. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that there were a lot of things he needed to prepare. He quickly made a list of the items for Gu Jue to review and wrote a prescription for the ointment.

Amber became busy all of a sudden. Since the palace only had commonly used herbs, she made a special trip to Jishidiang for the two herbs on the prescription.

In addition to the medicinal herbs on the prescription, Amber also brought back a hundred-year-old Polygonum multiflorum.

This was what Chu Qianchen had asked Jishidiang to keep an eye out for her before, so she asked Madam Cai to send it to the house next door to Wuhejialou and the others.

The poison from Wuhejialou was cured, but the poison from Xingyue still caused some damage to him. After the wound was sutured, Chu Qianchen had been trying to slowly nurse him back to health over this period of time.

Chu Qianchen picked up the half-woven red silk cord and muttered, "Why has there been no movement from Andaman for so long?"

She had put out the bait for such a long time, and the fish had clearly taken the bait.

"Once we leave Beijing, they should make some movement." Gu Jue said as he casually turned a page of a book. His eyes fell on the girl's slender white fingers. The knuckles were not noticeable and the lines were soft, yet there was a beauty of both hardness and softness.

He also knew that although Chu Qianchen looked weak and harmless, she was actually much more... ferocious than the average girl.

Gu Jue curled the corner of his lips slightly, staring at her unable to take his eyes away.

Chu Qianchen nodded in agreement, completely unaware that Gu Jue had already drifted away in spirit, still pondering the relationship between the Emperor, Dong Lie, Uhaga Tower and Andaman.

Chu Qianchen raised his eyebrows and said thoughtfully: "This winter hunt is so urgent, could it be..."

She stretched out her finger and gently pulled Gu Jue's sleeve, meaning, was her guess right? Gu Jue smiled and nodded.

She's always so quick to react.

"The day before yesterday, Andaman went to the imperial study to ask for an audience with Gu Lang. During the chat, he mentioned to Gu Lang that he had heard that according to the family tradition of the Great Qi Dynasty, autumn hunting and winter hunting were used to train martial arts and labor, and that the children of the Great Qi Dynasty were brave and good at fighting... So Gu Lang proposed to invite Andaman to accompany him on the winter hunting trip." Gu Jue said.

Obviously, Andaman was deliberately instigating the emperor to take his ministers away from the capital for winter hunting.

While Chu Qianchen was weaving the web, she lazily leaned towards Gu Jue.

I will be able to go out and play with the prince soon. I am happy just thinking about it! The little black cat was still happily sharpening its sharp claws with the imperial edict. Chu Qianchen touched its little head and said with a bit of boasting: "Yueying, when we go out, you have to stay at home obediently."

"Meow?" The little black cat had no idea that he wanted to be abandoned at home. He opened his emerald cat eyes, his eyeballs were round, and he looked innocent and cute.

Gu Jue found the words "watching the house" said by Chu Qianchen very pleasing to the ear. For the first time ever, he stretched out two slender fingers and casually stroked the cat's chin.

The little black cat squinted his eyes comfortably, made a purring sound with his mouth, and raised his chin a little higher.

When Jiang Yuan came into the room to report, he looked at the two people and the cat and immediately lowered his eyes.

She was used to seeing the prince's valiant killing on the battlefield, and she really didn't dare to look at this scene.

The prince was so different when he was in front of the princess than when he was outside. It was like heaven and earth apart, and she really couldn't adapt.

Jiang Yuan looked straight ahead and said in a dry voice, "Princess, Nanny Jin from the Ministry of Internal Affairs is here and wants to see you."

Nanny Jin from the Ministry of Internal Affairs would deliver some royal family shares to each prince's palace on a daily basis, and would often come to Prince Chen's palace, at least once a month.

Originally, when the Ministry of Internal Affairs sent some things, the palace would just send a managing nanny to meet the people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and count the things. There was no need for Princess Chu Qianchen to intervene. But Nanny Jin specifically asked for a meeting today, which obviously meant that she had something important to report.

The princess is married, this is not a typo.

(End of this chapter)