She felt that this kind of weather was suitable for lying lazily, but she had to go, and subconsciously rubbed her cheek against Gu Jue's shoulder, as if to gain strength.

Gu Jue looked at her blushing cheeks, his eyes darkened, and said, "If you don't want to go, don't go."

Chu Qianchen: “…”

Chu Qianchen's eyes widened, and that look seemed to say, how could he seduce her like this! It was like a person who had been staying in bed in the winter finally made up her mind to leave the warm bed, but someone came to coax her to sleep a little longer.

After hearing what he said, Chu Qianchen stood up resolutely and said, "I'll be back soon."

When the little black cat saw that its owner was about to leave, it immediately jumped down from the kang lightly, and circled around Chu Qianchen's legs in a coquettish manner, rubbing against him and leaving its scent.

Gu Jue, who was staying on the kang, raised his hand and touched the place where Chu Qianchen had just rubbed against him. His eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings and he called out softly, "Yueying!"

As he finished speaking, he threw a rattan ball with his other hand.

So the cat's attention was diverted, and it excitedly pounced on the sakura ball and started playing with it.

The rattan ball rolled back and forth on the ground, rolling east and west, making the quiet house suddenly more lively.

Without a cat blocking the way, Chu Qianchen went smoothly to Xuanwei Hall in front to see Nanny Jin.

"Your servant greets the princess." Nanny Jin smiled overly attentively when she saw Chu Qianchen, her eyes narrowed into two slits, "I haven't seen you for half a month. The princess is more charming than before."

Her expression was submissive. Even when Chu Qianchen raised his hand to signal her to stand up, she still bowed slightly and did not even dare to raise her head.

Nanny Jin flattered Chu Qianchen for a few more sentences before getting to the point: "Princess, it was Nanny Yan from Shouning Palace who asked me to deliver a letter to you."

"Go ahead." Chu Qianchen said lightly, slowly using the tea lid to remove the foam on the tea.

Nanny Jin sorted out her thoughts and began to relay Nanny Yan's words: "Princess, Miss Yuan has been going to Shouning Palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager almost every day recently. However, the Empress Dowager is 'sick', so she only sees her once every three to five days."

"Madame Yan said that it was nothing at first. Miss Yuan just talked to the Empress Dowager about her mother, Tong. The Empress Dowager felt sorry for her mother's death and often invited her to have meals in Shouning Palace."

"But some of the things Miss Yuan said recently sounded suggestive. Nanny Yan felt that it was not appropriate, so she secretly asked me to come to the palace to tell you, Princess."

"Miss Yuan told the Queen Mother that she hasn't seen you for a long time and she missed you very much."

"They also say that the Empress Dowager's place is deserted, but when the Empress Dowager has a grandson next year, Shouning Palace will be lively again."

"She also said that she often disturbs the Queen Mother. If you knew about this, would you be unhappy?"

"She even called the Prince of Chen her cousin in front of the Empress Dowager, saying that when her mother, Tang, was still alive, she missed the Prince very much. During the days she came to Beijing, she often heard people say that the Prince was in poor health. I wonder if he is feeling better now."

The words Yuan Zhitong said to Queen Mother Yin sounded insignificant on the surface, but upon closer inspection, they had an unpleasant flavor.

Nanny Jin pursed her dry lips, hesitating to speak . Even she could hear some meaning in what Yuan Zhitong said, and Princess Chen must have understood it too, so she didn't need to explain further.

For example, regarding the grandson, the Princess of Chen is young and needs to be at least 16 or 17 years old to have children. Doesn't Yuan Zhitong's words encourage the Queen Mother to give the Prince of Chen a man? For another example, the last sentence is clearly intended to provoke the Queen Mother's worry about the Prince of Chen. The Queen Mother can't leave the palace, and the Princess can't enter the palace. If the Queen Mother is worried, then naturally she can only let Yuan Zhitong come to take a look.

The more Nanny Jin thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong, and her brows furrowed.

Interesting. Chu Qianchen was originally uninterested and absent-minded, but after hearing this, he became a little interested. The queen must have spent a lot of effort to get such a person.

As Nanny Jin spoke, she carefully looked at Chu Qianchen's expression and continued worriedly, "Princess, the Queen Mother didn't say anything. It seems that she has no intention of asking Miss Yuan to come to the palace to pay respects. But she often rewards Miss Yuan with some jewelry, headgear, calligraphy and paintings, and it seems that she has a special opinion of her."

Queen Mother Yin was lonely in the palace, like a lone boat in the ocean.

Yuan Zhitong flattered Chu Qianchen in front of Queen Mother Yin once, twice, and three times, Queen Mother Yin did not necessarily take it to heart. However, as time went by, whenever Queen Mother Yin heard a word of it, she would inevitably feel bad about Chu Qianchen, her daughter-in-law.

If Queen Mother Yin was really coaxed by a little bitch like Yuan Zhitong, who knows how it would cause trouble for Princess Chen! Nanny Jin has been in the palace for so many years, and she has seen countless secrets in the harem. Yuan Zhitong looks like a considerate and eloquent woman, but in fact, her thoughts are known to everyone.

This little bitch has been using the same trick over and over again. She just wants to use the Queen Mother to get close to the Prince of Chen.

While thinking about it, Nanny Jin raised her eyes to look at Chu Qianchen again, but saw that there was no unhappiness on her face, and she felt a little confused.

The hall fell into silence, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. It was so quiet that Nanny Jin could almost hear her own heartbeat.

Chu Qianchen put down the teacup and said calmly: "You are in the palace to serve the Queen Mother, not to put the cart before the horse."

She asked Nanny Jin and Nanny Yan to serve Empress Dowager Yin in order to protect her in the deep palace that was like a cage.

If there is anything wrong in Shouning Palace, or if anything may endanger the safety of the empress dowager, they can report to her in time. She does not want them to be her spies and keep an eye on the empress dowager's every move.

It is Queen Mother Yin's power to decide who she wants to be nice to and what she wants to reward.

Chu Qianchen quietly stared at Nanny Jin who was a few steps away. Her face, which was as beautiful as a spring flower, had a calm expression, without any ups and downs, as if she was calm and composed.

Obviously Chu Qianchen did not speak harshly or glare at her, but Nanny Jin only felt a chill rising from the soles of her feet and quickly spreading throughout her body.

Nanny Jin knew that she had crossed the line.

It was right for her to report what Yuan Zhitong had done inappropriately in front of the Queen Mother, and that was what the Princess wanted to know. However, it was not her place to inquire about what the Queen Mother had rewarded her with and what she thought of it.

They were slaves, the Queen Mother was the master, and the boundary between master and servant was insurmountable.

This was how she and Nanny Yan worked for the Queen in the past, and they subconsciously thought that Chu Qianchen would like it too.

Nanny Jin swallowed her saliva, her heart was in turmoil, and she admitted her fault without saying a word: "I was wrong, please forgive me, Princess."

Nanny Jin knelt directly on the mirror-like ground. The ground was cold and hard, and her knees hurt so much that it was like her old rheumatoid arthritis was flaring up in the wind and rain.

Chu Qianchen made a gesture to Amber, who immediately stepped forward to help Nanny Jin, who was kneeling on the ground, up, and taught her earnestly: "Do whatever the princess asks you to do, and don't think about or do anything extra."

Nanny Jin nodded in agreement, a large area of ​​her shirt on the back was already wet and she was sweating profusely.

It was a cold day, and her clothes were damp with sweat and cold, making her feel uncomfortable all over.

Chu Qianchen hit her with a stick, but he did not forget to give her a sweet treat and winked at Amber.

Amber took out a red seal and stuffed it into Nanny Jin's pocket, smiling and saying, "The princess knows that you and Nanny Yan are loyal enough, so she is relieved to leave you to serve the Queen Mother. The princess already knows about Miss Yuan's matter. The princess cannot enter the palace on weekdays, so you have to keep an eye on her. If there is anything wrong, please report it in time."

Nanny Jin accepted it with great trepidation and thanked the emperor repeatedly.

Although I received the reward, my heart was still in turmoil and I couldn't get back to my normal state.

This Princess Chen is obviously not very old, but her scheming, her methods of ruling her subjects, her generosity and her power... all far surpass those of the Queen.

Nanny Jin really couldn't understand how such a poor family like the Yongding Marquis' Mansion could have given birth to such a monster with a very smart mind.

Nanny Jin lowered her head and asked, "Does the princess have any other instructions?"

Chu Qianchen sent the man away.

Nanny Jin quickly stepped back and followed a little maidservant out of the main hall.

She held the thick red envelope in her hand. It was obviously not silver ingots, but silver bills! She had to talk to Nanny Yan when she got back and keep a close eye on it. She couldn't let the Queen make things difficult for the Princess.

Watching Nanny Jin walk around the screen wall outside, Amber finally couldn't hold back her anger and said, "Princess, the Queen has bad intentions!"

Amber has always had a good temper, and her personality is much calmer than those maids below her. But today she was very angry and felt that the queen was simply shameless and was clearly using the queen mother to force someone on the prince.

In addition to anger, Amber also felt a little worried. She was afraid that Yuan Zhitong would use his relationship with the empress dowager to gain the empress dowager's favor. If the empress dowager really spoke up, this matter would be difficult to handle.

Chu Qianchen stood up and said with a smile: "Don't worry."

Queen Mother Yin is in the palace, and Chu Qianchen's only concern is that someone might harm the Queen Mother. If the Emperor poisons the Queen Mother again, she and the prince will be powerless to do anything about it.

As for the rest, Chu Qianchen didn't care at all.

The Empress Dowager would be very bored living alone in the palace, so it was nothing if someone was willing to go to Shouning Palace from time to time to perform opera and make her laugh.

Seeing that her master was not worried at all and obviously did not take people like Yuan Zhitong seriously at all, Amber suddenly felt that she had overestimated Yuan Zhitong.

That's right, the Queen might have bad eyesight. The Princess is so stunningly beautiful, but that Yuan Zhitong is not even 60% as pretty as them, how could she possibly catch the Prince's eye! !

Amber quickly put a thick cloak decorated with mink fur on Chu Qianchen and handed her a sleeve warmer.

Although fully armed, Chu Qianchen still shivered when the cold wind penetrated his collar and quickened his pace.

It's really cold outside.

She should go back to find Prince Nuannuan as soon as possible.

Chu Qianchen walked briskly back to the main courtyard.

Gu Jue was still lying on the kang by the window in the east room, reading a book. The little black cat was there too. It seemed to be tired from playing, so it curled up into a round ball beside Gu Jue, with its eyes closed and its four white paws like glutinous rice balls hidden. The whole cat had turned into a fluffy black ball.

Gu Jue was reading a book while casually touching it, and both the man and the cat were very comfortable.

The weather is very good today. The golden sunlight shines softly onto the man and the cat through the transparent glazed windows, adding a touch of softness and beauty to Gu Jue's cold eyes and brows, just like the bright spring light after the ice and snow have just melted.

Gu Jue seemed to sense something, and looked up at her with a slanted look.

The half-tied and half-displayed black hair cascaded down and spread over her shoulders. Her expression was still as lazy as usual, and her beautiful eyebrows became more charming and enchanting because of this simple action.

The prince is so handsome! Chu Qianchen stared at him blankly, sighing in his heart. The corners of his lips couldn't help but rise. His heart seemed to have wings, spinning happily in his chest, staring at him blankly.

"Come here." He waved at her. "What are you daydreaming about?"

Chu Qianchen was happily invited over by him, and reached out to touch the cat, saying with a smile: "Because the prince is good-looking."

"She's so beautiful, we can't waste her beauty, right?" Chu Qianchen said seriously.

Gu Jue twitched his eyebrows, he could tell that she might have something else to say.

"The Ministry of Internal Affairs just sent over some brocade. Your Majesty, would you like to make new riding clothes?" Chu Qianchen looked at him with a smile. "Time is a bit tight, but if we hurry, it should still be in time."

Seeing her high interest, Gu Jue followed her wishes and said, "Bring the material here for me to see."

At the masters' words, the yard became busy. Soon, maids and old women picked up rolls of cloth one by one, filling almost half of the room.

"Your Highness, which color do you like?" Chu Qianchen glanced around and was a little dazzled for a moment.

Gu Jue got up from the kang and slowly looked at the brocade. Chu Qianchen came over to give him some advice: "How about this deep moon white?"

"Or this fur moonlight?"

"The night rain dyed the sky and water green, and this green sky and water is also very elegant."

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

“…”

Chu Qianchen knew that Gu Jue preferred lighter colors, but the moment he raised his eyebrows and looked at her, she suddenly felt that he could try a slightly brighter color.

It will definitely look better! Chu Qianchen reached out to touch a piece of purple-red material, but a slender hand grabbed a corner of the material before her.

Gu Jue compared the purple-red material to Chu Qianchen and nodded with satisfaction, "Let's go with this color."

“…” Chu Qianchen wanted to ask, weren’t they selecting materials for riding clothes for him?

When the words came to her lips, Gu Jue's slender fingers had already stretched out towards her, slightly lifted her small chin, and looked at her carefully.

Chu Qianchen blinked.

"It really can't be wasted." Gu Jue smiled slightly, turned to Amber and ordered, "Use this material to make one suit for each of us."

Amber's eyes lit up and she agreed immediately, thinking that the prince's idea was a good one.

During the winter hunt, the prince and princess wore riding clothes of the same color, so others would know at a glance that they were a perfect couple, and that Yuan Zhitong would be jealous to death!

Amber looked at Chu Qianchen with a questioning look, but Chu Qianchen was already dumbfounded, with only one thought in his mind: Is the prince praising her for her beauty? Seeing that Chu Qianchen didn't say anything, Amber thought she agreed and ran out excitedly. She had to quickly call the people from Zhuxiufang.

The winter hunting was scheduled urgently, and by the time the two new riding suits were ready, it was time for the winter hunting.

In this life, Chu Qianchen has been trapped in this square capital city. In her heart, she prefers the vast world outside, and she likes the short time she spent with Gu Jue in the north in her previous life the most.

This winter hunt made her feel as if she had returned to the happiest time in her previous life.

At dawn on the fifth day of November, the motorcade of Prince Chen's Palace was ready and arrived at the west city gate before noon.

The fleet of Prince Chen's Mansion was not large. Compared with those of the princes and nobles in the capital, it could be said to be quite simple. Including Chu Qianchen's red-wheeled carriage, there were only seven carriages in total.

However, the guards from Prince Chen's Palace who were accompanying him all had stern faces and sharp eyes, exuding a chill as if they were long swords, and exuding an indestructible aura like a mountain pressing down on their heads. They were all elite soldiers who had fought on the battlefield in the north, and were very different from the guards and escorts around them who were barely able to maintain a decent appearance.

If the guards of Prince Chen's Mansion were compared to the elite in the army, then the guards and escorts of other mansions were like half-baked soldiers temporarily recruited from the public.

The motorcade of Prince Chen's Mansion stood out from the crowd among the motorcades of other palaces, attracting everyone's attention.

The royal convoy headed by the emperor was at the forefront of the winter hunting team of nearly 3,000 people. The bright yellow flag representing the emperor swayed in the air and fluttered in the cold winter wind.

The emperor's gilded dragon chariot was carved with exquisite dragon patterns. The long dragons appeared vividly, some coiled like entwined vines, some spitting water from their mouths, and some were engraved with double dragons playing with pearls. The dragon eyes were made of obsidian and the roof was made of yellow glazed tiles. In the sunlight, they reflected bright light like gems.

Gorgeous, ostentatious, and luxurious, one can tell at first glance that this is the emperor's trip.

Civil and military officials headed by Prime Minister Zhang personally went out of the city to see the emperor off, and all of them bowed and saluted in the direction the emperor was leaving.

The wide official road was filled with bustling people. The common people who came to watch the excitement were all stopped on both sides of the road by the imperial guards. The noise was so loud that it made the place even more lively than a vegetable market.

Following closely behind the dragon chariot were the carriages of several princes and princesses, and behind them came the princes of the royal family. They set out in an orderly manner according to their status, and headed westward in a grand procession.

When the motorcade from Prince Chen's Palace came out, the atmosphere suddenly changed subtly. The palace guards who were accompanying them clearly did nothing. They just rode upright on their agile black horses, emitting a fierce aura, as if they had built an invisible barrier to distinguish themselves from the other people around them.

The people who had been chattering and watching the excitement just now all became silent and stood in awe.

After the carriages from Prince Chen's Palace drove away, the noise near the city gate began again.

"Young man, have you seen His Royal Highness Prince Chen?" A middle-aged man at the back of the crowd patted the young man in front and asked, "I came here this time just to admire His Royal Highness Prince Chen's heroic figure."

When he asked this, other people nearby also looked over and said at once:

"I don't think I saw His Royal Highness Prince Chen."

"I didn't see it either. Didn't His Royal Highness Prince Chen come?"

"No way. I saw the princess' red-wheeled carriage. It can't be that the princess and her female relatives came here alone, right?"

“…”

Everyone was discussing enthusiastically whether Prince Chen would come to participate in the winter hunt, and no one paid any attention to the convoy behind them.

The onlookers gradually dispersed, and the convoys of noble officials that had gathered near the city gate did not clear out until an hour later.

This convoy of 3,000 people was like a huge monster, which would inevitably affect the speed of advancement. According to the estimation of the Ministry of Rites, it would take about three days to travel. This was based on the premise that the Imperial Astronomical Observatory predicted that it would neither rain nor snow in the next three days.

The late emperor was fond of military arts, and he would arrange autumn or winter hunting every year to train military skills. He also encouraged the sons of royal family members and nobles to practice riding and archery, and urged his descendants not to forget their roots.

But since the emperor ascended the throne, he has been busy seeking immortality and has no time to take care of state affairs, let alone autumn and winter hunting.

This winter hunt is the first since the current emperor ascended the throne. Many sons of nobles have been eager to try it. At this moment, they are riding on nimble horses, all of them are in high spirits, dressed in fine clothes and riding vigorous horses, adding a bit of vitality and liveliness to this powerful team.

The emperor in the dragon chariot turned a deaf ear to the noise outside. He seemed to be preoccupied and repeatedly lifted the curtains to look back. However, from his angle, he could not see the carriages and horses of Prince Chen's palace behind him.

After hesitating for a while, the emperor simply asked Eunuch Ni to call over Jinyiwei Commander Lu Siji.

"Where is Gu Jue?" The emperor asked in a low voice, revealing half of his face from behind the curtains.

Lu Siji also guessed what the emperor wanted to ask Prince Chen, and immediately answered: "Prince Chen is not riding a horse, he must be sitting in the carriage of Princess Chen."

The emperor slowly turned the jade ring on his thumb.

He knew that Gu Jue never rode in a carriage before, and he was not afraid of the cold. He often wore thin clothes even in very cold weather.

Since Gu Jue didn't show up today, it means that his health is not very good.

The emperor stopped spinning his jade ring and asked again, "Did you see anyone?"

The emperor wanted to know more precisely what Gu Jue was doing in the carriage. Was he too weak to ride a horse, or had he caught a cold, or...

Lu Siji lowered his head, his face a little stiff and a little ashamed, and replied: "Your Majesty, the guards of Prince Chen's Mansion are on high alert, and the Jinyiwei can only hang around two or three feet away, and can't get close to the red-wheeled carriage of Princess Chen."

Lu Siji's voice became lower and lower, and he did not dare to look at the emperor's expression. It was conceivable that the emperor would not be satisfied with his answer.

Except when they were facing the guards of Prince Chen's Palace, the Jinyiwei had never been so cowardly.

The emperor's face darkened visibly, his brows were furrowed, and a gloomy aura emanated from his whole body.

The emperor was worried about leaving Gu Jue alone in the capital, fearing that by the time he returned from winter hunting, Gu Jue would have led the Black Armor Army to occupy the capital, so he sent someone to the Prince Chen's Mansion to convey the imperial edict. At that time, he was still worried that Gu Jue would be so bold as to disobey the imperial edict.

Therefore, the emperor originally planned that if Gu Jue dared not to come to the winter hunt, he would take Queen Mother Yin away as a hostage.

Unexpectedly, Gu Jue was very straightforward. He accepted the order without saying a word and agreed to accompany the emperor on the winter hunt.

Gu Jue was too cooperative. There must be something wrong when things are abnormal. The emperor felt that something was wrong no matter how he thought about it. He also wondered if Gu Jue would use illness as an excuse to not come at the last minute, but he showed up, and brought his princess consort with him.

The emperor's heart was hanging in the air, and he always felt that Gu Jue was going to do something tricky.

The emperor's fingertips stroked the lines on the jade ring over and over again, and his eyes became more and more profound.

After a moment, the emperor said in a deep voice: "Keep a close eye on Gu Jue."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Lu Siji hurriedly clasped his fists and accepted the order.

This was actually no different from usual times in the capital. Over the past six months or so, the Imperial Guards had been taking turns, keeping a close eye on Prince Chen's Palace without relaxing for even a moment of the day.

No, it should be said that in the past, one had to keep an eye on so many gates in front and behind the huge Prince Chen's Mansion, but now one only has to keep an eye on a carriage.

Lu Siji withdrew, and the emperor in the dragon chariot became more and more irritable and drank cup after cup of tea.

Sometimes, he really couldn't understand why the late emperor chose him as his successor and gave him this beautiful land, but left behind Gu Jue to cause him trouble.

The emperor turned his head and glanced behind him again. For the umpteenth time, the thought occurred to him: I wish Gu Jue was dying now.

“Huff—”

Outside the dragon chariot, the cold wind was howling, and it felt like a knife cutting people's skin when it blew on them.

(End of this chapter)