Chu Qianchen was her niece. She should have been held in the palm of her elder sister's hand, the Duke Mu's Mansion, and her, and grew up under their care. However, the first fourteen years of Chu Qianchen's life were usurped by Chu Qianhuang, who took away the honor that belonged to her.

And now, as her aunt, she doesn’t even dare to be nice to this girl.

Shen Wan felt a bitter feeling in her heart.

She buried her face in his shoulder to prevent him from seeing the tears in her eyes.

She felt sorry for her niece, but because Chu Qianchen had come to the Prince's Mansion once with Shen before, the news somehow reached the emperor's ears. Within two days, the emperor fined Prince Jing a year's salary on a random pretext. The emperor's intention to intimidate was obvious.

The Prince Jing's Mansion had not yet been divided, and several of Prince Jing's younger brothers had been eyeing the title. They made a big fuss about it, saying that it must be because Shen Wan was close to Princess Chen that the Emperor was killing the chicken to scare the monkeys. The matter almost reached the clan house.

For this reason, Shen Wan could only keep a distance from Chu Qianchen. She couldn't get close to him, nor did she dare to get close to him.

Shen Wan felt uncomfortable, but she was not only a daughter of the Shen family, but also the Princess of Jing County. For the sake of the Prince's Mansion, she had no choice but to do so.

Shen Wan clenched the fabric on Prince Jing's chest with one hand.

Prince Jing gently stroked her back to calm her down.

After a moment, he said, "Awan, you should rest early tonight. You have been accompanying Qi Niang all the way and have hardly slept. There will be a sacrificial ceremony tomorrow morning."

"I'll go see Qiniang before I go to sleep." Shen Wan raised her face from his shoulder, and her expression had returned to normal at this moment.

Prince Jing wanted to say that he would go to see Qiniang, but before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by the sound of a curtain being opened.

Prince Jing frowned slightly, but saw the maid rushing in and anxiously reported: "Princess, the county lady has a fever again."

The couple's hearts skipped a beat and they stood up at the same time.

The two of them didn't bother to say anything else and rushed to Gu Zhiyan's house together.

The nurse said in panic, "Princess, the county lady's fever has gotten even worse."

After Gu Zhiyan used the talisman water five days ago, her fever subsided. However, it started again yesterday. Shen Wan stayed up all night with her and finally the fever subsided in the morning. Unexpectedly, she had a fever again in just one day.

The time intervals between Gu Zhiyan's fevers became shorter and shorter.

Shen Wan's hands and feet were cold, and she couldn't help but think, if Gu Zhiyan's fever got worse this time, what would they do? !

Gu Zhiyan was unconscious, moaning unbearable sounds coming from her dry and pale lips, her forehead and cheeks were so hot that it felt as if a furnace was baking inside her body.

Shen Wan felt even more uncomfortable, as if something was strangling her neck, making her feel unable to breathe.

She suddenly thought of Jishidiang. Gu Zhiyan's condition had improved day by day since she had been treated at Jishidiang, but she was frightened by the brothel girl and her symptoms relapsed again...

Thinking about the torture that Gu Zhiyan had endured during this period, Shen Wan felt that she could relate to him and couldn't help but curse, "The Emperor is so petty!"

How could the emperor have the heart and bearing of a ruler! Prince Jing's face turned pale, and he hurried to look around. At this time, only the wet nurse and Rong Mama were in the room. They were both Shen Wan's close confidants, and they all pretended not to hear.

Prince Jing was afraid that there might be ears on the other side of the wall, so he quickly ordered, "Quickly close all the doors and windows!"

After all, this is the Xiyuan Palace, and the emperor's people are everywhere.

Madam Rong was also frightened, so she immediately went to close the window herself. She then looked out the window cautiously, and only breathed a sigh of relief after making sure that there was no one outside.

Prince Jing held Shen Wan's slender shoulders and whispered to comfort her, "Awan, don't worry, Qi Niang will be fine. I'll ask Doctor Lian to check on Qi Niang."

Shen Wan held Gu Zhiyan's hand tightly, and her heart ached as she looked at her daughter's flushed and sweaty face.

She couldn't help but complained in a low voice: "It was clearly him who issued the decree to designate Jishidi Hall as the National Medical Clinic, but he doesn't allow people to go to Jishidi Hall for treatment. I don't know whose face he is slapping!"

Jishidiang is now famous in the capital. Rich families and common people in the capital will go to Jishidiang for medical treatment, but those noble officials dare not do so. The emperor has long ago used various means to suppress several officials who went to Jishidiang for medical treatment, killing the chicken to scare the monkey. Now all the government offices know that Jishidiang is a taboo for the emperor.

For example, in the Prince Jing's Mansion, just because she had sent Gu Zhiyan to Jishidiang for medical treatment, the Queen specially summoned her and her third brother's sister-in-law Yao into the palace, stepped on her and praised Yao, and also let the eunuch Li from Fengluan Palace remind her intentionally or unintentionally, saying that she should not affect the Prince's future for trivial matters. Shen Wan could only accept Eunuch Li's kindness with frustration.

Madam Rong and the wet nurse both lowered their heads.

Shen Wan took two deep breaths, shifted her gaze from Gu Zhiyan to Prince Jing, and asked in a difficult voice, "Has Taoist Xuan Jing seen it?"

Prince Jing nodded and said, "Master Xuan Jing said that this talisman paper is a disease-eliminating talisman. It looks like it was created by the Wuwei Temple lineage."

Because Shen Wan was worried about the talisman paper given by Chu Qianhuang, she asked Prince Jing to take the talisman paper to consult Taoist Master Xuan Jing, wanting to see what the secret of the talisman paper was.

Shen Wan: “…”

Shen Wan looked gloomy.

The imperial physician said that the talisman paper was harmless, and Taoist Master Xuan Jing also said that it was just an ordinary talisman for warding off illness. Even though they said so, she was still very nervous.

She herself had repeatedly compared the talisman paper she had asked for with the talisman paper given by Chu Qianhuang. The talismans drawn on the two kinds of talisman paper were the same, and the brushstrokes were from the same person. Prince Jing also agreed with this.

Shen Wan bit her pale lower lip, hesitant, and in her dark pupils it seemed that two forces were stalemate, confrontation, and fighting each other...

The room was silent for a while. Seeing that Gu Zhiyan's fever was getting worse, she said in a hoarse voice, "Go get the talisman paper."

Just like she had done many times before, Madam Rong carefully soaked the talisman paper in a cup of warm water, and together with the wet nurse, fed the talisman water to Gu Zhiyan.

Half an hour later, Gu Zhiyan's fever began to subside.

Her little face also became peaceful. With her eyes closed, she looked so well-behaved and cute, just like a jade doll. Shen Wan's heart felt soft, sad and distressed.

She repeatedly wiped her daughter's forehead to feel the temperature, feeling relieved.

After relaxing, the fatigue in her heart surged up. She yawned lazily and suddenly found that although she was tired, she did not feel the throbbing pain in her forehead like before.

Aunt Rong pursed her lips, looked at Shen Wan in embarrassment, and stammered, "Princess, the talisman paper is used up."

Shen Wan: “…”

Prince Jing: "..."

More than half a month ago, Chu Qianhuang sent a total of five talisman papers, but he didn't expect them to be used up so quickly.

Shen Wan's heart was pounding. Prince Jing said hurriedly, "Ah Wan, it's not far from here to the capital. I will send someone back to the capital immediately to ask more questions in the temple..."

The reason why it took them more than five days was that the emperor had to stop and walk along the way. If one person on horseback had rushed back to the capital day and night, they would have arrived in less than two days.

Shen Wan responded with a heavy heart, and after guarding her daughter for a while, she went back to her room with Prince Jing to rest.

The night was calm.

The next morning, when the sky turned pale, Shen Wan forced herself to get up. She and Prince Jing had to go to the hunting platform outside the hunting palace to participate in the hunting ceremony presided over by the emperor.

Although Gu Zhiyan's fever had subsided, the little girl looked listless and it was too cold outside. Shen Wan was afraid that she would be caught in a draft, so she didn't bring her out.

This was not the first time Shen Wan participated in the winter hunt. She appeared in front of the hunting platform early with Prince Jing. At this time, the sun had just risen from the eastern horizon.

What followed was a long ceremony. The emperor first worshipped the heaven, earth and ancestors in an orderly manner, and then encouraged everyone in a high-spirited manner, saying that the winner of today's hunting would be rewarded greatly.

The entire ceremony was not over until more than half an hour later.

Following a wailing horn sound, the generals and sons of nobles who had been eager to try for a long time rode their horses into the mountains and forests, their horses' hooves thundering as they rolled away.

The emperor, along with several royal nobles, entered the hunting ground accompanied by Jinyiwei commander Lu Siji. Prince Jing, who was a royal prince, also went with them.

Shen Wan was just about to go back to Yunxiangzhai to accompany her daughter when she saw from afar Gu Jue and Chu Qianchen riding horses slowly coming out of the palace, their cloaks fluttering in the cold wind.

Seeing that both the couple were carrying longbows and quivers on their horses, it looked like they were going into the hunting grounds, so Shen Wan didn't go out of her way to greet them.

Sure enough, the couple rode their horses towards the forest, talking and laughing. Soon, their figures were submerged by the layers of trees and shrubs in the forest.

Chu Qianchen didn't see Shen Wan. After entering the forest, she played happily with Gu Jue for a long time.

The two men rode their horses for fun and hunted some game together. When they came out of the forest, it was only midafternoon, and the warm winter sun was hanging high above them.

This trip into the mountains was a fruitful one.

The baskets on the backs of the two men's horses were filled to the brim with pheasants, wild roe deer, hares, etc., all killed with one arrow. There were only a few arrows left in Chu Qianchen's quiver, but Gu Jue had every arrow left, the same number as when he came and the same number as when he left.

Chu Qianchen did not let Gu Jue take action. All the prey were hunted by Chu Qianchen himself.

Chu Qianchen was in a very good mood. She had already thought of a hundred ways to cook pheasants. In addition to roasting chicken, she could also cook beggar's chicken, chicken soup with red dates, chestnuts and wolfberries, pheasant and melon seeds, chicken wrapped in belly, glutinous rice and chicken, shredded chicken porridge...

There was a gentle smile in Gu Jue's eyes.

Just looking at her and accompanying her like this would make him feel very happy.

He had long discovered that this girl was unusually obsessed with taking care of him, not because of his injuries, nor because she knew medical skills, but because she just liked taking care of his daily life and liked to be with him... making him often have the illusion that he was a weak scholar.

Gu Jue smiled silently, and his face lit up in the mild winter sunshine.

Chu Qianchen was the first to ride out of the forest. When she turned around, she saw him smiling. His obsidian pupils reflected her figure like the clear surface of a lake.

She suddenly forgot everything she had intended to say.

The prince looks so good when he smiles! Chu Qianchen also smiles, brilliantly, brightly, and sweetly, like a child who has obtained a treasure he has always dreamed of.

Suddenly, a gentle female voice came from behind: "Cousin, Princess."

Chu Qianchen raised his eyebrows, pulled the reins, turned the horse's head a little, and looked in the direction of the sound.

Beside the high hunting platform, Yuan Zhitong, wearing a thick lilac cloak, walked towards them, her oval face filled with a brilliant smile. A glittering red gold butterfly hairpin inlaid with gems was inserted in her hair bun, and long pearl tassels kept swinging on her cheeks, swaying and shining.

Behind her was a row of double-handled iron pots, and around her were seven or eight girls, who were apparently playing the game of throwing pots together.

After Yuan Zhitong said something to the girls, she walked slowly towards Chu Qianchen and the other two, with an elegant posture and a calm gaze on the beautiful couple.

Gu Jue and Chu Qianchen were wearing the same purple-red riding suits today, with lapels and narrow sleeves, and a slim fit. They were tied with black belts embroidered with silver thread around their waists, which made their figures look slender.

This bright purple-red color does not make Gu Jue look feminine at all, but makes him look younger, more heroic, and as handsome as a painting, which makes people's eyes light up.

Yuan Zhitong stopped about ten feet away from the two men, bowed to them on horseback, and deliberately revealed a section of her fair and slender left wrist. The red gold twisted wire phoenix bracelet on her wrist flashed a dazzling light in the sun.

Then, she raised her little face towards Gu Jue, with her chin slightly lifted, making her snow-white neck look particularly slender, like a graceful white swan.

Yuan Zhitong smiled again and said softly, "Cousin... I don't know if you still remember me. I'm Zhitong, and my father is Yuan Youjie."

When he heard the name Yuan Youjie, Gu Jue's eyebrows moved slightly and he looked at Chu Qianchen beside him. He still remembered that she had asked him about the Yuan family.

Chu Qianchen pursed his lips and smiled.

Yuan Zhitong carefully observed Gu Jue's every reaction, and was relieved when she saw this. As expected, her cousin Prince Chen knew her father, who was also a high-ranking official.

The smile on her face deepened, and she continued, "I came to the capital with my father and mother several years ago. It has been many years, so it is normal if my cousin does not remember me."

"I am accompanying my father to the capital this time. I am blessed by the Empress Dowager's kindness and can visit her often to greet her. This time, my aunt knows that I will be accompanying the emperor on the winter hunt and will definitely meet my cousin. She asked me to bring some words to my cousin..."

"Actually, I should have told my cousin when we were on the road a few days ago, but..."

She hesitated to speak, and looked at Chu Qianchen timidly, with her chin slightly twitched.

Not far away, Amber was walking towards this side from the palace gate. She also saw this scene and frowned. She felt that this girl from the Yuan family was even more annoying than the third girl from the Marquis' Mansion.

If others saw her sarcastic expression, they might think that it was their princess who deliberately stopped her from seeing the prince.

Amber raised her eyes to look at Chu Qianchen. Chu Qianchen, who was on horseback, still had a faint smile on her face. She casually stroked the horse's smooth neck, thinking that the horse was very well behaved and cooperated with her very well today.

Yuan Zhitong continued, "The Queen Mother asked me to tell my cousin that this area of ​​the hunting ground is better than..."

She had only said half of her words when she saw Gu Jue say to Chu Qianchen, "Let's go."

The two men rode past her on horseback without looking back, their horses swishing their tails back and forth and pacing briskly.

Yuan Zhitong: “…”

Yuan Zhitong was stunned for a moment. She didn't expect that Gu Jue would leave like this.

"Cousin!" When Yuan Zhitong came to her senses, she wanted to chase after him. However, a gray figure appeared in front of her like a ghost, and the scabbard in his hand was stretched forward, blocking Yuan Zhitong's way.

Yuan Zhitong could only stop and raised his voice a few notches: "Cousin, it was really the Queen Mother who asked me to bring a message to you..."

In the square between the palace and the forest, there were many young men and women walking and playing here, and the movement here immediately attracted the attention of many people.

Many eyes flocked towards Gu Jue, Chu Qianchen and Yuan Zhitong.

After a while, Gu Jue and Chu Qianchen in front walked away.

Mo Chen retracted his knife and glanced at Yuan Zhitong coldly. His eyes were cold and fierce, with a bloodthirsty taste. He didn't look like a human, but more like a wild beast. Yuan Zhitong couldn't help but feel frightened by the murderous knife and stood still.

Mo Chen turned around and followed with big strides, leaving only a lonely back behind.

The cold wind howled like a sword or a knife, mercilessly scraping off the dead leaves from the branches. When it scraped against people's faces, it felt as if a knife was cutting their skin.

“……” Yuan Zhitong stood there, motionless, as if frozen.

Gu Jue's reaction was far different from what she expected.

She originally thought that by using Queen Mother Yin's name, Gu Jue would at least say a few words to her, but the result...

Yuan Zhitong's eyes darkened a little and became pitch black.

She was sure that Gu Jue hadn't even glanced at her just now, and only had a slight reaction when he heard his father's name.

She would have to think about it again.

Queen Dowager Yin is Gu Jue's biological mother, and she doesn't believe that Gu Jue is really indifferent to the Queen Dowager.

She probably didn't make a wrong move.

Yuan Zhitong was still looking in the direction of Gu Jue and Chu Qianchen, and saw the two walking side by side to the northwest corner of the Lietai Square.

There were bamboo sheds built there, connected like mountains. There were tables and chairs under each shed. Men and women sat in groups of three or four under the sheds, drinking tea and chatting. Their horses were either tied up, or being served by servants, or they were eating grass and playing around.

Gu Jue and Chu Qianchen entered an empty bamboo shed and sat down, leaving their horses to play on their own.

Yuan Zhitong withdrew her gaze, turned around and walked in the direction she came from.

The girls who were playing pitching pot with her just now all stopped, some showing a bit of mocking smile, some blinking curiously, some frowning, and some looking very interested in the show, and all looked towards Yuan Zhitong.

Given their distance, she actually didn't hear what Yuan Zhitong said to the Prince, but at least she could see that the Prince ignored Yuan Zhitong. It seemed that even if Yuan Zhitong was quite popular in front of the Queen, it didn't mean that the Prince would look at her differently.

Yuan Zhitong had calmed down and smiled calmly, "I'm really not good at pitching pots, why don't we play hydrangea together?"

Half of the noble ladies present were people Yuan Zhitong knew when he was the princess's tutor in the palace. Since the queen "appreciated" Yuan Zhitong, they would not embarrass him.

A girl in a crimson riding suit clapped her hands and said with a smile, "Good idea!"

"I'm a little tired of playing pitch pot all the time. It would be nice to try something else." Another girl in duck yellow riding clothes echoed.

The other girls had no objection either.

Yuan Zhitong ordered her maid to get the hydrangea.

The girls sat down around a long table nearby, chatting and laughing, drinking tea and eating snacks.

Yuan Zhitong held the hot tea in his hand, warming his hands at the same time, and lowered his eyes to look at the tea leaves floating in the teacup.

This was the first time she met Gu Jue since coming to the capital.

As the saying goes, more haste makes waste.

She hadn't expected to become familiar with him all at once, and she just wanted to say a few words in the name of the Queen Mother.

Unexpectedly...

Yuan Zhitong bit her lip and touched the red gold twisted wire bracelet on her left wrist with her right hand.

This bracelet was given to her by Queen Mother Yin. It was also the same bracelet that the Queen Mother wore on the day of the flower-viewing banquet. Chu Qianchen must remember it.

Although he didn't really talk to Gu Jue just now, it should be enough to plant a thorn in Chu Qianchen's heart.

Chu Qianchen was just a concubine's daughter. She couldn't get rid of the inferiority complex of being a concubine's daughter, especially after she married Prince Chen and suddenly rose to a high position. This gap made her feel even more inferior.

Next, Chu Qianchen will definitely feel uneasy because of his existence.

She might try to test Gu Jue and make trouble with him, just like those concubines in her family...

Yuan Zhitong curled the corners of his lips slightly.

This commotion once, twice, and three times was enough to make Gu Jue completely fed up with Chu Qianchen.

Qinnan’s illness will be cured.

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