Drop out?! He had finally entered the Imperial College, but Chu Yunyi had dropped out now! ! Meng Siming was stunned by the news and did not react for a while. When he came to his senses, the gate of the Imperial College was empty and Chu Yunyi was gone.

As soon as Chu Yunyi stepped out of the gate of the Imperial College, he saw Yun Zhan waiting for him, and he didn't know how long he had been waiting.

"Boy, if you don't come out, I'll go in to find you." Yunzhan put his arm around Chu Yunyi's shoulder enthusiastically, which made Chu Yunyi feel flattered. "Come on, follow me to the palace, and I'll fight you."

Chu Yunyi also knew that Yun Zhan, Tang Yuchu and the others were all good at fighting, so he readily agreed: "Brother Zhan, please don't show mercy."

Yunzhan responded with a smile.

He said so and did it.

Within the ten moves, to be more specific, the sixth move knocked Chu Yunyi down, and he fell on his back.

Chu Yunyi: “…”

Chu Yunyi was still a little dazed as he lay on the ground looking at the blue sky and white clouds above.

Yunzhan stretched out a hand to him and asked with a smile, "Are you coming again?"

In the past, Chu Yunyi came to the military camp during the Imperial College's holiday, but it was just "casual practice". Yunzhan and the others didn't take him seriously. Now that he has decided to pursue a martial arts career, he might as well practice it well.

Just like the prince said, it is better to train harder and fall more often than to lose your life on the battlefield.

Chu Yunyi's response was to grab Yunzhan's right hand, then use the force to jump up from the ground, as light as a cat.

Chu Yunyi came to the palace. Chu Qianchen, as the mistress of the palace, of course knew about it, but she was too lazy to pay attention to the boy since Yunzhan and the others were taking care of him anyway.

For Chu Qianchen, Gu Jue is the most important.

At this moment, she was walking with Gu Jue in the courtyard. Today was the seventh day after the operation. Gu Jue was only allowed to stay in the bed yesterday, and was walking around the room with the support of Chu Qianchen.

Chu Qianchen observed him all night and seeing that he was not feeling unwell, he allowed him to leave the house today.

Of course, before leaving the house, he had to be "fully armed", from hat, jacket, cloak, scarf, to sleeve stove, sedan chair, etc., nothing could be missing.

Under Chu Qianchen's careful care, Gu Jue recovered well. He didn't need anyone's support and could walk slowly from the main courtyard to Yian Hall by himself. As for the sedan chair, it was prepared purely in case of emergency.

Queen Dowager Yin had originally planned to go to the main courtyard to visit Gu Jue, but just as she put on her cloak, she heard people say that Gu Jue and Chu Qianchen had arrived, and she couldn't help but go out to greet them.

"Ajue!"

When Queen Dowager Yin saw Gu Jue slowly walking towards her, her joy was beyond words.

Chu Qianchen told Queen Mother Yin in detail about Gu Jue's recovery progress. Queen Mother Yin also saw with her own eyes yesterday that Chu Qianchen supported Gu Jue as he walked around the house. She knew that if nothing unexpected happened, he would be able to walk on his own today or tomorrow.

But knowing is no less than the joy of seeing it with your own eyes.

After the joy, worries came up and turned into scoldings:

"Ajue, please sit down and rest for a while!"

"You kid, you can't become a big fat man in one bite. Everything has to be done step by step. Why are you in such a hurry?"

Queen Mother Yin was afraid that Gu Jue would insist on being stubborn again, so she scolded him with a stern face.

The servants in the room all lowered their heads and looked obedient. They were not used to it. After all, no one dared to scold the great king on weekdays! Only Chu Qianchen was smiling.

Gu Jue put one hand on Queen Mother Yin's hand and sat down on a nearby armchair. Chu Qianchen took a large pillow from Amber and personally placed it behind him. He heard Gu Jue begging for mercy helplessly: "Mother, I've been lying down for seven days, and my legs and feet are rusty."

When he said this, Queen Mother Yin recalled the past and showed a bit of nostalgia: "I remember the last time you lay for so long was when you fell from a tree when you were six years old and broke your left leg."

Gu Jue was still so young at that time, but he was already very stubborn. He didn't cry from beginning to end. Instead, it was Old Eight, who caused him to fall off the tree, who cried so hard that his tears and snot were mixed together.

It was the first time Chu Qianchen heard of this. His eyes lit up and he looked Gu Jue up and down, continuing to smile.

It turns out that the prince also went through a period when he was a child when he climbed up the roof and pulled off the tiles, and even dogs disliked him.

Seeing that Chu Qianchen liked to hear it, Gu Jue revealed his scars: "At that time, I lay on the bed for a whole month to heal my leg injury."

"He promised me that he would never climb trees again, but he broke his oath within a few months and climbed onto the roof to admire the moon, and he insisted that this was not tree climbing." Queen Mother Yin continued to talk about the interesting things that happened when Gu Jue was a child, "I still remember that it was the Lantern Festival."

Chu Qianchen laughed with joy and replayed it in his mind several times, imagining what Gu Jue looked like when he was six years old.

Well, it must be cute and beautiful!

When Queen Mother Yin mentioned the Lantern Festival, Chu Qianchen remembered something and said, "Mother, I can't go to the Lantern Festival this year. How about the next Lantern Festival, the prince and I take you to see the lanterns?"

"Okay, we'll go next year." Queen Mother Yin agreed with a smile. It's not necessary to go to the Lantern Festival, there will be the Mid-Autumn Festival in the second half of the year.

As she thought about it, her brows relaxed, a smile appeared on her lips, and she looked as if she had become several years younger and full of energy.

Ever since Empress Dowager Yin moved to Prince Chen's Mansion, she felt comfortable and at ease about everything. This place was much better than the cold Shouning Palace.

Queen Mother Yin was just about to ask them if they wanted to stay for lunch when a maid came to report: "Queen Mother, Prince, Princess, the Crown Prince has brought the Third Princess to pay respects to the Queen Mother."

If it was anyone else, Queen Mother Yin would have disappeared, but she had no ill feelings towards the Crown Prince and the Third Princess, so she ordered them to be invited in.

Gu Jue helped Chu Qianchen stand up, and the three of them went to the warm room to sit down. When Queen Mother Yin sat down on the kang, she asked casually, "Jue, is Gu Lang seriously ill?"

After the emperor vomited blood and was taken away that day, Empress Dowager Yin was too lazy to inquire about the emperor. She lived very comfortably in Prince Chen's Mansion. Her daughter-in-law even called a female teacher to tell stories and play music for her. She had no time to care about the emperor.

Anyway, as long as the death knell doesn't ring in the palace, it means the emperor is not dead.

Since Queen Mother Yin asked, Gu Jue casually said a few words: "He was in a coma for three days and three nights, and did not wake up until the fifth day of the New Year. He is still recuperating these days, but his spirits have not improved."

"He doesn't trust the imperial physician and insists on waiting for that Taoist priest Xuan Jing to make him an elixir, saying that only the elixir can cure his illness."

There was a hint of sarcasm on Gu Jue's face, and he spoke briefly and to the point, omitting the dispute between the emperor and the prince.

"The emperor should have been infected with erysipelas." Chu Qianchen added.

Queen Mother Yin raised her eyebrows: "Erysipelas?"

Chu Qianchen explained: "All elixirs contain elixir poison. The elixir contains toxic substances such as cinnabar and arsenic. The content is not much. If you take it for a short period of time, you will feel refreshed. But if you take it for a long time, the elixir poison will accumulate in the body and cause hyperthermia."

"Taoism has its own Taoist medicine, which is a school of its own. However, the 'Tao' in Taoist medicine is not the 'Tao' of Taoism, but the 'Tao' in the Tao Te Ching. Taoist medicine uses the Yellow Emperor's Canon of Internal Medicine as its basic theory and the theory of yin and yang and the five elements as a means of treatment. It uses medicine to spread religion, to spread the truth, and to save the world, for example, the King of Medicine Sun Simiao."

"It's a pity that there are so many people in this world who are just pretending to be something they are not. In the end, they will only tarnish the reputation of Taoist medicine."

"Don't you think about it? There have been many emperors in every dynasty who were obsessed with elixirs, believing that elixirs could prolong life or even make people immortal. But which emperor was truly immortal?"

"If the emperor doesn't exercise some restraint, I'm afraid he won't live long."

Chu Qianchen said it casually. In her mouth, the emperor was not some high and mighty son of destiny, but an ordinary mortal, even a mortal who was desperately seeking death.

Amber, Nanny He and the others were horrified when they heard this and tried hard to calm themselves down.

Chu Qianchen felt a little dry in his mouth after talking so he picked up the teacup and sipped the hot tea while thinking about his past life.

Her rebirth affected the royal family to a certain extent. She saved the life of the emperor's eldest grandson, and the third princess Anle did not have to marry far away in Hao Kingdom. However, the emperor's life was obviously shortened.

At this time in the previous life, the emperor's dragon body was not as bad as it is now. Ten years later, the emperor was still alive, but he tortured the prince to death.

Chu Qianchen took another sip of tea, savoring the sweet aftertaste in his mouth.

Thinking back on it, she suspected that the key to everything was still Gu Jue.

In his previous life, Gu Jue knew that he didn't have much time left, so he only thought about how to settle his people, including her. At that time, Gu Jue didn't act as radically as he does in this life, and he rarely confronted the emperor head-on. The emperor was naturally relieved to know that Gu Jue's life was hanging by a thread.

Unlike this life, Gu Jue took the initiative to provoke the emperor time and time again, and every time the emperor got angry, the poison accelerated its onset.

But the emperor did not trust the imperial physician and only believed in elixirs. Every time he felt unwell due to elixirs, he would continue to take more elixirs, so more elixirs accumulated in his body, which formed a vicious cycle.

This time, the emperor was so angry that he vomited blood due to the poison. Even if this did not happen on the second day of the New Year, it would have happened sooner or later.

Queen Mother Yin said coldly: "This is what they call "you will suffer the consequences if you bring trouble upon yourself."

"Everything is destined by heaven!" Chu Qianchen said with a smile.

She would prefer the emperor to die of anger and the prince to ascend the throne as soon as possible.

The prince is a kind and benevolent person. He can be a king who maintains the status quo and has some demeanor of a wise ruler. By then, she and the prince will take the queen mother with them to the north, and everyone will be able to get what they want and not interfere with each other. How wonderful!

Afterwards, because Jiang Yuan came to report that the Crown Prince and the Third Princess had entered the gate of Yi'an Hall, the three of them decided to stop talking about this topic for the time being.

After a while, there was the sound of a maid opening the curtain, and the prince and his sister came in one after another.

Gu Nanjin and Anle, a pair of siblings, actually do not look alike. The nephew resembles his uncle, but Gu Nanjin looks more like his uncle, while Anle is said to look 40% like the late emperor's empress. In addition, Gu Nanjin looks a few years older than his actual age due to his hard work, while Anle looks younger than her actual age due to her innocence.

Sometimes, this brother and sister are more like father and daughter. Gu Nanjin disciplines Anle and dotes on her. Anle is also very lively in front of this elder brother.

Gu Nanjin looked at Queen Mother Yin and Gu Jue, feeling a little embarrassed. He and Anle greeted them first.

Anle didn't notice her eldest brother's embarrassment at all. He was as cute and innocent as usual, smiling like a flower. She didn't dare to get close to Gu Jue, but she dared to get close to Queen Dowager Yin.

"Grandmother, I miss you so much. I wanted to go to Shouning Palace to pay my respects to you a few days ago, but my mother said you came to visit Aunt Nine. I wanted to leave the palace to see you a long time ago, but my mother wouldn't let me leave, saying that my father was ill and she wouldn't let me run around."

Anle didn't understand politics, nor did he understand the things between the emperor and Gu Jue. He just said whatever he thought, which made Gu Nanjin even more embarrassed and headache. He didn't want to get involved in the troubles in the palace, but he had to.

Sometimes, Gu Nanjin almost envied the carefree and peaceful life.

Queen Mother Yin invited Anle to sit next to her, rubbed her head, and praised with a smile: "Anle is so good. Grandmother has prepared New Year's money for you."

Empress Dowager Yin took a red envelope from Nanny He and handed it to Anle personally, who accepted it happily.

Even Gu Nanjin had a share, and he got three copies: one for himself, one for the Crown Princess, and the last for the Emperor's eldest grandson.

The brother and sister thanked Queen Mother Yin together, and the atmosphere became harmonious and joyful.

Gu Nanjin felt relieved and finally no longer embarrassed. He explained, "Grandmother, because Father Royal Dragon has been unwell, my grandson and Anle were unable to come and pay their respects to you earlier. Please forgive me."

Queen Mother Yin greeted him politely: "How is the emperor's health? Is he feeling better?"

There was no emotion in her words at all. It was obvious that she was just putting on an act and making small talk.

Although Gu Nanjin knew the answer, he still answered politely: "Thank you, Grandmother, for your concern. Father has been much better these past two days."

As he spoke, Gu Nanjin felt a surge of bitterness in his heart.

He later asked the Imperial Observatory and learned how the emperor had made himself so angry that he could not get out of bed and refused to take the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician. But Gu Nanjin was helpless. He and the queen tried to persuade him, but to no avail.

Gu Nanjin was very tired during the three days when the emperor was in a coma; he was even more tired during the three days after the emperor woke up. Therefore, during the seven or eight days of the New Year, Gu Nanjin became so thin that even the dragon robe he was wearing became a little loose.

The exhaustion that came from deep within his bones could not be concealed by his forced efforts to cheer himself up.

Gu Nanjin suppressed the myriad thoughts in his mind, and then he revealed the real purpose of his trip: "Grandmother, Ninth Uncle, Ninth Aunt, I came here not only to pay my respects to Grandmother, but also to invite you to participate in the Lantern Festival."

Watching lanterns on the 15th day of the first lunar month is a day for the emperor and the people to enjoy themselves together, and it has been a tradition of the Great Qi Dynasty for hundreds of years.

At this time of year, not only would people all over the city light lanterns at their doorsteps, but the city's largest lantern shed would be built on the Meridian Gate Square in front of the Imperial Palace, with a variety of lanterns hung on it. On the night of the Lantern Festival, the emperor would bring the empress, princes and princesses to the Meridian Gate Square to enjoy the lanterns with the people.

The emperor is still ill. According to the imperial physician, he should rest well and not overwork. If the poison attacks his heart again, the consequences will be disastrous.

Therefore, Gu Nanjin wanted to cancel this year's Lantern Festival and suggested it to the emperor, but the emperor was not happy. So Gu Nanjin suggested that the Lantern Festival should be held as usual, and he, the empress, the crown princess and others should attend the festival, and ask the emperor to take good care of his health. As a result, the emperor became even angrier and scolded him: "Prince, do you want the people of the capital to only know that there is a prince, but not that there is an emperor like me!"

"I am still alive and well, I am not dead!"

Every word the emperor said was more hurtful than the last. Gu Nanjin could only kneel down and point his finger to the sky, the earth, and his heart to swear that he had no such intention. For a moment, he even wanted to ask the emperor to depose him as the crown prince, so that the emperor would not think that he had selfish motives.

At the emperor's insistence, the Lantern Festival went on as usual.

Not only did everything remain the same, but today the Emperor also insisted that Gu Nanjin come to the Prince Chen's Mansion in person to invite the Queen Mother.

The emperor meant that after the Lantern Festival, he would bring the empress dowager back to the palace with good reason. He also said that they had agreed before that the empress dowager would only leave the palace to celebrate the New Year, and the fifteenth day of the first lunar month was the end of the New Year, so it was time for the empress dowager to go back.

By then, all the princes from the royal family will be present and will be able to suppress Gu Jue.

In short, it doesn’t matter whether Gu Jue goes to the Lantern Festival or not, the key is the Queen Mother.

This is what the emperor repeatedly warned.

Gu Nanjin also knew that this mission was not an easy one, so he brought the third princess along on purpose, thinking that her childish words could ease the atmosphere.

"Another lantern festival is coming!" Anle clapped his hands happily, his eyes sparkling as he showed off, "Grandmother, Ninth Aunt, I can make rabbit lanterns, and I'm really good at it."

Anle was afraid that they would not believe him, so he added: "I will send you two lamps after I have finished tying them."

Gu Nanjin realized that Anle had gone off topic, so he winked at her and said, "Anle, do you want to be with you..."

"No."

Gu Jue refused calmly.

Even if Gu Nanjin didn't say it, Gu Jue could guess most of the emperor's thoughts. He sneered in his heart: He has already taken the queen mother out of the palace, and the emperor wants to take her back. It's impossible!

“……” Gu Nanjin looked at Gu Jue, thinking that he would say something else, but Gu Jue just said these two words without giving any reason.

Anle didn't dare to talk to Gu Jue at all, and just pointed her two index fingers at each other.

Gu Nanjin: “…”

Gu Nanjin was so upset that he wanted to cry but had no tears, because Gu Jue didn't even make an excuse, so he couldn't even try to persuade him.

Chu Qianchen said nothing, folded a white little rabbit with a white silk handkerchief, and gave it to Anle.

An Lele was so excited that she held the little rabbit carefully, touching its long ears and looking at it from head to toe.

Queen Mother Yin felt sorry for the prince, so she found an excuse for him and sighed, "Prince, I will not go to the Lantern Festival. On that day, I will go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple with your ninth uncle and ninth aunt to offer sacrifices to the late emperor."

Gu Nanjin looked at Empress Dowager Yin with tears in his eyes. He felt that the Empress Dowager was considerate, so he stopped trying to persuade her. He smiled and accepted the excuse: "Grandmother is thoughtful."

He smiled slightly, but he was actually a little worried in his heart. It was obvious that his father would not want to hear this reply. When he returned to the palace, he would be scolded by his father again.

Chu Qianchen silently shed a tear of sympathy for the prince, thinking: Or, should she prepare another New Year's gift for the prince to calm him down? Gu Nanjin was a sensible person, and he did not mention the Lantern Festival again. He changed the subject and asked solemnly, "Ninth Uncle, what do you think of the current Emperor Hao Wuhedu Luo?"

The reason why Gu Nanjin asked Gu Jue was because Gu Jue had been on a diplomatic mission to Nanhao when he was young, and he had escorted Wuhejialou to Nanhao again last year. He knew Nanhao much better than he did.

Gu Jue: “…”

Gu Jue's eyebrows twitched, and no joy or anger could be seen in his dark and deep eyes.

Gu Nanjin looked at Gu Jue without hesitation, cupped his hands, and said calmly: "Father thinks that I have colluded with the Ninth Uncle. I have not done anything but have been suspected for no reason. So what's the harm in doing something?"

There was an undisguised bitterness and mockery in Gu Nanjin's tone, and only he knew the helplessness and powerlessness in his heart.

Of course, he didn't really mean to "collude" with Gu Jue, he just wanted to ask Gu Jue for some political advice.

Chu Qianchen raised his lips when he heard this, thinking that the prince was indeed an interesting person.

His openness and honesty are very rare and precious.

To say something extremely treasonous, in Chu Qianchen's opinion, the late emperor was not a wise ruler. At most, he was a mediocre ruler who only maintained the status quo but did not have the courage to reform or expand the territory. However, at least he gave Da Qi time to recuperate.

The prince might be able to become a monarch slightly better than the late emperor.

Chu Qianchen glanced outside the room, looking in the direction of the palace, hoping that the emperor would try harder and kill himself! She suddenly felt her sleeve tighten, and when she turned around, she saw Anle stretched out two fingers and quietly pinched her sleeve and pulled it, making a "hush" gesture to tell her not to make a sound, and at the same time, she glanced at Gu Jue, as if she was afraid of being discovered by him.

Chu Qianchen found it a little funny, smiled with curved lips, tilted his little face towards Anle, and asked her with his eyes, what's the matter?

Anle handed a pink handkerchief to Chu Qianchen, pointed at the white rabbit folded from the white handkerchief, and blinked, meaning, Aunt Jiuhuang, fold another one for me! Chu Qianchen took the pink handkerchief, and as Anle wished, he deftly folded another rabbit with his fingers.

An Lele was so excited that she clapped her hands happily, but she didn't dare to make any sound and just made gestures.

She grew up in the palace. Even though she was not as smart as her sisters, she knew how to read the atmosphere. When her father and brothers were talking about serious matters, she would not make noise or play around.

Gu Jue was actually paying attention to Chu Qianchen out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't show it.

He could arm himself to perfection if he wished.

"As a general, Uhadula is a talented general," Gu Jue said slowly, "but as a king, he is a tyrant."

"He was stubborn and self-willed, favored his relatives, indulged in extravagance, levied heavy taxes, and tortured his people."

Gu Jue clenched his right fist and knocked it casually twice on the coffee table, stopping there.

In his opinion, Uhadula had just ascended the throne, and instead of focusing on maintaining domestic stability, he resorted to violent suppression. Where there is oppression, there will be resistance, so he was afraid that his throne would not last long.

Gu Nanjin listened attentively and thought thoughtfully, then asked, "Ninth Uncle, who do you think would be the best envoy to escort the bride this time?"

It would be best to choose the guardian envoy from among the royal family. Now that Gu Jin has lost his title of Prince Jing, he is no longer suitable to be the guardian envoy. Gu Nanjin thought about it over and over again, but still couldn't find a suitable candidate.

Gu Jue didn't say anything, just made a "four" gesture.

Gu Nanjin was stunned for a moment, and first thought of the emperor's fourth brother Gu Shen, but Gu Shen had passed away three years ago due to an acute illness. After he was stunned for a moment, he knew that the person Gu Jue was talking about was his and the emperor's fourth uncle - Prince Rui.

Prince Rui has never had any ambitions. During the reign of the previous emperor, he was an idle prince, playing with dogs and walking birds every day. The hunting dogs and birds he raised were famous in the capital.

He is a very versatile person and has always been popular with people.

Gu Nanjin's mind moved. Prince Rui was indeed a very suitable candidate. Back then, Gu Jue was fourteen years old and was sent as an envoy to the Kingdom of Hao. He was too young, so he asked Prince Rui to accompany him to avoid making Emperor Hao feel that Da Qi was being disrespectful.

"Thank you, Uncle Nine, for your advice." Gu Nanjin bowed solemnly to Gu Jue, his eyes shining with excitement, and he suddenly felt enlightened.

Gu Jue had no selfish motives in recommending Prince Rui. It was just because Gu Nanjin asked and Gu Jue felt that Prince Rui was suitable. Anyway, it was up to Gu Nanjin and the emperor whether to listen or not.

Seeing that they had finished their business, Queen Mother Yin smiled and said, "Prince, Anle, you two should stay here and have lunch before leaving."

Without waiting for Gu Nanjin to agree, Anle clapped her hands happily and said, "Okay, okay, okay! Grandmother, my eldest brother and I will dine with you and the Ninth Aunt." She automatically left out Gu Jue again.

Queen Mother Yin couldn't help but laugh.

On this day, the brother and sister had lunch before leaving Prince Chen's Mansion.

In the following days, Prince Chen's Mansion continued to close its doors to visitors, returning to its former tranquility and allowing all kinds of speculation from the outside world.

(End of this chapter)