Shen Zhi felt as if a warm hot spring was flowing through her heart.

She knew they were all people who cared about her.

Only those who care about her will look at her with such eyes, and only those who care about her will consider her future.

It was quiet in the main hall. From the courtyard outside, one could faintly hear the sound of sweeping the floor and the flapping of wings of startled birds flying away.

The sky in April is full of flying catkins, as if it were snowing in spring.

After a moment, Shen Zhi broke the silence: "Let me think about it."

She neither agreed nor refused.

Pei Linye still smiled slightly and still looked at her. His eyes, like the vast stars, seemed to be able to accommodate everything, gentle and tough.

Duke Mu and his wife looked at each other again. In fact, they were not surprised. Given their eldest daughter's personality, it was impossible for her to agree to a second marriage so easily.

All they hoped was that their eldest daughter would give Pei Linye a chance and seriously consider her future. Their daughter deserved a better future! Therefore, Lady Mu Guogong stopped there and said nothing more. Marriage is a matter of mutual consent. No matter how much Pei Linye wanted, his daughter had to think it through herself.

As parents, they can only give one or two suggestions.

Lady Mu looked at Pei Linye and saw that he was not angry. She nodded secretly in her heart and said, "Azhi, don't worry. Just know what's going on."

Shen Zhi: “…”

Shen Zhi pursed her lips slightly, her eyelashes moved, half covering her pupils that were rippling with light.

Since the marriage had not taken place for the time being, it would be a bit awkward for Pei Linye to continue staying here. Duke Mu immediately stood up and called Pei Linye to the study, saying that he had just acquired a new painting and wanted to give him his approval.

Pei Linye responded readily, with a gentle smile on his lips. This is good enough for today! Duke Mu and Pei Linye left the main hall together, talking and laughing.

Watching Pei Linye's receding figure, Lady Mu suddenly spoke again, her voice low: "Azhi, or, you can go ask Sister Chen..."

If the eldest daughter was concerned about the opinions of her two children, then the heart disease needs to be treated with heart medicine. Lady Mu felt that perhaps her granddaughter could persuade her daughter.

After hearing what Lady Mu said, Shen Zhi suddenly missed her daughter a little, but thinking that Shen Qianchen must be busy now, she shook her head and said, "Let's wait until after the ceremony of establishing the Queen." After all, there are only a few days left until May.

Lady Mu Guogong thought about it and agreed. There was no need to rush this matter. Anyway, the Shen family was not in a hurry to marry off their daughter.

Lady Mu also missed her granddaughter and asked, "Azhi, have you seen Sister Chen recently?"

"I met him once two days ago." Shen Zhi said gently, and after she finished speaking, something in her eyes seemed to change dramatically.

"Your Highness Prince Chen is also thoughtful about Sister Chen." Lady Mu Guogong smiled with emotion, her smile was kind and gratified, "Did you know that Prince Chen plans to establish a queen on the day of his ascension to the throne? You don't have to worry about Sister Chen."

"..." Shen Zhi was stunned, and was also surprised that Gu Jue was willing to do this for his daughter.

Lady Mu patted Shen Zhi's hand and said, "It's worth it that Sister Chen has been with him wholeheartedly until now."

Maybe some people would think that Shen Qianchen is lucky and that her position as queen fell from the sky, but Lady Mu, the Duke of Mu, knows how difficult it is for her granddaughter.

Shen Zhi nodded with a smile.

No matter what, her daughter Shen Qianchen's life will get better and better, not because of her son-in-law's love, but because of herself. Her daughter has a very tough and strong soul, unlike Chu Qianhuang...

The figure of Chu Qianhuang appeared in Shen Zhi's mind, and she clenched her fists in her sleeves.

She couldn't help but want to meet Chu Qianhuang.

She had been hesitating for a long time. Ever since Shen Qianchen came to see her, she had been hesitating and struggling, not knowing whether she should go to see Chu Qianhuang.

Shen Zhi's eyes gradually became darker, like an ancient well with no bottom.

If this matter were to be made public, it would be unbelievable and no one knew how many people would say it was supernatural. However, because it was Shen Qianchen who said it, Shen Zhi believed it.

No wonder she always felt that Chu Qianhuang had changed a lot without her noticing. However, she only thought that Chu Qianhuang had accidentally learned about her life experience, which was why she gradually changed. That was why she made mistakes again and again and refused to change despite repeated admonitions... This made her feel that this daughter whom she had raised with her own hands was so unfamiliar.

Now thinking back on what Chu Qianhuang had done over the past year, everything seemed to have an explanation and an answer.

It turns out that Chu Qianhuang is no longer "her Sister Huang"!

Shen Zhi sat there quietly, her body unconsciously slightly tense.

Although Shen Zhi didn't say anything, Lady Mu immediately sensed that something was wrong with her daughter's expression, and asked with concern, "Azhi, are you okay?"

Shen Zhi came back to her senses and smiled nonchalantly: "Mother, it's nothing."

Lady Mu Guogong thought she was just thinking about Pei Linye's marriage proposal, so she didn't ask any more questions. She drank a sip of tea, and her thoughts turned to the ceremony of establishing the queen. After thinking for a while, she tactfully reminded her daughter a few words:

"People forget the pain after the wound has healed. When the late emperor passed away a few days ago, everyone was in a state of panic and behaved in a low voice. Now that it has been confirmed that Prince Chen will ascend the throne, those people are getting excited."

"Several families are now eyeing the positions in the palace. They have selected several girls from their own families and are waiting to send them to the palace after the Prince ascends the throne."

Lady Mu, the Duke of Mu, raised the corner of her lip in a mocking tone. Part of her purpose in bringing this up with her daughter was because she was afraid that someone would want to follow Shen Zhi's path, and she wanted to give her a heads up.

Shen Zhi: “…”

Lady Mu Guogong sighed with emotion: "Fortunately Chu Lingxiao is still alive."

Although the Chu family did not make any special announcement to the outside world, most people in the capital knew that Chu Lingxiao had suffered a stroke. After all, he was the biological father of the future queen, and many people were watching the Chu family's movements, wanting to see what Prince Chen's attitude was towards the princess's family.

Seeing that neither the Prince of Chen nor the Princess had come to visit Chu Lingxiao after he had suffered a stroke, most people knew what was going on. Some people who were worried came to the Lady of Duke Mu to test the waters, and that was how the Lady of Duke Mu learned about it.

Whenever she thought of Chu Lingxiao, Lady Mu felt as if she had stepped on dog shit. What Chu Lingxiao had done was truly too despicable and had no moral standards.

Alas, it is really unlucky for the Shen family to be involved with the Chu family.

Fortunately, Chu Lingxiao had a stroke, otherwise his daughter would remarry Pei Linye. Given Chu Lingxiao's narrow-mindedness, he would probably cause more unpleasant things.

The Shen family is certainly not afraid of Chu Lingxiao. What Lady Mu, Duke of Mu, is worried about is that her eldest daughter will become the subject of gossip among others. After all, a woman's reputation cannot withstand criticism.

After calming down over the past two days, she was just glad that Chu Lingxiao was still alive.

Thinking of this, Lady Mu murmured unhappily, "And that Jiang Shi must be well too, at least live a few more years!"

Madam Mu clasped her hands together and prayed for the blessing of the Bodhisattva, hoping that the mother and son of the Chu family would live longer. Otherwise, a married woman would have to mourn for her father for one year, and mourn for her grandmother for another year. That would be troublesome, wouldn't it delay her granddaughter? ! Shen Zhi was also unhappy because she heard Chu Lingxiao's name, but when she saw her mother clasping her hands together and praying for the blessing of the Bodhisattva, she couldn't help but smile, and comforted her in return: "Mom, you worry too much."

"The King of Chen is very clear about his gratitude and resentment, and he has deep feelings. Sister Chen has been with the King of Chen through the difficult times, so how could the King of Chen change his mind?!"

Shen Zhi had seen how Gu Jue and Shen Qianchen got along, and she thought she had some vision. There was no room for others to interfere between this young couple.

Shen Zhi couldn't help but smile, her eyes sparkling, and the gloom that had just risen because of Chu Qianhuang was swept away.

The wife of Duke Mu was not as optimistic as Shen Zhi.

She didn't want to pour a bucket of cold water on her daughter, but she felt that she had to say it. If she didn't say it, who else would say it?

"Azhi, listen to me. Even if His Royal Highness Prince Chen doesn't change his mind and remains loyal to Sister Chen, there is no king who only has a queen in his harem."

"Even if the Prince of Chen doesn't choose a concubine this time, what about three years later, six years later... or even twenty years later?"

"They are young couples with deep affection and have shared hardships together. Naturally, their feelings are deep, but these feelings will change with the passage of time. What will happen when they are old?"

"For Sister Chen, children are the ones she trusts more."

"Alas! Sister Chen is still too young. She won't be able to reach marriage age until August."

Lady Mu, Duke of Mu, felt that Shen Qianchen should give birth to a prince as soon as possible.

No matter how deep the relationship between husband and wife is, the most the emperor would be willing to do is to let the empress give birth to the eldest son first, which is already a great honor.

Lady Mu, the Duke's wife, had to worry and think more.

Everyone else thought that the Shen family had been blessed and could move up a level because of Shen Qianchen, but as a grandmother, Lady Mu Guogong couldn't help but think: It would be better if Gu Nanjin ascended the throne. It would be much more satisfying for her granddaughter to be the Princess of Chen than the Queen! Of course, she could only think about these things. At this point, it was futile to talk about these assumptions.

All they can do is help their granddaughter to pay more attention, remind her when necessary, and take action when necessary.

Just as the wife of Duke Mu said, other mansions in the capital are already ready to make a move, and many people are already trying to sound out Prince Li and the ministers.

The Princess of Chen is not even fifteen years old, she is too young, and the Prince of Chen has no children. As long as the concubine gives birth to a son first, no matter how deep the love between the Princess of Chen and the Prince of Chen is, there is no guarantee that they will love each other forever.

For them, this is the best opportunity. If their daughter is the first to become pregnant after entering the palace, she can show her face in front of the new emperor.

After being turned down by Prince Li and his men, some people boldly went to ask for an audience with the Queen Mother Yin, thinking that the Queen Mother must be the one who wanted to have a grandchild the most. So, for several days in a row, some people went to Shouning Palace to hand in signs asking to see the Queen Mother.

Just then, another sign was delivered to the study room of Shouning Palace by the eunuch: "Empress Dowager, the wife of Marquis of Anding just handed over a sign and wanted to pay her respects to you."

Queen Mother Yin was busy and had no intention of meeting irrelevant people, so she simply waved her hand to refuse without even bothering to say a word.

The eunuchs were not surprised. Outsiders only thought that the reason why Empress Dowager Yin stayed in Shouning Palace and seldom went out in these years was because of the late Emperor Gu Lang and Queen Song. In fact, this was only half the reason. Empress Dowager Yin always liked quietness and was simply impatient to see outsiders. Even among the royal family, except for the Princess of Li and the Princess of Shun, few others could win the favor of the Empress Dowager.

However, Queen Mother Yin obviously liked Princess Chen very much. She liked her so much that she even personally taught Princess Chen how to manage palace affairs these days, which shocked many people so much that their eyes almost dropped to the ground.

"Qianchen," Queen Mother Yin touched the little girl's head lovingly and asked, "What are your plans for Gu Lang's concubines? Do you plan to keep them in Huifu Garden forever?"

"Mother, I thought of letting all the princes and princesses set up their own homes. They can take their biological mothers away to take care of them. If Gu Nanjin is willing, they can also take the queen away to take care of her." Shen Qianchen said frankly.

The eunuch also heard these words, and was so shocked that his right hand, which was lifting the door curtain, paused in mid-air for a moment.

Even Queen Mother Yin couldn't hide the surprise on her face. She was stunned for a moment before asking, "Is this Ajue's idea?"

Shen Qianchen smiled and shook his head, revealing a pair of sweet dimples: "I thought of it myself."

She could roughly guess what Queen Mother Yin was thinking. When Gu Lang ascended the throne, the first thing he did was to place Queen Mother Yin under house arrest in the palace as a hostage to contain Gu Jue who was in the north.

At the beginning, Gu Lang could do this. Today, the situation has changed, and Queen Mother Yin and Gu Jue can certainly follow suit.

However, Shen Qianchen felt that it was unnecessary.

Gu Jue is as elegant as the gentle breeze and as bright as the bright moon. There are many things he is disdainful to do, and he doesn't need to do them.

Shen Qianchen looked into Queen Mother Yin's wise eyes and said confidently: "As the saying goes, grab the knife by the handle, and control the man by the handle. But the prince said that the first half of the sentence is right, but the second half is wrong."

"If you rely on 'handles' to govern the country and control people, that is inferior and unorthodox. Moreover, if the emperor does this, his subjects will only follow suit, and the upper class will follow the lower class, which will eventually lead to the decline of the country and the end of the world."

"So I thought I could kill two birds with one stone and save some money."

Shen Qianchen smiled very happily, very shrewdly, and complacently.

She has been busy looking at the account books these days. She would not have known how much it cost to support these concubines in the palace until she did the calculations. The concubines had their own shares according to their ranks, but if these concubines and their children moved out of the palace, they would only be given the salary of a "concubine dowager" every year, which would save a lot of money compared to supporting them directly.

"Be frugal." She added three more words seriously, which made Queen Mother Yin laugh. She looked radiant and looked several years younger.

When the eunuch walked out of the study, he saw Gu Jue standing outside the door curtain and was startled. Fortunately, he had seen a lot of things in the palace and managed to stay calm. He was tactful enough not to say anything, but just silently gave way to Gu Jue and bowed to him.

Gu Jue also heard the conversation between Queen Mother Yin and Shen Qianchen, with a smile on his face.

He opened the curtain and walked in, looking at the two most important women in his life with gentle eyes.

"Mother, Qianchen."

The last ending sound of the word "chen" carries a charming and soaring sound.

Shen Qianchen's heart trembled, and she accidentally scalded her hand with the teacup at hand. The scalding hot tea penetrated the thin porcelain cup and burned her fingertips.

Queen Mother Yin knew that her son was here to pick up his daughter-in-law, so she smiled and sent them away, saying, "I'm tired, you two can go back."

She was even more aware that Gu Jue had been too busy recently, and the young couple spent too little time together on weekdays, even less time than she spent with her daughter-in-law.

Gu Jue and Queen Mother Yin looked at each other with a smile and said, "We will come to pay our respects to Mother tomorrow morning."

Gu Jue took his little girl away, leaving behind a table full of account books. At this moment, no one remembered that these account books were brought by Shen Qianchen.

Outside Shouning Palace, the sky was clear and blue. In the sunshine, a few lively birds were pecking their feathers, jumping on the branches, or flying around. The surroundings were quiet and there was no human in sight.

Ever since Shen Qianchen eliminated the first batch of palace maids, the palace has become more spacious and quieter.

Shen Qianchen was very satisfied with this.

With fewer people, there will not only be less intrigue, but it will also save money and reduce noise, killing three birds with one stone.

The two of them walked forward slowly, hand in hand. The sunlight cast two shadows on the ground, one tall and one short. They snuggled up to each other tightly, very close to each other.

There is a feeling of quiet time and peaceful years.

The two of them strolled leisurely for a while, and Shen Qianchen suddenly asked: "Jiuxia, today my mother said that she wants to preside over my coming-of-age ceremony. Is that okay with you?"

Gu Jue: “…”

Gu Jue had originally tacitly agreed that Queen Mother Yin would preside over the coming-of-age ceremony for Shen Qianchen. After all, she was already married, and it was natural for the elders from her husband's family to preside over the ceremony.

Shen Qianchen blinked, trying to suppress and hide his somewhat excited mood.

In her previous life, it was Gu Jue who presided over the coming-of-age ceremony for her. In fact, it was not a formal coming-of-age ceremony, but just a very simple ceremony that declared her an adult.

The Book of Rites says: A man is given a given name at the age of 20, and a woman is given a given name at the age of 15.

A girl can take a name when she turns fifteen. It was Gu Jue who gave her the name in her previous life, and at the same time created another "her".

Shen Qianchen raised his head to look at Gu Jue's profile, his eyes filled with anticipation and a hint of uneasiness.

He should still remember that he promised himself to give her a name!

What kind of name would he give her in this life? The expectation in Shen Qianchen's eyes was so strong that it was about to overflow.

Gu Jue smiled slightly, and used his other free hand to scratch her nose affectionately, saying, "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten the gift for you."

Shen Qianchen: "..."

Shen Qianchen wrinkled her small nose. Why did she feel like she was being treated like a child asking for candy?

She paused slightly, and when she stopped, he stopped too.

She looked at him straight. The Gu Jue in front of her was still the same Gu Jue, but he was also different from the Gu Jue in his previous life who was secretly injured and in critical condition.

Yes, not only Gu Jue is different, she is different too.

Last year she asked him to give her a nickname because of her past life; but now, she wanted him to give her a nickname because she wanted him to call her that.

Just like she was the only one who would call him "Jiuxia" in the future, she also wanted to hear him call her by her nickname, the nickname that only he could call her by.

Boom, boom, boom! Shen Qianchen's heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and the next moment he heard him smile and say, "Hold tight."

Before she could react, she felt herself being lifted up by him, and she lay on his broad back. She subconsciously hugged his neck.

He continued walking forward with her on his back, his steps steady.

Amber, Jiang Yuan and the palace maids in the back were all following from a distance and saw this scene. The palace maids were stunned with astonishment.

Princess Chen acted like a spoiled child and refused to leave, so Prince Chen carried her away on his back.

This, this, this... The Prince of Chen dotes on Princess Chen too much!

Shen Qianchen didn't react at first and was a little embarrassed, but now that he realized the situation, he lay on his back calmly.

The two of them pressed closely together, Shen Qianchen smelled the familiar scent on him, and rested his chin on his shoulder.

It was the first time she saw the curve of his chin and neck from this angle. His Adam's apple was slightly protruding, his lines were graceful, and his skin was as smooth as jade.

Shen Qianchen had an inexplicable urge to bite his Adam's apple...

The thought made her laugh so hard that she smiled secretly on his back and rubbed her cheek against his hair.

"Don't move."

He squeezed out two words, his voice slightly hoarse, and while speaking, he patted her thigh lightly and pushed her up again.

Shen Qianchen always listened to him, so he immediately stopped moving and just hung on him obediently.

He carried her on his back and walked a little further. Shen Qianchen began to get restless again. He continued to hold his neck with one hand and drew circles on his back with the other hand, reminding him quietly: "Jiu Xia, don't forget..."

"I haven't forgotten." He interrupted her and said clearly, "A girl is given a nickname when she turns 15." After a girl gets married, her husband will give her a nickname.

How could he forget what she said to him! Shen Qianchen's heartbeat quickened again, and he kissed his temples almost devoutly, his voice sounding like it was soaked in honey: "You are so nice!"

Her prince is the best!

(End of this chapter)