Chu Qianhuang smiled slightly, and her mind involuntarily recalled what Concubine Chu had told her, and her dreams. Her dark eyes were as deep as the tides of the dark night, and waves after waves hit the beach...
Looking at the thin Chu Qianhuang in front of him, wearing a straw hat and a cloth skirt, Shen Qianchen felt a very strange feeling in his heart.
Chu Qianhuang has not changed. Even though she has been listening to scriptures and copying scriptures here for a month, she is still the same Chu Qianhuang.
She seemed to be living in her own world, following the framework she set for herself and binding herself.
Chu Qianchen moved, walked in slowly, and looked around the room.
This room was extremely simply furnished, with nothing extra except for necessary furniture such as desks, tables, chairs, and cabinets.
On the desk against the east wall, in addition to the four treasures of the study and Buddhist scriptures, there are a few pages of freshly copied Buddhist scriptures, and the scent of ink still lingers in the air.
Seeing Shen Qianchen's eyes fall on the desk, Chu Qianhuang's lips showed a faint smile, but the smile did not reach the bottom of her eyes. She said softly: "I have lived a very comfortable life here during this period of time. I listen to scriptures and copy scriptures every day. It is also thanks to my second sister."
If someone who doesn't know the situation sees this pair of sisters, they might think that they have a deep sisterly love.
Without Chu Qianhuang's invitation, Shen Qianchen sat down at the round table in the middle of the room. On the round table were a ginkgo wood chessboard and two chess boxes.
Shen Qianchen's face was calm and unperturbed. When he was silent, he had an aura as cool as the moon and oblivious to the world around him.
She grabbed a few black pieces from the chess box and put them back casually. When the black pieces fell back into the box, they collided with other pieces, making crisp sounds.
Her eyes were inconspicuously examining the ginkgo wood chessboard and the two chess boxes.
The chessboard and the lid of the chess box were covered with a thin layer of dust. She had someone send them here from the Chu family, but it was obvious that Chu Qianhuang had never touched this chessboard.
Chu Qianhuang used to like playing chess. In his spare time, he would set up the chess pieces on the chessboard or play a game with himself.
Seeing Shen Qianchen silent, Chu Qianhuang couldn't help but ask again: "You came here, you don't want to play chess with me, right?"
Chu Qianhuang has always disliked Shen Qianchen's style of being mysterious.
"Of course not." Shen Qianchen picked up another black piece and placed it on the upper right corner of the chessboard. Then he picked up a white piece from another chess box and placed it on another star position on the chessboard.
She didn't even look at Chu Qianhuang, and said meaningfully, "There are some things you should already know."
Chu Qianhuang was confused and her heartbeat quickened inexplicably.
Boom, boom, boom! "You...what do you mean by this?!" Chu Qianhuang asked doubtfully, taking two steps towards Shen Qianchen and facing her face to face.
"Chu Qianhuang, you don't think that you can hide from me what you and my aunt said in the palace?" Shen Qianchen said slowly as he continued to place pieces on the board, one black piece, then one white piece, without a pause.
It was obvious that she was just setting up a chess game from memory.
“…” Chu Qianhuang’s pupils shrank suddenly, his expression changed uncontrollably, and his brows furrowed.
She took a deep breath, sat down, and asked directly, "What exactly do you want to do?" The words were almost squeezed out from between her teeth.
At this moment, Chu Qianhuang couldn't tell what she felt in her heart: It turned out that Shen Qianchen already knew that they were twins from the same pregnancy, so why did she appear here now? !
Did she want to laugh at herself? Or was she laughing at herself for being so stupid that she was played around by Aunt Jiang? Yes, Shen Qianchen knew that they were both Shen Zhisheng, twins with the same father and mother, but he still locked her up in Baiyun Temple like a prisoner.
How could she have any good intentions towards herself? !
Chu Qianhuang pinched her fingertips habitually, her eyes becoming increasingly darker, as if a tornado was brewing and raging in them.
Her voice was as cold as ice, and she tried to keep her tone steady as she said, "Yes, I am stupid, but you, Chu Qianchen, are not much smarter. You let Jiang Minshan deceive you for so many years, what qualifications do you have to accuse me from a high position!"
"There's no difference between you and me!!"
Shen Qianchen had been deceived by Aunt Jiang for fourteen years. If Shen Zhi hadn't discovered that there was something fishy about their backgrounds, Shen Qianchen would probably still be living in that lie, being used as a pawn by Aunt Jiang! The more Chu Qianhuang thought about it, the more unwilling she felt.
Obviously, she was also Shen Zhi's daughter, but Shen Zhi abandoned her, regardless of the fourteen years of mother-daughter relationship...
Shen Qianchen was still placing the chess pieces, and each piece was placed very steadily. After a short while, the black and white pieces had occupied nearly half of the board.
The "pa, pa, pa" sound of the pieces falling was monotonous and boring, making Chu Qianhuang more and more irritated.
She stared at Shen Qianchen's phoenix eyes and said word by word: "Second sister, don't forget that you and I are twins and have the same blood in our bodies. Do you still want to kill me?!"
Chu Qianhuang knew that Shen Qianchen probably had no intention of killing her. Even if she didn't like her, she could just lock herself up for the rest of her life like she was doing now. That way, no one would question her lack of sisterly affection.
Chu Qianhuang asked this deliberately and spoke so sharply, just to provoke Shen Qianchen and make her lose control.
Shen Qianchen calmly placed another white piece on the chessboard. Then, she finally paused and looked up at Chu Qianhuang, who was less than three feet away from her. She answered the question irrelevantly: "What do you think of this game of chess?"
Chu Qianhuang glanced at the chessboard absentmindedly and said coldly: "The black pieces are timid and weak; the white pieces are steady, but unfortunately they are too soft-hearted."
Just as Chu Qianhuang said, the white pieces clearly had the upper hand in this game of chess. If the white pieces had not been intentionally yielding, the black pieces would have lost long ago.
Shen Qianchen's eyes were deep, and he asked unexpectedly: "I'm very curious, who are you?"
Chu Qianhuang didn't realize at all that this game of chess was the one that Chu Qianhuang and Chu Qianchen played against each other in the summer when they were twelve years old. Chu Qianhuang was the one holding the white pieces at that time, and it was a game of instruction.
Shen Qianchen was reborn a year ago. To her, this game of chess was like two lifetimes apart. It had been so long ago that she had forgotten it. She only remembered this game of chess when she accidentally found a page of chess records she had written in the past in a chess book not long ago.
"..." Chu Qianhuang was caught off guard by Shen Qianchen's question. Her pupils shrank again, and there was a momentary panic on her face that she couldn't hide.
Shen Qianchen sat on the round stool behind the chessboard, his posture elegant yet upright, and continued to question: "Who are you?"
Her tone was still neither light nor heavy, and her eyes were as sharp as a sword, not missing the slightest change in Chu Qianhuang's expression.
Of course Chu Qianhuang couldn't admit it. She suppressed her uncontrollable heartbeat and spoke faster: "I am Chu Qianhuang!"
These five words "strong on the outside but weak on the inside" caused Shen Qianchen to sneer softly.
Having said that, Shen Qianchen didn't want to beat around the bush with Chu Qianhuang anymore, so he said it more bluntly: "Who are you? You are definitely not Chu Qianhuang."
Every word and sentence she said was full of thorns, shocking Chu Qianhuang. There was only one thought left in Chu Qianhuang's mind: How did Shen Qianchen know this? !
"..." Chu Qianhuang's lips turned pale and bloodless.
Shen Qianchen didn't give her time to think, and pressed on: "Tell me, where on earth did you come from?!"
"..." Chu Qianhuang was flustered and completely unable to think calmly.
This was her biggest secret. She had never thought that one day she would be exposed. Moreover, the person who exposed her was Shen Qianchen, and Shen Qianchen's attitude was so firm.
What on earth did she do wrong that led to her being exposed? Chu Qianhuang wanted to remedy the situation, but Shen Qianchen was clearly well prepared, and she had no idea. Even if she was given more time, she might not be able to figure out what went wrong.
Obviously, she has all of Chu Qianhuang's memories, knows all of Chu Qianhuang's habits, and her handwriting is exactly the same as Chu Qianhuang's. How did Shen Qianchen figure that out? ! How will she deal with herself? !
After all, the ancients were most afraid of such supernatural things. They would probably think that they were possessed by evil spirits and even burn themselves to death...
Shen Qianchen glanced at the chess game in front of him again.
Human memory is really interesting. Chu Qianhuang indeed has all the memories about the past, but cannot go into the details. It is like a person watching a play under the stage and knowing the content of the play. However, the details that the audience and the actors on the stage can experience are different after all.
What is fake can never become real.
Shen Qianchen curled the corners of his lips with a half-smile, and then said: "You are not Chu Qianhuang, so how can I let you go because of the so-called sisterhood. Unless you let me see your value."
"I know what you are thinking. You think you have another way out, so you stay here and wait for the opportunity. But you have to know that if I don't let go, you will definitely not have any other way out."
"..." Chu Qianhuang's eyes were uncertain and she was completely speechless.
The words she heard from Shen Qianchen today were like a bolt from the blue, making her tremble with fear.
She thought Shen Qianchen knew enough, but unexpectedly, his next sentence was like another lightning strike that hit her hard: "You can know the future, right?"
"Then, can you know whether you will live or die?"
Shen Qianchen tilted her little face and smiled again, with a bit of nonchalance and a charming smile.
How is it possible? ! How could Shen Qianchen even know this! ! Chu Qianhuang's eyes were almost wide open, and she felt a chill running up her spine from the soles of her feet.
She knew the future, and she also knew that the original owner was married to Shen Zhiyuan in the novel, and was still alive until Wuhejialou unified the Central Plains.
But now everything is different, so what about her future?
Chu Qianhuang stood up suddenly, and in such haste that she accidentally bumped into the chessboard.
As a result, the black and white chess pieces on the chessboard were suddenly in chaos. Dozens of chess pieces were knocked off the board, fell to the ground with a crackling sound, and then rolled away, creating a mess.
The black and white chess pieces rolling on the ground are just like Chu Qianhuang’s mood at the moment.
Shen Qianchen knew from Chu Qianhuang's reaction that his guess was correct again.
At this moment, Jiang Yuan came out of the wing room quickly and stood at the door and said solemnly: "Madam, a group of bandits are coming to Baiyun Temple!"
Because Shen Qianchen was traveling incognito today, Jiang Yuan did not call her Queen, but only Madam.
Shen Qianchen: "..."
Chu Qianhuang: "..."
6◇9◇Book◇Bar
Chu Qianhuang's expression changed again. His first reaction was how could there be bandits under the emperor's feet, but then he thought that after all, Gu Jue had just ascended the throne, and the throne and the country were not yet firmly established! Then, the voices of the Xuanjia Army soldiers saluted from outside: "Greetings, Master Jiu."
Knowing that Gu Jue was coming, Shen Qianchen immediately stood up and said to Jiang Yuan: "Let's go!"
She no longer paid attention to Chu Qianhuang and walked straight out of the room. Only after she walked out of the door did she look back at Chu Qianhuang in the room.
Chu Qianhuang stood there blankly, looking frightened, with flickering in her eyes.
As soon as she met Shen Qianchen's eyes, she looked away guiltily, becoming even more flustered and biting her lower lip slightly.
Regardless of the past grievances between her and Shen Qianchen, Shen Qianchen was right about some things.
She knows the future, so she is a variable. Even if certain things in the future go the way she wants, it is hard to say whether she, the variable, will live or die.
Perhaps, Gu Jue will die within a few months according to his original fate, but can she live to see the day when Gu Jue dies?
Not to mention the bandits outside, if Shen Qianchen decided to burn her to death on the pretext of "being possessed by an evil spirit", she would be alone and weak now, and would not be able to resist at all. She could only let the other party kill her like crushing an ant.
Chu Qianhuang suddenly realized that this was ancient times, an ancient time when human life was worthless, an ancient time when a single word from the authority could cause blood to spill on the spot...
For the first time, she felt so small and incompetent.
Chu Qianhuang opened her cherry lips slightly, her throat felt like it was burning, but she didn't shout out in the end.
Shen Qianchen quickly walked outside the courtyard, and saw a young monk with sweat all over his forehead stopping Gu Jue not far away, and said anxiously: "...Donor, there are bandits outside, and they have surrounded the foot of Baiyun Temple. Those bandits are approaching here step by step, and our temple has closed the gate."
"It is too dangerous to leave the temple now. Please stay in the temple for a while. The soldiers should come to rescue soon."
While the young monk was speaking, other monks and pilgrims walked by in twos and threes. Some monks were explaining the bandits to other pilgrims; some pilgrims were very excited and insisted on leaving through the back door; and some pilgrims asked their guards to go to the main gate to see how many bandits there were and how far they were from Baiyun Temple.
After the young monk finished talking to Gu Jue, he hurried away, running breathlessly while shouting to the pilgrims in front of him who were walking towards the main gate: "Dear donors, please stay..."
Gu Jue seemed to sense Shen Qianchen's arrival. He turned around and gave her a faint smile. His handsome face looked brighter in the sunlight.
He took her hand and comforted her, "It's okay."
Shen Qianchen nodded, held his hand in return, and the two of them walked slowly towards a pavilion in the bamboo forest ahead.
It was a forest of golden jade bamboos, which are the most precious of all bamboos. Their golden poles and emerald green grooves looked like gold bars inlaid with pieces of jade. The bamboo was as its name suggests, like a golden ocean.
As summer approaches, the wind is warm and rustles as it blows through the bamboo forest, adding a sense of coolness and tranquility.
The two walked leisurely on the cobblestone path in the woods.
Shen Qianchen looked at the swaying golden bamboo forest in front of him. His phoenix eyes were reflected by the golden bamboo forest. He smiled and sighed, "Interesting, Chu Qianhuang seems to be very sure that she can escape."
"Even now, Chu Qianhuang still has something to rely on. I'm very curious, what exactly is she relying on..."
Is Chu Qianhuang so confident because of the future she knows? She knows the future, but judging from what she has done, the future she knows is definitely different from the future she knows.
Next, what method should I use to get more words out of Chu Qianhuang? Shen Qianchen thought quietly, the hand holding Gu Jue's palm was a little uneasy, and his fingers rubbed the back of his hand tenderly, again and again...
Suddenly, Shen Qianchen heard Gu Jue's gentle voice enter her ears: "Wuhejialou."
Shen Qianchen: "..."
Shen Qianchen happened to stop outside the pavilion and blinked slowly, and then blinked again.
At first, she didn't react and didn't understand why Gu Jue suddenly mentioned Wuhejia Tower. It took her a beat to realize that Gu Jue was answering her question.
Chu Qianhuang relies on the Wuhejia Tower.
Yes, it must be Uhaja Tower!
This name was like an invisible thread that strung together the scattered beads in Shen Qianchen's heart. In an instant, she was enlightened and figured out a lot of things.
In the past, she was probably in a situation that made her think in a biased way.
Now, after being reminded by Gu Jue, Shen Qianchen remembered that Chu Qianhuang had come to her specially to test the Wuhejia Tower last year. Chu Qianhuang had always cared about the Wuhejia Tower.
Now working back from the conclusion, Shen Qianchen thought about it carefully and realized what was going on.
So that's how it is. Chu Qianhuang's purpose was actually very clear. No matter if she had to be the third princess's study companion, or even if she later became a concubine, she insisted on going to Nanhao with Prince Andaman... Everything she did was for Uhaga Tower!
so--
In the future that Chu Qianhuang knew, a future that was different from what he knew, Wuhejialou was the final winner? ! Wuhejialou unified the north and south of the world? ! Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain why Chu Qianhuang had to keep staring at Wuhejialou.
Shen Qianchen stood there for a long time without moving. Gu Jue simply picked her up and carried her into the pavilion to sit down.
There is also a gourd-shaped pond next to the pavilion. The goldfish in the pond seemed to sense someone coming and swam over, flicking their tails in the water. The water was sparkling, and occasionally a few golden bamboo leaves fell on the water, making the water and the fish look lively.
Shen Qianchen was completely unaware that he was being carried in by Gu Jue. Suddenly, she reached out and tightly grasped Gu Jue's sleeves, and said seriously: "Jiu Xia, you are so smart!"
Gu Jue's advice doubled her 30% gain today.
Shen Qianchen was overjoyed. Without thinking, she leaned over and kissed him on the chin to express her joy.
Shen Qianchen's eyes brightened a little more, sparkling like gems.
Yes, Chu Qianhuang doesn’t care about her current predicament because she is confident that her current predicament can be resolved.
So, Chu Qianhuang felt that he couldn't trap her? Shen Qianchen felt that she needed to eat some candy to make her brain work. Before she could speak, a pine nut candy was stuffed into her mouth, making one side of her cheek bulge.
Shen Qianchen smiled with curved eyebrows and eyes, and his smile was sweeter than his mouth.
The one who knows her well is Gu Jue.
In addition to a bag of pine nut candy, there was also a small bag of butterfly cookies on the stone table in the pavilion.
Gu Jue personally fed Shen Qianchen a piece of butterfly cake, and then casually scattered some crumbs into the pond as fish food. The aroma of the food immediately attracted a group of greedy goldfish.
He did not disturb Shen Qianchen and let her think quietly.
Shen Qianchen turned his head to look at the goldfish in the pond. His mouth felt sweet, but his heart gradually felt a little bitter as he thought about it.
In her previous life, Gu Jue died after her coming-of-age ceremony, which was a hundred days away.
In today's Da Qi, Gu Jue is the stabilizing force. As long as Gu Jue is there, Da Qi will be strong.
Unless... unless Gu Jue is gone, Chu Qianhuang won’t be able to do anything, and the Nan Hao people won’t be able to do anything in Da Qi either.
Therefore, Chu Qianhuang must have known the date of Gu Jue's death, and she was very sure that this would happen! (End of this chapter)