Shen Zhi heard the two daughters talking and laughing inside. Even though she didn't hear clearly what they said, the happy and familiar laughter alone was enough to surprise her.

Shen Zhi and Nanny Chen looked at each other in shock.

Nanny Chen didn't know what Chu Qianhuang had been through, so she was very relieved, and she sighed in her heart: It was because of Aunt Jiang that the eldest lady went astray before. After so many ups and downs, she finally came to her senses.

There is no overnight hatred between mother and daughter. Now the eldest daughter has not only reconciled with the lady, but also reconciled with her second aunt, her own sister.

That’s great, it’s really great!

Nanny Chen's eyes were filled with tears. She took out a handkerchief and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, feeling that her wife had finally gotten her happiness after all the suffering she had endured.

Shen Zhi was really happy, her heart was beating fast: Fortunately, her sister Huang is back!

Shen Zhi smiled as she watched the two sisters walk in one after the other, both of them with bright smiles on their faces.

Girls of this age are in the prime of their youth and are in their best years. They don’t need too many fancy jewelry and clothes. A smile is their best decoration.

The elder sister is pretty and the younger sister is delicate, each has her own merits.

"Sister Huang, Sister Chen, come and sit down." Shen Zhi suppressed her excitement and waved to the two sisters as if nothing had happened, with a smile on her face, "Where's Brother Mu? Dongmei just told me that he heard that Sister Chen was coming, so he ran to greet her."

Chu Qianhuang and Shen Qianchen sat on the left and right sides of Shen Zhi respectively. Chu Qianhuang smiled and said, "Mom, I sent Mu Ge'er away."

In the next sentence, Shen Qianchen added: "We have something to ask you."

The two sisters sang in unison and had a perfect understanding.

Chu Qianhuang also winked at Nanny Chen. Nanny Chen realized that what the two sisters wanted to say should not be heard by outsiders, so she quietly retreated.

There were only three of them, mother and daughter, left in the room.

Shen Zhi was confused, thinking that Chu Qianhuang had deliberately sent Shen Yunmu away, and thought they were going to say something related to this kid.

Chu Qianhuang cleared her throat and was still considering her words when she heard Shen Qianchen ask directly, "Mom, do you like Pei Linye?"

Shen Zhi: “…”

Chu Qianhuang: "..."

There was silence around them, and Chu Qianhuang almost choked on her saliva. She thought that even if Shen Qianchen wanted to ask, she would be very tactful, testing and pushing forward step by step. She didn't expect that this girl would be so direct in her words.

Shen Zhi was also stunned, as if a firecracker suddenly exploded next to her ear, and she was unable to react for a moment.

So, Shen Qianchen asked again word for word: "Mom, do you like Pei Linye?"

Shen Zhi: “…”

Shen Zhi pursed her lips slightly, still saying nothing, and clenched the handkerchief even tighter with both hands.

Shen Qianchen continued with a smile: "If you like it, you like it. If you don't like it, you don't like it. It all depends on your mind."

"You married Chu Lingxiao at the beginning because of your parents' order. This time, it's all up to you."

"Life is so short, do we have to wait until we are old and have one foot in the coffin before we regret it?"

As he spoke, Shen Qianchen gently placed one hand on the back of Shen Zhi's hand, stared into her eyes, and said seriously: "If you like her, just marry her. It couldn't be simpler."

Shen Zhi: “…”

Shen Zhi lowered her eyelids to hide the strange color in her eyes, and her eyelashes trembled slightly.

She is already thirty years old and is no longer the innocent and naive girl of her twenties. Of course, she can see clearly what is in her heart.

Pei Linye is her cousin. Although she has no blood relationship with him, because her aunt married into the Pei family, the Shen and Pei families often visit each other during the holidays.

Many years ago, when she was still unmarried, she had a vague crush on the handsome cousin of the Pei family, but she never said it out loud and never crossed the line. Later, when she was fourteen years old, Pei Linye went to the north to join the army and never heard from him again. Later, the Yongding Marquis's mansion came to ask for marriage. She knew that the first Yongding Marquis had saved her father's life, and she didn't want to embarrass her parents, so she agreed to the marriage.

She retreated, and from then on, the seed that had not yet sprouted completely withered.

Thinking of these past events, Shen Zhi's eyes flickered like fleeting lights and her throat tightened slightly.

Of course, she didn't want to stay with Chu Lingxiao forever. Chu Lingxiao was not worthy of her! !

However, she was more worried that she would become a topic of gossip for Shen Qianchen.

She had also heard that when people talked about Shen Qianchen, they would inevitably mention her divorce from Chu Lingxiao and say some sarcastic and sour words.

They say that even if the husband has done something wrong, the wife should not easily ask for a divorce;

They said that a woman should follow her husband, and criticized her for not being respectful enough, saying that like mother, like daughter.

They also said that the empress was the mother of the country and should be a role model for all women in the country, and that it was really inappropriate for the empress's mother to divorce...

What he said was actually saying that Shen Qianchen was not worthy of being the queen.

Shen Zhi believed that since even she knew about these rumors, Gu Jue, as the emperor with many eyes and ears, must have known about them as well.

Because Gu Jue was devoted to protecting his daughter, those gossipers dared not speak nonsense in front of Gu Jue. They could only gossip in secret, which could not shake his daughter's status. But these words were not pleasant to hear after all. If he married again, what would they say about his daughter? !

She could imagine that those rumors would be even more unpleasant and harsh...

Shen Zhi's lips were tightly pursed into a straight line and turned slightly pale.

Shen Qianchen could tell at a glance what Shen Zhi was thinking and felt a little sorry for her.

However, if you think about it from another angle, the fact that Shen Zhi would be concerned about these things actually indicates a certain problem.

If her answer is that she doesn't like it, then there is no need to worry about all these things.

Shen Qianchen saw it, and Chu Qianhuang saw it too. The two sisters exchanged glances silently and understood the meaning in each other's eyes.

Their mother must be attracted to Pei Linye.

That's enough.

Shen Qianchen's eyes rolled around, and she said in a tender voice, "Mom, 'Uncle Pei' is now the commander of the Jinyiwei. If anyone dares to gossip about me in the future, he must support me."

Shen Qianchen changed the way he addressed Pei Linye very quickly. He used to call Pei Linye "cousin", then he called him by his name, and now he calls him Uncle Pei.

Her calling him "Uncle Pei" clearly showed her attitude. Pei Linye was no longer her cousin, but an elder who was discussing marriage with her mother.

Shen Zhi's body trembled slightly, and she finally raised her eyes to look at Shen Qianchen.

She knew that Shen Qianchen's words were actually to comfort herself, but she still took his words to heart.

Because she cared too much about her daughter, she became a little blinded. She had been thinking negatively for some time, thinking that if she remarried, it would do more harm than good to her daughter.

But is it really like this? !

Not really.

Pei Linye is the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. If she marries Pei Linye, the Pei family can become her daughter's family, giving her daughter an extra support and helper.

Otherwise, if something happens in the future, wouldn't Shen Qianchen have to fight alone? !

Shen Zhi's expression was moved, and she called out softly, "Sister Chen..."

Shen Qianchen smiled sweetly and said, "Mom, if you are willing, then marry Uncle Pei."

"If you don't want to, that's no big deal. Just find someone you like and admire."

"You don't have to worry about the three of us."

When Shen Qianchen uttered the last word, Chu Qianhuang also reached out and covered the hands of Shen Zhi and Shen Qianchen.

"Mom, can I also take your surname 'Shen'?" Chu Qianhuang gently leaned her head on Shen Zhi's shoulder and snuggled up to her, just like when she was a child.

She was telling Shen Zhi in this way that if she had been present when Shen Zhi and Chu Lingxiao divorced, she, like Shen Qianchen and Shen Yunmu, would have stood on Shen Zhi's side.

The three siblings will respect Shen Zhi's wishes.

"..." Shen Zhi opened her eyes slightly, tears welling up in her eyes.

Although she brought Chu Qianhuang back from the palace to live in the Shen residence, she never discussed with her whether to change her surname, nor did she ask her whether she wanted to return to the Marquis' Mansion. It must be said that Shen Zhi was somewhat avoiding this issue in her heart.

Chu Qianhuang's attitude at this moment also showed that she wanted to put an end to the incredible things that had happened to her over the past year.

Shen Zhi's eyes felt a little hot and sore.

Her daughter was very brave. The child took the initiative to take the first step after "coming back".

Both of her daughters are very brave!

"I'll think about it carefully." Shen Zhi finally nodded, her voice a little hoarse with excitement.

She is already so old, but she still has two children who are not even 15 years old to worry about her. She is really going backwards as she gets older.

Shen Qianchen and Chu Qianhuang looked at each other again. To them, it was enough for Shen Zhi to promise to think about it. Too much is as bad as too little, so they stopped trying to persuade her.

At this time, the puppy's baby voice and the boy's cheerful voice came from outside the curtain: "Shuangying, run faster!"

The next moment, the Xiangfei curtain was lifted up by someone, and a man and a dog rushed in.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

A white ball, not even as big as the moon's shadow, was running with its four short legs, as if it had rolled in.

Shen Yunmu saw at a glance that the mother, daughter and three of them were holding hands like a pyramid. Not wanting to be left behind, he shouted excitedly, "And me too!"

"Woof!"

The arrival of the man and the dog made the house suddenly lively, and even the light seemed to become brighter.

Shen Yunmu's chubby hand covered the back of Chu Qianhuang's hand and asked curiously, "What are you talking about behind my back?"

He glanced at the three of them with a burning gaze, convinced that they must be telling some secret behind his back.

Shen Zhi cleared her throat and was about to get away with it when she heard Shen Qianchen speak before her: "I was talking to mother and elder sister about the autumn hunt next month."

Autumn Hunt?! Shen Yunmu's eyes suddenly brightened, and he said excitedly: "I want to go!"

"Mom, please take elder sister and Mu Ge'er with you." Shen Qianchen continued with a smile, "We won't go far this time, we'll just go to Wanlin Garden."

Wanlinyuan is only sixty miles away from the capital. If we leave today, we can arrive tomorrow. It is also convenient to travel back and forth.

Shen Qianchen's eyes were filled with smiles, and he thought to himself that since Pei Linye would definitely accompany him, it was just right.

Shen Yunmu was almost going crazy with joy, and felt that his sister was so good to him.

So he hurried to see Shen Zhi again, pulled her sleeves with both hands, and said coquettishly: "Mom, please agree."

Shen Yunmu felt that his archery skills had improved greatly in the past few months and had long wanted to try his skills.

The puppy he raised was wagging its fluffy white tail and circling around Shen Zhi's skirt, barking several times, as if helping its owner.

Shen Zhi couldn't persuade him, so she smiled and negotiated with him: "Then you have to behave well these days and don't slack off."

The implication was that if he didn't behave well during this period, he would not be allowed to go on the autumn hunt.

"Okay, okay!" Shen Yunmu jumped up, happily picked up the puppy from the ground, held it high up, and circled around, he was so happy that he almost lost his mind.

Everyone was smiling, except Chu Qianhuang, whose eyes flickered with hesitation.

She pursed her lips, seeming to want to say something but stopping herself.

Shen Qianchen saw through her thoughts and changed the subject: "It's better to do it today than to wait for a day, big sister, why don't you just go and change your surname tomorrow."

Last time, when Shen Qianchen and Shen Yunmu changed their surnames, they had to convince the Chu clan leader and negotiate with the Shen clan. It took some time to get it done. Today is different from the past. Now, whether it is changing the surname or changing the family tree of the two families, it is all a matter of Shen Qianchen's words, and no one will say no.

“……” Chu Qianhuang was stunned, and his eyes gradually calmed down.

Yes, she had clearly made up her mind to abandon the surname "Chu", so why was she hesitating? !

Now that we have taken the first step, we should continue to take the second step, the third step...

It is impossible to reverse what has happened. She cannot change what has happened. She can only face it and try to move on step by step...

Just now she was persuading her mother to accept Pei Linye, but when it came to herself, she became timid again.

Mother can start over, and so can she!

Chu Qianhuang held Shen Zhi's hand, smiled and nodded: "Mom, I'll go too." She took the second step.

Shen Zhi's eyes felt sore again, and a surge of emotions surged violently in her heart.

It's not easy for her two daughters.

Shen Qianchen has walked out of the shadow of the past, while Chu Qianhuang is still standing in the "shadow", trying to move towards the sunshine.

Fortunately, Chu Qianhuang is still young and will only be fifteen next month. She still has time and opportunity. Time will always gradually erase people's memories.

"Great!" Shen Yunmu was even happier, cheering and laughing. He ran to pull Chu Qianhuang's sleeve and taught her seriously, "Sister, I told you that hunting is completely different from shooting at targets. The targets won't move, but the prey will run. So we must aim at the prey quickly, fiercely, and accurately, and hit it with one shot."

Once the chatterbox started talking about topics that interested him, he would talk endlessly and even told her about the last time he went hunting with Pei Linye and Gu Jin and his wife.

Shen Zhi originally wanted to keep Shen Qianchen for dinner, but Shen Qianchen promised Gu Jue to go back and have dinner with him, so he returned to the palace before sunset.

Even in late July, the weather is still getting hotter, as if trying to catch the last tail of summer before the Beginning of Autumn.

The capital city was becoming more and more lively. Candidates who would be taking part in the imperial examination next month had arrived in the capital one after another. In addition, military generals from various garrisons also began to arrive in the capital from all directions and went to the Ministry of War to report on their work.

The civil and military officials have always looked down on each other since ancient times.

The candidates disliked the military generals, and the military generals also had prejudices against the candidates. Basically, they would avoid each other when they saw each other.

This also brought about a subtle change in the atmosphere in the capital. The happiest people were probably the people of the capital, who lamented that the capital had not been so lively for a long time.

The generals did not know until they arrived in the capital that the new emperor would hold an autumn hunt at the beginning of the next month, and they could not help but feel eager to try. Joining the emperor in the autumn hunt was the best opportunity for the generals to demonstrate their strength other than on the battlefield. Moreover, most of the generals from the various garrisons were unfamiliar with Gu Jue, and they also wanted to take advantage of the autumn hunt to get acquainted with the new emperor.

In this lively atmosphere, the day for autumn hunting was set on the second day of August.

Gu Jue did not plan to mobilize a large army for this autumn hunt, so the empress dowager and most of the civil officials did not accompany him. He only brought members of the royal family, nobles, military generals and a few important officials, who were protected by the Embroidered Uniform Guards, the Flag Bearer Guards and the Jinwu Guards.

The imperial carriage rested for one night at the inn along the way, and arrived at Wanlinyuan Hunting Palace the next day, on the afternoon of August 3rd.

The White Dew season has arrived, and the weather in the capital is still very hot, but the area around the Wanlinyuan Hunting Ground is very cool. The dense green shade acts as a barrier to isolate the hot sunlight outside the forest.

The weather here is so comfortable that Shen Qianchen couldn't help but sigh and said, "I should have brought Yueying with me."

Cats are most afraid of heat. When the weather gets hot, cats stay still and become lazy every day. They gain a lot of weight in just a few months.

Gu Jue laughed, rubbed her hair and said, "Next summer, I will take you to escape the heat." He had just ascended the throne and had a lot of trivial matters to attend to, so he really couldn't spare the time this summer.

Shen Qianchen smiled obediently and raised a little finger: "Is it settled?"

"It's a deal." Gu Jue hooked her little finger naturally.

"Master Jiu," Jing Feng walked in quickly and said, "The Third Prince and the Second Princess of Nanhao are here to greet you."

"Let them in." Gu Jue said lightly.

Gu Jue and Shen Qianchen sat down on two armchairs by the window. Gu Jue also helped Shen Qianchen to tidy up her hair.

Soon, Jingfeng came in with the siblings Uhalangnan and Saya.

The brother and sister were both wearing white riding clothes at this moment, but Nan Hao's riding clothes were a little different from Da Qi's. They were more slim-fitting, outlining the curves of the human body. The man was tall and slender, while the woman was slim and graceful.

Saya's face was still covered with a veil, and there was a blood-red mole on her forehead, which made people attracted by her beautiful green eyes. Her emerald-like eyes exuded a mysterious and charming aura.

The brother and sister saluted the two together, and Wu Helangnan smiled politely and said, "Your Majesty, the Emperor of Great Qi, the Queen, thank you for your hospitality. My sister and I are truly honored."

Jingfeng at the back curled the corners of his lips in sarcasm, thinking that this brother and sister were really shameless.

The third prince of Nanhao, Wuhelangnan, and the second princess, Saya, were uninvited guests. They sneaked into Da Qi without delivering any documents, which was very rude.

They arrived in the capital in late April, saying that they came specially to congratulate Gu Jue on his ascension to the throne. However, after congratulating him, they never left, and it has been three months now. They said that Emperor Hao Uhaduluo wanted to be on good terms with Da Qi, and that Hao Kingdom wanted to learn from Da Qi's imperial examination system, and that they wanted to stay in the capital for a while longer.

Gu Jue said calmly, "Third Prince Wuhe, you don't have to be polite."

Gu Jue's attitude was extremely cold, but Wu Helangnan still had a dignified smile on his face, without a trace of embarrassment or annoyance.

Wu Helangnan winked at his sister Saya calmly.

They had been in the capital for three months, which was enough time to find out the fact that the new emperor Gu Jue and his queen had gone through the most difficult times together, so the couple had a deep relationship. Gu Jue even refused to take a concubine for the queen's sake.

Moreover, every time they came to see the new emperor, the empress was there, just like today.

Shaye immediately understood what Wuhelangnan meant and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, I heard that you are good at riding and shooting. I also know a little bit. Why don't we go to the hunting ground someday and have some fun together."

When she is not smiling, her beauty makes people feel extremely aggressive. At this moment, when she smiles slightly, her temperament suddenly becomes very friendly and people do not feel disgusted.

Shen Qianchen smiled casually: "There will always be a chance."

She neither agreed nor refused.

The Wuhelangnan brother and sister did not stay long. It seemed that they only came to greet each other. After saying a few words, they left on their own initiative.

Only Shen Qianchen and Gu Jue were left in the room.

Shen Qianchen looked at the swaying door curtain in front of him and couldn't help but ask, "Jiu Xia, what on earth are they here for?"

(End of this chapter)