After this explanation, Shen still felt a little uncomfortable.

She shook her head secretly: Oh, Sister Huang is too rough in doing things.

"Azhi," the lady said solemnly, turning to Shen, "Madame Jiang has already been punished, and Madam Cui is dead, so let's leave it at that. What do you think?"

She used a questioning sentence, but her attitude was clear. The Chu family's reputation could not be tarnished because of a lowly maid like Madam Cui, and her son's job could not be affected.

She is the lady of the mansion, so her words naturally carry some weight.

However, Shen shook her head and said calmly: "Mother, without rules, there will be no order, and the same applies to family rules."

Shen was never the kind of person who would try to be competitive. She was fine with other things, but in this matter, her attitude was very firm.

What a joke, she was thinking about how to have another fight with Chu Lingxiao so that he wouldn't bother her anymore.

Reconciliation? How is that possible!

Shen sneered in her heart, but remained calm on her face, and continued: "If we change our orders every day, in the eyes of the emperor, he will only think that our Chu family has no rules and is not well-behaved."

Madam: “…”

The lady felt like she had something stuck in her throat. She never expected that Shen would actually reject her.

However, it was impossible for her to put aside her status as a mother-in-law and "beg" Shen for the sake of a concubine.

The lady looked at Chu Qianchen who was sitting beside her. She saw Chu Qianchen sitting elegantly with his hands on his knees, his back straight, and a calm and contented temperament.

A trace of disgust flashed across the lady's eyes. She felt that Chu Qianchen was too dull. At this moment, as a daughter, shouldn't she ask Shen to spare her mother? !

If Shen disagreed, she would cry again, or kneel down. What was the point of just sitting there motionless?

Although Aunt Jiang was only a concubine, she was also Chu Qianchen's biological mother. As Chu Qianchen grew older, in order to please his stepmother and get a good marriage, did he even ignore his own biological mother? !

Useless stuff!!

"Sister Chen," the more the old lady looked at Chu Qianchen, the more she felt that this granddaughter's son was not likable, and she scolded her harshly, "Just now your elder sister asked if Aunt Jiang was okay, why didn't you reply?"

"Are you unable to answer, or are you deliberately trying to embarrass your elder sister?!"

The lady's words were obviously a vent of her anger, but Chu Qianchen didn't even raise an eyebrow.

She looked at the lady with a calm expression. Just as she was about to speak, Shen said first, "Mother, Aunt Jiang has been confined."

What she meant was that she wouldn't let Chu Qianchen meet Aunt Jiang.

The lady's face froze again.

In just a cup of tea, she was humiliated by Shen one after another, and her face looked very bad.

The atmosphere in the room also became solemn and depressing.

"Madam, the second lady is here."

At this moment, the report from outside broke the cold atmosphere.

Soon, people from the second, third and fourth rooms arrived one after another.

No matter who you are, as soon as you step into Rongfu Hall, you will feel that the atmosphere is a bit stiff.

The Madam's face was stiff and unhappy. A concubine from the second house was a little slow in performing the ceremony, and was scolded by the Madam. The little girl was so scared that she knelt down quickly, tears streaming down her face.

At this moment, no one dared to speak casually, and the atmosphere was so oppressive that it made people feel suffocated.

Not long after, the lady sent them all away, and many people felt relieved.

After coming out of Rongfu Hall, Chu Qianhuang said to Chu Qianchen with an apologetic look on her face: "Second sister, it's my fault. I didn't expect grandma to vent her anger on you. I didn't think it through enough."

"Sister Huang," Shen looked serious, and her eyes were rarely sharp when she looked at her daughter. She said with a straight face, "You are more than just not thoughtful enough."

"Go back and think about what you did wrong. Don't leave your yard until you figure it out."

"Mother..." A dark light flashed across Chu Qianhuang's eyes, and the hand hidden in the sleeve clenched inadvertently.

They were still at the entrance of Rongfu Hall's courtyard.

At this moment, behind her was not only Chu Qianchen, but also her half-sisters Chu Qianwu and Chu Qianying. As the eldest daughter, it was the first time that she was scolded by her mother in front of her younger sisters.

She even saw the girls from the second and third rooms, who had not walked far, turned around and looked at her.

Chu Qianhuang felt her face burning.

"If you can't figure it out, then don't come out on your grandmother's birthday." Shen said calmly.

In her opinion, her daughter had not experienced much since childhood, so she had a lot of problems in her interpersonal relationships. It was not obvious when nothing happened before, but when something happened, she became impatient and did things without any rules, just doing whatever she wanted.

This can't go on like this.

With Chu Qianhuang's status, she would at least marry into a noble family as a principal wife in the future. If she continues like this, she will suffer in the future.

Chu Qianhuang held the handkerchief tightly in her bare hands and replied in a low voice: "Yes, mother."

A faint blush appeared on her cheeks, as white as fresh snow, and she blushed with embarrassment.

The thirteen-year-old girl is in the prime of her youth, with jet-black hair and several red ribbons hanging in front of her. When the wind blows, the ribbons flutter and intertwine with the flying willow branches.

The girl has a graceful figure, like a willow swaying in the wind.

Shen felt pity for her daughter when she looked at her, but in the end she hardened her heart and did not comfort her.

It’s okay to make mistakes, my daughter must learn to reflect on herself.

Shen casually dismissed the others, and Chu Qianhuang also returned to her own Yuelu Courtyard.

The light in her room was on all night long, and she went to Shen's house early the next morning without having breakfast.

"Mom, I was wrong." Chu Qianhuang sat beside Shen and spoke in a low voice.

"I learned the emperor's words from Aunt Imperial Concubine, and I should come back and tell you and Grandmother. I shouldn't act on my own."

"You have your own ideas and considerations. I am still young and have not experienced much. It is inevitable that my vision is not broad enough and I have limitations. If I am not careful, I may end up making things worse and doing bad things with good intentions."

Her hands were rubbing a gauze handkerchief embroidered with a red lotus, and her whole body looked wilted, like a delicate flower that lacked water.

"You!" Shen sighed helplessly.

"I am too self-righteous." Chu Qianhuang's voice became lower and lower. She tugged at the handkerchief in her hand again and again, leaving several twisted cracks on the corner of the handkerchief embroidered with red lotus.

Seeing her daughter's depressed look, Shen softened her heart.

Her daughter has been cheerful and generous since she was young. No matter who sees her, they will praise her. Even Shen rarely sees her daughter like this.

Shen taught her softly, "Do you think your father and I quarreled because of Aunt Jiang?"

Chu Qianhuang blinked her butterfly-like eyelashes, as if to say, isn't it?

Seeing her ignorant look, Shen's heart softened like spring water, and she said with certainty: "No."

Shen thought for a moment, then carefully considered her words and said, "The emperor has only been on the throne for a short time, and he has not yet taken control of the entire court. Our Chu family has been declining since your grandfather passed away."

"The Chu family can't stand another turmoil."

"The situation in the court is very complicated right now, and your aunt is a royal concubine. Our Chu family should be more cautious and should not get involved at this time."

She originally wanted to mention Prince Chen, but speaking of Prince Chen inevitably required talking about a lot of past events starting from the previous emperor, which was too complicated. She was afraid that her daughter might not understand what she said, so she deliberately changed her way of speaking so that her daughter could understand.

Chu Qianhuang listened carefully and nodded obediently: "Mom, I understand."

She thought Shen meant that Gu Nanzhao was the prince and the Chu family had better avoid suspicion.

Her hands were still pulling at the handkerchief unconsciously, and there were more cracks on the handkerchief.

"I will think twice before I act in the future. I will ask mother for advice when I encounter important issues and will never make decisions on my own again." Chu Qianhuang looked directly into Shen's eyes and said seriously.

Shen gently touched her daughter's black hair and fair cheeks, with a loving look on her face, "Did you not sleep well last night? Go back and rest for a while."

"Mom, I'm in high spirits!" Chu Qianhuang said with a smile, her eyes bright again, "I'll go see Brother Mu."

Chu Qianhuang stood up, her long eyelashes covering the faint light in her eyes.

She took the maid to the green gauze cabinet at the back. After a moment, Chu Qianhuang's brisk voice came from the cabinet: "Mu Ge'er, why are you still lying in bed?!"

Shen glanced in the direction of the green gauze cabinet, the corners of her lips curled up, but then she pursed her lips again, her eyes filled with emotion and sigh.

Nanny Chen had served Shen for more than thirty years, and could tell what she was thinking at a glance. She comforted her softly, "Madam, the eldest girl is still young, she hasn't even reached the age of marriage yet, you need to teach her slowly."

Shen picked up the teacup, sipped the tea slowly, and said nothing.

Nanny Chen changed the subject and smiled as she talked to Shen about the Madam's birthday: "Madam, I see that the weather has been good these few days, and the Madam's birthday banquet is also festive. I will ask the servants to hang up all the red lanterns later..."

Just as Nanny Chen said, five days later on April 20th, it was a sunny and nice day.

Chu Qianchen got up early because she was going to pay her respects to the birthday man. She put on a new dress specially prepared for her by Shen, and even her hairstyle was a little more complicated than usual. Amber tied a lily bun for her and put on matching pearl flowers, earrings, necklace and bracelets for her.

A young girl is already at a young age, and she only needs to dress up a little to look bright and charming. Amber feels a sense of accomplishment when she sees this, and thinks that her own girl is too plain on weekdays.

The master and servant left Wanyan Courtyard together and went to the main courtyard first.

Although the lady's birthday was not a full birthday celebration and no guests were invited, only the family members sat together for a meal, but the whole mansion was still very cautious and every corner was carefully decorated. Big red lanterns and colorful banners could be seen everywhere, which complemented the colorful flowers in the garden in April.

Chu Lingxiao and several of his brothers all took special leave. Before 9 o'clock, the masters of the Marquis' Mansion gathered together and arrived at Rongfu Hall one after another. It was a place full of elegant clothes and a bustling atmosphere.

After everyone in each family arrived, they began to kowtow to He according to their seniority and presented the gifts they had prepared, including jewelry, calligraphy, decorations, headbands, shoes and socks, and other women's work...

After Chu Lingxiao and the Shen family presented their gifts, it was the turn of the younger generations, and Chu Qianhuang was the first to present her birthday gift.

"Grandma, these are the shoes your granddaughter made for you."

The old lady had always liked her eldest granddaughter the most, so she was naturally happy. She smiled with her eyes narrowed, and said "good" repeatedly. She took the pair of shoes in her hands and looked at them carefully, praising them from the pattern to the embroidery.

The maids and nannies nearby also joined in the fun and made some jokes, creating a very joyful atmosphere.

After Chu Qianhuang presented the birthday gift, it was Chu Qianchen's turn next.

Chu Qianchen walked slowly to the futon. At this moment, a maid ran over breathlessly and said happily, "Madam, the Second Prince is here!"

Following these words, the atmosphere in the room immediately underwent a subtle change, and everyone became more spirited.

Second Madam Liu immediately smiled and said, "Mother, the Second Prince must have come to celebrate your birthday. He is so filial!"

The Madam was naturally pleased to hear this, and said with a delighted look on her face: "Quick, please invite the Second Prince over!"

Everyone in the main room was looking outside, waiting for the Second Prince to arrive, except Chu Qianchen, who remained calm.

Chu Qianchen wished the birthday in a proper manner and presented a headband.

The lady was still annoyed with Chu Qianchen about what happened the day before. She gave him a faint compliment and casually handed the headband to Nanny Wang.

Chu Qianchen didn't care at all. After all, she just bought the headband from the embroidery workshop. It didn't take her much effort to make it. She just used it to make up the number.

She stood up and stepped aside, and almost the next moment, she saw a tall young man in a lake blue brocade robe walking into the courtyard with a maid.

Gu Nanzhao walked towards this side with big strides, exuding an extraordinary elegance and nobility from his whole body, and his every move was charming and charming.

He came closer and closer, with a gentle smile on his lips and in his eyes.

Chu Qianling stared at Gu Nanzhao with burning eyes. As he approached, her eyes only saw his handsome face. Everything around him seemed to be far away from her.

As soon as Gu Nanzhao entered the room, Chu Lingxiao and the others all stood up to greet him. Just as they were about to salute him, he stopped them and said, "Uncle, I am here today to celebrate my grandmother's birthday, regardless of whether we are the emperor or the minister."

Gu Nanzhao had visited the Marquis' Mansion from time to time since he was a child. Everyone in the Marquis' Mansion was familiar with him, so he didn't feel restrained and didn't act too politely.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

The lady's loving eyes fell on Gu Nanzhao, and she felt that this prince's grandson was really good in every way. She smiled more kindly, "Your Highness, you are really thoughtful."

Gu Nanzhao smiled slightly and bowed to the old lady, "On behalf of my mother, I, your grandson, wish you great happiness and a long life!"

He presented a white jade statue of Guanyin as a birthday gift, and also brought a pair of jade ruyi and a century-old ginseng as birthday gifts prepared by Concubine Chu.

The lady was radiant and looked several years younger.

The maid quickly added a seat and put a throne for Gu Nanzhao next to Chu Lingxiao.

After Gu Nanzhao sat down, the birthday celebration ceremony continued, and next it was Chu Qianling's turn.

Chu Qianling, like the other members of the Chu family, first knelt down and kowtowed to the lady-in-waiting, and then presented her handicrafts.

As she stood up, she couldn't help but look in the direction of Gu Nanzhao, her eyes sparkling behind the veil.

However, Gu Nanzhao did not look at her. He was staring at Chu Qianchen who was sitting next to Chu Qianhuang.

Today, Chu Qianchen was wearing a lotus-colored skirt embroidered with butterflies and orchids. Her slender waist was tied with a lilac silk ribbon, which echoed the lilac silk flowers on her temples. When she turned her head slightly, the layers of petals of the silk flowers trembled slightly, making the girl's jade-like cheeks look even more crystal clear.

Gu Nanzhao's eyes brightened up a bit, as bright as stars. After not seeing him for a month, his sister Chen became even more beautiful!

Chu Qianchen, this vixen! Chu Qianling was furious and angry, and her silver teeth behind the veil almost broke.

Her blood rushed up suddenly, her vision became a little dizzy, and she almost fell back onto the mat. Fortunately, her maid was quick to support her.

Chu Qianling didn't pay any attention to what other people gave her as birthday gifts or said. Gu Nanzhao occupied her mind firmly.

She looked at Gu Nanzhao, and Gu Nanzhao looked at Chu Qianchen.

Half an hour later, all the younger generations of the Chu family presented their birthday gifts to the old lady, and the maid quickly put away the futon.

"Grandma," Chu Qianhuang said with a graceful smile, "My sisters and I have prepared a birthday gift for you."

She clapped her hands twice, and two maids who had been waiting in the corridor came in. Together they unfolded a scroll, which turned out to be a painting of "One Hundred Longevity" with a scent of ink.

Chu Qianhuang added: "Grandma, this painting of "Hundred Longevity" was painted by me and my sisters together."

This "Hundred Longevity Picture" was completed by the young ladies from various rooms in the mansion. Different girls have different penmanship, and the girls did not have to take the imperial examinations, so most of them only had neat and beautiful handwriting.

However, the Hundred Longevity Painting was originally meant to bring joy, and the Madam didn't care about this at all. She was even happier and praised, "Sister Huang, you guys are all filial."

The lady looked carefully at the painting of "Hundred Longevity" in front of her, pointed at a line of words and said, "Sister Huang, these few characters for 'longevity' were written by you, right? Your calligraphy has improved again."

The old lady was quite satisfied and felt that her eldest granddaughter had indeed benefited from entering the palace to be the third princess's companion and studying with the palace tutor for a period of time.

Chu Qianhuang smiled brightly, "Grandma really has a sharp eye."

The implication is that the lady guessed right.

A seven or eight-year-old girl in yellow said in a tender voice: "Grandma, guess which words I wrote!"

"Do we still need to guess?" The third lady pointed at the girl's forehead and said with a disdainful tone, "Those dog-crawling ones were written by you!"

This one sentence made everyone in the room laugh, and the atmosphere became more relaxed and lively.

Chu Yunmu also curiously read the "Hundred Longevity Picture", scratched his face with his fingers in confusion, looked at Chu Qianchen and asked: "Chu... Ahem, Second Sister, didn't you write it?"

Strange, didn’t the elder sister just say that they all wrote it? !

But when he looked at it, he couldn't see a single word that looked like it was written by his second sister...

Before Chu Qianchen could speak, Gu Nanzhao said, "These words were written by Sister Chen."

He pointed at the small regular script and seal script of "Hundred Longevity Picture" with his folding fan. His handsome face was gentle and elegant, and his smile was as gentle as the spring breeze.

Chu Qianchen nodded calmly, with the corners of his lips slightly curved and a distant look on his face.

Chu Qianling stared at Gu Nanzhao intently, feeling as if her heart was being pierced by thousands of needles. How she wished he was smiling at her.

But……

She looked at Chu Qianchen again. The day before yesterday, her elder sister had spoken up for Chu Qianchen in front of her, saying that Chu Qianchen didn’t mean it, saying…

Chu Qianling only felt a dull pain in her left hand wrapped in gauze, and her eyes flickered brightly and dimly.

The others gathered around and commented on the words on the "Hundred Longevity Picture". Only then did the lady ask Nanny Wang to put the "Hundred Longevity Picture" away.

A housekeeper came to ask the lady whether she wanted to go to the theater.

The Marquis's Mansion has a theater. Today, for the Dowager's birthday banquet, they specially invited the famous Hua Family Troupe in the capital to perform.

The old lady stood up with the help of the head maid, and said to her grandchildren with a smile: "I know you monkeys can't sit still and can't bear to watch the show. You can accompany His Royal Highness the Second Prince to play by yourself. Don't be restrained."

"Grandma, let's go to the garden with my cousin and play for a while." Chu Qianhuang said with a smile.

These young people were not very old and were indeed impatient to sit in the theater and watch the show. For them, it would be more interesting to go to the garden and play pitching pots, archery, wooden shooting, chuiwan and so on.

Chu Yunmu was very happy and said quickly: "I want to play pitch pot!"

He grabbed Chu Qianchen's sleeve and said, "Second sister, let's go play pitching pot. I tell you, I'm very good at it, and I never miss a shot..." Chu Yunmu boasted about himself in a exaggerated way.

Chu Qianchen didn't want to go to the garden at first, but thinking that Chu Yunmu had been staying up for a whole month to recuperate from a leg injury, which was not easy for him given his personality, he changed his mind temporarily and thought: I'll just treat it as accompanying Brother Mu to play for a while.

Chu Yunmu's legs had not yet fully recovered, so he was carried to the garden in a sedan chair.

The garden in April is at its most splendid season, with colorful flowers in full bloom and rich fragrance. The warm spring breeze blows towards you with the aroma of flowers, and colorful butterflies and birds flutter and fly among the flowers and treetops.

The maids in charge of the Marquis's mansion knew that the young masters and young ladies were accompanying the Second Prince to play in the garden, so they quickly set up several iron pots and some bamboo arrows for pitching pots on the open space beside the lake.

Everyone started playing the game of pitching pot. People at that time loved it. Most of them, young men and young ladies, had grown up playing it since childhood and each of them had extraordinary skills.

“Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!”

Bamboo arrows were thrown out of their hands and fell into the pot one after another. The crisp sound of falling into the pot came one after another. Of course, there were occasional misses, and the bamboo arrows not only missed, but also fell into the small lake behind.

The clear laughter of young boys and girls floated in the air, filling the lakeside...

Chu Yunmu was like a bird released from a cage, having fun like crazy.

Chu Qianchen just watched them play in the pavilion nearby, as if there was an invisible barrier between him and them, aloof from them.

"Sister Chen." Gu Nanzhao appeared at the entrance of the pavilion and looked at Chu Qianchen with a gentle and affectionate smile.

Chu Qianchen, however, had an indifferent expression and called out indifferently, "Cousin."

Gu Nanzhao felt a little uncomfortable. In the past, every time he came to the Marquis' Mansion, Chu Qianchen always looked at him with a bright and charming smile. But today, she was particularly cold to him.

Gu Nanzhao couldn't help but recall the scenes last month when Chu Qianchen personally begged her aunt to allow her not to become anyone else's concubine, and her heart tightened.

He told himself: No. Sister Chen was just being sullen with Sister Ling, and she said that out of spite.

Gu Nanzhao took a deep breath, calmed himself, and walked over to sit next to Chu Qianchen.

He looked at the Chu family members who were having fun outside the pavilion, and knowing that time was running out, he quickly said, "Sister Chen, you know how I feel about you... I want you to be my concubine."

After a pause, he added anxiously, "I haven't established a palace to marry a principal wife yet, so according to the rules, I can't establish a concubine first. Sister Chen, you go into the palace first, and when the principal wife enters the palace, I will immediately ask for a title for you."

They are cousins ​​and have a deep bond having grown up together. No matter who his wife will be in the future, it will never be able to compare to the bond between them.

Gu Nanzhao stared at Chu Qianchen with burning eyes and reached out to grab Chu Qianchen's hand.

Chu Qianchen stood up suddenly, just avoiding Gu Nanzhao's hand.

She said indifferently: "I don't want to."

"Your Highness, I have no interest in you. I hope you will find another good match."

Chu Qianchen felt that she had made herself clear. She bowed to him distantly, walked around the stone table in the middle of the pavilion from the other side, and went straight out of the pavilion.

"Sister Chen!" Gu Nanzhao also stood up, his heart suddenly shrank and became even tighter.

He had a feeling that Chu Qianchen seemed to be a little further away from him.

What on earth had he done to make Sister Chen unhappy again?

Could it be... because he mentioned the queen?

Gu Nanzhao sighed quietly in his heart. Of course, he also wanted to marry her as his principal wife, but Sister Chen's status was lower after all. She was just a concubine of the Marquis's mansion. His father and mother would never agree to her becoming the second prince's wife.

Chu Qianchen didn't care what Gu Nanzhao thought and just left.

If Gu Nanzhao wanted to take her as a concubine, she had to get the consent of her stepmother, who knew her intentions. With her stepmother around, Chu Qianchen didn't have to worry about her marriage being decided inexplicably.

Besides, she had no interest in marriage at all.

In this life, she only wanted to cure the prince, and then, like in her previous life, follow the prince to fight on the battlefield!

Thinking of Gu Jue, Chu Qianchen's phoenix eyes were so bright that they seemed to be shining, like the scorching sun in the sky.

No more chapters~the number of words will be just the same, muahmuah.

(End of this chapter)