Chu Qianling, who was not far away, had just shot an arrow. She wanted to show Gu Nanzhao how beautiful her shot was and get his approving look, but when she turned around, she happened to see this scene in the pavilion.
Gu Nanzhao didn't pay any attention to Chu Qianling at all. He stared at Chu Qianchen's resolute back, feeling distraught.
Chu Qianling's heart ached even more, as if a knife was cutting her heart.
The Second Prince is devoted to Chu Qianchen, and only has this vixen like her in his heart. After he came to the Marquis' Mansion today, he didn't even look at her.
Chu Qianling tightly grasped the bamboo arrow in her hand.
She knew it very well in her heart that, to put it bluntly, Chu Qianchen was just playing hard to get.
Chu Qianchen ruined her own face just to compete for the position of the Second Prince's concubine. Now she feels that she is ruined and it is impossible for her to compete with her, so she deliberately plays these tricks in front of the Second Prince, hoping that the Second Prince will not get what he wants...
She is so despicable. Just like her mother said, Chu Qianchen learned all these methods of seducing men from her aunt!
"Third sister!" Chu Qianhuang called Chu Qianling and pulled her sleeves.
Chu Qianling finally came to his senses and threw the bamboo arrow in his hand fiercely...
As soon as she threw the bamboo arrow, several people nearby saw what was going on and started talking at once:
“What a pity!”
"Third sister, this arrow missed the target."
“Too hard…”
The bamboo arrow hit the body of the iron kettle heavily, and then there was a "bang" sound, and the iron kettle was knocked to the ground. All the bamboo arrows that were originally inserted in the iron kettle fell out, making a mess on the ground.
All the young masters and young ladies of the Chu family around started laughing.
Chu Yunmu clapped his hands and said confidently: "Third sister, I think you will be at the bottom today! Even if I sit down, I can vote better than you!"
"Hurry, hurry, carry me over!"
Chu Yunmu ordered the maid to carry his chair over, intending to let Chu Qianchen see how powerful he was.
But when he wanted to find Chu Qianchen, he found that she was no longer in the pavilion.
Strange? Where did the people go?
Chu Yunmu looked around for Chu Qianchen.
After Chu Qianchen left the pavilion, she planned to sit somewhere else to avoid being bothered by others, but just as she walked around the rockery, she was stopped by a maid in blue.
"Second Miss," the maid ran out of breath and said incoherently, "Auntie... Auntie's yard is flooded... Please go and take a look."
Fire?! Chu Qianchen raised his eyebrows and looked towards the direction of Qinghui Courtyard.
Qinghui Courtyard was at least half the distance of the mansion away from the garden. From her current position, she could not see anything, let alone hear any movement.
It seems that the fire should not be too big. Chu Qianchen thought while turning around and telling Hubo: "Go and tell the eldest girl that I'm going to see my aunt and go to the theater later. Don't alarm others."
Amber agreed, and Chu Qianchen followed the blue-clothed maid to Aunt Jiang's Qinghui Courtyard.
The two of them rushed to Qinghui Courtyard without stopping. There was a lot of noise inside and outside the courtyard. Some servants gathered in the courtyard, and some maids and old women were shouting that they wanted to fetch water and were in a hurry.
Just as Chu Qianchen had guessed before, the fire in Qinghui Courtyard was not big, with only wisps of white smoke floating from the direction of the inner room.
A round-faced little maid came up hurriedly and said in a frightened tone, "Second Miss, the aunt is still in there and hasn't come out yet." The little maid was so anxious that she was sweating profusely.
Chu Qianchen wet the handkerchief with water brought by a nearby old woman, and quickly followed the little maid into the house. The room was filled with a layer of light white smoke, as if there was fog.
Chu Qianchen covered his mouth and nose with a wet handkerchief and walked towards the inner room in the direction of the smoke.
"Second Miss, Auntie is inside!"
The little maid leading the way pointed to the door curtain embroidered with a pond of white lotus in front.
The little maid walked faster and faster, while Chu Qianchen walked slower and slower, his heart clear.
If she had been somewhat unsure when she was outside the house, she was certain now.
This is a self-torture tactic.
With such a small fire, Aunt Jiang could have easily come out, but why did she insist on hiding in the house? !
Chu Qianchen suddenly felt bored and stopped.
She wanted to leave, but before she turned around, she changed her mind.
The door curtain swayed slightly, and the white lotuses embroidered on the curtain also swayed gently with it, looking quite charming.
Chu Qianchen looked at the door curtain, thought for a moment, and continued walking inside.
The prince said that one cannot escape when encountering problems. Living in the world is like rowing against the current. If one does not move forward, he will move backward.
Only by facing the truth can you remain calm.
To put it bluntly, the essence of escape is nothing but inferiority and cowardice.
The prince's words were always so sharp. In her previous life, she was just as he said, inferior and cowardly, not daring to fight or resist.
Chu Qianchen walked in slowly.
The inner room was filled with white smoke, the vision was blurry, and it was hot.
The sky-blue bed curtains on the bed were burning. Aunt Jiang was sitting by the window on the other side, holding a handkerchief in her hand and timidly wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Her maid Qingyan gently advised her, "Aunt, you'd better get out quickly. It would be bad if the fire spreads over here."
Aunt Jiang said softly, "I won't leave. Madam has confined me to my room, and I can't go against Madam's wishes."
The corners of her eyes were slightly red, and her eyes were full of tenderness and charm, which made me feel pity for her.
When the door curtain was lifted, Aunt Jiang looked at Chu Qianchen and her eyes suddenly lit up.
"Sister Chen!"
"I...I thought you wouldn't care about my life or death."
Her voice was trembling, soft and hoarse, and big crystal tears rolled down the corners of her eyes, like dewdrops rolling on flower petals after the rain, and as bright, soft and beautiful as the bright moon.
"Sister Chen, I know you are close to Madam now."
"Madam is your stepmother. She can decide your future. I...I shouldn't interfere. I should be happy for you."
As she spoke, she choked up slightly and could hardly speak, "But, you are my daughter, the daughter I gave birth to after ten months of pregnancy, I can't bear to leave you... Sister Chen, you haven't come to see me for such a long time..."
"I have nothing left. Aunt Cui is dead..."
Aunt Jiang cried even harder, her body trembling. She looked at Chu Qianchen with tearful eyes, wiping her tears with a handkerchief, and said in a sad voice: "I brought Aunt Cui from the Jiang family. She has been serving me since she was a child. She was devoted to me in the past, and later you and your brother came."
"This time, she will end up like this because of you..." Aunt Jiang's voice was extremely bitter, revealing a deep sorrow.
Qingyan said, "Second Miss, you don't know yet, right?"
"That day, Madam Cui hit her head against a pillar and died. Before she died, she was still thinking about you, Second Young Lady. She did such a foolish thing because she felt sorry for you, Second Young Lady..."
"Originally, this person is dead, and I shouldn't say anything bad about Madam Cui anymore..."
Qingyan also wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.
Chu Qianchen was finally slightly moved when he heard this.
According to Qingyan, before she hit her head against the pillar, Aunt Cui kept saying that everything she did was to speak up for herself?!
Chu Qianchen felt a little touched, but not because of Nanny Cui, but because of his stepmother Shen.
At that time, Nanny Cui still pulled her out, it couldn't be possible that it was for her good.
However, after what Nanny Cui said, her stepmother never asked her any questions about it and treated her the same as before.
A warm feeling flowed through Chu Qianchen's heart.
She never thought that she would be able to experience this feeling of being trusted in the Chu family in this life.
The thirteen-year-old girl in her previous life was indeed blind in both eyes and heart.
Chu Qianchen looked at Aunt Jiang, who was familiar yet unfamiliar to him. She was wearing a light green dress, and her unpainted face was as white as snow, making her look so pitiful.
"Sister Chen!" Aunt Jiang looked up at her, tears filling her eyes again, a few tears on her long eyelashes.
She reached out for Chu Qianchen's sleeve, but Chu Qianchen dodged it by leaning sideways. Aunt Jiang seemed to have been stabbed, and her face turned even paler, "Sister Chen... don't you recognize me as your biological mother?"
"You were born after ten months of pregnancy..."
Tears welled up in Aunt Jiang's eyes again.
In the inner room, most of the bed curtains were already burned, the flames were scorching the room, and the temperature inside the room was rising higher and higher.
The white smoke in the air became thicker, causing Chu Qianchen's eyes to sting slightly.
But Chu Qianchen still didn't blink, staring deeply at Aunt Jiang.
Yes, she is her biological mother, they are related by blood, and should be the closest people...
Thinking back to his past life, Chu Qianchen felt as if he was in another world. It was true that his past life self had never seen through his mother.
After a few moments of silence, Chu Qianchen looked towards the burning bed curtains not far away, and said in a distant and cold voice, "So, Auntie set the fire?"
"..." Aunt Jiang widened her eyes slightly.
Chu Qianchen smiled self-deprecatingly, turned around and said, "Aunt, you should reflect on yourself. I'm leaving first."
"Second Miss!" Qingyan couldn't help but shout out.
Aunt Jiang didn't even notice the handkerchief in her hand slipping from her fingers. She stared at Chu Qianchen's back with eyes as deep as a dark pool.
"Sister Chen!"
Aunt Jiang stood up suddenly and wanted to chase Chu Qianchen.
At this time, the bed curtains of the step-up bed were almost all on fire, and the scorching flames spread around the bed, turning the small room into a furnace.
Suddenly, the copper hook on one side of the bed curtain fell from mid-air, landed on the bedside table, then bounced back violently and hit Aunt Jiang's instep.
The copper tent hook was burned red hot, and when it hit Aunt Jiang's left instep, it felt like an iron burning skin through cloth.
Aunt Jiang cried out in pain. This time, she really felt the pain. It was so burning that her left foot seemed to be on fire. She staggered slightly.
Fortunately, Qingyan was quick to support Aunt Jiang.
Chu Qianchen stopped, turned around to look at Aunt Jiang, clenched his hands unconsciously, but ultimately did not go over.
"Shan'er!" Chu Lingxiao's nervous voice came from outside.
The next moment, the door curtain was roughly lifted from the outside, and Chu Lingxiao, dressed in an indigo brocade robe, walked in anxiously.
His handsome face was full of worry. He didn't even notice that Chu Qianchen was here. The only thing in his eyes was Aunt Jiang.
Seeing Qingyan carefully supporting Aunt Jiang who looked in pain, Chu Lingxiao asked nervously, "Shan'er, what's wrong with you?"
Qingyan quickly answered for her master: "My Lord, my aunt just got her foot burned by the red-hot copper hook..."
These five short words are tactful and affectionate, appearing weak, forbearing, and yet strong.
Chu Lingxiao felt even more distressed, "Shan'er, don't be so stubborn."
As he spoke, he put one hand under Aunt Jiang's arm and the other behind her knees, and easily picked her up.
"Marquis!" Aunt Jiang called out softly, hooked one hand around Chu Lingxiao's neck, and leaned against him softly, her eyes moving.
Chu Lingxiao strode out with Aunt Jiang in his arms. From beginning to end, he didn't see Chu Qianchen at all. He rushed into the house and rushed out of the house.
Looking at the scenes just now, Chu Qianchen finally understood.
I see!
She overestimated herself. In this play, she was not the protagonist at all. She could only be considered a minor role who could sing a few lines.
Chu Qianchen looked at the affectionate couple and suddenly felt that it was really boring.
6◇9◇Book◇Bar
The prince was right. One should not avoid trouble. If she had not taken this trip, how could she have seen it clearly?
Chu Qianchen strode out of the inner room with big strides. Outside the house, the servants were surrounding Chu Lingxiao and Aunt Jiang, and the slaves who came to put out the fire were only now arriving belatedly, carrying buckets of water into the inner room.
Buckets of water were poured onto the burning bed.
“Crash, crash…”
Chu Qianchen put the noisy sounds in Qinghui Courtyard behind him and walked forward aimlessly, sometimes passing through a winding corridor, sometimes bypassing a pond, and sometimes strolling on a winding path.
She didn't know where she could go. The Chu family had never been a place for her, whether in her previous life or now...
"Sister Chen."
She didn't know how long it had been before an elegant and gentle female voice called her.
Chu Qianchen looked in the direction of the sound and found himself in the garden again. In front of him, Shen was sitting in the water pavilion by the lake, leaning on the railing and looking at him with a smile. Only Nanny Chen was beside her.
There was a cup of steaming scented tea on the table behind her, and she looked relaxed and comfortable.
Today is the lady’s birthday party. Chu Qianchen didn’t expect that his stepmother would still be in the mood to take a break from her busy schedule.
The corners of her mouth curled up slightly and she walked over quickly.
"Mother." Chu Qianchen bowed and sat down.
"Why are you here alone?" Shen asked with a smile, "Aren't you playing with everyone else?"
"There's a fire in my aunt's place. I'll go take a look." Chu Qianchen said calmly, with a hint of difficulty in her voice that she herself didn't even notice.
Shen had already heard the servants' report about the fire in Qinghui Courtyard, but she didn't care at all and forgot about it for a while.
"How is your aunt?" Shen asked casually.
Chu Qianchen smiled lightly and said, "Don't worry, mother. It's just the bed curtains in the inner room that are burned. No one is in danger."
Aunt Jiang's feet were only burned by the copper hook on the curtain, and in Chu Qianchen's eyes, it was as if she was not injured.
However, her aunt has always been fond of beauty. If she accidentally leaves a scar on her skin, I wonder if she will regret taking this step...
Shen looked at Chu Qianchen and saw that she had a calm expression from beginning to end, and she didn't seem to be sad because of Aunt Jiang's injury. However, it was her calm expression that made Shen feel inexplicably distressed, as if something was gnawing at her heart.
After a pause, Chu Qianchen added: "Father has just passed away, and Auntie has achieved her goal."
After living a new life, Chu Qianchen once thought that she had let go of everything. As for what kind of person her biological mother, Aunt Jiang, she had slowly figured out after meeting Gu Jue in her previous life.
Therefore, in this life, she never planned to question Aunt Jiang about anything, nor did she plan to get any maternal love and affection from her. She just watched from the sidelines, doing everything according to her heart, doing what she thought she should do, just to have a clear conscience.
However, in this short month, she discovered that what she had seen of Aunt Jiang in her previous life was only one-tenth or twelve percent of her.
Watching his own mother breaking her bottom line again and again, Chu Qianchen felt indescribably depressed.
She had no one to confide in this feeling.
Shen was stunned for a moment. Although Chu Qianchen did not say it explicitly, her implication was obvious. She was telling her that Aunt Jiang was playing a trick on her and that today's fire was caused by Aunt Jiang herself.
Shen had some suspicions to begin with, but she was too lazy to care about them. Chu Qianchen's words confirmed her guess.
To be honest, she was not surprised that Chu Qianchen could see what Aunt Jiang was thinking, as this child had always been smart and clever. However, she did not expect Chu Qianchen to tell her without reservation.
So, this child should trust himself.
Thinking of this, Shen felt warm in her heart.
Nanny Chen was pouring tea for Chu Qianchen. Upon hearing this, she paused for a moment and then continued as if nothing had happened.
"Second Miss, have some tea!" Nanny Chen personally served Chu Qianchen a cup of rose tea, and looked at her with a more complicated look. The second lady was indeed a sensible person, but she had to deal with such a mother!
Shen was about to say something but stopped herself, and her eyes softened as she looked at Chu Qianchen.
Chu Qianchen's expression remained calm and nonchalant, as if he was talking about an insignificant person.
However, Shen knew how much Chu Qianchen had relied on Aunt Jiang, and Aunt Jiang's actions had repeatedly made her feel cold and pushed her away.
Shen couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. Every child would have a natural admiration for their own mother. How sad this girl must be to say these words so calmly.
She is only thirteen years old!
Shen suddenly stood up and sat next to Chu Qianchen.
Chu Qianchen was stunned for a moment, then looked up, and the next moment, Shen gently held her in her arms.
Chu Qianchen's shoulders stiffened and he looked a little uncomfortable.
In her two lives, no one had ever been so close to her...
Shen patted her shoulders gently, again and again. Chu Qianchen could feel her warm body temperature coming through several layers of fabric, and smelled a fresh orchid-like fragrance from her body.
Unconsciously, Chu Qianchen relaxed, his brows relaxed.
This feeling seems to be good too.
"Mother," Chu Qianchen lowered his eyes, looking as gentle as a lamb, and murmured, "Tell me, in this world, are there mothers who don't like their own children..."
Shen's heart skipped a beat, and her own voice rang in her ears, seemingly close yet far away: "Awan, do you think there would be a mother who doesn't like her own child?"
She had asked the same question not long ago.
Looking at Chu Qianchen nestled in her arms, for some reason, Shen felt a feeling in her heart that she couldn't even explain.
"dust……"
She was about to speak again when she was interrupted by a female voice from afar: "Mother!"
Chu Qianhuang walked quickly from the southeast, her breathing a little hurried, with a bright smile on her face.
"Mother, second sister, you are here!"
She glanced at Chu Qianchen who was snuggling with Shen without leaving a trace, and a dark light flashed in her eyes.
Chu Qianchen raised her head from Shen's arms. She felt a little shy and reluctant.
"Mom, you're so nice to my second sister, I'm a little jealous." Chu Qianhuang sat down on the other side of Shen, took her arm affectionately, and pouted coquettishly.
Shen couldn't help laughing at her daughter's amusement. She stroked her temples and said with a smile, "Mother treats you very well, too."
Chu Qianhuang nodded vigorously, a little shyly, and changed the subject: "Mother, second sister, the feast is about to start, I came here specially to call you over."
"Then let's go." Shen stood up and stroked her dress gracefully.
Chu Qianchen and Chu Qianhuang followed Shen to the theater first, asked for permission from the lady dowager, and then asked everyone to move to the banquet hall for today's banquet.
In addition to the Second Prince Gu Nanzhao, today's guests also included several married ladies from the Marquis's Mansion and their husbands and children. The hall was packed and bustling.
It was Chu Lingxiao who arrived a step late and changed into a brand new lake blue robe. Everyone thought he was going to change clothes and no one paid any attention to it, including the lady.
She was the birthday girl today, and neither Shen, Chu Lingxiao, nor the servants in the Marquis' Mansion had tacitly agreed not to tell the lady about the fire in Qinghui Courtyard.
At noon, the banquet started on time. All kinds of delicacies from land and sea, chicken, duck, fish, meat, fruits and vegetables were presented by the maids one by one. It was a dazzling array of food with good color, aroma and taste.
Not only that, Shen also arranged for musicians to play the piano and pipa in a pavilion outside.
The guests ate and drank, talked and laughed, and occasionally enjoyed tea and music. They were all quite comfortable and full of praise.
The birthday banquet did not end until after mid-afternoon.
After the banquet, Shen took Chu Qianhuang and Chu Qianchen to see the guests off.
"Sister-in-law, we'll leave first and come visit you another day." A beautiful woman in her twenties smiled and said goodbye to Shen. She couldn't help but glanced at Chu Qianchen, and then said to another young woman in green in her twenties, "Fifth sister, since we're on the way, I'll just give you a ride."
"Third sister, I won't be polite with you then." The young woman in blue, Chu Wuniang, readily got on Chu Sanniang's carriage.
After getting on the carriage, Chu Wuniang couldn't help but lift the carriage curtain, looked at Chu Qianchen for a second longer, and whispered in a voice that only the sisters could hear: "Third sister, do you think that the eldest sister-in-law treated Sister Chen differently today?"
The two sisters exchanged a knowing look.
Chu Sanniang nodded and said, "Yes, I just saw that she is no different from Sister Huang."
Chu Wuniang paused for a moment and lowered her voice a little: "I heard that the imperial concubine intends to choose a concubine for the second prince from among her nieces. Third sister, do you think it is..."
"It's almost done. My sister-in-law should be teaching her how to entertain guests today. This girl was taught by her aunt to be unpresentable and timid. If she acts like this as the concubine of the second prince, it will be a disgrace to our Chu family!"
“That’s it!”
As the two sisters were talking, they looked through the carriage window at the Second Prince Gu Nanzhao who was walking towards the ceremonial gate.
Gu Nanzhao, surrounded by several young men and women from the Chu family, came to Shen and said politely with a smile, "Aunt, I want to take some cousins out for a walk."
"Mother, it's still early. We want to go for a walk nearby." Chu Qianhuang said with a bright smile.
This was just a small matter, and Shen would certainly not offend Gu Nanzhao. She smiled and nodded, saying, "Your Highness, you young people can go and have fun."
"Sister Huang, don't play too much. Remember to come back before curfew." Shen gave her daughter an extra reminder.
Chu Qianhuang agreed with a smile, with the bright and cheerful expression of a little girl.
Chu Qianling was also there, her face still covered with a veil, and she looked happy. Her right hand subconsciously touched her left hand wrapped in gauze.
Her cousin treated her very well and was willing to take her to see a doctor.
only……
Chu Qianling raised her head and looked at Chu Qianchen on Shen's right, her eyes becoming even darker.
Gu Nanzhao smiled slightly, her smile as gentle as spring breeze, "Don't worry, aunt, I will send my cousins back safely..." As he spoke, Gu Nanzhao looked at Chu Qianchen with hope, wanting to call her to go along.
Chu Qianchen noticed his gaze and retreated directly behind Shen.
She had no intention towards him, so naturally she would not give him any chance to misunderstand.
(End of this chapter)