The two of them walked out of the guest house where Qin Yao was temporarily staying and walked leisurely towards the side door.
The two walked side by side. Gu Jue was a head taller than Chu Qianchen, so his steps were naturally longer. He deliberately slowed down to cooperate with her.
The road was quiet and deserted, and I didn't meet anyone. It was unlike the Yongding Marquis Mansion, where I would run into a few servants every few steps.
This huge palace seems to have very few people.
Chu Qianchen was in a very peaceful mood. Walking with him in Prince Chen's Mansion made her feel as if she was returning to her past life.
She pinched herself silently, telling herself for the umpteenth time that all this was true.
At this moment, the birds flying in the air are real, and the scent of the mugwort lingering in my nose is real...
She casually raised her right hand, palm up, and let a big red petal fall into her palm.
The petals of this pomegranate flower are also real.
Chu Qianchen smiled with his lips curved.
Suddenly, Gu Jue beside her stopped and met her smiling eyes.
He lowered his eyes to look into hers and asked, "Miss Chu, have you been unhappy lately?"
Chu Qianchen hadn't slept well for several nights in a row, his days and nights were reversed, there was a dark shadow under his eyes, and he looked a little haggard.
Gu Jue had already seen through it, so he asked her while seeing the guest off.
As for Gu Jue, Chu Qianchen always answered every question without hiding anything.
When he asked, she told him everything about Chu Yunmu's face being injured by a bowstring and that the Shiquan ointment he used was replaced by Chu Lingxiao. She even told him about the fact that she had drugged Chu Lingxiao.
She knew that the prince would not have such foolish filial thoughts, and she was also sure that the prince would agree with her approach, so she looked very calm.
Gu Jue listened quietly.
He had heard Xue Feng talk about Chu Qianchen. In the Yongding Marquis Mansion, Chu Qianchen was very close to her stepmother Shen, whose relationship was much better than her relationship with her biological parents.
Looking at the gentle look in Chu Qianchen's eyes when he mentioned Shen and Chu Yunmu's mother and son, Gu Jue knew that what Xue Fengyan said was true.
Even if Chu Qianchen never mentioned from the beginning to the end that Chu Lingxiao's tampering with the bowstring was aimed at her, Gu Jue could easily deduce it with his intelligence.
Gu Jue's eyes darkened slightly.
It was obvious that Chu Lingxiao and Chu Qianchen's biological mother, Aunt Jiang, not only didn't care about her, but also tried every means to use her, even at the cost of hurting her to achieve her goal.
For ordinary people, this is probably a huge blow.
But Chu Qianchen remained calm, without a trace of sadness on his face, and it was obvious that he had long been accustomed to it.
She was only thirteen years old. How many things had happened to make her so disappointed in her parents?
This girl really makes people feel both distressed and sad.
Gu Jue suddenly raised his hand and reached towards the top of Chu Qianchen's head.
Chu Qianchen thought he was going to rub his head, and his eyes brightened a little.
However, his warm fingers only touched her hair lightly before withdrawing them.
There was a bright red pomegranate petal between those white and slender fingers.
He let go of the petal casually, but Chu Qianchen reached out and took the petal in his palm and held it in his fist.
The prince was just comforting her! Chu Qianchen looked up at Gu Jue and smiled sweetly.
A breeze blew, blowing up the veil on her face and the ribbon on her hair, and her clothes fluttered, highlighting her curved eyebrows and eyes, and she looked very energetic.
Gu Jue sent Chu Qianchen to the side door.
The palace's carriage carrying Chu Qianchen went farther and farther away. Gu Jue looked at the departing green-covered carriage and casually raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
The next moment, Xue Fengyan appeared out of nowhere and descended lightly from the top of the high wall. He seemed to have guessed that Gu Jue had something to ask him.
"What job is Chu Lingxiao in charge of now?" Gu Jue asked indifferently.
Xue Fengyan can now be said to be an "insider of the Chu family". Not only does he know Chu Lingxiao's job, he also knows the jobs of several other masters of the Chu family and where several young masters are studying.
He immediately replied: "Banner Guard."
These three words made no secret of his disdain for Chu Lingxiao. There was really nothing worthy of praise about Chu Lingxiao, the Marquis of Yongding. He was not even a little bit worse than the old marquis before him.
Moreover, not only is he blind, but his character is also not very good.
Gu Jue brushed off his robe nonchalantly and said, "Since his leg is broken, he should just take a good rest."
Gu Jue's words were ambiguous, but Xue Fengyan understood immediately.
He was afraid that Yunzhan would take over his job, so he quickly accepted the order: "Don't worry, my lord, leave this matter to me!"
Xue Fengyan jumped up lightly, climbed over the high wall and disappeared.
Outside the palace, the green-covered carriage had disappeared at the end of the road. The carriage took Chu Qianchen all the way to Jishidiang.
Chu Qianchen stayed in Jishidiang for an hour, completely unaware that the Ministry of War's transfer order was delivered to Yongding Marquis' Mansion during this period, dismissing Chu Lingxiao from his post on the grounds that he needed to recuperate.
Aunt Jiang read out the transfer order in a trembling voice, hardly daring to look at Chu Lingxiao's face.
“Let me see it…” Chu Lingxiao’s voice was also trembling, and his face looked extremely ugly, turning pale and blue, and then blue and purple.
His broken leg was still in excruciating pain, and the painkillers prescribed by the doctor did not work for long. Moreover, he was afraid of having nightmares and could not sleep. His eyelids felt heavy, but he had to stay awake. However, in just one day, he seemed like a different person. He was no longer as noble and calm as usual, and looked haggard.
This transfer order from the Ministry of War was a double blow to him.
Aunt Jiang handed him the transfer order. He read it quickly, his eyes pausing on the red seal of the Ministry of War in the lower left corner.
The blood-red seal was so dazzling, just like fresh blood.
Chu Lingxiao's chest heaved violently, as if a bolt of thunder had struck him.
This mission is too important for him!
He put a lot of effort into getting this job. He spent several months negotiating and a full 50,000 taels of silver before he got the position of deputy commander of the Flag Bearer Guard.
His real goal was naturally not to be a mere deputy commander, but the position of commander.
He also learned by chance that the father of the flag-bearer commander Wei Wang was seriously ill in his hometown and was getting worse. The Wang family invited many famous doctors, but they all said that Old Man Wang might not survive until the second half of the year.
Once Old Master Wang passed away, Commander Wang would have to observe a period of mourning, and the position of Commander would naturally become vacant.
This position is his hope to revitalize the Marquisate.
Over the years, their Yongding Marquis Mansion has been declining. The royal family and nobles in the capital do not take the mansion seriously. Not to mention the distant ones, even last month when Prince Li celebrated his 60th birthday, no one sent an invitation to the mansion.
If he doesn't have a job anymore, will there still be a place for their mansion in the capital? !
Chu Lingxiao felt a sharp pain in his heart, his throat suddenly felt sweet, and a mouthful of blood spurted out from between his lips and teeth.
The blood dyed the transfer order in his hand red, a shocking red.
Aunt Jiang screamed when she saw this, and threw herself on Chu Lingxiao, crying, "My Lord... My Lord, please don't scare me!"
Aunt Jiang was crying hard, her face was pale, and she looked like she was about to faint at any moment.
Seeing Aunt Jiang's indecisive look, the head maid knew that she couldn't rely on her, so she quickly ordered the younger maid, "Quick, send someone to get a doctor!"
"Send someone to notify the Madam Tai and the First Madam."
“…”
The room was in chaos.
Aunt Jiang kept crying, and the maids came and went.
Soon, the entire marquis's mansion was alarmed, and everyone was talking about how the marquis was so angry that he vomited blood because he was dismissed from his job by the Ministry of War.
Chu Qianchen had just returned home, and Amber had been waiting for her at the gatehouse. She took the medicine bags from her hands and told her about the matter.
Chu Qianchen raised her eyebrows, and after a brief surprise, she pursed her lips and smiled.
"Girl." Amber looked at her own girl and always felt that she was a little weird, like a cat that stole some fish.
Chu Qianchen walked happily towards Wanyan Courtyard, his steps so brisk that he almost flew.
She was sure that this was the prince venting his anger on her.
That's right, the prince has always treated her the best.
After Chu Qianchen returned to Wanyan Courtyard, he locked himself in the small study room and excitedly made the Shiquan Ointment.
This busy work took two full days.
Because of Chu Lingxiao's leg injury these two days, the lady did not ask them to pay their respects. She was busy looking for famous orthopedic doctors in the capital and nearby towns.
Apart from visiting Chu Yunmu every day, Chu Qianchen basically never leaves the house.
Two days later at dusk, Chu Qianchen finally made the Shiquan ointment. After repeated boiling and filtering, more than a dozen medicine bags were finally made into only about the size of a porcelain bowl of ointment.
She divided the Shiquan ointment into two portions, one in a small porcelain jar with a white background and blue flowers, and the other in a small black porcelain bottle, and added a few extra herbs into it.
Chu Qianchen grabbed the small black porcelain bottle in his hand, sniffed it, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
She walked to the window and pushed open the sash with both hands.
The courtyard outside the window was empty, with only the flowers and trees swaying gently in the wind.
Chu Qianchen called out, "Master Xue?"
A sycamore tree in the courtyard trembled visibly, as if it was frightened and shivered.
The next moment, Xue Fengyan, dressed in green, jumped down from the phoenix tree and walked towards Chu Qianchen who was standing by the window with a strange expression, still a little confused.
Although he vaguely guessed that Chu Qianchen had probably discovered that someone was following her in secret, how could she be sure it was him?
Besides, was it appropriate for her to call him out so carelessly? !
Chu Qianchen looked at Xue Fengyan outside the window, with the corners of his lips curled up.
She did know it.
The prince is so noble, and she is just a miracle doctor who appeared out of nowhere. She is suspicious no matter how you look at her. They must find out her entire family history.
For the past two months, Xue Fengyan had been following her secretly, initially to find out her background, and later, to protect her safety.
Before she cures the prince, Xue Fengyan and the others will not allow her to make any mistakes.
"Please speak, young lady." Xue Fengyan smiled lazily, with a somewhat free and unrestrained look.
He looked more like a knight traveling the world with a sword rather than a soldier fighting on the battlefield.
"Mr. Xue, please secretly replace this jar of ointment with... Aunt Jiang's jar." Chu Qianchen said calmly, handing the small black porcelain bottle in his hand to Xue Fengyan.
Xue Fengyan: "..."
Xue Fengyan never expected that what Chu Qianchen wanted was actually this, and his eyes became even more subtle.
Chu Qianchen passed the small black porcelain bottle an inch towards Xue Fengyan, and said calmly: "At worst, if you get hurt in the future, I will treat you for free! I guarantee that you will have one more life than others."
Xue Fengyan: "..."
He raised his hand to take the small black porcelain bottle, played with it casually for a few times, and agreed: "Okay."
Even if Chu Qianchen hadn't promised, he would have agreed to help her.
Xue Fengyan took the small porcelain bottle and left. Chu Qianchen also went out, taking with him another small porcelain jar with a white background and blue flowers.
Chu Qianchen went to the main courtyard to see Chu Yunmu, and Chu Qianhuang happened to be there too.
Chu Qianhuang just returned to the Marquis' Mansion last night. A few days ago, she accompanied her grandmother, the wife of Duke Mu, to the Daxing Temple to worship Buddha. She hurried back because she heard that Chu Lingxiao had injured his leg.
"Mom, I just heard from my grandmother that my father lost his job as a flag bearer guard..."
"Mother, should I go to the palace and ask Aunt Imperial Concubine?"
Chu Qianhuang looked worried, her delicate eyebrows tightly furrowed.
Chu Qianchen walked in slowly, his eyes sweeping over Chu Qianhuang calmly.
Shen didn't shy away from Chu Qianchen and refused without hesitation: "No need."
"This is your father's business, Sister Huang. You are a junior and a girl, so don't get involved. If there is anything, your grandmother will consult with the imperial concubine."
Shen didn't care about Chu Lingxiao's assignment at all. As long as the title of the Marquis' Mansion was still there, it would be enough for her to pass it on to her brother Mu in the future.
What does it have to do with her as far as errands are concerned!
After all, even if the Marquis's Mansion is in decline now, it doesn't matter. She has a dowry and money, and her children will not suffer.
When Mu Ge'er grows up in the future, he will be able to make a future on his own.
Chu Qianchen walked up to Shen and bowed.
When Shen's eyes met Chu Qianchen's, her expression was filled with smiles, and she said softly, "Sister Chen, you are here. Brother Mu has been missing you since noon."
Before she finished her words, Chu Yunmu's chattering voice came from behind the door curtain: "Is Chu Qianchen here?"
Chu Qianchen went in to see Chu Yunmu, and Shen and Chu Qianhuang also entered the house.
Chu Yunmu had just taken a nap and asked the maid to help him get up, without stopping talking at all.
"Chu Qianchen, tell mom quickly that I am really well now!"
"Look at me, I'm in great spirits and have a good appetite. I even ate two bowls of rice at noon!"
"I've been raising it for so many days. If I continue raising it, I'll get moldy from head to toe."
As Chu Yunmu spoke, he secretly stuffed a straw braid he had made into Chu Qianchen's hand, and tried desperately to wink at him, intending to bribe him.
Chu Qianchen was amused by him and couldn't help but rub his head again.
Chu Yunmu wanted to avoid it, but he held back, thinking that he still had a request to Chu Qianchen, and he looked like he was "bearing humiliation and bearing heavy burdens".
Chu Qianhuang stared at them in a daze, and the scene of Chu Yunmu avoiding her that day came to her mind, "Sister, you can't rub a boy's head."
She suddenly felt out of place.
It was as if there was an invisible door that excluded her. She could neither speak nor fit in.
Chu Qianhuang suddenly moved and took a few steps towards Chu Yunmu.
Seeing this, the head maid tactfully avoided it.
Chu Qianhuang personally tied the belt on Chu Yunmu's robe and said softly with heartache: "Brother Mu, luckily you are okay."
She reached out her hand and gently touched the scar on his face, "Brother Mu, you'd better not practice horse riding and archery in the future, in case something happens again."
Upon hearing this, Shen frowned slightly and said disapprovingly: "Sister Huang, boys cannot be pampered. Besides, there is no reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days."
Shen's eyes flashed.
If the "thief" is targeting you, even if Chu Yunmu avoids the bowstring this time, he will not be able to avoid it in the future.
This time, Chu Lingxiao was able to secretly replace Chu Yunmu's ointment, but who knows what he will do next time!
"Sister, I want to be a general in the future!" Chu Yunmu refused.
He puffed out his chest, looking proud.
The little puppy outside the window heard its owner's voice and barked happily outside, as if agreeing with him.
Chu Yunmu smiled happily, thinking that the dog was worthy of being his and had a tacit understanding with him.
"Night Shadow!"
He took a piece of pork jerky from the box handed to him by the maid and threw it out of the window. The seven-month-old Spanish puppy jumped up, bit the piece of pork jerky in one bite and began to eat it happily.
The corners of Chu Qianhuang's mouth froze, and she couldn't help but glance at Chu Qianchen from the corner of her eye. Chu Qianchen also took a piece of jerky from the box in the maid's hand and threw it out of the window.
Chu Qianchen obviously didn't say anything, but Chu Qianhuang once again felt like being excluded.
Chu Qianhuang rubbed the handkerchief in her hand and nodded obediently, "Mom, you are right."
"I was too worried about Mu Ge'er. I was getting too obsessed with it. How can we stop eating because of choking?"
Shen sighed quietly in her heart.
In the past, she thought her daughter was perfect in every way and she didn't need to worry about anything, but now she realized that her daughter had so many problems hidden under her seemingly perfect appearance. She had to look at this girl carefully and correct her problems one by one.
Otherwise, she was really afraid that her daughter would go astray and regret it for the rest of her life.
Many times, there is no turning back.
My daughter's vision and mind are narrow after all. Unlike Sister Chen, she is clear about gratitude and resentment, and is not surprised by honor or disgrace. She has her own thoughts...
Among all the girls in the Chu family, Sister Chen can no longer be described as "standing out", which often makes her feel an indescribable sigh and lament: the Chu family can actually raise a girl like Sister Chen.
Shen couldn't help but look towards Chu Qianchen. She saw that she and Chu Yunmu were talking about some little secret. The brother and sister were both smiling with their eyes curved, and they looked very harmonious.
Shen didn't notice at all that Chu Qianhuang also followed her gaze and looked at Chu Qianchen and Chu Yunmu, with a haze in her eyes. She clenched the handkerchief in her hand even tighter.
Chu Qianchen played with Chu Yunmu for nearly an hour before leaving.
Before leaving, she gave the jar of Shiquan ointment she had just prepared to Nanny Chen. Nanny Chen carefully put it away, almost swearing that she would never let the jar of ointment out of her sight.
Chu Qianchen went straight back to Wanyan Courtyard.
As soon as she entered the room, a green figure appeared by the window, which scared Amber half to death.
Amber also recognized Xue Fengyan, but she didn't call out loud. She quickly waited outside the study, fearing that someone else would come in.
Xue Fengyan threw the empty black bottle in his hand back to Chu Qianchen and said, "It's done."
He must not have been polite to Chu Qianchen and directly swallowed the Ten-Herb Ointment that he had replaced from Aunt Jiang.
Chu Qianchen casually took the small porcelain bottle thrown in the air. Just this simple action revealed a heroic temperament.
Chu Qianchen knew that Xue Fengyan would have no problem handling such a small matter, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
There was a faint smile in her eyes.
Xue Fengyan waved his hand and was about to leave. After turning around, he remembered something and said, "When I came out, I saw Aunt Jiang return to Qinghui Courtyard."
Chu Qianchen said nothing, just watching Xue Fengyan disappear without a trace in the blink of an eye, as if he had never been there.
Chu Qianchen's gaze slowly moved to the left, looking in the direction of Qinghui Courtyard.
Aunt Jiang had just entered her room. She had been serving Chu Lingxiao for two whole days and only came back today.
"Auntie, have a cup of soothing tea." The maid Juan'er served tea to Auntie Jiang and said distressedly, "Auntie, you have suffered so much these past two days, and Madam is so..."
Juan'er felt sorry for Aunt Jiang and thought it was too much for Shen to just abandon the seriously injured Marquis and not care about him.
Aunt Jiang took two sips of hot tea, and her whole body was exhausted. She said softly, "Alas, the misunderstanding between Madam and the Marquis is too deep..."
"It doesn't matter if I suffer a little, as long as the Marquis can recover."
"But now even the doctors in the Imperial Hospital are helpless, and I don't know what will happen to the Marquis..."
Her pair of curved dark eyebrows seemed to be half-knitted, and she looked worried, as if she was very worried about Chu Lingxiao's injury.
She held the teacup with her slender white fingers, exerting a little force, and her pupils flickered.
When she was nine years old, her parents passed away one after another, and her family fell into poverty. Her family pushed her around as an orphan, and she had no choice but to come to the Chu family. After that, she stayed in the Marquis's Mansion temporarily, and experienced the pain of living under someone else's roof.
She knew that this mansion would belong to her cousin Chu Lingxiao in the future, so she tried her best to please Chu Lingxiao. She learned whatever Chu Lingxiao liked, and step by step, she made him fall deeply in love with her.
Before she came of age, Chu Lingxiao held her hand and swore to the moon that he would marry her in the future.
However, he eventually broke his promise.
Shen intervened and snatched her away as the Marquis' wife... Shen was the one who let her down!
And what else could she do?
She had nowhere to go except the Chu family...
Aunt Jiang took another sip of tea. The floating tea leaves in the tea soup were reflected in her eyes, making her eyes even deeper and more complex.
Over the years, Chu Lingxiao took pity on her and made her his concubine, and he has always been very good to her.
She had never expected that the usually gentle and considerate Chu Lingxiao would become like this, irritable and easily angered after injuring his leg. In the past two days, he was like a trapped beast, losing his temper at her and smashing things at every turn.
He is now a completely different person from before.
(End of this chapter)