Chu Qianchen personally ground ink for Gu Jue, and a faint scent of ink wafted in the air.

Gu Jue picked up a small sheep-hair brush and drew a blade on the paper. While drawing, he said to Chu Qianchen, "The blade you drew is good for cutting skin, muscles, fat, and periosteum, but if you want to use it to cut blood vessels, intestines, stomach...heart, you still have to use a different one..."

The blade drawn by Gu Jue was triangular in shape. The tip of the blade was sharper than the curved blade drawn by Chu Qianchen, and the blade was straight.

Chu Qianchen leaned over to look at the knife drawn by Gu Jue, and suddenly he understood.

Over the past two months, she has spent a lot of time and effort to improve existing surgical knives. Unconsciously, she has become a little obsessed with designing a perfect knife.

It was not until this moment that Gu Jue pointed out the truth to her.

Yes, if one knife is not enough, just add another one.

"Your Highness, thank you so much!" Chu Qianchen said happily, his eyebrows slightly curved, his phoenix eyes like autumn water overflowing with light.

She smiled sweetly, and her whole body was so radiant that even the clusters of blooming peonies outside the window were eclipsed.

Qin Yao looked at them beside the chessboard and touched his chin.

It was the first time he saw Brother Nine being so close to a little girl!

Another "first time"!!

Qin Yao couldn't help but wink at Mo Chen, who had been silent beside him. However, Mo Chen still had a blank expression on his face and didn't respond to Qin Yao at all.

This Mo Chen is still so boring. Qin Yao thought to himself, thinking about asking the little girl to play chess with him again, but when he looked in the direction of Chu Qianchen again, he found that Chu Qianchen had already gone out with Gu Jue.

Qin Yao: “…”

Chu Qianchen originally wanted to stay a little longer, but now she had an important matter on her mind, so she thought about finding a blacksmith shop to make a knife.

I guess this knife will have to be modified two or three times before it works!

Once these two knives are forged and the big pills are made, she will be able to help the prince uncover the fatal hidden danger.

Chu Qianchen's pupils became brighter, and he looked at the scorching sun in the sky, eager to try.

In addition to Chu Qianchen, the emperor in the palace was also thinking about Gu Jue.

Jinyiwei Commander Lu Siji was reporting in the imperial study at this moment: "Your Majesty, this morning, Yunzhan's servant went to Jishitang alone to ask for the miracle doctor. The miracle doctor happened to be there, so he followed the servant to Prince Chen's Mansion. It's been an hour and a half, and he hasn't come out yet."

The emperor's expression suddenly became stern, and the atmosphere in the room became solemn.

Lu Siji was the emperor's confidant, so he naturally knew that Prince Chen was the emperor's greatest concern. He continued, "The servant was invited because Yunzhan's right hand paralysis had relapsed."

"But, as far as I know, Yun Zhan had his throat cut by Yun Hao last month. After his injury stabilized, he went to Jishitang for follow-up visits on his own... Moreover, the miracle doctor at Jishitang never went out to see patients before."

"I believe that Yunzhan's recurrence of his old injury is just an excuse to cover up the truth."

Lu Siji appeared calm, but he suspected that the doctor went to Prince Chen's mansion today not for Yun Zhan, but for another person. If there was something fishy about this matter, then the Jinyiwei would have done a great job.

The emperor narrowed his eyes and slowly turned the jade ring on his thumb, remembering what Taoist Xuan Jing had said: "Your Highness Prince Chen is seriously ill, I'm afraid he won't live long..."

Could it be that Yunzhan's servant actually went to Jishidiang to ask the miracle doctor to see a doctor just for Gu Jue? Otherwise, why would they specially invite him to Prince Chen's Mansion!

Bang bang bang!

The emperor's heart beat faster and he thought to himself: Yes, Yunzhan just had a problem with his hand, he is not unable to walk. If it is really just a relapse of paralysis, there is no need for them to invite that miracle doctor to the Prince Chen's Palace.

Since Gu Jue returned to Beijing, no outsider except Ming Xiyang has ever visited Prince Chen's Mansion.

As the saying goes, when something is abnormal, there must be something wrong.

Therefore, Taoist Xuan Jing was right, Gu Jue was indeed suffering from a serious illness!

A hint of satisfaction flashed across the emperor's eyes, and the corners of his lips curled up slightly. He thought sarcastically: This Gu Jue is so sick, but he still likes to meddle in other people's affairs and even negotiates conditions with me.

He is the emperor of the Great Qi Dynasty, yet he cannot even punish Qin Yao, a man who killed his father!

Thinking of the several confrontations between him and Gu Jue, the emperor felt aggrieved and held his breath in his heart.

The emperor pondered for a moment and asked, "Lu Siji, have you found out the identity of the miracle doctor at Jishitang?"

Lu Siji's expression suddenly became very subtle. He lowered his head a little, not daring to look up at the emperor. "Your Majesty, no."

Every time he sent people to secretly follow the miracle doctor, they were either thrown off by her or knocked unconscious.

Lu Siji suspected that it was Prince Chen's men who did it, but he had no evidence.

The problem is that the emperor has just named Jishidiang as the national medical clinic. If the Jinyiwei go to Jishidiang openly to get that miracle doctor, wouldn't that be tantamount to a slap in the face of the emperor?

Lu Siji swallowed and added in a dry voice: "I only know that she goes to Jishidiang to see patients every few days."

The emperor scolded coldly: "You can't even handle such a small matter!"

The scenes that happened in Jishidiang that day flashed quickly in the emperor's mind. The emperor's face became even gloomier, and he was extremely disgusted with the so-called miracle doctor in Jishidiang.

What kind of miracle doctor?! That little girl was just seeking fame and reputation. If Jiaer hadn't taken the elixir that he had given her, she would have been made even sicker by her!

Not only does she have a false reputation, but she also doesn't know how to appreciate it.

Anyone who is knowledgeable and has a bit of sense should surrender to me on their own initiative instead of showing off by relying on the King of Chen!

Whenever the emperor thought of being forced to issue an edict to close the Jishidiang National Medical Clinic, he felt aggrieved.

Lu Siji lowered his head, not daring to refute at all.

At this time, the chief eunuch Ni came over and served the emperor new tea.

The emperor took a sip of hot tea and ordered, "Keep watching Prince Chen's Mansion, and make sure to keep a close watch on it. Report to me immediately if there is any movement."

As he spoke, the emperor turned from anger to joy. In any case, there was still something to gain today. Gu Jue was really seriously injured as Taoist Xuan Jing said. Compared with this incident, the emperor felt that other things were nothing.

Seeing that the emperor's expression had eased again, Lu Siji breathed a sigh of relief and quickly accepted the order: "Your Majesty, don't worry. Even if a fly flies out of Prince Chen's Mansion, it will not escape the eyes and ears of the Jinyiwei."

There is almost no doubt that Prince Chen is seriously ill, but the question is, can the miracle doctor from Jishidiang cure Prince Chen?

Lu Siji felt that he had to send more people to Prince Chen's Mansion.

The emperor continued to instruct: "The Imperial Guards must continue to keep an eye on that miracle doctor and make sure to find out his identity."

The emperor became more and more excited as he spoke, his eyes shining brightly, and he thought to himself: That miracle doctor is just a person seeking fame and reputation, she will definitely not be able to cure Gu Jue... What a pity, Gu Jue is blind and has found the wrong person!

“Cough cough cough…”

He felt an itchy throat and started coughing repeatedly, his face turning red from the coughing.

Eunuch Ni quickly reminded: "Your Majesty, it's time to take the golden elixir."

The young eunuch behind him immediately opened a rosewood carved box, inside which lay a thumb-sized red pill.

The emperor swallowed the pill with warm water and then lowered his eyes.

Eyes look at the nose, nose looks at the mouth, mouth looks at the heart.

After a while, he felt a warm feeling spreading from his dantian throughout his body, and he immediately felt better.

When he opened his eyes again, the emperor was radiant again and praised, "Master Xuan Jing is indeed worthy of his reputation. This Nine Returns Golden Pill is more refined than the one made by the Wuwei Temple Master before. After I took it, I felt full of energy and seemed to be ten years younger."

Eunuch Ni smiled and complimented the emperor, "Your Majesty is in great spirits. It seems to me that your Majesty is back to his early twenties."

"I heard that Taoist Xuan Jing has been in seclusion this month to refine the Nine-Layer Pill for the emperor. I think he wants to present it to the emperor on the birthday."

The emperor felt more satisfied after hearing this and said, "Master Xuan Jing said that the effect of this Nine-fold Pill is better than the Nine-fold Golden Pill. It takes 49 days of refining to get a furnace of nine pills!"

Eunuch Ni continued to say nice things that the emperor liked: "Your Majesty, you are the true dragon emperor, so you have this blessing, and all the nations come to pay tribute to you!"

Eunuch Ni's exaggerations were so exaggerated that Lu Siji was too shameless to respond. "Ten thousand nations came to pay tribute" originally meant that in the first month of every year in the previous dynasty, all the foreign countries would come to the capital to pay tribute. Although the term "ten thousand nations" was an exaggeration, at most there were more than three hundred nations that came to pay tribute.

The current territory of the Great Qi is only half of that of the previous dynasty. The number of countries that have come to pay tribute, including that small tribe, is no more than fifty or so.

Over the next two days, another dozen or so small tribes arrived in the capital. Everywhere in the capital, one could see foreigners with blond hair and blue eyes, strange clothes, charcoal-black skin, or weird facial features.

This year marks the emperor's 40th birthday, and the capital is particularly lively.

Not only these foreigners from foreign lands, but also people from other states came to the capital to celebrate the emperor's birthday, as well as some caravans from various places. Some of these caravans came to join in the fun, some wanted to take this rare opportunity to do business with foreigners, and some were caravans buying for wealthy families.

The various mansions in the capital were busy, even busier than during the Chinese New Year, as most of them were preparing birthday gifts for the emperor.

The same is true for the Yongding Marquis Mansion.

Early in the morning, Shen took Chu Qianhuang and Chu Qianchen to Jinghong Hall to discuss matters, and then began to teach them how to choose birthday gifts.

"When choosing a birthday gift, you must first see if it is appropriate. The prince has his own, the ministers have their own, and the concubines have their own. They should be in their positions and do their jobs. First of all, remember not to usurp the throne."

Their Yongding Marquisate is just an ordinary one among the nobles in the capital. If they really want to choose some expensive and ostentatious birthday gifts, it will only steal the limelight from other families and make enemies, which will not benefit the Marquisate itself.

"Birthday gifts cannot be too good nor too bad." If the birthday gifts are too bad, it would be an insult to the emperor's status.

"Secondly, the birthday gift must be in line with the emperor's preferences and must not violate the emperor's taboos. For example, the emperor believes in Taoism, and if we insist on giving him a Buddha statue, we will be asking for trouble."

Shen gave some earnest instructions, then took two books of the public storehouse from Nanny Chen's birthday gift and gave them to the two girls, "Take a look and see if there is anything in here that would be suitable as a birthday gift."

Chu Qianhuang took the account book and turned it over attentively, page after page...

Chu Qianchen was flipping through another book. Unlike Chu Qianhuang, she seemed to be uninterested. After turning a few pages, she covered her mouth and yawned slightly.

Shen sat aside and wrote down the two birthday gifts she had chosen long ago.

About an incense stick of time later, Chu Qianhuang walked up to Shen holding the account book, "Mom, I've made my choice."

Shen directly showed Chu Qianhuang the piece of paper she had just written. There were only three things written on the paper.

Chu Qianhuang smiled shyly, "Mom, I picked out five things that I thought might be suitable as birthday gifts, but I only liked this one, which is the rosewood frame with ivory jade inlaid and decorated with immortal characters for happiness and longevity."

Shen was quite satisfied with her daughter's performance and nodded slightly.

Chu Qianhuang couldn't help but look at Chu Qianchen out of the corner of her eye.

Chu Qianchen covered his mouth and yawned again, then continued reading with sleepy eyes.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

She really had no interest in choosing a birthday gift for that dog emperor... No, it's better not to insult the dog.

Alas, there are still several months until the prince’s birthday!

Chu Qianchen was counting on his fingers in his mind, and before he knew it, his mind drifted away again, his soul flying away.

Chu Qianhuang quickly glanced at Chu Qianchen again and picked up the teacup calmly.

At this time, the maid Dongmei came in and knelt down to report: "Madam, the imperial concubine ordered eunuch Yu to come and deliver a message, asking you to bring the eldest and second daughters into the palace tomorrow."

Shen nodded slightly, indicating that she understood, with a calm expression.

Chu Qianhuang's eyes flashed, and after a brief pause, she put down the teacup in her hand again, pretending to be hesitant to speak, and asked hesitantly: "Mother, the Imperial Concubine is so anxious to summon us to the palace, could it be because of my father's matter?"

Shen didn't say anything, she understood it very well.

Not only because of Chu Lingxiao's leg injury, but also because of his job in the Flag Guard, but -

Why did Concubine Chu specifically ask to take Chu Qianchen with her?

Shen turned her head and looked at Chu Qianchen, as if thinking about something. Chu Qianchen seemed to be unaware of it and was still flipping through the account book nonchalantly when Dongmei continued, "It just so happened that the eldest young master came back just now and ran into young eunuch Yu. The eldest young master personally sent the person out."

"Brother Yi is back?!" Chu Qianhuang said happily.

Dongmei nodded and said, "The eldest young master is going to the Madam's place first, and will come to pay his respects to her in a while."

Chu Qianchen did not put down the account book, but the speed at which he flipped through the account book became noticeably slower.

Chu Yunyi is her younger brother from the same father and mother, one year younger than her, but they are not close. She has a very vague impression of him and can hardly remember what he looks like.

I only remember that in his previous life, he entered the Imperial College as a martial artist this year.

Later, she was kicked out of the house and didn't hear any news about him for several years, or rather, she didn't care about him.

It was not until more than ten years later, when Qin Yao entered the capital, that she accidentally learned that after his stepmother passed away, Chu Lingxiao did not remarry, but instead registered his younger brother under his stepmother's name. Chu Lingxiao requested that he be named the heir of the Marquis of Yongding.

While he was lost in thought, the Xiangfei curtain in front of him was casually brushed aside, and a handsome young man of about eleven or twelve years old walked in.

The young man was wearing a purple-red robe with cloud patterns and a black brocade belt embroidered with scroll grass patterns around his waist. He had sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, red lips and white teeth. His facial features were about four to five percent similar to Chu Lingxiao's. He had an upright posture, and his agile steps were both dashing and cynical.

He had traveled a long way and had not yet washed, so he looked dusty.

Chu Qianchen looked at Chu Yunyi quietly.

This was the first time they met after her rebirth.

Even if she saw him again at this moment, she still felt strange, with only a subtle feeling in her heart: So this is what Chu Yunyi looks like.

"Mother." Chu Yunyi bowed to Shen, and also greeted Chu Qianhuang and Chu Qianchen, "Eldest sister, second sister."

Shen smiled and said, "Brother Yi, you have traveled thousands of miles to help your grandmother and father. You must have worked hard. How is the old man of the Jiang family now?"

Shen never took her anger out on illegitimate sons and daughters, and her attitude towards Chu Yunyi was quite proper, not close to him, but not indifferent either.

Chu Yunyi replied politely, "Mother, before I left Yuzhou to return to Beijing, my uncle was already able to get off the bed and walk a few steps. The doctor said that he would be fully recovered in another month."

Shen said, "You have been away for a few months, and you have missed a lot of your studies in the clan school. The examination of the Imperial College will begin soon. During this period of time, you must speed up and catch up on your studies."

"Don't worry, mother. When I was at the Jiang family, I went to the Jiang family's clan school to study with several cousins. Besides, reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. I feel that this trip was quite rewarding." Chu Yunyi responded appropriately, with a youthful boldness between his brows and a spirited look.

Obviously, this trip to Yuzhou was not tiring at all for him, but rather like a trip.

Shen also noticed it, and thinking that he must be tired after the long journey, she smiled and sent him away.

"Mother, I'll take my leave first." Chu Yunyi was actually relieved. While bowing, he winked at Chu Qianhuang who was sitting below him.

Shen was sitting at the top, so she naturally noticed Chu Yunyi's little movements.

She knew that Chu Qianhuang had a good relationship with her younger brothers and sisters, and thinking that Chu Yunyi was Chu Qianchen's biological brother, she said, "Sister Huang, Sister Chen, you haven't seen Brother Yi for a while, let's go play together."

Chu Qianhuang stood up gracefully and called Chu Qianchen, "Second sister, there is no need to look at the account book now. Brother Yi must have brought back gifts from Yuzhou."

Chu Qianchen also stood up, and the three siblings left the main courtyard.

As Chu Yunyi walked, he said to Chu Qianhuang, "I just came back and didn't have time to pack my things. I asked them to move all the boxes to my Qingfeng Pavilion."

"Sister, I brought you a zither. The owner of the zither shop said that the zither was once used by a talented woman in this dynasty, He Ru..."

"Could it be the 'Minging Spring on a Snowy Night'?" Chu Qianhuang's eyes lit up and he asked in surprise.

Chu Yunyi walked forward with his hands behind his back, raised his chin proudly, and said complacently: "Not bad."

"Brother Yi, you are so lucky!" Chu Qianhuang smiled happily, "Take me to see it..."

As she spoke, she looked at Chu Qianchen, who was three steps behind, and said with a smile, "Brother Yi, what did you bring for your second sister?"

Chu Yunyi also followed her gaze and looked back at Chu Qianchen, his eyes slightly narrowed, as if he was looking at his sister Chu Qianchen in the eye for the first time.

"..." Chu Qianchen was still a little dazed as he was wondering whether he should go to the blacksmith shop to check on the progress of the knives.

Chu Yunyi did not hide his displeasure on his face, and questioned aggressively: "Auntie has been ill for so long, and Second Sister didn't care. Since Second Sister doesn't even want Auntie, why does she want me as her brother?!"

He curled his lips in a sneer, the young man's face was proud and arrogant, full of provocation.

As soon as Chu Yunyi returned home, he saw Aunt Jiang's maid Juan'er guarding the ceremonial gate. Juan'er not only cried and complained about how difficult Aunt Jiang's life had been recently, but also took the opportunity to complain about Chu Qianchen.

Only then did Chu Yunyi realize that so many things had happened in the Marquis' Mansion only a few months after he left Beijing.

In the past, he just thought that this second sister was weak, but he never thought that she would become so cold-hearted and even disregard her own mother in order to curry favor with her stepmother!

Facing Chu Yunyi's provocative gaze, Chu Qianchen's eyes were like a pool of stagnant water. He had no reaction at all, no anger, no shame, no sadness, and no surprise, as if Chu Yunyi was just an insignificant stranger.

She nodded and said, "You are right."

"In that case, I won't accompany you anymore."

Chu Qianchen turned around and walked away without looking back.

Although she didn't say it explicitly, the meaning of these two sentences was very clear, that is, as Chu Yunyi wished, she no longer wanted him as a younger brother.

Neither Chu Yunyi nor Chu Qianhuang expected Chu Qianchen to have this reaction, and they were both stunned.

Chu Yunyi's face turned pale instantly, as if he had been slapped in the face.

“Don’t leave!” Chu Yunyi took a big step forward, trying to grab Chu Qianchen’s wrist, and his move was swift...

However, Chu Qianchen seemed to have eyes on his back, and he pressed the acupoints on Chu Yunyi's wrist with his backhand.

The prince said that girls are weak and naturally inferior to boys, but they can use their strength to their advantage, or use the opponent's force to counter attack, or attack the opponent's vital points, which is enough to knock a man who has learned martial arts to the ground.

As a result, Chu Yunyi's arm suddenly felt numb, and before he could react, he felt his arm tighten, and then the world was spinning around, and he was actually knocked over, falling to the ground in a mess, with his back facing the sky.

Chu Qianhuang exclaimed: "Brother Yi!"

Chu Qianchen let go of Chu Yunyi's arm, took two steps back, looked down at Chu Yunyi lying on the ground, and said lightly: "Has no one taught you that you can't lay hands on women?"

The prince once taught her a few tricks for self-defense, but in her previous life, she had little chance to use them.

"Today I will be your elder sister and teach you!"

As Chu Qianchen spoke, she casually stroked her dress, nonchalantly and calmly.

Chu Yunyi, who was still lying on the ground, was already stunned. The pain of falling to the ground reminded him that this was not a dream. He was actually knocked over by his weak and fragile second sister? !

Chu Qianchen smiled and said, "Don't attack women next time. The one standing in front of you won't always be a little white rabbit."

(End of this chapter)