Xuan Jing didn't say anything, but just calmly changed the direction of the whisk as a response.
Chu Qianchen lowered his eyes, looking neither at the emperor nor at Xuan Jing.
She had met the emperor once in Jishidiang. Although she was wearing a veil and had slightly changed her appearance and voice, there was still a risk that the emperor would recognize her.
She must not expose herself before she cures the prince.
The emperor said to Eunuch Ni, "Young girls all like these little toys. Ask someone to get a few to give to the two girls of the Chu family."
The emperor generously gave the reward as a gift to Chu Qianchen. Since he gave the reward, he naturally gave it to Chu Qianhuang as well.
"Your Majesty, thank you for your reward." Chu Qianhuang and Chu Qianchen hurriedly expressed their gratitude.
Chu Qianchen's voice was as low as a mosquito's hum, which made Chu Qianhuang look neither humble nor arrogant, but graceful and elegant.
Eunuch Ni frowned slightly, thinking that Chu Qianchen was really not presentable. A concubine's daughter was indeed a concubine's daughter.
Eunuch Ni was the chief eunuch, so he naturally didn't have to do everything himself. He recruited a young eunuch and asked him to get the reward from the emperor for the two Miss Chu.
At this time, Xuan Jing suddenly swung his whisk and bowed to the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, I have a destiny with these two girls." He took out two flowing pearl bracelets from his sleeves and looked at Chu Qianchen and Chu Qianhuang again, "This is a little gift from me. I wish you infinite life and happiness."
He has clear eyes and a gentle yet ethereal smile, giving him the aloofness of a hermit.
The emperor raised his eyebrows in surprise and said, "Since it is the Taoist's intention, you two should accept it."
Since the emperor said so, Chu Qianchen and Chu Qianhuang naturally couldn't refuse.
This flowing bead bracelet is made of the wood of the soapberry tree, which is also known as "ghost-seeing tree" and has the effect of warding off evil spirits and exorcising demons.
The emperor did not stay in the waterside pavilion for long. He casually asked Gu Nanzhao a few questions about his studies and then left with everyone.
Walking along a path to a willow tree by the lake, the emperor suddenly asked, "Master Xuan Jing, is there anything special about these two girls from the Chu family?"
He had never seen Xuan Jing be so kind to those devout believers.
Xuan Jing smiled calmly and said, "Your Majesty, I think the second Miss Chu has a good appearance." The implication was that he gave the flowing pearl bracelet to the eldest daughter of the Chu family just for the sake of convenience.
Good-looking? The emperor raised his eyebrows with interest.
The chief eunuch, Eunuch Ni, observed the emperor's words and immediately introduced the matter: "Your Majesty, Miss Chu is the second daughter of the Marquis of Yongding."
Eunuch Ni felt that the appearance of a concubine's daughter could not be that good. To put it bluntly, her best fate would be to be married to a noble relative as a concubine.
The emperor thought so too. He stopped and looked back towards the water pavilion.
Xuan Jing slowly swung his white whisk and said, "This Miss Chu is like a pearl covered in dust. She had some setbacks when she was young. These two years will be a turning point in her fate. Either she will turn bad luck around and become extremely wealthy..."
Xuan Jing was also looking in the direction of the water pavilion, but the person he was looking at was the Second Prince.
He just wanted to establish a good relationship with the second prince, and whether the plan would succeed or not depended on fate.
He couldn't let this ruin his reputation, so he added, "Or maybe I just met the wrong person."
Hearing this, the emperor finally became interested and asked casually, "What do you mean?"
"Some people become stronger when they meet a strong person, and weaker when they meet a weak person. If she meets the wrong person, it will weaken the other person's fate."
Xuan Jing's words were flawless.
The Second Prince was lucky. If what he asked for came true, the Second Miss Chu would become the Second Prince's consort. That would be a perfect match, and in the future she would at least be a prince's consort. But if this marriage failed, and the Second Miss Chu ended up marrying the wrong person and having a miserable old age, then he would not be wrong.
The emperor slowly turned the jade ring on his thumb and said nothing more.
In other words, this girl is like a powerful medicine that can save lives, but can also take lives.
The emperor's ears kept echoing the last half of Xuan Jing's words: "...if she meets the wrong person, it will weaken the other person's fate."
By the lake, breeze blew, and the willow branches danced gently, occasionally touching the clear lake surface, causing ripples on the water.
There was silence for a moment.
After a while, the emperor murmured, "Is Gu Jue's health very bad?"
He seemed to be talking to himself, but also seemed to be asking Xuan Jing.
"That's right." Xuan Jing said with certainty, "I have calculated it three times recently, and I also observed the stars at night. The star of generals is dim. His Royal Highness Prince Chen must be seriously ill, but his life is not in danger."
The sunlight filtered through the gaps in the willow branches, casting mottled shadows on the emperor's face and head. When the wind blew, the light and shadows swayed, and the emperor's expression became changeable.
The emperor looked in the direction of the Qianqing Palace and said, "When my father was alive, he was always concerned about Gu Jue. Gu Jue has already reached adulthood."
The emperor clenched his fists tightly, his eyes deep.
Gu Jue is seriously ill now, this is a rare opportunity to take back his military power, then he can trap Gu Jue in the capital from now on and gradually weaken his influence in the army...
Thinking of how Gu Jue came to the court to stir up trouble for Qin Yao, the emperor felt that Gu Jue’s illness was not serious enough!
This Gu Jue was a thorn in his flesh and a nail in his bones. The emperor would feel uneasy if he didn't remove it.
The emperor said in a low voice: "The fate of this girl from the Chu family is quite interesting."
His voice was so low that it was drowned out by the sound of the wind rustling the willow branches around him. Not only Xuan Jing, but even Eunuch Ni could not hear clearly what the emperor said.
The emperor didn't say anything else to Xuan Jing, and continued walking forward at a brisk pace.
Gu Nanzhao in the waterside pavilion naturally also noticed that the emperor and Taoist Xuanjing were looking over here just now, and he was delighted: it must be Taoist Xuanjing who spoke well of Sister Chen in front of the emperor.
Gu Nanzhao couldn't help but feel his heart beating faster and the corners of his lips curled up.
Sister Chen's status is not high enough. If he doesn't think of a way, his father will never agree to let Sister Chen be his principal wife.
Taoist Master Xuan Jing has profound Taoist skills and my father trusts him very much. If Taoist Master Xuan Jing personally praises sister Chen's face and fate, it will definitely make my father look at sister Chen in a different light.
After some time, he will ask his father to grant him and Sister Chen a marriage, and it will surely be successful!
Gu Nanzhao's eyes sparkled like cold stars, as if he had already seen that day coming.
Next, he would have to make an extra effort to let his mother know how good Sister Chen was.
He will use practical actions to prove to Sister Chen that he really wants to marry her and that he is sincere to her, not just talking about it. He can make her his principal wife.
Gu Nanzhao looked at the gilded sachet in the box that had not been given away, and made up his mind.
He can definitely do it!
He would keep this matter a secret from Sister Chen for now, so that he could give her a surprise when it was done.
By then, Sister Chen will definitely believe his feelings for her, and she will no longer reject him.
Chu Qianchen naturally had no idea what Gu Nanzhao was thinking. She was looking at the emperor and Xuan Jing's receding backs, or rather, she was looking more at Xuan Jing.
How did Taoist Xuan Jing know that the prince was suffering from a serious illness?
This thought kept lingering in Chu Qianchen's mind, and she subconsciously rubbed the beaded bracelet in her hand.
At this time, Chu Qianhuang suddenly stood up, smiled and said, "Cousin, second sister, I'll excuse myself for a moment. It's rare for me to come to the palace, I want to go and pay my respects to the third princess."
Chu Qianhuang blinked quickly at Gu Nanzhao, meaning that he should seize this opportunity to be alone with Chu Qianchen.
Chu Qianhuang smiled slightly, her smile was bright and she looked very calm and generous.
Gu Nanzhao gave her a grateful look and said, "Cousin Huang, please go quickly. You haven't been to the palace for a long time, and the third sister misses you too. She mentioned you to me a few days ago."
Chu Qianhuang stood up and walked out of the water pavilion.
Then, Chu Qianchen also stood up and said calmly: "Your Highness, Second Prince, I will go back to Zhongcui Palace to find my mother first."
Her expression was indifferent and distant, and it was obvious that she didn't want to give Gu Nanzhao any chance.
Chu Qianhuang naturally also heard these words, and her steps slowed down slightly, but she did not stop or look back, and walked away gracefully.
Chu Qianchen didn't care about Gu Nanzhao's reaction at all and left alone.
She walked so fast that Gu Nanzhao couldn't stop her, so he had to chase after her and shouted, "Sister Chen."
These three simple words were filled with tenderness and were so moving that he wished he could open his chest and let Chu Qianchen see his heart.
Gu Nanzhao quickly chased after her. He wanted to grab Chu Qianchen's wrist, but was afraid of offending the beauty. In the end, he hesitated and retracted his fingers.
Sister Chen has always been good-tempered, but also very stubborn.
Their statuses are not compatible, and Sister Chen must be aware of this. She knows that she is not worthy of him and cannot be his wife. She avoids him because she does not want to embarrass him.
In fact, Sister Chen is probably feeling even more miserable than he is.
He could still work hard for their future, but Sister Chen could do nothing but watch him get married in the future...
Gu Nanzhao felt both sad and distressed, but he finally swallowed his feelings and followed her back to Zhongcui Palace.
One day, Sister Chen will know everything he has done, and they will definitely be able to understand each other.
Sister Chen will definitely be very touched!
Gu Nanzhao's gentle eyes would drift towards Chu Qianchen from time to time, telling himself over and over again that they would soon be able to be together day and night.
The two of them returned to Zhongcui Palace in silence. The atmosphere in Zhongcui Palace was very tense. Concubine Chu and Shen drank tea respectively, neither of them saying a word.
It was the arrival of Chu Qianchen and Gu Nanzhao that broke the tranquility in the hall.
Concubine Chu had a gloomy face, while Concubine Shen had a graceful demeanor.
Even without asking, Chu Qianchen could guess that their conversation just now must have ended in a bad mood. If Concubine Chu hoped to get something for nothing from her stepmother, she probably wouldn't get what she wanted.
After Chu Qianchen bowed, he walked over to Shen and sat down.
When Shen saw that Chu Qianhuang was not there, she raised her eyebrows and asked, "Where is your elder sister?"
"The eldest sister went to see Her Royal Highness the Third Princess." Chu Qianchen replied.
"..." The corners of Shen's lips stiffened slightly, her expression slightly unhappy, and she suppressed the unhappiness in her heart.
Gu Nanzhao could vaguely see that Shen was unhappy, and was afraid that she would vent her anger on Chu Qianchen, so he said, "Aunt, I'll have someone call cousin Huang over."
He made a gesture and his personal eunuch withdrew.
Gu Nanzhao couldn't help but take out the gilded sachet from his sleeve pocket and held it in his hand.
He also wanted to give this sachet to Sister Chen...
Concubine Chu couldn't do anything about Shen, and she was feeling very angry. At this moment, when she saw the tender look in Gu Nanzhao's eyes when he looked at Chu Qianchen, the anger in her heart began to rise.
The more she looked at Chu Qianchen, the more she felt that she was scheming. She was afraid that Chu Qianhuang was also sent away by her on purpose.
A foxy girl, a real foxy girl!
Before today, Concubine Chu felt that although she could not accept Chu Qianchen as the Second Prince's principal wife, since her son liked her, then it was okay for her to be a concubine. Now she has completely changed her mind.
This Chu Qianchen must not be allowed to enter the house, otherwise her son will definitely be seduced by her and become alienated from her.
The more Concubine Chu thought about it, the more unhappy she became. A breath got stuck in her chest, making her feel very uncomfortable.
She had to let Chu Qianchen know how high the sky was and how high the earth was, and make Chu Qianchen realize her own identity. She was just a lowly concubine's daughter who could be stepped on by anyone!
Concubine Chu's eyes fell on the gilded sachet in Gu Nanzhao's hand. She knew that this sachet should be a pair, and it was a tribute from the Kingdom of Kucha bestowed by the emperor.
Now there is only one left in my son's hand, and I think the other one must have been given to Chu Qianchen just now.
Concubine Chu's anger grew even more intense, a cold light flashed across her eyes, and she said, "Nan Zhao, I remember the sachet in your hand was a recent tribute, right? It looks quite interesting, bring it here for me to enjoy."
Gu Nanzhao would naturally not refuse Concubine Chu for such a small matter, so she handed the sachet to the head maid of Zhongcui Palace. After the head maid took it, she presented it to Concubine Chu.
The senior maid exclaimed nervously, "Oh!"
The gilded spherical scent bag brushed past Concubine Chu's hand, fell to the ground, and rolled towards Chu Qianchen along the mirror-like golden brick floor...
6◇9◇Book◇Bar
Shen's eyes turned cold, and she roughly guessed what Concubine Chu was up to. She once again felt that the Concubine and Chu Lingxiao were indeed blood-related siblings.
Shen frowned even more tightly, and just as she was about to speak, she saw Chu Qianchen quickly blink his right eye at her and push the plate of pastries at hand an inch towards Shen.
Shen laughed inwardly and swallowed back the words that were about to come out.
Concubine Chu stroked her sleeves gracefully, looked at Chu Qianchen and said, "Sister Chen, my hand slipped, please pick up this sachet for me."
Chu Qianchen was calm, without even raising his eyebrows, and turned to a round-faced palace maid and said, "The Imperial Concubine's things fell, why don't you pick them up?"
The round-faced palace maid didn't dare to move. She turned her eyes away and lowered her little face.
How could Gu Nanzhao not see that Concubine Chu wanted to humiliate Chu Qianchen? His expression changed slightly and he looked at Concubine Chu in shock.
"Mother!"
Gu Nanzhao called out, his voice subconsciously rising a notch.
But Concubine Chu seemed to have not heard it. She looked at Chu Qianchen coldly with her phoenix eyes and said, "Sister Chen, I want you to pick it up."
Chu Qianchen looked at Concubine Chu and said in a flat tone: "My Lady Concubine, I am very strong and my subordinates are not very careful."
Concubine Chu would not let Chu Qianchen get away with it so easily, and insisted aggressively: "I said, I asked you to pick it up."
Chu Qianchen smiled slightly and picked up the sachet.
The corners of Concubine Chu's lips curled up, and her jade hands stained with bright red nail polish, which was as bright as blood, picked up the white porcelain teacup with floating patterns at hand.
Picking up a sachet is nothing. She is the imperial concubine. If she wants this girl to kneel, she has to kneel.
However, the next moment, the smile on Concubine Chu's lips froze. Chu Qianchen gently pinched the carved sachet that was as delicate as a delicate flower and flattened it.
Concubine Chu's face darkened visibly.
Such a sachet is insignificant, but Chu Qianchen clearly did it on purpose, on the face of her, a noble concubine!
Chu Qianchen remained calm as he slowly walked up to Concubine Chu and placed the flattened sachet directly on the coffee table next to Concubine Chu.
"Your Highness, let me tell you that I am very strong and my hands were not controlled, so I broke your things and the Second Prince's things." Chu Qianchen sighed.
"..." Concubine Chu almost crushed the teacup in her hand, and veins on her forehead were throbbing.
Shen sighed and echoed Chu Qianchen: "Your Majesty, Sister Chen has already said that she is very strong." This sentence was obviously defending Chu Qianchen.
At this moment, Concubine Chu's old and new hatreds came together, and she also piled up her resentment towards Shen, and blurted out: "Slap!"
She thought she could scare Chu Qianchen. She thought Chu Qianchen would be frightened like those ordinary girls, pale with fear, and kneel down to beg for mercy.
However, Chu Qianchen just sighed, "Hey, I already said I'm strong, it was you, Auntie Guifei, who insisted that I pick it up."
She looked calmly at Concubine Chu and changed her address from "Concubine Madam" to "Aunt Concubine", reminding Concubine Chu that they both had the surname Chu.
There are no secrets in the palace. If Concubine Chu dares to slap herself in the face today, the matter will spread throughout the entire palace that day. I'm afraid that everyone in the palace will speculate why Concubine Chu taught the girl from the Chu family a lesson after having a secret conversation with Shen.
The Chu family is in a troubled time now. Will others think that Concubine Chu despises her natal family because of this, or will they speculate that Concubine Chu has a conflict with her natal family because of other things?
If Concubine Chu punished herself, it would be a slap in the face of her natal family.
Chu Qianchen looked at Concubine Chu very calmly.
The pretty and slender girl just stood there quietly, giving people a feeling of being majestic and deep, with a touch of boldness in her elegance.
Concubine Chu was already holding her breath, and now she felt even more depressed, with a sweet taste in her throat, and her graceful face was a little distorted.
She really didn't dare to hit Chu Qianchen. Her purpose was to make Chu Qianchen bow his head and beg for mercy.
"Mother!" Gu Nanzhao's face was not looking good either, and she patiently advised, "Sister Chen didn't break it on purpose. She said she is very strong, so why are you being so aggressive, mother!"
It was obvious that the mother was trying to make things difficult for Sister Chen, and Sister Chen was also frightened by the mother, so she accidentally lost her composure.
Thinking about this, Gu Nanzhao felt even more distressed for Chu Qianchen: Mother had clearly promised him that she would consider it carefully, but she still made things difficult for Sister Chen...
Concubine Chu felt that her son was simply blind. Couldn't he see that Chu Qianchen was deliberately trying to annoy her?
Her face was so angry that it turned blue. She almost bit her teeth and said to herself again: Chu Qianchen is absolutely not allowed! Otherwise, the Second Prince might not even have her as his biological mother anymore. His heart would be completely seduced by Chu Qianchen, this vixen!
The corners of Shen's lips curled up and her eyes softened.
Sister Chen has a straightforward personality!
Before Concubine Chu could ask for her to leave, Shen said goodbye first: "Your Highness, it's getting late. Your humble servant and I will take our leave now."
Concubine Chu: “…”
The words that Concubine Chu was about to say could no longer be uttered. Her breath was stuck in her throat, unable to go up or down.
Gu Nanzhao looked at Chu Qianchen reluctantly, the tenderness in his eyes so strong that it was about to overflow.
He wanted to see Chu Qianchen off, but was afraid that his mother would be even more angry.
Forget it, he still tried to persuade his mother again, and he would eventually make her understand the good things about Sister Chen.
As for Shen, she didn't care what Concubine Chu thought. She told Nanny Chen to stay and wait for Chu Qianhuang, and she took Chu Qianchen away from Zhongcui Palace.
On the way out of the palace, the two were silent all the way until they got on the carriage of the Marquis' Mansion. Shen Shi broke the silence and asked, "Sister Chen, are you... not interested in the Second Prince and don't even want to be his principal wife?"
Although Concubine Chu and the Second Prince didn't say anything, Shen vaguely sensed something from the sparks flying between mother and son just now, and the Second Prince might be interested in marrying Chu Qianchen as his principal wife.
Regardless of whether this matter can be accomplished or not, it represents the Second Prince’s feelings for Chu Qianchen.
Few women can remain unmoved by this, let alone...
Shen still remembered that when Chu Qianchen was still young, every time the Second Prince came to the Marquis' Mansion, she would stare at him from time to time, her pupils sparkling.
They can be considered as childhood sweethearts who grew up together.
Chu Qianchen looked directly into Shen's eyes without any hesitation and replied calmly: "I have no intention of him."
She answered without hesitation and decisively.
In her previous life, when she was this age, she once thought that she admired the Second Prince, so she would be heartbroken because he abandoned her and ignored her.
However, it was not until she left the Chu family and experienced many things that she realized that this was not admiration, but...
How should I put it? In her previous life, before she was driven out of the Marquis' Mansion, she had always lived a very humble life, so that when Gu Nanzhao just smiled at her and said a few sweet words to her, she regarded him as a ray of sunshine in her life, and regarded him as a special existence, thinking that he was special to her.
In fact, to the gentle and considerate Gu Nanzhao, there was no difference between her and Chu Qianling, his future wife, and other women.
Several years after she left the Marquis' Mansion in her previous life, she had already understood that her feelings for Gu Nanzhao were not romantic.
Chu Qianchen emphasized clearly: "Whether it is a concubine or a principal concubine, I don't want to."
Shen naturally had no idea what Chu Qianchen was thinking. She just thought that she had grown up and realized that the princes in the royal family were not good matches for her.
The carriage was moving forward quickly, and the noise from the street outside was not very clear through the carriage.
Shen took Chu Qianchen's hand and asked solemnly, "Sister Chen, do you have any expectations for your future marriage?"
Generally, girls from noble families should be engaged when they are around 14 years old at the latest. After that, they have to prepare the three books and six ceremonies, which will take a year or so, and they can get married just after they reach the age of 15.
Shen knew that Chu Qianchen was a person with her own ideas, so she just spoke frankly to her. This way, she would have an idea in mind when she had to keep an eye on her husband's family.
However, Chu Qianchen's answer surprised Shen.
"Mother, I have no plans to get married." She said seriously, smiling slightly, with a cheerful smile in her beautiful eyes.
Although she was in a dim carriage, her eyes were twinkling and shining like thousands of stars in the night sky.
Chu Qianchen was of course aware that what she said was somewhat shocking. All the girls from these noble families got married when they reached a certain age.
She also knew that Shen asked her this question out of good intentions, so she didn't want to give her a perfunctory answer and honestly expressed her feelings.
After what happened in her previous life, Chu Qianchen felt that getting married was not the inevitable way out for her.
In her previous life, she was expelled from the Marquis' Mansion, and she did not marry until the year she was reborn. However, she lived a good life.
Her only regret was that she couldn't save the prince.
And in this life, she finally has the opportunity to make up for the regrets of her previous life.
When the prince gets better, he will definitely return to the north. She will leave the Chu family and go to the north with the prince and others!
Thinking of this, Chu Qianchen's eyes became brighter, as if he had already seen that day coming.
The sea is wide enough for fish to leap, and the sky is high enough for birds to fly.
The north is their world.
Shen opened her eyes slightly and was shocked: How could Chu Qianchen have such thoughts at such a young age? !
Her next thought was, could it be that someone had gossiped about something in front of Chu Qianchen that made her have such thoughts?
Shen was considering how to test it out, but when she met Chu Qianchen's sparkling eyes, her heart suddenly moved.
The girl smiled as beautiful as a flower, and her smile was obedient and sweet, as if she was thinking of something happy.
etc!
Could it be that Sister Chen actually has someone she loves? !
(End of this chapter)