Chapter 142: 142 competition

Chapter 142: 142 competition

Chapter 142 Chapter 142 Competition

Shen: “…”

If she hadn't known better, Shen would have thought that Lan Ruo had seen some kind of monster.

Lan Ruo stopped three steps away from Chu Qianchen and honestly repeated what Little Eunuch Li asked.

Grandma Chen thought with emotion: This second girl of theirs is so humble, but in just a few days, she has managed to make Aunt Lanruo obedient.

Chu Qianchen didn't say a word, and continued talking to Mrs. Shen as if he hadn't heard anything: "...Mother doesn't need to prepare a horse for me."

"Okay, then the horse is not ready." Mrs. Shen said with a smile, "I happen to have two sets of riding clothes here that I never wore when I was young. I will ask the sewing room to take them to be altered later. They should be able to change them in a day or two. Done. It’s just right for you to play polo.”

"Excuse me, mother." Chu Qianchen said obediently.

Shen wanted to say that she was being too polite, but she was interrupted by a child's voice outside after just one syllable: "Polo?!"

Chu Yunmu, who had just finished school, was like a gust of wind, chirping: "Chu Qianchen, I want to play polo too!"

Chu Yunmu was very excited. Sometimes she was pestering Chu Qianchen, sometimes she was pestering Shen.

It was not only Chu Yunmu who entered the house, but also Gu Zhiyan. She came to see Chu Qianchen and just happened to meet Chu Yunmu at the entrance of the courtyard.

However, the little girl's walking posture is much more elegant than the arrogant Chu Yunmu.

Shen originally wanted to prevent Chu Yunmu from going because he wanted to study in a clan school, but when she saw Gu Zhiyan's expectant eyes, she suddenly changed her mind.

Since Gu Zhiyan suffered from dementia, he has closed himself off and rarely asks for anything.

Mrs. Shen smiled slightly and asked her: "Qiniang, do you want to go?"

Chu Yunmu is a clever guy. When he heard this, his eyes lit up and he knew there was something going on. He hurriedly said: "Qiniang...cousin, you want to go too, right?"

He pulled Gu Zhiyan's sleeves and looked up at her expectantly with his pretty little face.

Chu Qianchen smiled silently and looked at Gu Zhiyan.

Gu Zhiyan lowered her face and twisted her fingers into weird shapes.

After a while, she nodded silently.

"Mom, can I go play polo with my cousin, right?" Chu Yunmu was so happy that her face lit up.

Shen did not agree directly, but said to Chu Yunmu: "Brother Mu, you are a boy, and you have to take care of your two sisters when you go out."

Chu Yunmu was even more happy when he heard this, feeling that he was a man with high hopes and a heavy responsibility.

He puffed up his chest proudly, patted his chest and said, "Mom, don't worry, I will take care of my second sister and cousin."

Shen rubbed his head, "Then we have an agreement?"

Shen asked Chu Yunmu to play polo together, mainly so that he could accompany Gu Zhiyan.

Gu Zhiyan has been living in the Hou Mansion for a few days, and Mrs. Shen has also noticed that her niece is afraid of adults because she suffered a lot when she was abducted, but she is relaxed about Chu Yunmu and the little black cat who are younger than her. If there are more, there will obviously be more responses.

Chu Yunmu couldn't bear to hide, and nodded vigorously: "Yes!"

Next, Chu Yunmu chirped and asked about playing polo, and Gu Zhiyan sat aside and listened obediently.

At first glance, this scene looked so warm, like a family, that the wet nurse Gu Zhiyan's eyes felt a little sore.

These days, she watched her county boss get better day by day with her own eyes. Although the progress was slow, he was obviously much more lively than when he was in the palace before, and he was even better than when Taoist Xuanjing gave the county boss his first practice a while ago...

Three days later, on the second day of July, when Chu Qianchen went out, there were two little tails behind him.

One is Chu Yunmu and the other is Gu Zhiyan.

Gu Zhiyan was still the same as usual, holding Chu Qianchen's skirt tightly with one hand, wanting to stick to her body.

Chu Yunmu originally wanted to ride a horse by himself, but thinking that he had promised his mother to take care of Chu Qianchen and Gu Zhiyan, he said: "Second sister, cousin Qiniang, I will ride in the carriage with you."

"I asked about it. It takes an hour to get to Furong Garden from here, so I prepared this... This set of chess pieces is made of magnets and can be firmly attached to the chessboard. We can play backgammon in the carriage."

Chu Yunmu proudly ordered the maid to take out a specially made chessboard and chess pieces, with the tail almost sticking up to the sky.

The way he looked, he just said, "Praise me, praise me quickly."

Chu Qianchen laughed and said quickly in response: "Brother Mu is so thoughtful."

Chu Yunyi went to Furong Garden with Chu Qianchen and the other three, but Chu Yunmu and Gu Zhiyan were influenced by Chu Qianchen, while Chu Yunyi's post was his own. All the young talents who had performed well in the Wanshou Festival martial arts test had won the title.

Chu Yunyi was riding a horse, so he naturally heard the chatter and laughter in the carriage. He looked at Chu Yunmu inside through the car window with a bit of disgust, and thought to himself: Chu Yunmu is a boy, so clinging to him. What does your sister look like!

The young man behind saw his young master's eyes constantly looking into the carriage, so he rode his horse forward and asked in a low voice: "Master, it's hot today and the sun is shining brightly. Do you want to ride in the carriage too..."

Before he finished speaking, he saw Chu Yunyi glance at him sideways, as if he had some thoughts, and then he raised his chin and said: "It's too hot now, how can I play polo later!" "

He pinched the horse's belly and sped up, leaving the young man and Chu Qianchen's carriage behind, leaving only a proud back.

The boy touched his nose. He thought the young master wanted to go in and play chess and talk with the second girl and the others.

Furong Garden is an imperial garden located on the western outskirts of the capital city. It is surrounded by beautiful mountains and rivers. Since the previous dynasty, the Royal Garden has been located within a radius of dozens of miles. This Furong Garden was also left behind by the previous dynasty. It has been renovated several times by the emperors of the Qi Dynasty. Second-rate.

Furong Garden covers an area of ​​about a thousand acres, surrounded by mountains and rivers. It is a summer resort for the royal family. Because the late emperor loved polo, he built a polo field in Furong Garden. When the late emperor was alive, he also liked to take the prince and some honorary officials with him in his spare time. Your distinguished ministers come here to play polo.

This is not a good practice nowadays, so this lotus garden has been deserted for almost two years, until today.

Outside the gate of Furong Garden, there have been servants and maids waiting to entertain the distinguished guests attending today's banquet.

All guests' carriages must stop at the gate of the garden, and then everyone must get off and walk.

Chu Qianchen supported Hu Hu's hand to get out of the carriage, and happened to see a carriage with seven horses parked a few feet in front of him. All the entourage were tall and mighty, and a monk in white stepped out of a black flat-top carriage.

The monk's robes, as white as fresh snow, fell down with his movements. When the wind blew, the sleeves of the monk's robes flew up, giving the impression of a Wu belt flowing out of the dust in the wind.

Chu Qianchen had known that Wuhejialou would come today, so he was not surprised, but Chu Yunmu did not know.

Jialou's appearance and temperament were both one-of-a-kind. Chu Yunmu immediately remembered that he and Chu Qianchen had seen this white-clothed monk near the city gate in April, and he exclaimed in surprise:

"It's him!"

"Meow!"

A milky cat meow happened to overlap with Chu Yunmu's shout.

Amber felt that the cat's meow was familiar, but before she could react, she blinked slowly.

The next moment, a little black cat with four snow-white hooves jumped down from Chu Qianchen's carriage, ran briskly towards the monk in white, rubbed his calf affectionately, and said "meow" in his mouth. shouted.

"Yueyue!" Gu Zhiyan got out of the carriage after the little black cat. She looked at this scene with some confusion. She wanted to chase the cat, but she didn't dare to leave Chu Qianchen.

Amber said in surprise: "Why is Yueying here?"

Gu Zhiyan's nurse cleared her throat and explained to Chu Qianchen apologetically: "Cousin, it was the head of my county who secretly brought the cat out." Gu Zhiyan has been stubborn since he suffered from absence syndrome. Even the cow couldn't be pulled back, and the nurse couldn't persuade her.

Chu Qianchen pursed his lips and smiled, his smile bright and bright.

How could she not know that there was such a cat hidden in the carriage? She was just pretending to play chess with Chu Yunmu and not paying attention. To be honest, it was quite interesting to see Gu Zhiyan and Chu Yunmu working together to hide the kitten. . As a child, it is better to be lively and naughty.

At this time, Garou in front picked up the little black cat that was acting coquettishly at him. The little black cat obviously still remembered his savior and kept rubbing against him again, making intimate movements.

Chu Qianchen took one of Gu Zhiyan's hands and walked towards Wuhejia Tower.

Gu Zhiyan looked at Jialou timidly, with a hint of envy in his expression.

The kitten was willing to play with her, but she still refused to hold it. Today, she carried it over in a basket and hid it in the carriage.

"Miss Chu Er." Jia Lou also saw Chu Qianchen and smiled softly.

His temperament is pure and pure, and his white clothes always give people a sense of purity. At this moment, there is a black cat in his arms, as if he has stepped off the clouds, and he no longer looks so hopeful. Not available.

"Mage." Chu Qianchen nodded slightly to him as a greeting, and then his eyes fell on the little black cat in his arms, "Its broken leg is well taken care of and has been completely healed. The mage has to reattach it." Walk?"

"..." Gu Zhiyan's eyes suddenly widened when he heard this, and he subconsciously held Chu Qianchen's hand tightly.

Chu Yunmu, who was following behind, also heard it. He was a little anxious and wanted to object. Jia Lou was one step ahead of him and said: "It is destined to be with the girl, so let it follow the girl."

Chu Yunmu breathed a sigh of relief again, and his heart suddenly dropped again and again in just a few breaths, almost to the point of having a heart attack.

Chu Yunmu and Gu Zhiyan looked at each other and smiled, with the same relief written in their eyes.

Chu Qianchen also smiled and said solemnly: "Master, according to our Daqi, picking up a cat requires a 'betrothal gift'..."

The last time she asked Jialou for a cat in Jishi Hall, she saw that the cat had injured its leg, so she mentioned it casually. At that time, she didn't think anything was wrong. It wasn't until the Ministry of Internal Affairs came to ask for a job a few days ago that she remembered that she had accepted it. Cat, but forgot to give Jialou the "betrothal gift".

Therefore, today, she specially brought the cat to Gu Zhiyan, firstly to show the cat to Jialou, and secondly, to get a definite explanation and to go through all the etiquette.

bride price? ! Garuda was stunned.

The Tama people behind him also heard what Chu Qianchen said and looked at each other with strange expressions. What is this?

Chu Yunmu's eyes lit up.

That’s right!

"I hire a raccoon slave wrapped in salt, and I often watch the theater in the corner."

The phrase "wrap a cat in salt to hire a raccoon slave" refers to the fact that if you hire a cat back home, you need to give him a betrothal gift.

That’s right, Yueying’s betrothal gift must be given!

Chu Yunmu felt that her second sister was really reliable in her work. Just imagine, if the second sister did not give the monk a betrothal gift, it would mean that the cat still belonged to the monk. In the future, the monk might change his mind and want a cat. What would he do if he came to the Marquis Mansion to ask for a cat? !

Chu Yunmufuer explained to Gu Zhiyan, who blinked and nodded again.

He lowered his voice, but Garuda, Tama and others were martial arts practitioners and had good ears and eyes, so they listened to everything.

The corner of Tama's mouth twitched, feeling that these Daqi people were simply too fussy. Isn't this just a cat?

Chu Yunmu seemed to hear Tama's cold snort, and looked up at him keenly, then opened his eyes slightly and recognized him.

Isn't this big man the same person he accidentally bumped into in the tea shop last time? !

Thinking of that time when he relied on Chu Qianchen to "scare" the big man away, Chu Yunmu felt that he was not like a man.

He raised his head and stared at Tama, his back straight.

He is five and a half years old today! She is no longer a baby girl hiding behind her sister's back.

Chu Qianchen took out the gift that he had prepared for Jialou and said, "This is Yueying's betrothal gift."

She took out a small porcelain jar from her sleeve and handed it over. Along with it, there was a small piece of tissue paper.

Jialou couldn't help but smile, his eyebrows became softer and softer, and his face seemed to be shining, like a jade statue of a famous master.

Garuda raised his hand and accepted it. The next moment, Gu Zhiyan timidly took a step forward and stretched out his arms towards him.

Jialou handed the little black cat into the little girl's hands. The little black cat meowed twice and lay peacefully between her chest and arms.

With the kitten in her arms, Gu Zhiyan felt as if her heart was filled with something, and she smiled with satisfaction.

Tama raised his eyebrows, guessing that the small porcelain jar contained mostly pills, and the pills made by Chu Qianchen were good things. !

He exchanged glances with the other Hao people beside him and thought to himself: Actually, the customs in Daqi are not bad.

Chu Yunmu was still staring at Tama persistently.

Tama finally noticed Chu Yunmu's stubborn gaze, recognized him, and shouted with interest: "Boy."

Chu Yunmu held his head high and did not flinch. He said to himself that it was nothing special about this guy named Tama. He was not scared away by Chu Qianchen's arrow skills last time!

Tama shrugged and saw Chu Yunmu looking at the bow and arrow on his back, thinking that he liked it. Thinking that his sister had just given the eldest prince something good, he generously took off the bow and arrow on his back and gave it to Chu Yun. Mu.

"Boy, learn bow shooting from your sister." Tama said harshly.

Chu Yunmu: "..."

Chu Yunmu was inexplicably stuffed with a set of bows and arrows, and was dumbfounded.

Jialou put the small porcelain jar and silk paper given by Chu Qianchen into his sleeve pocket, and said with a smile: "I heard that King Chen is seriously ill, and there is no shortage of elixirs in our country. If you need it, girl, just ask."

Jia Lou looked at Chu Qianchen deeply, showing a bit of sizing and a bit of testing.

Tama and the others stopped smiling and exchanged glances calmly.

Ever since the emperor granted Chu Qianchen and Gu Jue a marriage, Gu Jue had never been seen again, and news spread in the capital that King Chen was seriously ill.

Some people say that the emperor loved his younger brother very much, so he issued a decree to congratulate King Chen on marriage;

Some people also said that the emperor's intention to humiliate King Chen by giving him such a concubine was not good-hearted.

Tama and the others preferred the latter.

However, Garuda had other ideas.

Jialou said that Gu Jue was a man of amazing talent and beauty, but at the same time he was arrogant. With his character, even if he was terminally ill, he would not be easily manipulated by others, even if he was facing the majestic Emperor Qi.

What makes Jialou uncertain is how sick King Chen is. Is he really too sick to get off the bed or go out? Or is he planning something through this "illness"...

Tama and others understood Garou's temptation, and Chu Qianchen also understood it.

Before, she had suspected that Wuhejialou might have guessed that she was asking for the Seven Star Grass for the prince.

really.

Chu Qianchen smiled slightly.

The prince had a very high opinion of Wuhajialou and praised him for his insight into subtle things.

She knew that with her casual words, the other party might get a lot of information out of her.

So, it is better not to say anything than to say too much and make mistakes.

Chu Qianchen did not directly answer Jialou's words, but said something off-topic: "Master, have you ever heard of a saying that everything is like a game of Yin and Yang, when Yin is strong, Yang is declining, when Yang is strong, Yin is declining; The other is growing, the other is declining and the other is growing?"

The meaning of what Chu Qianchen said was unclear at first glance, and everyone else present was confused.

However, Garuda understood.

Their country, Hao, was very powerful, but beneath its glory and prosperity, it was also surrounded by dangers.

This was also the reason why Emperor Hao reached an agreement with the previous emperor of Da Qi.

The Hao Kingdom was different from Da Qi, and also different from the previous dynasties.

The Hao Kingdom implemented a vassal system, and people were divided into three classes.

The vassal king is naturally the first-class person. They have absolute control over their territory. The territory acquired by the vassal king belongs to the vassal king. Therefore, while Dahao's territory continues to expand, the territory and rights of the vassal king also increase. Continue to grow.

One goes down and the other goes up.

Therefore, if the minister is strong, the king will be weak.

Over the years, the various forces in Dahao have restricted and confronted each other, and undercurrents have surged.

It wasn't that his father didn't want him to come out of the temple, it was just that the time had not come yet.

Jia Lou looked at Chu Qianchen intently, his pure eyes like the vastness of the blue sky, seemingly close yet far away. He was clearly just a few feet away, but he gave people a feeling of being far away and unapproachable.

Chu Qianchen smiled lightly, his eyes were clear, and his whole person exuded an air of calmness and calmness.

Since both sides have difficulties, there is nothing wrong with cooperation, right?

Suddenly, the two meaningful sentences Chu Qianchen said when they last met in the palace rang in Jialou's ears:

"Everything in this life is the result of the cause and effect of the previous life."

"I saved the cat in this life, maybe it was the cat who saved me in the previous life."

He chewed on these two sentences and understood them instantly.

Before, he thought Chu Qianchen was a **** in the game between Gu Jue and the emperor.

He was wrong.

She must have been a member of Prince Chen's palace from the beginning, so she planned this for Prince Chen.

The two looked at each other quietly. Under the seemingly calm appearance, there was scrutiny, exploration, measurement, and competition between the two sides.

Garuda didn't ask any more questions. He knew that it was useless to test him anymore.

They are from two countries, each with their own positions and interests. It is impossible for Chu Qianchen to reveal more.

After a while, a burst of noise from around broke the silence.

"The Crown Prince is here."

I don’t know which palace servant it was that whispered.

The palace people near the gate all looked in the same direction.

Seven or eight young men walked towards the prince, Gu Nanjin, surrounded by them.

Chu Qianchen also looked at Gu Nanjin. When they came closer, he bowed and said, "See His Highness the Crown Prince."

Chu Yunyi, Chu Yunmu and Gu Zhiyan also saluted at the same time.

At this time, the little black cat in Gu Zhiyan's arms was particularly eye-catching. Even Gu Nanjin couldn't help but take a second look and said with a smile: "No courtesy."

Chu Qianchen knew that the protagonist of this banquet was Jialou, and the others were incidentally and very knowledgeable, so he left immediately and took Gu Zhiyan and Chu Yunmu to pay homage to the Crown Princess.

The palace maid who led the way took them straight to the polo field in the northeast of Furong Garden.

This polo ground was expanded and renovated several times during the late emperor's reign, and it is magnificent.

The length and width of the polo field are about a thousand paces, with colorful flags fluttering along the edge as the boundary. The ground of the field is as flat as a chip and as smooth as a mirror. There are also some scattered bamboo sheds built around it as stands.

Many guests have arrived today, and there are twenty or thirty young men and girls in rich clothes sitting in the main stand, looking at the jewels.

The Crown Princess, the Third Princess Anle, Princess Changning, and many other princesses, princesses, county lords, etc. have all arrived.

In front of so many high-class noble ladies, Chu Qianchen, a mere daughter of a prince, was really not in the upper class. He could only bend his knees and salute, and could not catch their attention at all.

But everyone knows that Chu Qianchen will soon be Princess Chen. Even if the marriage fails and King Chen dies of illness, then she will also be the princess of Yudian, which is justifiable; if the marriage is successful, then the future will be even more difficult to say, that is, No matter how much King Chen despises this princess, she is also his legitimate wife and first wife. He will wait and see in the future.

Everyone looked at her with subtle eyes and spoke politely, including the Crown Princess.

After Chu Qianchen saluted the Crown Princess and others, he took her two little tails to her seat and sat down.

Her seat is not far from the Crown Princess, and she has a good view. This time, she is second only to the Crown Princess and the princesses. After all, now that the marriage contract has been established, she can be considered half of Princess Chen.

During the next moment of burning incense, young men and girls arrived at the racecourse in twos and threes from time to time, and then sat down one after another.

Chu Qianchen's side was always empty. Except for Chu Yunmu and Gu Zhiyan, there was no one else. It seemed that there was an invisible barrier that separated them from the people around them.

Chu Qianchen didn't care, and Chu Yunmu and Gu Zhiyan also didn't care. They talked when they wanted to talk, teased the cat when they wanted to, and looked like everything was going well with the cat.

After waiting for Gu Nanjin and Jia Lou to take their seats, the originally empty venue began to bustle, announcing that the polo match was about to begin.

Amid cheers and applause, on one side of the polo field, a team wearing black riding uniforms and forehead robes of the same color appeared on the stage amid cheers. The young man at the head held up the bow stick in his hand and raised his chin slightly. He glanced around, feeling high-spirited.

On the other side, a group of young men in blue riding uniforms also appeared on the stage at the same time.

These young masters in their prime are like soldiers leading troops to the battlefield. They are full of heroism. Among these young men are princes, noble sons of the clan, and young masters of military generals' mansions. Most of them are famous in the capital. characters.

Suddenly, a young man in blue at the rear of the blue team rode towards Chu Qianchen and the others.

"Brother." Chu Yunmu waved vigorously to Chu Yunyi.

Today's posts are divided into two types. One is the one in the hands of Chu Qianchen, Jia Lou, Princess Chang Ning and others. They just come to watch polo; the other is the post received by Chu Yunyi. He's here to play polo.

"Hey," Chu Yunyi, who was riding a white horse, raised his chin and looked up at Chu Qianchen in the stands, "I will win!"

There was a bit of pride and a bit of ambiguity in his expression, almost like an oath.

He lost the last martial arts test, but he won't lose again this time!

After Chu Yunyi said this, he pulled the horse's rope and turned around to leave, but he heard Chu Qianchen's unhurried voice from behind: "If you score the most goals in the game, I will go I’ll give you a bow.”

Chu Yunyi had already turned his back. He neither responded nor said bad, and just rode towards the stadium. The white horse kicked its hooves happily, and the young man's back also looked lively.

Chu Yunmu tilted his little face and said to himself: "Brother, do you want it or not?"

"want."

Next to him, Gu Zhiyan whispered one word.

When Chu Yunmu and Chu Qianchen looked at her, she just silently touched the little black cat lying on her lap and stopped talking.

Chu Yunmu looked at Chu Yunyi who was eager to try again, feeling that he was like a belligerent rooster. He covered his mouth and smiled, then nodded seriously and said: "I think so too."

In the Song Dynasty, raising a cat required giving a betrothal gift, also called betrothal cat~

(End of chapter)