Chapter 171: 171 will win
Chapter 171 171 will win
The maids and maids brought by Grandma Jin were all waiting in the corridor, looking secretly towards the main room from time to time. It was a hot day today, and they were sweating profusely after waiting for a while, and their temples were soaked with sweat.
They were also upset. Everyone knew that being sent to Prince Chen's Mansion by the Queen was sometimes a good job, but once sent back, there was no hope of being reused.
Time passed slowly, and the cicada's chirping seemed to be getting louder.
After burning the incense, they saw Grandma Jin coming out of the main room. Her steps were sloppy, her face was pale, and she was sweating profusely. She looked like she had been fished out of the water.
Grandma Jin, what's going on? !
Several palace maids exchanged glances secretly, seeing that Aunt Jin was in good condition, and it didn't look like she had been beaten by the princess.
Why does she look like she has lost half of her soul? !
When Grandma Jin walked up to these palace maids and chamberlains, she had already calmed down her mood and looked at them with an expressionless and arrogant look.
"Let's go."
She stroked her sleeves, said this, and walked down the stone steps.
The palace maids and chambermaids looked at each other and knew that Aunt Jin had obviously failed to convince the princess to accept them.
Could it be that Aunt Jin was so uneasy because she couldn't explain it to the Queen after she returned?
These palace maids and chamberlains thought they were inconspicuous and did not dare to ask. They all followed Grandma Jin away silently.
The ladies from the two palaces quickly led Grandma Jin and her party out.
The main courtyard returned to its original calm.
After a cup of tea, Chu Qianchen also walked out of the main courtyard.
The sun was scorching outside and the heat was steaming. Amber quickly held an umbrella for her to block the sun.
Chu Qianchen went to the outer study room in the front yard with a clear goal, naturally to find Gu Jue.
The outer study is located in the northeast corner of the palace, surrounded by a quiet bamboo forest with winding paths, making people feel as if they are isolated from the scorching sun outside.
Amber suddenly felt that the surrounding area was much cooler, and secretly sighed that the layout of this palace was really wonderful.
"Princess, the prince is inside." The boy in the outer study walked in front to guide her.
But Chu Qianchen did not rush into the house. Instead, he stopped outside the threshold and stared blankly at the plaque in front of him, with the three characters "Ziqing Pavilion" written on it.
"Princess?" The boy also stopped and looked at Chu Qianchen doubtfully.
The prince has ordered that if the princess comes, there is no need to inform her, just let people in.
Chu Qianchen pursed his lips and smiled, crossing the threshold.
These three words are the same as the plaque on Prince Chen's Mansion outside. They were written by the imperial pen when the late emperor gave the mansion to him.
Every place in the outer courtyard of Prince Chen's Mansion was one that Chu Qianchen knew very well. He must be more familiar with it than the prince!
In the study, not only Gu Jue was alone, but Su Mubai and Cheng Linhua were also there.
When the servant opened the curtain, Cheng Linhua's solemn voice came from inside: "The emperor scolded the prince in the imperial study today, saying that the prince had no manners of a prince, and the reason why the prince of Daqi acted as a bodyguard for the Wuhe family spread out. It will only make people think that Da Qi is afraid of Nan Hao and is bowing down to Nan Hao. "
"The emperor ordered the prince to return to the East Palace and think about his mistakes behind closed doors."
When Chu Qianchen entered the door, Cheng Linhua and Su Mubai couldn't help but take a second look at her. Su Mubai curled his lips and quickly glanced between Chu Qianchen and Gu Jue.
Seeing that they were talking about business, Chu Qianchen was not in a hurry to talk to Gu Jue and walked to the window to sit down.
She casually took out a half-knitted braid from her sleeve pocket and knitted it on her own, with the corners of her lips slightly curved.
Su Mubai took a sip of tea and said, "Your Majesty, the Wuhejial Tower has not responded yet."
In the final analysis, whether this matter will succeed or not depends on Wuhejialou’s attitude. If Jialou does not agree, the prince will be powerless; if Jialou agrees, the emperor will compromise.
Gu Jue smiled and said: "Wuhejialou has a courageous temperament and is not a hesitant person. He just wants to stay in Daqi for a few days."
Just like Wu Hejialou must have known that the person who assassinated him in Furong Garden last time was not Qi Ren, but Hao Ren.
Su Mubai rubbed his fingers on the white porcelain embossed tea cup at hand twice, and said thoughtfully: "Your Majesty, what do you mean, what happened in Nanhao's country?" Then he kept it. The footsteps of Uhagalou.
Cheng Linhua was confused when he heard this. He felt that the jumps in the words of these two people were too big.
No wonder, only the prince can subdue the dead fox Su Mubai!
When Cheng Linhua glanced at Chu Qianchen from the corner of his eye, he found that she was also nodding slightly, as if she was agreeing with Su Mubai.
So, the princess also understands?
Cheng Linhua couldn't help but start to doubt whether he was the flash **** just now, or... was he too stupid?
Gu Jue fell silent and tapped the knuckles of his right hand twice on the coffee table. He remembered the conversation between him and Wu Hejialou in the Shaohua Hall the day before yesterday, and his eyes flashed.
After a while, Gu Jue's right hand paused and he casually ordered: "Cheng Linhua, please personally post a message downstairs for Wuhejia."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Cheng Linhua accepted the order and resigned, and Su Mubai also resigned together.
In the outer study room, only Gu Jue and Chu Qianchen were left.
Chu Qianchen still sat there and continued to weave the knot, looking focused.
The golden sunshine is filtered through the lush green bamboo forest outside the window layer by layer, like a layer of golden gauze, crystal clear and soft.
The girl's face was bare of makeup, and she wore a primrose-colored dark cloud-patterned cross-collared blouse. Her thick green hair was **** in a loose bun, and her slender neck was as graceful as a swan under the black hair. The pine flowers The colored threads made her slender fingers particularly white, as smooth as jade and as white as porcelain.
Her fingers are so flexible that sometimes people can't believe that such a weak and easily broken wrist and such slender fingers can actually pull a long bow and kill a criminal with one arrow.
She just sat there so quietly, emitting a brilliance like the bright moon, quiet, soft, and dazzling.
Gu Jue clearly knew that this girl did not need to be pitied or felt sorry for.
She is strong enough, both in terms of ability and heart, and those external doubts will not shake her at all.
But knowing that Gui Gui knew it, he still couldn't help but feel pity for this girl.
This feeling is novel and interesting.
Gu Jue walked to her side silently and sat down.
At this time, Chu Qianchen raised his head and stretched out his right hand towards him.
Gu Jue subconsciously raised his hand and saw her pointing at his waist and saying, "Jade pendant."
Jade pendant? ! Gu Jue was startled, and the hand that was about to reach out to her temporarily changed its direction, took off the mutton-fat white jade pendant with bamboo patterns on his waist, and handed it to her.
Chu Qianchen quickly untied the knot on the jade pendant. She noticed this morning that the string on Gu Jue's jade pendant was old and worn out a little, so she made a new one for him.
Gu Jue lowered his eyes and looked at his right hand.
Is he being restricted by this girl?
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth unconsciously.
Chu Qianchen moved very quickly, stringing the jade pendant on in a few clicks.
Qianqian knots are not the same. Chu Qianchen tied the knot based on intuition. She just figured out how to match it with the jade pendant. Finally, she tied two diamond knots to finish it off.
"alright."
When she finished knitting the braid and raised her eyes to look at Gu Jue again, she saw a smile on his slightly raised lips, and even his usually cold face became charming.
"Does my weaving look good?" Chu Qianchen asked, smiling triumphantly, grabbing the tether above the jade pendant in his hand, and shaking the jade pendant back and forth.
In mid-air, the oval-shaped mutton-fat white jade pendant shimmered under a few rays of sunlight.
"It looks good." He raised his hand and took the jade pendant, a smile slowly creeping up to the corners of his eyes and brows, "Knit another one for me."
Chu Qianchen felt that this was a great affirmation for her, and nodded in agreement without thinking.
Gu Jue stood up and took out another mutton-fat white jade ring from the desk drawer. The ring was engraved with cloud patterns and phoenix patterns.
Chu Qianchen subconsciously looked at her waist. She was wearing a mutton-fat white jade ring on her waist that was similar to Gu Jue's. However, hers was engraved with a phoenix pattern. This ring was for the Longevity Festival. It was given by the Empress Dowager Yin that day.
These two rings are obviously a pair.
"My mother gave it to me the day before yesterday." Gu Jue said, "Just make a knot like yours."
Chu Qianchen hesitated slightly.
The braid she made for herself was a plum blossom with a black heart, a bright red beard, and some gold threads, which was very bright. The prince prefers plain colors on weekdays.
She only hesitated for a moment. Anyway, whatever the prince wears looks good.
She immediately called Amber in and asked her to go back to the main courtyard to get the strings, ribbons, etc. for braiding.
As Amber came in and out, Chu Qianchen finally remembered what she was here for, and showed off with a smile: "Your Majesty, Grandma Jin from the Ministry of Internal Affairs came just now. The emperor asked her to come to seize people."
Chu Qianchen vividly told the story of how she induced Nanny Jin to mistakenly think she was poisoned.
Gu Jue saw her frustrated look, listened to her with a smile, and poured her tea.
The structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is extremely complex. It has undergone many changes since the founding of the Qi Dynasty. Currently, the subordinate institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs include the Seventh Division and Three Courts and thirty affiliated institutions. It also has jurisdiction over the three main halls, Shouning Palace, Jingshifang, and Wenyuan Pavilion. , Imperial Pharmacy, etc.
It can be said that in the palace, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is inseparable from everywhere.
This girl used Grandma Jin to plant a nail in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which would be of great use.
Chu Qianchen finished speaking in one breath, wrinkled his nose, and finally sighed: "The emperor is always restless, which is quite annoying."
She saw the admiration in Gu Jue's eyes and became even more proud. The cat's tail behind her was wagging briskly.
Gu Jue didn't take the emperor seriously. Seeing how funny she looked, he couldn't help but raise his hand and touch the soft top of her head. He laughed and said, "It's just a clown."
Chu Qianchen took it seriously and smiled freely.
Those beautiful phoenix eyes seemed to be kneaded into the starlight, twinkling and twinkling. When the smile bloomed, the cheeks were as delicate and beautiful as hibiscus flowers, and they were indescribably bright.
Gu Jue looked at her with a smile, feeling like he saw another side of her -
Free and easy.
This girl has many sides, sometimes she is calm and generous, sometimes she is innocent and lively, sometimes she is elegant and dignified, sometimes she is cold and aloof...
Chu Qianchen also looked back at him with a pleasant smile.
Her mood was stable and quiet, she was greedy for the warmth of this moment, and hoped that such days could continue forever.
At this moment, Amber, who had just gone to get the embroidery basket, came back, bringing not only the threads for braiding, but also a post, "Princess, my fourth uncle sent someone to send another post."
More than an hour ago, after Chu Qianchen received the post from Chu Yunmu, he immediately replied to her and asked Agate to be sent to the Hou Mansion. Unexpectedly, Chu Yunmu sent a second post so soon.
Chu Qianchen took the post, read it at a glance, and said with a smile: "Brother Mu just posted today and asked me if I could take him to the Imperial Academy's entrance exam in three days. I originally replied, thinking that I would I went to pick him up from Duke Mu’s mansion.”
She shook the post in her hand as she said, "His post said he was coming here to pick me up." As he spoke, Chu Qianchen's smile deepened, with a somewhat doting look on his expression.
Chu Yunmu kept his word, and three days later, he came to the palace to pick up Chu Qianchen, even half an hour early.
Chu Qianchen specially wore men's clothing, a blue straight skirt, his hair **** with a hairband of the same color, a purse and a small bloodstone seal on his waist, red lips and white teeth, and a jade tree in the wind. He looked like a handsome young man. .
The Imperial College is located in the Imperial College Hutong in the east of the city. The entire alley is shrouded in the shade of green and dense trees. It is quiet and quiet. On weekdays, most of the people coming and going here are students from the Imperial College.
However, today there are many more gorgeous carriages coming and going on the streets.
Some came to the Imperial College today to take the exam, and some, like Chu Qianchen and Chu Yunmu, came to cheer up their relatives and friends.
Although Chu Qianchen and the others deliberately set off early, their plans could not keep up with the change. When they were approaching the Guozijian Hutong, two carriages collided with each other in front of them. The two families were from prominent families and were competing with each other. So, again, It attracted a lot of busybodies who were watching the excitement, making it difficult for other cars and horses to move forward.
Chu Qianchen made an immediate decision and took a detour, but it still took him some time to get out of the bustling crowd. By the time they arrived at the Imperial College, the exam had already started for a quarter of an hour.
The sister and brother entered the Imperial College smoothly with the help of the post from Mu Guogong's mansion.
The Imperial Academy had a dedicated boy to greet today's visitors. Under the guidance of a boy, the sister and brother quickly arrived at the examination room for the martial arts examination.
The examination room is a wide school ground. There are temporary bamboo sheds on three sides of the school ground as auditoriums. The auditorium is crowded and lively.
In the center of the school ground, two teenagers were dueling with silver tasseled spears. The teenagers were wearing bright clothes and wielding spears. Their thin clothes floated with their flying movements, making hunting sounds and high spirits.
Chu Yunmu's eyes lit up, he raised his finger and pointed to a young man in front of him wearing a sky blue lapel Hufu and said: "Second...brother, look, it's the eldest brother!"
After the words came out, Chu Yunmu suddenly felt that something was not right.
One of the young men in the field was Chu Yunyi.
The one facing Chu Yunyi was a young man wearing royal blue Hufu. The spear in the young man's hand danced with great force and struck Chu Yunyi like thunder.
The spear vibrated in the air with a buzzing sound.
But Chu Yunyi was forced to retreat steadily, almost only defending but not attacking.
Both the spectators in the surrounding auditorium and Chu Qianchen could see that Chu Yunyi was at a disadvantage at this moment and was not far from a complete defeat.
Chu Qianchen frowned. She only knew some basic self-defense skills and didn't know how to use a gun. However, in her previous life, there were many masters of spears around her. Even if she had never eaten pork, she had seen pigs running away. Xue Fengyan and Tang Yuchu's marksmanship were both impressive. No That's right, their marksmanship was tempered on the battlefield, with **** and murderous intent. However, the marksmanship of this boy in blue was flashy, just like those martial arts students on the stage, they were just a showpiece, just to look good when they danced.
In the past few months, she had also seen Chu Yunyi practicing martial arts in the Hou Mansion. Although his skills were not as good as those of Xue Fengyan and Tang Yuchu, he was definitely far better than his opponents.
"Boom!"
There was a fierce collision, and the spear in Chu Yunyi's hand came out, and with a clang, the spear fell to the ground.
It also means that Chu Yunyi lost.
A burst of warm applause broke out in the audience, and those people were cheering and applauding the winner.
The winning boy in blue was in high spirits, raising his arms and spear to his relatives and friends, declaring his arrogance as a winner.
In contrast, the defeated Chu Yunyi's eyes were dim.
"Brother!"
Chu Yunmu shouted to Chu Yunyi. Chu Yunyi's body trembled violently, and he raised his eyes and looked in the direction of Chu Yunmu and Chu Qianchen.
Naturally, he also recognized Chu Qianchen, who was disguised as a man. His eyes widened slightly and he stared straight at Chu Qianchen with extremely complicated eyes.
He stood frozen for a while, as if he were a stone sculpture.
Chu Yunmu called "big brother" again. The next moment, Chu Yunyi turned around without saying a word, turned his back to Chu Qianchen and Chu Yunmu, and ran in the other direction with rapid strides, fleeing.
Chu Yunmu: "..."
Chu Qianchen raised his eyebrows and called out: "Jiang Yuan."
She didn't need to say more, Jiang Yuan rushed out immediately, rushing in front of Chu Yunyi almost in the blink of an eye, and quickly blocked Chu Yunyi's way.
Chu Yunyi wanted to go around her, but saw that no matter which direction he turned, the other party seemed to be able to guess his movements in advance and quickly stood in front of him.
Chu Yunmu was stunned. The second sister’s maid is too powerful!
"Brother Mu, let's go over." Chu Qianchen smiled slightly and slowly led Chu Yunmu over until he came to Chu Yunyi.
Chu Yunyi: "..."
The young man's handsome face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye. He was completely unable to face Chu Qianchen. He was ashamed, annoyed, helpless, and couldn't raise his head.
"Brother..." Chu Yunmu racked his brains to think of how to comfort Chu Yunyi. This was just the first martial arts test in the morning. It didn't matter if he failed. There would be a second one in the afternoon.
Before he could say anything else, Chu Qianchen suggested: "It's almost noon, let's go eat."
Chu Qianchen didn't mention the competition just now.
Chu Yunmu: "Okay!"
Chu Yunyi: "I won't go."
Chu Qianchen ignored Chu Yunyi and walked in another direction with Chu Yunmu.
Chu Yunmu hesitated a little, looked at Chu Yunyi, and then at Chu Qianchen. He always followed Chu Qianchen with his head in the right direction, so he chased after Chu Qianchen.
Chu Yunyi, who was left alone, stared blankly at their backs for a while, and finally followed suit, following Chu Qianchen sullenly.
Chu Yunyi looked at Chu Qianchen's profile from time to time. Looking at this sister who was as tall as him, he didn't know what to say.
To be honest, he used to always think that his half-sister was dull and weak. He had been closer to his eldest sister since he was a child and had more talk, but his second sister always avoided him.
However, this year when he left home and came back, in just a few months, he felt as if his world had undergone earth-shaking changes. He discovered that many of the things he once believed were not true.
Grandmother, father, aunt, second sister...
The faces of the people closest to him flashed in front of his eyes, and his mind went back to the day when Chu Qianchen returned home from three dynasties.
In the past few days, he had hardly slept well. When he was awake or dreaming, he couldn't help but think of the scenes of that day...
All this followed him like a nightmare.
Along the way, Chu Qianchen ignored Chu Yunyi and only exchanged words with Chu Yunmu:
"Brother Mu, Zuixiao Tower is nearby. Not only the wine is good, but the snacks are also good. How about eating there today?"
"Okay. I'm treating you today!"
"So generous?"
"I've always been very generous...cough, mother, give me fifty taels of silver!"
“…”
The three siblings went all the way to Zuixiao Tower, which was not far from the Imperial Academy. Chu Yunyi felt even more aggrieved when they were ignored.
He almost turned around and left, but his steps were obedient and he still followed Chu Qianchen.
The waiter led them to a private dining room on the second floor. In the private dining room, Gu Jue lazily leaned against the window and drank tea, waiting for them.
"Second brother-in-law." Chu Yunmu called out obediently, looking at Gu Jue with eyes that were always scrutinizing and sizing up, like picking apart an egg, or like a mother-in-law looking at her daughter-in-law, trying to find something wrong. Come.
Hu Bo wanted to laugh every time she saw Chu Yunmu's eyes.
Chu Qianchen and Chu Yunmu sat down next to Gu Jue, but Chu Yunyi was the only one who hesitated and slowly crossed the threshold of the private seat.
Gu Jue personally poured tea for Chu Qianchen and asked casually: "How did your brother do in the exam?"
As soon as he saw Gu Jue, Chu Yunyi felt his cheeks burning with pain. He recalled the day Chu Qianchen got married, when he carried her to the sedan chair and vowed: "If he bullies you, just tell me and I will help you." Get ahead."
However, he slapped himself in the mouth today.
Chu Qianchen glanced sideways at the arrogant young man and said only one word: "Damn!"
Chu Yunyi: "!!"
Although Chu Yunyi himself knew that his performance was not good enough, when his sister told his brother-in-law so bluntly, he still had the urge to turn around and leave.
Is this what his sister said? !
Chu Qianchen didn't save Chu Yunyi's face at all, and talked eloquently: "People will recuperate before the exam, but he is doing well. I don't know if he became a thief in the past few nights, and he is not in good spirits."
"Use your own shortcomings to attack the other's strengths. He is obviously not good at using spears, but he insists on choosing the same weapon as his opponent."
"During the competition, if you are distracted and don't respect your opponent, you deserve to lose! It's better not to go to the battlefield and harm your colleagues like him."
“…”
Chu Qianchen pointedly pointed out several of Chu Yunmu's mistakes.
Chu Yunmu felt the same way when he heard it. He felt that every word the second sister said was so valuable that he wished he could write it down in a small notebook.
Chu Yunyi was a little aggrieved at first. The more he heard Chu Qianchen talk, the more ashamed he became. He wanted to run away, but he couldn't.
The stubborn young man could only stand there with a blushing face, saying to himself that Chu Qianchen had no one to rely on in his natal family. If he ran away in front of King Chen, he would definitely be looked down upon by King Chen and bullied by King Chen in the future. Chu Qianchen, he didn't have the shame to support her.
He convinced himself over and over again in his mind, and his mood stabilized a little. He raised his chin and said unyieldingly: "I didn't perform well in the last game. I will definitely not lose this afternoon!"
He felt as if he was facing three examiners at this moment, holding his head high.
Chu Qianchen played with the white porcelain tea cup in his hand, and his lips curled up in a half-smile.
Sometimes, silence is better than sound. In Chu Yunyi's eyes, Chu Qianchen's expression was like a silent question, which was more effective than a whip.
The competitive spirit in Chu Yunyi's heart was aroused, and he felt that he must let Chu Qianchen see how powerful he was. He was not a person who only exaggerated words.
Chu Yunyi said solemnly: "I will definitely win, and I will definitely be admitted to the Imperial College."
The corners of Gu Jue's lips twitched slightly. He put down the tea cup and suddenly said: "If you pass the exam, I will have someone take you to stay at Xuanjia Camp for a month."
Everyone knows that the Xuanjia Army is the elite of the Northern Army, and of course Chu Yunyi also knows that.
His eyes lit up like candles, eager to try.
He cleared his throat, and after acknowledging his relatives, he called out for the second time: "Second brother-in-law~"
The voice was a little awkward.
In order to go to Xuanjia Camp for a month to practice, Chu Yunyi risked his life and quickly poured tea and water for Gu Jue.
(End of chapter)