Chapter 259: 259 concubine

Chapter 259: 259 concubine

Chapter 259 Chapter 259 Concubine

"Princess, my daughter Yuan Zhitong, my mother is the cousin of the Queen Mother, and my father is Yuan Youjie, the chief envoy of Qingzhou. Last month, my father returned to Beijing to report on his duties, so I came to the capital with my father. I have always wanted to pay my respects to the Queen Mother."

As he spoke, Yuan Zhitong smiled sweetly at Chu Qianchen, his pretty and elegant face full of expectations.

In no mood-

"Not good." Chu Qianchen only gave these two words, concisely and concisely.

"..." Yuan Zhitong's eyes widened and he was a little panicked.

She quickly calmed down, knelt down and blessed Chu Qianchen, "Princess, please forgive me for being abrupt, but my mother once told me that when I have the opportunity to come to the capital, I must pay my respects to the Queen Mother."

"It's rare for me to come to the capital, so I'm taking the liberty..."

Chu Qianchen remained unmoved and without any change in his expression, he calmly repeated: "No."

Still the same two words, the same tone, the same volume.

After the words were spoken, the hall became even quieter, and one could hear a needle drop.

The queen and others were silent. The princesses and wives present were either drinking tea, silently looking at each other, or playing with the handkerchiefs in their hands...

Chu Qianchen smiled, blessed the queen, and left alone, leaving only a faint scent like falling snow and winter plums filling the air.

Yuan Zhitong looked at her slender back, standing there a little helplessly, twisting a lilac-colored handkerchief with his fingers.

After Chu Qianchen stepped over the high threshold, the queen said: "I have a hundred-year-old Pu'er tea just sent by the envoy of the Hao Kingdom. Everyone comes to taste it."

The other female family members said some polite words such as "I have taken advantage of the empress" and "I have heard that Pu'er is more expensive than gold and is priceless in the market." Miss Yuan also said a few words and sat down again. down.

The palace returned to its original bustle.

Chu Qianchen, who left Fengluan Palace, went directly to Shouning Palace.

Queen Mother Yin had long known that Chu Qianchen had accepted the post sent by the Queen, and she was eagerly waiting for her in Shouning Palace early this morning.

Aunt Yan wisely dismissed all the people in the hall and left her alone to guard the door for the two of them.

"Mother, don't worry, everything is well with the prince." Chu Qianchen knew that the person Empress Dowager Yin cared about most was Gu Jue, so this was the first thing she said after greeting her.

Today is different from the past. Empress Dowager Yin is now considered a bit of an insider in the palace. She has also heard about Gu Jue's return to Beijing. However, she did not see him with her own eyes and was always a little worried. Until she heard Chu Qianchen personally say that she That's when I felt relieved.

Aunt He recited "Amitabha" in her heart. She originally thought that escorting the eldest prince Nan Hao back to Hao would be a simple task, but she didn't expect that a lot of things had happened in less than two months. Fortunately, the prince came back safely.

Queen Mother Yin took Chu Qianchen's hand and asked with concern: "Ajue always doesn't know how to take care of himself. Has he lost weight again?"

"You've lost weight!" Chu Qianchen nodded affirmatively, not trying to hide it for Gu Jue. Instead, he made Empress Dowager Yin laugh.

Queen Mother Yin looked at Chu Qianchen with loving and gentle eyes. With this little girl helping her look at Gu Jue, she could rest assured even if she was in this prison.

Chu Qianchen said enthusiastically that she had already prepared a daily menu for Gu Jue for the next half month, which included not only three meals a day, but also snacks, medicinal meals and midnight snacks, guaranteeing that he would definitely gain weight within half a month. return.

She was responsible for speaking, and Queen Mother Yin was responsible for listening.

Queen Mother Yin saw how the little girl was beaming with joy when she talked about Gu Jue. Anyone could see that her whole heart was for Gu Jue, and her eyebrows became softer.

Queen Mother Yin jokingly joked: "If he doesn't listen to you, just tell the Ai family."

She smiled and encouraged Chu Qianchen to come to her to report Gu Jue's situation.

Chu Qianchen nodded seriously and said, "The prince is always disobedient."

Queen Mother Yin was amused again, and her cheerful smile made her look several years younger.

Looking at the smiling Empress Dowager Yin, Grandma He felt sad in her heart: Every time the princess comes to see the Queen Mother, the Queen Mother is in a better mood and smiles more, which is more effective than any panacea.

Chu Qianchen chatted with Queen Mother Yin for a while, then took the time to check her pulse as usual.

Although she has only entered the palace a handful of times, many things have become much more convenient since she subdued Grandma Jin from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. For example, she could borrow the pills that Empress Dowager Yin needed without disturbing the Empress. Grandma Jin's hand handed it to Shouning Palace smoothly.

After using the medicine for several months, the remaining poison in Queen Mother Yin's body has been almost completely removed.

Chu Qianchen stretched his brows and checked for his pulse a little longer than usual.

Judging from Queen Mother Yin's current pulse condition, it is not a problem for her to live another twenty or thirty years.

The early death of Queen Mother Yin in the previous life should not have happened, right?

Chu Qianchen told himself in his heart, but somewhere deep in his heart, there was always some uneasiness.

If the Queen Mother was in Prince Chen's Mansion, they would be able to protect her at all costs, but in the deep palace, they are beyond their reach...

Without revealing anything on her face, she gave Queen Mother Yin a relieved smile, "Mother, I will change the recipe for you. If you take it for another month, your body will be completely recovered."

Queen Mother Yin was well aware of how powerful Chu Qianchen's medical skills were. She smiled and said, "Don't worry, the Ai family will definitely be more obedient than Ajue."

Chu Qianchen smiled happily and decided to go back and learn from the prince.

She laughed for a while, remembered the queen's words, and asked: "Mother, do you want to go to the theater? The queen just said that she would like to invite you to come and enjoy the flowers and watch the theater."

In fact, Chu Qianchen felt that Queen Mother Yin would easily get bored and sick if she stayed in Shouning Palace all day long. It would be good to go out and watch a theater, which was good for both body and mind. But today, the Queen invited many guests, and there were many people in the place. There are too many, maybe Queen Mother Yin will be impatient to socialize.

Queen Mother Yin: “…”

Queen Mother Yin's face showed a rare look of astonishment.

After the emperor ascended the throne, she moved from Fengluan Palace to the desolate Shouning Palace. Everyone in the palace knew that she, the queen mother, was nothing more than a decoration, existing only to show the emperor's filial piety and to manipulate Gu Jue. of.

She would be ill for at least eight months a year, spending most of her days on the bed, delirious.

Now the queen wants to invite her to watch a show? ! Does the sun rise from the west?

Queen Mother Yin was not a housewife who didn't know anything. After thinking about it for a moment, she immediately tasted it.

"Qianchen, what happened to the prince?" Queen Mother Yin asked.

The only people in this palace who can make the queen bow down are the emperor and the prince.

Naturally, it was impossible for the emperor to let the queen please him. Apart from the emperor, the only source that Queen Mother Yin could think of was Prince Gu Nanjin.

Chu Qianchen told about the dispute between the emperor and Gu Nanjin a while ago: "...the prince knelt in the Ancestral Temple for three days and is still being raised in the East Palace."

The Crown Princess was taking care of the Crown Prince, and Chu Qianchen estimated that the Crown Princess would not show up today.

Queen Mother Yin listened quietly, her old but not cloudy eyes as deep as ink.

Although she now has some eyes and ears in the palace, they are mostly used to inquire about Gu Jue's affairs and don't care about anything else. Moreover, Shouning Palace is outside the Sixth Palace and has never had any sense of existence. Queen Mother Yin does not want to To attract the emperor's attention, he would naturally not do those unnecessary things.

Therefore, until now, Queen Mother Yin heard about the prince from Chu Qianchen.

After a pause, Chu Qianchen added: "A few days ago, the emperor asked the second prince to entertain the envoys of the Hao Kingdom."

Queen Mother Yin understood, and a mocking smile appeared on her lips.

Entertaining the envoys of the Hao Kingdom is neither a big deal nor a small matter, especially since the new Emperor Hao, Wuhaduluo, has just ascended the throne and is sending envoys to visit for the first time. It is always better for the prince to entertain them.

However, this time the emperor bypassed the prince and chose the second prince to take over the job. What would the officials think? !

Queen Mother Yin said calmly: "The queen is in a hurry."

Ever since the late emperor made Gu Nanjin the grandson, Gu Nanjin's status has always been stable. He was promoted from grandson to prince as a matter of course. The queen has lived peacefully in the past twenty years and has never had to worry about anything.

Because of this, if something went wrong now, the queen suddenly became confused and somewhat confused.

Chu Qianchen coaxed Empress Dowager Yin with a smile and said, "Empress Mother is the one who sees clearly and hits the nail on the head."

Queen Mother Yin was laughed at again.

The Queen has always been arrogant. She prides herself on being born in a famous family and thinks highly of herself. She looks down upon her step-mother-in-law, which is not surprising to Queen Mother Yin. The Queen is not her daughter-in-law anyway.

She didn't expect that the Queen would bow to her one day.

Queen Mother Yin took a sip of hot tea, put down the pastel enamel teacup gracefully, and said, "In that case, of course I'm going to watch the show."

Queen Mother Yin looked graceful and calm, as if she was talking about an unrelated person.

The two talked for a while, and then Chu Qianchen personally helped Empress Dowager Yin to the direction of Changyin Pavilion.

Empress Dowager Yin is actually not even forty, but she has been ill in the past few years since the death of the late emperor, so she looks a little haggard. After these few months, under Chu Qianchen's care, her complexion is better than before. A lot.

When the Queen Mother travels, she is accompanied by people from Shouning Palace. A group of nuns, chambermaids and maids follow behind Queen Mother Yin and Chu Qianchen, creating a mighty momentum.

The queen arrived at Changyin Pavilion early, got the news immediately, and personally took several princesses and a group of wives to greet the Queen Mother Yin.

"See Queen Mother."

"See the Imperial Grandmother."

"See the Queen Mother."

The shouts of the female family members overlapped together.

The gate of Changyin Pavilion was suddenly crowded with people. At a glance, everyone was surrounded by the Empress Dowager Yin and the Empress, wearing fragrant clothes and shining with jewels.

Before today, who would have thought that the Queen would be so respectful and attentive to the Queen Mother!

"Mother, you came at the right time. My daughter-in-law is about to send someone to Shouning Palace to invite you." The queen's face was filled with a smile. As she spoke, she looked at Chu Qianchen next to her, " My ninth brother and sister are so filial, I personally invited you here."

The other Prince Li, Princess Li and others also chimed in and said a few words, making everyone laugh and laugh.

At this moment, Yuan Zhitong took two steps forward, knelt down and saluted the Queen Mother Yin, "I would like to send my regards to the Queen Mother. My father, Yuan Youjie, didn't know that the Queen Mother..."

"Are you Ji Lan's daughter?" Queen Mother Yin interrupted Yuan Zhitong's words, with a look of sadness and nostalgia on her face.

Dong Jilan was the daughter of her fourth aunt. When she was young, she went to live with the Yin family for a while, staying with the Empress Dowager Yin who was in the boudoir at that time.

Empress Dowager Yin smiled and corrected her kindly: "Zhitong, you should call Aijia cousin aunt."

Yuan Zhitong smiled appropriately and was flattered, "The Queen Mother...my cousin still remembers my mother."

Meeting the daughter of an old friend brought back many memories of Empress Dowager Yin's boudoir.

Queen Mother Yin asked again: "How is your mother?"

Yuan Zhitong's face stiffened, revealing a hint of sadness, "Cousin, my mother passed away in July last year."

The so-called: the father is serving the mother for the whole period of her life. Yuan Zhitong's biological father is still alive, so she only needs to observe filial piety for her biological mother for one year. Now she has passed the filial piety period.

Queen Mother Yin opened her eyes slightly, unable to conceal her shock and grief, and sighed: "Your mother is only thirty-three years old..."

The last time she saw Dong Jilan was eight years ago.

The past is still in front of me, and I don’t want the old friend to have passed away.

Queen Mother Yin was a little sentimental and heartbroken, so she closed her eyes. She had seen a lot of life and death at her age. When she opened her eyes again, her eyes had returned to normal.

She took Yuan Zhitong's hand and said a few words of advice: "Zhitong, please forgive me and accept the change. Your mother will rest in peace when she sees that you have become so graceful and graceful, and that you have a spirit in heaven."

Yuan Zhitong smiled tenderly, "Thank you for your love, aunt, I will remember it."

She rubbed the handkerchief in her hand and said, "My mother was always thinking about my cousin before she died. She said that you treated her like a sister. I must pay my respects to you when I have the opportunity to come to the capital."

"I wanted to go with the princess to pay your respects just now, but the princess didn't agree..."

Her eyes wandered for a moment, as if she had made a mistake.

Then, she smiled nonchalantly and finished her sentence: "I think the princess has something special to say to her cousin."

The sixteen-year-old girl stood tall and graceful, with a gentle smile.

Queen Mother Yin frowned slightly.

Chu Qianchen had a smile on his lips.

The other female relatives present were also paying attention to what was going on here, with different expressions.

The surrounding atmosphere was a bit stiff.

The Queen smiled and said: "Mother, the show is about to start, why not go in and reminisce about old times."

So, everyone gathered around Queen Mother Yin and the Queen into Changyin Pavilion, and soon went to the second floor of the theater.

Yuan Zhitong has been following the Queen Mother Yin like a shadow, never leaving, and personally helped the Queen Mother Yin sit down on the phoenix throne.

The seats in the theater were arranged in advance according to status. On both sides of the Queen Mother, one side was the Queen's phoenix seat, and the other side was reserved for Princess Chu Qianchen, and there was no seat for Yuan Zhitong.

However, Yuan Zhitong had already taken the initiative to ask the palace maid to bring the little crab over and said affectionately: "Cousin, I want to talk to you again."

"Before my mother passed away, she stayed in bed for two years. At that time, she kept thinking of some past events and told me a lot about her cousin."

"Mom said, my cousin's hairpin regular script is very beautiful. It's not bad compared to Mrs. Wei's. Her hairpin regular script was also taught by you."

Hearing her talk about Dong Jilan, Empress Dowager Yin's face showed a bit of nostalgia and sentimentality, and sighed: "Your mother is smart, she knows everything, and she is especially skillful. No one can match her in embroidery on both sides of the hand."

Yuan Zhitong pursed her lips and smiled, looking up at Queen Mother Yin with her small oval face, "My mother taught me embroidery and hairpin flowers, so am I considered half a disciple of my cousin?"

"Forget it!" Queen Mother Yin was amused by her.

The two of them talked and laughed.

At this time, the playbook was first delivered to the Queen, who then handed it to Queen Mother Yin, "Mother, please do some play first."

Empress Dowager Yin casually clicked a fold of "Mu Guiying Takes Command", and the fold returned to the queen's hand.

The queen smiled slightly, with a calm look in her eyes that said she had everything under control.

She also ordered a play, and then handed it to Princess Li.

A slow sound of silk and bamboo soon came from the direction of the stage below, and the actors began to appear on stage, each with heavy makeup and bright clothes, and began to sing.

The play notes were passed around among the female relatives according to their status, and soon after, they were delivered to Chu Qianchen by Princess Rui.

Chu Qianchen casually pointed at the play book with his slender index finger, ordered a play, and then ordered the palace maid to give Queen Mother Yin a new cup of tea, showing her grace and grace.

She didn't notice at all that Princess Rui and Princess Li were watching her every move and exchanging glances with each other.

Yuan Zhitong was so close to the Queen Mother, and the Queen Mother looked at her with some special eyes.

They originally thought that Princess Chen would be ashamed and angry at being treated poorly by the Queen Mother, and might even be eager to compete with Yuan Zhitong for favor. Unexpectedly, Princess Chen was so calm and ignored Yuan Zhitong at all.

Princess Chen is a royal concubine. If she fights with a mere minister in public, she will be inferior and degrade herself.

Regardless of whether Princess Chen's previous external behavior was due to King Chen's instructions, now it seems that she does not look like an ordinary concubine.

From time to time, scrutinizing eyes fell on Chu Qianchen. Chu Qianchen seemed to be unaware of it. His movements were always elegant and calm, and I remained unmoved.

When the scene was over, Chu Qianchen took Jiang Yuan out of Changyin Pavilion to change clothes.

After two cups of tea, she returned to Changyin Pavilion again. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she happened to bump into the third princess who had just come out of Changyin Pavilion.

"Sister Chen!"

The third princess, Anle, was wearing a crimson trousers, a pink long skirt with thread underneath, and a cute double-snail bun on her hair. Her smile was as pure and innocent as ever, as clear and clear as gurgling spring water.

Next to Anle was a girl wearing a bright red butterfly embroidered silk jacket, it was Chu Qianhuang.

Chu Qianhuang pursed her lips tightly, and her willow-leaf eyes were as deep as a bottomless abyss, extremely complicated.

As soon as she saw Chu Qianchen, she remembered the slap he slapped her **** the face at Prince Chen's Mansion last month.

Chu Qianhuang felt that the left side of her face began to hurt again.

"Third Princess." Chu Qianchen greeted Anle with a smile, pretending not to see Chu Qianhuang.

An Le showed a bright smile and said innocently: "No, I should call you Aunt Nine Emperors. You are so beautiful today!"

Then, she pursed her lips again and complained: "You haven't come to the palace to play with me in a few days!"

"Am I here?" Chu Qianchen looked at Anle with a bright smile.

She likes the third princess and hopes that this little girl can always remain as innocent and happy as she is now, but there are too many things in this world that she cannot help herself with.

An Le was very easy to coax, with a smile on her little face, and she said happily: "Then I will go and play with you after I change my clothes."

Chu Qianchen nodded in agreement.

The three of them passed by each other. Anle and Chu Qianhuang went to the small courtyard where they were changing clothes, while Chu Qianchen continued walking towards Changyin Pavilion. However, they had just gone far when Chu Qianhuang's voice came out: " Second sister.”

Chu Qianhuang walked quickly towards Chu Qianchen and blocked her path.

Chu Qianhuang walked a little hastily, his breathing became rapid, and his cheeks were flushed. He didn't know whether it was from walking or from the wind.

"Second sister, I want to talk to you." Chu Qianhuang stopped three or four steps away from Chu Qianchen.

The two looked at each other, and it was not until this moment that Chu Qianhuang realized that Chu Qianchen was an inch taller than her at some point.

Now, she actually had to look up at the familiar yet unfamiliar girl in front of her with slightly raised eyes.

Chu Qianchen responded in silence without commenting.

Chu Qianhuang smiled bitterly and added: "We are sisters after all, and I can't control those things... I admit that I have never treated you poorly before."

Chu Qianchen still looked at her quietly.

The sun shines through the gaps in the tree canopy above, casting mottled light and shadow on the faces of the two sisters. Their eyes are completely different.

Chu Qianhuang stared into Chu Qianchen's eyes and continued with a sincere expression: "Back in the Hou Mansion, if I had anything, I would also let people bring some to you and the other sisters. I have always treated everyone equally among sisters. ”

She had never mistreated Chu Qianchen just because she was a concubine. Whenever she got something good, she would give it to her sisters fairly and generously.

She is the eldest sister, and her words and deeds are an example for the girls of the Chu family, which is obvious to everyone in the Hou family.

"So?" Chu Qianchen asked, his expression still so calm, like a lake in winter, cold and clear, reflecting everything.

"..." Chu Qianhuang tightened the handkerchief in her hand.

To her ears, these three words from Chu Qianchen sounded like dissatisfaction and resentment.

Chu Qianchen shouldn't blame her.

As a human being, no one can choose their parents. This is true for the original owner, and so is she.

She traveled from another world to this distant and unfamiliar world. Although she had long known that her and Chu Qianchen's identities had been switched by Aunt Jiang and Chu Lingxiao, this matter had been settled fourteen years ago. It was impossible to look back in time, so she could only take advantage of the situation and find a beautiful path for herself.

She believed that she had done nothing wrong and had not felt sorry for Chu Qianchen.

Even if she knew the truth about their life experiences, even if she knew that Chu Qianchen was the biggest threat to her, she didn't kill Chu Qianchen because of this.

But what about Chu Qianchen?

She chased him aggressively!

"Crack!"

The loud slap sounded clearly in Chu Qianhuang's ears again.

That day, Chu Qianchen kept saying that she slapped him for Brother Yi, but in fact, she probably did it for herself.

A cold light flashed across Chu Qianhuang's eyes quickly.

She was leaving Daqi soon anyway, so she could give Chu Qianchen whatever he wanted.

Chu Qianchen turned his face sideways and asked, "You said you have never treated me poorly?"

"You said you would give me whatever you have?"

"You said that you always treat sisters equally?"

As she spoke, she slowly took a step closer to Chu Qianhuang.

With just this step, Chu Qianhuang felt a great pressure, as if Chu Qianchen's eyes were so dark that they seemed to be sucking her in.

Chu Qianchen only took this step, she stared into Chu Qianhuang's eyes without blinking, and then said: "But, if you were not the Chu family's legitimate daughter, would these things you own still be yours? ?”

Chu Qianhuang: "..."

Chu Qianchen curled his lips and smiled, his smile was open-minded and transparent, his eyes were as sharp as the edge of a sword, "It's the way you are to be generous to others."

If it hadn't been for the subcontracting matter, Chu Qianhuang would have been nothing more than a concubine. What a concubine could have was a small share of the Hou family. She was very different from the eldest daughter. As a concubine, she would not have the qualifications to control her. Words like "treating Chu Qianchen poorly" and giving things to Chu Qianchen were on his lips.

Chu Qianhuang was only able to assume such a condescending posture because she was the eldest daughter. Otherwise, a mere concubine would not even look at Mrs. Chu twice, let alone enter the palace as a princess companion. .

Everything she can have is based on the premise that she is the eldest daughter of Chu Lingxiao and Shen.

Chu Qianhuang's expression was stiff as if someone had slapped him in the face again.

Under the mottled light and shadow, the dark eyes were bottomless.

(End of chapter)