Chapter 267: 267 greed

Chapter 267: 267 greed

Chapter 267 Chapter 267 Greed

"Qiniang, mother is here." Shen Wan looked at her daughter on the couch and held her little hand tighter, her heart aching.

Shen Wan took a deep breath, her eyes darkened, and made a difficult decision: "Aunt Rong, go prepare the talisman water."

Aunt Rong responded and quickly left to prepare the talisman water.

The preparation of talisman water is very simple. You only need to soak the talisman paper in hot water and brew for half a cup of tea, and it is ready.

The wet nurse helped the unconscious Gu Zhiyan sit up and carefully fed her some talismanic water. Next to her, a little maid wiped the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief.

Shen Wan stared closely at the glass of talisman water in the nurse's hand, still uneasy.

She had doubts about the Fu Shui given by Chu Qianhuang. She also specially invited Dr. Lao, who was familiar with the hospital, to the palace and asked him to see the Fu Shui.

At that time, Dr. Lao said: "Taoist medicine has a long history and has been around for thousands of years."

"Taoists believe that humans follow the earth, the earth follows the sky, heaven follows the Tao, and the Tao follows nature. They pay attention to 'nurturing oneself internally', including keeping one, looking inward, contemplating, concentrating, moving qi, external alchemy, and internal alchemy. "

"I know very little about Taoism, and I dare not lie."

Although Dr. Lao said this, Shen Wan still felt uneasy.

Gu Zhiyan has been ill several times recently, and Shen Wan has avoided letting Gu Zhiyan use the talisman water that Chu Qianhuang asked for. Therefore, Gu Zhiyan has been recovering very slowly these few times, suffering from recurring fevers, insomnia, and nightmares...

Seeing her daughter suffer, Shen Wan was heartbroken.

After Gu Zhiyan took the talisman water, the wet nurse carefully put her back on the couch and covered her with the mattress again. Shen Wan personally wiped the sweat from her forehead, cheeks and neck, and hummed softly. The tune soothes the little girl's mood.

After a while, Gu Zhiyan's sleeping face became peaceful.

After about a stick of incense, the wet nurse said in surprise: "Your Majesty, Princess, the county master's fever has gone away!"

Shen Wan quickly went to test Gu Zhiyan's body temperature. Sure enough, the tentacles were no longer hot, and they looked at each other.

While tucking Gu Zhiyan's quilt, the wet nurse sighed: "The talisman sent by Miss Chu is always so effective!"

Shen Wan's eyes froze when he heard this.

At this time, Gu Zhiyan's eyelashes trembled slightly and she slowly opened her eyes.

"Qiniang...Qiniang is awake!" Prince Jing shouted excitedly.

Gu Zhiyan looked at Shen Wan beside the couch and softly shouted: "Mother..."

The little girl's voice was hoarse than in the afternoon.

"Qiniang..." Shen Wan burst into tears and choked slightly. She touched Gu Zhiyan's cheek tenderly and said softly, "If you are tired, stop talking. Mom, let me give you some water, drink more." Water disease will be cured."

Shen Wan felt relieved a little.

In any case, her daughter's fever is gone, which means she no longer has to travel while sick.

Although his home is the residence of a county prince, the emperor is traveling now, and the convoy will not be delayed because of Gu Zhiyan's illness.

However, Shen Wan's heart still couldn't calm down, and she didn't even know how long the fever could last.

After coaxing Gu Zhiyan to sleep, Shen Wan and Prince Jing also went to rest. They lay there for less than two hours when the loud crowing of **** came from outside.

It's dawn.

The holy driver set out at Chen hour and rested before Shen hour in the afternoon.

Just as Chu Qianchen had thought before, the emperor took five and a half days out of the original three-day trip, and it was not until the tenth day of November that he arrived at the Xiyuan Palace.

Chu Qianchen naturally followed Gu Jue and lived in Zichen Palace, which is northeast of the palace. It was far away from Chongming Palace where the emperor was, at least half the palace.

"This Zichen Palace is the palace where I used to stay every time I came for winter hunting." Gu Jue took Chu Qianchen's hand and walked into the main hall, "I will take you around."

Chu Qianchen glanced around.

The decoration in the hall is simple and solemn. Except for the furniture, the carpets and furnishings are basically all in cool colors. Even the large vase on the floor and the plum vase on the high flower table give people a cool and cold feeling. They cannot be seen. A little bright color.

The layout of this palace is completely Gu Jue's style.

Chu Qianchen looked around with interest several times, and a thought came to her mind: the next time she entered the palace, she must ask the Queen Mother and the Prince if the residence in the palace where they used to live as a child was still there. If it was still empty, she would definitely ask the Queen Mother to take her to see if it was like this.

Chu Qianchen couldn't help but purse his lips and smile, imagining Gu Jue's appearance as a child again in his mind.

The prince must have been very handsome when he was a child!

Maybe the Queen Mother will have a portrait of the prince as a child...

Thinking about it, Chu Qianchen's eyes became brighter and he looked at Gu Jue expectantly.

Gu Jue looked at her and wondered what she was doing there by herself. He raised his eyebrows and said, "What?"

"I'm thinking about how to decorate this place." Chu Qianchen smiled even more happily, thinking that it would be better not to tell the prince about this yet.

Gu Jue: "..."

Under Gu Jue's probing gaze, Chu Qianchen waved to Hu Hue and Jiang Yuan and gave instructions as if nothing had happened.

Although this Zichen Palace was Gu Jue's usual palace in the past, he has never been here since he went to the North to join the army. The inside and outside of the house seemed unpopular. It was cleaned regularly, and the furniture and some furnishings were still there. .

Chu Qianchen let Hu Hue and the others do their work, thinking it would be better if she was not here to get in the way. He smiled and took Gu Jue's hand and said, "My lord, didn't you say you wanted to take me around?"

"Let's go." Gu Jue held her hand and took her around the inside and outside of Zichen Palace.

This palace was actually an ordinary palace. What was new and interesting to Chu Qianchen was that this was a place she had never been to in her previous life. She had never had the opportunity to hunt here with Gu Jue in her previous life.

This place also has some of Gu Jue's past.

For example, the purple bamboo forest in the front courtyard was planted when Gu Jue was twelve years old;

For example, there are actually several scratches on one of the pillars here that represent Gu Jue's height that he made when he was a teenager;

For example, Gu Jue’s tenth emperor brother encouraged him to install a swing in the backyard;

For another example, there is a painting in the study room that Gu Jue hunted a tiger at the age of thirteen and was rewarded by the late emperor;

…

These were all trivial things, but Chu Qianchen listened with great interest.

She looked at the painting "White Tiger Emerging from the Mountain" on the wall for a long time, curled her lips and said to herself: "I definitely can't do it..."

Gu Jue: "..."

He always felt that she was having fun again with something he couldn't guess.

Chu Qianchen turned his head and asked seriously: "Didn't I tell you that I would give you a roasted pheasant last time? Is there anything else you want to eat?"

Although she couldn't hunt a tiger, she could still hunt a pheasant with ease!

Chu Qianchen stared at him with bright pupils, already eager to try, hoping that tomorrow would come soon.

"This is your first time here. I will listen to you." Gu Jue gave the initiative to Chu Qianchen.

Gu Jue is a person who is not picky and can eat anything. This is related to the fact that he has been on the battlefield for many years. Most of the time on the battlefield, he only eats dry food;

In essence, he is actually very picky. There are very few things that can win his favor and use chopsticks more often. After all, he is a prince, born to be noble. He has been pampered since he was a child and has never tasted any delicacies from the mountains and seas.

Since the prince won't say anything, then it's up to her to make the decision!

Chu Qianchen counted all kinds of mountain delicacies on his fingers, from game such as pheasants and wild roe deer, to some wild mushrooms that can be stepped on in the mountains, as well as wild vegetables, winter bamboo shoots, etc.

As the saying goes, rely on the mountain to eat the mountain.

Since he was going out to play, Chu Qianchen had done his homework in advance. He had roughly investigated what the hunting grounds in this area were rich in, and planned to match it with medicinal food to make Gu Jue eat better during his stay in the hunting palace.

After Chu Qianchen talked a lot about his family treasures, he asked him with a smile: "How was it?"

She can make all these for him!

"Then let's go into the mountains together tomorrow." Gu Jue nodded and said, "Is your bow ready?"

"Ready!" Chu Qianchen nodded vigorously.

Her bow was given by Gu Jue. She has carefully maintained the bow string, and all the feathers and arrows are carefully selected by her, just waiting to show off her skills in the hunting ground!

"I will definitely not return empty-handed!" Chu Qianchen vowed.

Gu Jue was amused by her and touched her soft black hair, "What are you thinking about? Do you think I don't exist?"

With him here, how could she leave empty-handed!

"Of course!" Chu Qianchen hurriedly pinched Gu Jue's sleeves and laughed with joy, "The prince is so powerful!"

The prince is the most powerful and the best!

When Chu Qianchen looked at him, the corners of his mouth rose up uncontrollably, and his eyes were bright.

How wonderful that she was able to meet the prince in both of her lives!

She wanted to say something else, but Jing Feng opened the curtain and entered the study room, saying: "Your Majesty, Princess, the Emperor has sent someone over to say that today's palace banquet is scheduled for Youshi. Please invite the Prince and Princess to the banquet."

Generally speaking, there will be a palace banquet on the first night when the emperor arrives at the hunting palace. This is a rule and a practice. The emperor will entertain the accompanying royal nobles, civil and military courtiers, and their family members.

Not everyone can go, but those who can go represent their identity and status in Daqi.

Everyone else invited will definitely go, but whether Gu Jue goes or not depends entirely on his mood.

Gu Jue glanced at Chu Qianchen next to him and saw that she was drinking tea. Her expression was not the slightest bit moved by the palace banquet, so he knew that she was not interested in this kind of palace banquet.

Gu Jue was originally taking his little girl out to play this time. He was too lazy to socialize with the emperor and refused directly: "You should go back."

Instead of going to such a boring palace banquet, he might as well stay here with his little girl.

Chu Qianchen drank tea absently, thinking that she should rest early tonight and recharge her batteries so that she could perform well in the hunting ground tomorrow. She wanted to let the prince see her riding and shooting.

Not only can she shoot targets, she can also hunt!

Jingfeng took the lead and exited the outer study room silently.

The two eldest maids, including Amber and Jiang Yuan, were also very sensible and did not obstruct the eyes of the masters here, leaving this private space to the couple.

In the study room, the atmosphere was warm and quiet. The two of them discussed without a word what they should bring to the hunting ground tomorrow...

However, Gu Jue and Chu Qianchen wanted to be clean, but this trouble came to them of their own accord.

More than half an hour later, Prince Gu Nanjin suddenly came to the door without warning and came to invite people in person.

"Your Highness, please." Jingfeng asked Gu Jue for instructions and led him to the outer study.

"Uncle Nine Emperors, Aunt Nine Emperors." Gu Nanjin bowed his hands to Gu Jue and Chu Qianchen politely and thoughtfully, with a decent smile, gentle but not too attentive.

Chu Qianchen picked up the tea cup and looked at Gu Nanjin.

This was the first time Chu Qianchen saw Gu Nanjin after he was punished by the emperor to kneel in the Ancestral Temple. Gu Nanjin was wearing a gorgeous four-clawed python robe. The four-clawed golden python embroidered on the robe showed its teeth and claws, which was extraordinary, but it made his complexion look gloomy.

In just one month, he has lost a lot of weight, his handsome face has a sickly look, his steps are not as calm and vigorous as before, and his legs and feet are a little stiff.

In the past, Gu Nanjin, because he was the crown prince of the country, was confident and restrained, noble and steady, and could act freely.

But now, he feels restrained and unsmiling.

He is completely different from the crown prince who welcomed Gu Jue back to the capital in March of Yangchun.

Chu Qianchen looked at Gu Nanjin with a somewhat subtle look and thought to himself: He is such a good prince, but he was forced to be like this by the emperor. He has been like this in his past life and this life. It is really pitiful.

Gu Jue asked Gu Nanjin to sit down, and Gu Nanjin got straight to the point and explained his purpose: "Uncle Nine Emperors, I am here on the order of my father to invite your uncle to the palace banquet tonight."

Gu Nanjin made no secret of his helplessness and smiled bitterly at Gu Jue, with the word "Chuan" between his eyebrows.

Chu Qianchen lowered his eyes and drank the tea slowly, knowing very well in his heart.

The emperor asked the prince to invite someone, ostensibly to give Gu Jue face. However, the prince, who is the crown prince of a country, was sent to do such a thing. It undoubtedly damaged the prince's dignity. If the prince was not invited in the end, word would spread. , What is damaged is the prince's dignity, but what is saved is the emperor's face.

After what happened last time, the emperor must have used the prince as a stepping stone.

Chu Qianchen knew this, and Gu Nanjin himself knew it too.

It was obviously very warm in this study room, but Gu Nanjin's whole body was cold, and even his fingertips were slightly numb.

Gu Jue did not agree or refuse immediately, but just stared at Gu Nanjin quietly.

Gu Nanjin looked back at Gu Jue without hesitation, with complicated expressions in his eyes.

When there was silence in the house, the sound of the cold wind blowing the flowers and trees outside the window was extremely obvious, making a rustling sound.

Chu Qianchen looked at the wintersweet trees in the cold wind outside the window, thinking that he could ask Amber to break a few branches of wintersweet trees and put them in bottles later.

"Prince, please lead the way." Gu Jue nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, Uncle Nine Emperors." Gu Nanjin breathed a sigh of relief, his gratitude came from the bottom of his heart.

During these days, the emperor became more and more moody.

On the surface, he was "forgiven" by the emperor. The emperor did not hold him accountable for his unfilial piety and did not abolish him. However, he could also feel that the emperor was becoming more and more dissatisfied with him.

This dissatisfaction was not only directed at him, but also at the queen. Since then, the emperor has never been to Fengluan Palace, but frequently went to Zhongcui Palace of Concubine Chu.

With so many pairs of eyes in the harem watching, everyone knew that the emperor was dissatisfied with the prince and increasingly valued the second prince.

Even if Gu Nanjin didn't ask specifically, these gossips would still reach his ears from time to time.

He is the prince, and even if he is not greedy for power, he does not want to be deposed.

To be realistic, no new king can accommodate the deposed prince, and he cannot be deposed for the sake of his wife and children.

Behind him are not only him and the East Palace, but also the queen, his maternal family, and the officials who followed him...

There were no eggs left under the overturned nest. As the prince, he had to bear the burden and move forward.

In the past few months, Gu Nanjin felt that life was getting more and more exhausting.

He knew that Uncle Nine Emperors could see his current situation, so he did not reject him.

The Nine Emperors Uncles were carrying a heavy load for the Queen Mother, Prince Chen's Mansion and the Northern Army. Their fate was never just theirs.

Gu Nanjin couldn't help but feel a sense of sympathy for each other, but other than that, he had no choice but to do it.

He could see that Uncle Nine Emperors was not an ambitious person, but his father always couldn't figure it out. He was always not afraid to speculate on Uncle Nine Emperors with the greatest malice. He always felt that Uncle Nine Emperors would one day rebel, but he never thought How many so-called "rebellious ministers and traitors" have been forced to rebel through the ages...

And there was no way Gu Nanjin could tell the emperor these words.

All he can do now is take one step and watch.

Chu Qianchen also vaguely saw the feeling of "sympathizing with each other" from Gu Nanjin's expression. He didn't say anything, but he didn't agree in his heart.

In her heart, the prince and Gu Nanjin were different and incomparable.

Gu Nanjin can only sail with the current, but the prince is a person who can swim against the current.

"Let's go." Gu Jue said these four words to Chu Qianchen.

Since Gu Jue was going, it was natural for Chu Qianchen to follow Gu Jue.

The three of them set off from Zichen Palace together. The couple did not bother to dress up and freshen up, and went directly to the palace banquet in their regular clothes.

Today's palace banquet was arranged in Hanyuan Hall, the most spacious palace in the Hunting Palace.

The sky was already dark, indicating that night was coming.

The glazed palace lanterns in Hanyuan Hall illuminate the entire palace as bright as day, making it magnificent and magnificent. The hall was filled with male and female guests, each of whom was dressed in brocade and gorgeous clothes and dressed up carefully enough to fit into a painting.

The chamberlain guarding outside the palace shouted in a high-pitched voice: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is here, His Royal Highness King Chen and Princess Chen are here!"

This shout attracted everyone's attention. All the guests in the palace, including the emperor on the golden throne, all looked at Gu Jue, Chu Qianchen and Gu Nanjin who were approaching outside the palace.

More attention was still cast on Gu Jue, especially the courtiers.

Since Gu Jue returned to Beijing from the North in March, apart from attending court for a few days on Qin Yao's affairs, most of the time has been spent behind closed doors in Prince Chen's Mansion to thank guests. Most of the people present have never seen Gu Jue. , even if you see it by chance, it is just a glimpse from a distance.

In the past eight months, they have heard rumors from time to time that King Chen is seriously ill, bedridden, etc., and they are also speculating in their hearts whether King Chen is really dying, which is why he keeps such a low profile and does not show up. In front of me, even this time I came out to go hunting in the winter, I came by carriage.

During the five days on the road, everyone had various speculations. Now that Gu Jue had come to the palace banquet, they all wanted to see with their own eyes what Gu Jue's condition was like.

Outside the hall, Gu Jue was wearing a black cloak with a ring of white mink fur. His long black hair was loosely draped and scattered behind him. Excellent body shape and grace.

At this moment, his steps were very slow, and he came side by side with Chu Qianchen, who was wearing a cloak of the same color and style, obviously matching her pace.

A pair of couples walked slowly, their steps were light yet sassy, ​​their demeanor was graceful, the clouds were light and the wind was gentle, giving them a sense of the tranquility of time.

Everyone's eyes were so hot that they were almost burning, and they were exchanging glances in twos and threes.

Look at how calm Gu Jue is in his movements, his eyes are full of energy, he doesn't look like he's going to die soon!

Until Gu Jue took off his cloak outside the palace, those appraising eyes were still on him, lingering on him.

Everyone has different expressions, and they are all thinking about their respective positions.

Not only the emperor and ministers were looking at Gu Jue, but Taoist priest Xuanjing at the table was quietly looking him up and down, his eyes slightly condensed.

Xuanjing still looked like a fairy on the surface, but he was confused in his heart. At this moment, he had to wonder whether the news he had received before was wrong.

His heart sank, knowing that the emperor would definitely question him later on whether his divination was wrong. How should he reply to the emperor at that time?

Xuanjing started to think about it with a headache.

The emperor on the golden throne had a gloomy look on his face. The hands placed under the case were tightly clasped together, and his eyes were fixed on Gu Jue. He could not see Chu Qianchen and Gu Nanjin next to him. .

When Gu Jue reached the center of the hall, the emperor spoke first with a forced smile: "I haven't seen the Nine Emperor Brothers for a long time."

There was a nail hidden in the emperor's words, which meant that after Gu Jue came back from Hao Kingdom, he did not meet the Holy Spirit, which was disrespectful.

"I thought Brother Huang didn't know I was back." Gu Jue didn't even move his eyes or eyebrows. He still looked calm and relaxed, with a smile on his lips, as if the person he was facing was not the majestic Emperor Qi. But an ordinary ordinary person.

“…”

“…”

“…”

All the guests in the hall were silent.

Probably only Chen Wang Gu Jue dared to call himself "I" casually in front of the emperor, and even dared to slap the emperor in the face openly.

emperor:"…"

The anger in the emperor's heart burned even more fiercely because of Gu Jue's calm expression, and his anger became more intense, almost bursting out from under his skin.

His eyes changed violently several times, and after a while, he slowly said: "I have always valued the Nine Emperors Brother and entrusted you with the important task of escorting Wuhejialou back to the Hao Kingdom. But the Nine Emperors Brother, you asked me too Disappointed…”

There was an unabashed questioning in the emperor's tone. In any case, Gu Jue's inability to explain the whereabouts of Wuhejial Tower meant that his errand to Hao Kingdom was a failure.

"Disappointed? I should give these two words to the emperor. I have only been away from Beijing for a month, and 'my' princess has been bullied." Gu Jue's voice was neither soft nor serious, only "My" "The volume of these two words was slightly increased, making them appear meaningful.

Chu Qianchen easily took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and pressed the handkerchief to the corners of his eyes twice in a decent manner. His face drooped slightly, looking pitiful.

She has become very good at pretending to cry and pretending to be pitiful after having performed it several times before.

emperor:"…"

The emperor's face darkened visibly, and he almost wanted to overturn the table.

This Chu family looks as weak as a white rabbit, but in fact she is as wild as a fierce horse. Who dares to bully her? His majestic emperor was "bullied" to the point of being punished.

The veins on the emperor's forehead popped out. Every time he thought that Gu Jue, the princess, was given to him by decree, he felt so sick that his throat felt so sweet that he wanted to vomit blood.

He could only comfort himself: this Chu family was just a concubine from the Hou Mansion. Originally, the Yongding Hou Mansion had no future, and a mere concubine could not give Gu Jue any help.

Gu Jue seemed to have military power, but in fact he was like an isolated island in the court, with no support from any civil servant family.

Gu Jue alone wants to rebel and ascend to the position of emperor, that is wishful thinking!

Thinking of this, the emperor reluctantly suppressed the anger in his heart and told himself that the future was long. When Da Qi and Nan Hao were married, and when he had Nan Hao's support, Gu Jue would not be able to make any waves.

The ministers looked back and forth between the emperor and Gu Jue, feeling even more complicated.

The emperor's anger was high and his demeanor was completely gone; Gu Jue was calm and calm, unfazed by honor or disgrace.

No matter how you look at it, Gu Jue has the upper hand over the emperor, and the emperor is helpless with King Chen.

If King Chen is in good health, it may not be that easy for the emperor to sleep peacefully.

When King Chen is around for one day, the emperor will be restrained by him, and the prince...

Many scrutinizing eyes looked at Gu Nanjin next to him.

"..." Gu Nanjin was in a dilemma and hesitated to speak.

He finally invited Gu Jue to the palace banquet. He really wanted to persuade the emperor to say less, but he knew that he was no longer a human being inside and outside.

No matter what he said, it would be wrong, and he would be regarded as favoring Gu Jue by the emperor. As soon as he opened his mouth, he would definitely be reprimanded by the emperor.

The atmosphere suddenly became a little stagnant.

(End of chapter)