Chapter 296: 296 Teng Concubine

Chapter 296: 296 Teng Concubine

Chapter 296 Chapter 296 Concubine Teng

The redundant Amber picked up the equally redundant cat and retreated silently.

Only Gu Jue and Chu Qianchen were left in the study.

Gu Jue worked hard for several days and finally made the silk string. Today he is re-stringing the broken string of the harp.

He wore a deerskin glove on his left hand to protect his fingers from scratches while pulling the strings.

Chu Qianchen's eyes happily turned on Gu Jue's left hand wearing a deerskin glove.

This glove was made by Chu Qianchen himself. It was thinner and softer than regular deerskin gloves. The shape of the deerskin gloves also fit his slender fingers better.

Gu Jue was currently tuning the newly strung strings, and his right hand was plucking the strings seemingly casually. When plucking the strings, his fingers drew a beautiful arc, which was both casual and elegant.

Intermittent string sounds sounded from time to time.

Chu Qianchen watched Gu Jue tuning the strings, his lips curved, one hand lazily supported his cheek, and he casually talked about some trivial matters at home: "It's too cold this winter. There are old people in the house of Manager Sui. I asked someone to send some more charcoal fire."

"In the past few days, many people in the house have been infected with cold, so I prepared a medicinal tea for everyone to drink a cup every day. You, my lord, must drink it too."

"Shiwei Chen's eldest son is almost seven years old this year. I asked Manager Sui to ask if he wanted to study literature or martial arts. I figured that no matter which one he wanted, he would have to go to a private school for a few years first."

The guards of the palace are all retired from the Northern Army. They work as servants in the palace. Chu Qianchen naturally hopes that they will have a sense of belonging to the palace.

"The Chinese New Year is coming soon. Some of the guards in the mansion can't go back to their hometowns, so they just brought their parents to the capital. They should be arriving in a few days. The guards usually live in reverse rooms. I'm thinking about letting the elderly live there. It was not convenient there, so I discussed it with Manager Sui and tidied up the house in Shizhang Hutong for them to live in. "

The houses in Shizhang Hutong are actually for families to live in, but the palace does not have many people, so Shizhang Hutong is basically empty and unoccupied.

Chu Qianchen said exactly what he thought of, all about the chores in the house, with a bright smile.

Gu Jue didn't feel bored at all, with a soft smile in his eyes.

There are all big men in the palace, and no one noticed these trivial matters before, until Chu Qianchen took over the palace's middle post.

Gu Jue could clearly feel that the Prince Chen's Mansion was changing little by little, like a long stream of water, which gave him no worries.

In fact, Gu Jue also knew that Chu Qianchen was most impatient with these trivial matters.

His little girl did this just for him.

Gu Jue took off the deerskin glove on his left hand and waved to her.

Chu Qianchen thought he was going to teach her how to play the harp again, so he happily leaned over. Unexpectedly, he grabbed her slender waist and let her lean on his chest.

Gu Jue gently kissed the top of her soft hair, and then kissed her fair and smooth forehead.

Chu Qianchen obediently let him kiss her. She was not as stiff as when he kissed her forehead for the first time. She leaned against him very relaxedly, like a coquettish cat, and rubbed her cheek with her. Rubbing Gu Jue's chest.

Gu Jue smiled happily, winked slightly, and hugged his little girl tighter.

He kissed her small ear again and whispered in her ear: "We Qianchen are so attentive and capable!"

As he spoke, his warm breath blew against the shell of her ears. She felt her ears itching and moving.

Chu Qianchen listened to his strong and powerful heartbeat, and his heart seemed to be soaked in a honey jar. It was filled with sweetness, his brows were as gentle as water, and his cheeks were slightly flushed.

At this moment, the door curtain was opened again, and Amber came in again. The scene in front of her made her freeze for a moment, and she didn't know where to put her eyes.

"Meow?"

The little black cat also came in and barked in confusion, wondering why Amber didn't move.

Amber lowered her eyes and said slightly awkwardly: "Prince, Princess, Prince Li is here."

"..." Chu Qianchen looked up from Gu Jue's arms, as if he was unhappy that someone had violated his territory.

How annoying! Chu Qianchen frowned and pursed his lips tightly.

Prince Li is Zongling and the biological uncle of the emperor and Gu Jue.

He has always been good-tempered and highly respected, and he was very helpful to the orphans and widowers in the clan. For example, the prince of Qianqing County was deprived of his title because he killed the son of Yong'an Bo, and was exiled for three thousand miles, leaving only his With his wife Wang and an only daughter, life is difficult. Prince Li has always taken great care of their mother and daughter these years.

There are countless similar things like this, and he has a good reputation in the clan. It is precisely because of this that the late emperor chose him as the clan leader.

Gu Jue also respected this third uncle and said calmly: "Invite people in."

Amber turned around almost impatiently and exited the outer study room again.

This time, Amber left the cat behind.

So, the kitten ran happily to its owner.

By the time Prince Li followed Hu Hui to the outer study, Gu Jue and Chu Qianchen had already sat down separately. The little black cat squatted obediently on Chu Qianchen's knees, letting her stroke its fur.

The couple greeted Prince Li one after another, "Uncle Imperial."

Prince Li didn't expect that Chu Qianchen was there, so he turned his eyes slightly to look at her. After greeting the couple, Prince Li got down on a rosewood armchair.

Amber put hot red robes on all three of them.

Prince Li first took a sip of hot tea, and then asked Gu Jue straight to the point: "Ah Jue, do you know about Gu Jin's resignation?"

"I know." Gu Jue nodded.

These two words were equivalent to opening Prince Li's chat box.

Prince Li started frothing and said, "That boy Gu Jin, he has grown so many years for nothing, and he is still so impulsive when he is almost thirty years old!"

"This boy has been out-tempered since he was a child. I always thought that when he grew up, he would become sensible when he started a family and had children. Unexpectedly, he was still the same as he was when he was a child. When he was ten years old, he was still like a boy. We made a bet to go jump on an ice lake in the middle of winter, but now we have to resign."

Thinking of these past events, Prince Li also sighed with emotion, then raised his hand and rubbed his eyebrows.

In the past few days, Prince Li had been bothered by this matter and had a headache. He added: "It's not as cold as a day. It's true that Princess Jingjun is so partial! It's my fault that I didn't keep a close eye... I have wronged him over the years.”

Prince Li sighed with a wry smile, his head hurting even more.

Gu Jue listened with a smile and drank tea, his posture was so elegant.

Chu Qianchen carelessly touched the cat on his lap, causing the little black cat to purr in its throat. The cat's eyes narrowed into two thin slits.

Prince Li also took a sip of Dahongpao, moistened his throat, and then really got to the point: "Now Gu Jin said that the family is going to be separated."

Prince Li almost sighed.

As the old saying goes, when parents are together, there is no need to separate the family.

After all, Princess Jingjun is still alive, and her stepmother is also a mother.

The current separation of families is tantamount to telling outsiders that the Duke and Prince's family is not in peace. This is a scandal.

Normally, for the sake of the reputation of the clan, one or two people have to be discouraged as a clan leader. Therefore, in the history of Daqi, such early separation of families can be said to be very rare.

However, Prince Li has also thought about it carefully these days. In addition, he personally went to Jingjun Prince's Mansion to meet Yang Taifei that day, and saw Yang Taifei's character. He also felt that the past few years had been hard for Gu Jin and his wife.

Gu Jin was forced to give up his title as a county prince. It was obvious that he really didn't want to stay in this county prince's palace.

This family has become enemies, so it is better to separate the families, and not really end up fighting each other to the death.

Prince Li looked solemn, and then revealed the purpose of his visit today: "I came today to ask you to go to Jingjun Prince's Mansion to be a witness."

Of course, it is impossible for clans to separate families quietly in private. There are clan rules and etiquette.

As the clan leader, Prince Li will preside over the division of the family. In addition, several noble and respected clan princes need to be present to witness. Gu Jue was the legitimate son of the late emperor. He also made great contributions to Da Qi and was granted the title of Prince Chen. He must be the most noble descendant of the Gu family besides the emperor.

Prince Li also knew that Gu Jue had not left the palace since the winter hunting. He was afraid that he would refuse to go, so he racked his brains and began to persuade:

"Ajue, I see that you have been bored at home since you returned to Beijing from the north. You are only in your twenties and you are young. Don't live a more boring life than an old man like me. You always have to walk around and relax. Relax and get some air.”

"Prince Jingjun is also a relative of his own, and these relatives should also move around frequently."

"If you are willing to agree, I will give you a new sword that I got a few days ago. This is a rare Persian sword. It can cut hair by blowing it and cut iron like clay."

"Don't you like engraving? I still have a few pieces of soapstone that I have been collecting for many years and I can't bear to touch them. I'll give them to you..."

Prince Li tried to persuade him at first, but later he started to seduce her. He was so distressed that he even took out his precious bloodstone.

Chu Qianchen laughed softly when she heard this, her laughter was like a clear silver bell, and her cat also meowed appropriately.

The voices of the girl and the cat made the dull atmosphere in the study warm and lively.

Chu Qianchen's eyebrows curved into crescent moons with a smile, and he could hear a bit of familiarity from Prince Li's last two words.

Well, listening to Prince Li's familiar tone, she guessed that when the prince was young, Prince Li might have coaxed the prince to obey like this a lot.

When Gu Jue was young, she had no time to participate, so every time she heard these interesting stories from elders such as the Queen Mother Yin and Prince Li, she found it particularly interesting, as if she understood Gu Jue from another angle.

Thinking about it, Chu Qianchen's smile deepened by three points, as if he was holding honey in his mouth. The corners of his eyes and brows seemed to be overflowing with honey, and even the hand touching the cat became gentler.

Gu Jue glanced at Chu Qianchen, his eyebrows softened, and he nodded simply: "Okay."

"Ah Jue..." Prince Li wanted to persuade him again, but it took him two seconds to realize that Gu Jue had agreed.

Prince Li also looked at Chu Qianchen, inexplicably feeling that Gu Jue's willingness to agree so happily seemed to have something to do with his wife.

The harmony of husband and wife is the sign of prosperity in the home!

Prince Li thought happily, and abruptly changed the subject: "Then we will make an agreement."

"When the day of separation is decided, I will send someone to tell you. On that day, you can take your wife with you and help if you can."

Prince Li's last sentence was meaningful, so he pointed it out and reminded Gu Jue to help Gu Jin if he could.

Gu Jinlian has given up the title of county king, which is equivalent to giving up the largest share of the family property. He has resigned to this. These uncles and brothers can no longer let Mrs. Yang do what they want. Neither can the Gu family. He is at the mercy of a woman.

After talking about the business, Prince Li stopped staying for a long time and said goodbye immediately: "I have to visit a few more houses, so I won't bother you today. You two will come to play in my house another day."

The witnesses that Prince Li wanted to invite were not only Gu Jue, but also several other well-established clans. He would have to visit at least five or six more families today.

When he stood up from the chair, he frowned slightly and his right leg was a little stiff.

Gu Jue also stood up and said with a smile: "Uncle Emperor, let me see you off."

Chu Qianchen also followed behind, silently accompanying each other.

The cold wind outside was biting, making people feel as if their hands and feet were stuck in the snow. It was cold to the bone. When the cat's paws touched the snow on the ground, it bounced up as if it had touched fire, and the book fell back. in the room.

The weather was cold, and the oncoming cold wind seemed to push people back. The three of them walked extremely slowly.

After sending Prince Li to his carriage, he opened the curtains and added, as if he was deeply afraid that Gu Jue would regret it, "It will probably be within these few days."

After that, the carriage slowly drove out from the corner door of Prince Chen's Mansion.

Looking at the direction of the carriage, Chu Qianchen stretched out a hand, pinched Gu Jue's sleeve, and pulled it.

Chu Qianchen smiled happily, like a little fox that had stolen something, and teased him: "My lord, did you get a lot of good things from your uncle in the past?"

She also deliberately lowered her voice. In fact, in this empty environment, Amber and Jiang Yuan behind her could hear clearly.

While Chu Qianchen was talking, he and Gu Jue had already started walking back, so the two maids deliberately slowed down their pace and silently distanced themselves from their masters.

The corners of Gu Jue's lips curled up, but he smiled silently. Just hearing her naturally follow him in calling him uncle made him feel very good. Chu Qianchen pinched two more inches along his sleeve, his two delicate white fingers crawled and crawled, and asked coquettishly: "There must be something, right?"

"Guess." Gu Jue finally said three words.

These three words were already a big reminder in Chu Qianchen's ears.

Since she was asked to guess, it was definitely not a guess out of thin air. In other words, there should be some things in the outer study room that were "sent" by Prince Li.

Chu Qianchen thought for a while, and the first thing that came to his mind was the rhinoceros horn bow hanging in the study, "That bow?"

The size of that bow was obviously a bit small for Gu Jue's current stature. Chu Qianchen only knew that it was the bow he used when he was a boy. At this moment, she just had an idea.

Gu Jue nodded, confirming her guess.

He squinted his eyes as if reminiscing about the past: "There are several calligraphy and paintings in my study, a set of Bai Yao Xuan Jade chess pieces, and the emerald paperweight engraved with the lying leopard were also 'gifted' by the emperor's uncle."

Prince Li had always been kind to others and was very kind to the younger members of the clan. When Gu Jue was young and frivolous, he often relied on this to blackmail the emperor's uncle for some good things.

Chu Qianchen burst into laughter again, and the cheerful laughter seemed to dispel the cold air around him.

Her **** had already climbed to his elbow, and then she took his arm, raised her soft chin, and asked delicately: "Your Majesty, what good things do you have?"

Her eyes blinked twice with a smile, and she just said, "I want to blackmail you too."

Gu Jue smiled. This time, a bright laugh escaped from his throat, and his face gained a bit of fresh youthful air.

He stopped and gently scratched the tip of her nose with the fingers of his other hand, "Then it depends on your ability."

Meaning, as long as you have the ability, feel free to blackmail!

Chu Qianchen opened his eyes wide, looked into his eyes, and said seriously: "I am very capable!"

Gu Jue: "Isn't that right?"

The two of them walked and talked, chatting and laughing as they returned to the outer study.

The cat, who didn't want to go out, was waiting eagerly. When he saw them coming back, he clung to Chu Qianchen and rubbed around her skirt.

As soon as Chu Qianchen entered the room, he first "corrupted" the newly strung harp.

Gu Jue agreed with a smile and even included himself as a gift.

"Sir, let's learn "Three Numbers of Plum Blossoms" today, to suit the occasion." Chu Qianchen smiled coquettishly at the newly appointed "sir" in front of him, "You play it again first."

After a while, the elegant and ethereal sound of the konghou was heard in the outer study room, whirling in the courtyard.

As for Amber, after a while, she hurried out of the outer study and returned to the main courtyard. Chu Qianchen ordered her to take a box of black dog-skin plaster from the pharmacy and asked Manager Sui to deliver it to Prince Li's Mansion.

By the time Prince Li dragged his old arms and legs around the palaces, it was already afternoon when he returned to Prince Li's residence.

He traveled almost half of the capital in half a day. When he returned to the main courtyard and sat down, he couldn't help but sigh tiredly. A little maid beat his legs under Princess Li's instructions.

An old lady with gray hair held a box and said, "Your Majesty, this is sent by someone from Prince Chen's Mansion... dog-skin plaster, they say you just paste the plaster on the oil paper and then stick it on."

When the old woman said the four words "dog skin plaster", her expression was a little strange, but the chief steward said that these four words were indeed spoken by the person who sent the ointment from Prince Chen's Mansion.

Dog skin plaster? ! Prince Li raised his eyebrows in surprise, and said to Princess Li with some relief: "Ajue is really very attentive when he grows up. He can actually tell that my legs and feet are not good. Unlike this kid Gu Jin. , obviously a few years older than him."

The old mama had already prepared the oil paper, and when Prince Li gave the order, she opened the box, and a strong smell of medicine suddenly filled the air.

The old woman applied the dark ointment to a palm-sized piece of oil paper, and then applied it to the knee joint of Prince Li's right leg.

Prince Li felt the area where the ointment was applied became cold, and his skin and muscles contracted reflexively.

Prince Li has been suffering from cold legs for more than ten years. On rainy and snowy days, he gets sick and suffers from soreness, pain, and numbness. When it gets serious, not only can he not be able to walk, but he can't sleep at night, which is also a common occurrence.

Princess Li looked at the box of mud-like ointment, frowned, and sighed: "Your Majesty, your legs have been treated by countless imperial doctors and famous doctors over the years. You have taken medicine, acupuncture, medicinal wine, and applied ointments. , I tried all the available methods, but they were of no use at all.”

"I don't know where Gu Jue got this ointment."

The name "Dog Skin Plaster" sounds like a prescription prescribed by a middle-class doctor in the market. If Prince Li gets sick from the treatment, it will only be more troublesome.

Princess Li actually wanted to persuade Prince Li not to use it, but Prince Li waved his hand and said with an open-minded smile: "You can just stop blabbering a few words. Regardless of whether it is useful or not, it is Ajue's intention. Just use it casually." ”

Princess Li was not annoyed at all, and muttered a few more words: "You always say that I am long-winded, but it's not for your own good that I'm long-winded..."

"Eh?" Prince Li interrupted Princess Li's chatter, with a surprised expression on his face, "The ointment is starting to heat up, it's warm, it's hot..."

Prince Li carefully felt the heat coming from the right knee joint that was covered with dog skin ointment, and the heat became clearer and clearer.

When the feeling of heat becomes intense, the original pain and numbness seem to be suppressed...

"By the way, the chief steward said that people from Prince Chen's Mansion said that this ointment will cause fever after being applied, which is normal." The old mama thought about it, patted her thigh, and said excitedly.

Princess Li frowned, "My lord, you'd better tear off the ointment..."

Princess Li felt that just because he was grateful for Gu Jue's kindness, she could let the old man with old cold legs in the house try the ointment first.

"Tear it apart? Why tear it apart?" Prince Li looked at Princess Li with an incomprehensible expression.

As the heat on his right knee joint gradually spread, he felt that the original stiffness and numbness in his right leg faded little by little, as if the warm sunshine dispelled the heavy haze.

Prince Li's eyes widened in disbelief, "It doesn't hurt anymore!"

He touched the bottom of his knee joint again, pinched himself as if he didn't believe it, and showed a pained expression.

Then, he tried to get off the kang and stood up. The old woman next to him subconsciously tried to help him, but he waved his hand in disgust, indicating that she didn't have to.

Prince Li stood there for a while and tried to move his right foot. He was convinced that the pain in his right knee was gone, and only the warm feeling was left flowing along the meridians.

He slowly walked back and forth a few more steps, faster and faster...

"..." Princess Li opened her mouth slightly, she was so stunned that her jaw almost dropped.

Naturally, her wife knew how serious the old man's cold legs were. In the past few days, the old man had been walking with a limp.

But now looking at the way he moves freely, it's like he has a different leg.

Prince Li couldn't help but walked back and forth several times. His personal feeling was the deepest.

Compared to the past few days, he was much more comfortable now. His legs and feet were as relaxed as they had ever been this winter, as if they were reborn.

When Prince Li looked at the box again, his burning eyes seemed to be looking at some rare treasure, and he just wanted to enshrine the wooden box.

He quickly said to the old lady: "Quick, bring me this ointment!"

Prince Li was completely impressed by the effect of this ointment. He carefully took the box handed over by the old nanny and refused to let go.

He sighed as if he had found a treasure: "What a good thing! This is really a good thing!"

"It's such a good thing, why don't you name it something like a fairy ointment, instead of calling it a dog-skin plaster?"

Prince Li smiled from ear to ear, and the wrinkles on his face were squeezed together like chrysanthemums.

His old cold leg had been hurting for so many years. No doctor or any strange medicine had any effect on him. It hurt when it rained, when the wind blew, and it hurt even more when it was cold. When the wind and snow were the worst a few days ago, he almost couldn't even go to the morning of the morning. Can't go either.

"This is simply a life-saving miracle medicine!" Prince Li stroked the wooden box with his hand lovingly, and said to Princess Li eloquently, "Let me just tell you, Ah Jue is a good boy, and the things he gave you must be good. ”

He completely forgot that he just said to use it casually.

At this moment, Princess Li also forgot what she had just said. She cleared her throat and said, "That's right. Ah Jue has been in the army for so many years. There are so many wounded soldiers in the Northern Army. There must be some treatment for trauma, old cold legs and so on." Wonderful medicine!”

The more Princess Li thought about it, the more she felt that this was the case.

Prince Li smiled even wider and hurriedly told the old nanny: "Go, go and call the chief steward."

So, the old grandma quickly called a little maid to invite someone. After a while, the big steward came panting.

Prince Li asked sternly: "About this ointment, do the people in Prince Chen's Mansion have anything else to say?"

In fact, all the chief stewards who should be mentioned have already told the old mama, but since Prince Li asked, he naturally said it again patiently, starting from the fact that the ointment needs to be pasted on oil paper, saying that it is enough to use it once a day. I posted it for an hour and said that the root cause of old cold legs is that the accumulated cold, dampness, and heat toxins in the body cannot be metabolized, and these foods should be avoided on weekdays.

Finally, the chief steward added: "The great steward Sui also said that if the prince uses it well, he will send more ointment in a few days."

Prince Li listened with rapt attention and remembered it firmly. He wanted to chew every word carefully three or four times.

Especially the last words of the chief steward made him smile with joy.

Prince Li waved away his chief steward and sighed to Prince Li with a smile: "I have grown old at the age of three. Ah Jue has been a good boy since he was a child. He is thinking about me, the emperor's uncle."

Princess Li had already recovered from her ecstasy, and she habitually quarreled with the old man: "For example, did you coax your chess piece from Bai Yao Xuan Jade?"

She still remembered when Gu Jue coaxed him to take away the set of Bai Yao Xuan Jade chess pieces. The old man muttered for half a month and had no intention of playing chess.

Prince Li: “…”

Princess Li snorted and couldn't help laughing.

Of course, people like them wouldn't have any grudges over a mere set of chess pieces. They just felt that these boys were naughty when they were young, and they did at least a bunch of ridiculous things.

Considering Gu Jue's age, he was not much older than their eldest grandson, so the old couple were naturally more tolerant of the young Gu Jue.

At that time, who could have thought that the Ninth Prince who "was so proud of the spring breeze that his horses hoofed and saw all the flowers in Chang'an in one day" could grow into the world-famous King Gu Jue.

Prince Li said again with a smile on his face: "I call it long-term to catch big fish, and now it's finally my turn to collect interest."

Princess Li was so amused by him that she leaned forward and backward with laughter, tears streaming from her eyes.

The old couple were chatting and laughing when Prince Li opened the curtain and came in.

Prince Li is about forty years old, with a medium build. He wears a black fox fur jacket and looks a little bloated.

He had obviously just come back from outside. His face was still frosty and his expression was very solemn.

When Prince Li saw his expression, he felt something had happened and asked.

Laughter suddenly broke out in the room, and the relaxed atmosphere just now became stagnant.

Prince Li sat down on an armchair, feeling as if he was exhausted physically and mentally.

He sighed and said with a headache: "Just now, King Andaman of Hao Kingdom went into the palace to see the emperor. After he left, the emperor got angry again and smashed a lot of things. Even Eunuch Ni was burned on the back of his hand when he came out. piece."

"I asked someone to inquire about it, and I heard that the king of Andaman County suggested that Daqi has a tradition of marrying concubines. I specifically asked the emperor who in Daqi would be the concubine of the third princess, and what rituals are required."

Prince Li and Princess Li looked at each other. In the previous dynasty, it was the custom for princesses to marry and marry concubines, but the Great Qi Dynasty did not have this habit.

Princess Li frowned in confusion and said, "What is there to be angry about, Your Majesty?"

Prince Li sighed, "The emperor always cares about face."

When he said this, Princess Li also wanted to understand what the emperor was angry about. The emperor felt that Nan Hao was looking down on Da Qi. The marriage between the two countries should have been equal, but Nan Hao not only wanted to marry the princess of Da Qi, but also wanted Da Qi to give his daughter as a concubine.

This is not like going to the vegetable market, buying vegetables and asking the vegetable vendor to give you a few more onions and garlic.

(End of chapter)