Chapter 308: 308 beauties

Chapter 308: 308 beauties

Chapter 308 Chapter 308 Beauty

Princess Li raised the corners of her lips with a half-smile, and said jokingly: "Even outside the palace, I don't know that the rules have been changed. No wonder the emperor's sister-in-law doesn't know either."

There was a hint of teasing in her tone.

The queen seemed to have been slapped in the face, her face was as dark as water, and there was displeasure in the corners of her eyebrows and eyes.

The surroundings fell into silence for a moment, which made the long-tailed chants of the actors outside appear clearer.

"..." Yuan Zhitong maintained his kneeling posture, his pupils shrank sharply, and his pale face was slightly green.

Naturally, she didn't want to serve this cup of tea.

Today, the emperor and the king of Andaman broke up, but this does not mean that the marriage between the two countries has failed. Her father had told her a long time ago that the emperor seemed to be a little dissatisfied with the Nanhao people, and the marriage might happen. There are some disturbances, but it will not come to an end. After all, this matter concerns the two countries.

The concubine who will marry the third princess has already been decided, and she is just waiting for the emperor to officially issue the decree. If she serves tea to the third princess now, wouldn't her status be inferior to that of a concubine? !

What's more, she doesn't want to marry far away to Nanhao and let mermaids eat her!

The blood all over her body seemed to have turned to ice, and a cold shiver rose from the soles of her feet, strangling her heart.

At this time, Queen Mother Yin asked in a calm tone: "Why are you disrespectful? Don't you want to apologize to Anle?"

She tapped her knuckles gently a few more times to the rhythm of the huqin and sandalwood board, casually, as if she was intoxicated in the rhythm of the opera, and seemed to be urging Yuan Zhitong.

When Anle heard her name, she finally turned her attention away from the beautiful sisters on the stage, completely confused about the current situation.

Anle looked at Yuan Zhitong, who was bending his knees in front of her, then at the cup of tea in Nanny He's hand, blinked, and asked stupidly: "Zhitong, do you want to offer tea to me?"

Before Yuan Zhitong could answer, Anle shrank back, waved his hands, and pouted, "But I don't want it!"

Yuan Zhitong: "..."

An Le said with a straight face, innocently and straightforwardly: "Last time you served tea to Aunt Nine Emperors, Aunt Nine Emperors didn't want it either."

Anle just stated a fact casually, with an innocent expression, without a trace of disgust, but every word she said pierced Yuan Zhitong's heart like an ice needle.

Yuan Zhitong: "!!"

At the same time, Nanny He forcefully handed the teacup in her hand to Yuan Zhitong.

Yuan Zhitong froze there holding the tea, neither respectful nor disrespectful.

After all, she was only sixteen years old and had not experienced much. There was a constant roar in her head and she was unable to react calmly.

It was the queen who came out first to talk to Xini: "Zhitong, since you know your mistake, you should reflect on it after you go back."

The queen had no intention of letting Yuan Zhitong be a concubine for the third princess.

The royal concubines, including Princess Li, could all see that the queen was being conciliatory, and sighed inwardly: This game of chess was like the queen surrendering herself.

Queen Mother Yin glanced sideways at the Queen. There was no trace of happiness or anger on her graceful face. She smiled lightly and let the Queen go.

She had no intention of letting Yuan Zhitong cause trouble for the third princess and turn her into the next Jingle.

Empress Dowager Yin picked up a cup of new tea and said, "So, according to the Ai family, this apology should be kowtowed. There is no one who offers tea. It looks dishonest."

"What does the queen think?"

Finally, Queen Mother Yin asked the queen a cold question and kicked the ball to the queen.

In less than a cup of tea, the atmosphere in this flower hall has changed several times just like the fickle weather.

Queen: "..."

If the person the Queen was facing now was not the Queen Mother, the Queen would have used her majesty as the mother of the country to suppress the other party, but now the Queen could only patiently "reason, follow the rules, and be polite" with the other party.

She is now in the same dilemma as Yuan Zhitong. If she denies the Queen Mother, wouldn't she really want the third princess to accept Yuan Zhitong's cup of tea?

That won't work.

In the Queen's view, Yuan Zhitong is a good chess piece.

However, precisely because the queen knew what kind of person Yuan Zhitong was, she knew better than to let Yuan Zhitong marry the third princess. No matter whether the third princess would marry Nan Hao in the future or stay in Daqi to recruit a consort, she could not Yuan Zhitong was left to dig a hole for his daughter.

No matter what, her daughter was born ten months into her pregnancy, and she could never wrong her own daughter.

The queen quickly weighed the pros and cons in her mind, forced a smile, nodded and said, "The queen is right."

"It's better to stick to the old rules."

The Queen tried her best to look as if nothing had happened, but because she used too much force, she seemed to be smiling.

After saying that, the queen wanted to look at Yuan Zhitong with her sharp eyes, like a knife, piercing straight into Yuan Zhitong's heart.

Not only the queen, but also the other female guests around her all looked at Yuan Zhitong with mocking and contemptuous looks, making Yuan Zhitong realize at once what he was being targeted for.

Her heart was full of mixed flavors, all kinds of tastes were mixed together several times, and in the end only the bitter taste remained.

She knew clearly that she had no other choice.

In front of the Queen and the Queen Mother, the two most noble women of the Great Qi Dynasty, she was just a mere servant girl who could be trampled on at will.

Yuan Zhitong thought of Chu Qianhuang again, and the picture was fixed on the red and swollen face that was slapped.

Chu Qianhuang's fate was a lesson for her.

A palace maid brought a futon and took the tea cup from Yuan Zhitong's hand.

Yuan Zhitong endured the sore feeling caused by bending his knees just now, and knelt on the futon with a slightly stiff movement. Then he kowtowed to An Le respectfully to apologize, and his every move was gentle and respectful.

At this moment, Yuan Zhitong pulled away from her soul, and the rustling comments around her could no longer reach her ears.

Yuan Zhitong stood up with the help of the maid, and looked at Chu Qianchen again, his eyelashes trembling.

Lu Wenjing had been standing aside for a long time. At this time, she said sarcastically: "Sister Tong is neither a concubine nor a slave. How can Princess Chen make her kneel down!"

When Empress Cai was talking to the Queen Mother just now, Lu Wenjing did not dare to interrupt at will, lest she be punished with disrespect by the Queen Mother. Now she has nothing to worry about.

Chu Qianchen pursed his lips and smiled.

She has a fair and delicate face, phoenix eyes raised at the end of her eyes, and a faint smile at the corner of her mouth.

Different from the noble ladies around her who strictly observe etiquette, the extremely beautiful Chu Qianchen looks like a finely carved jade statue at first glance, but occasionally she will reveal a swagger that looks down on the world.

Underneath elegance lies arrogance.

Beneath the peace there is pride.

There is a demeanor that is neither humble nor arrogant and an awe-inspiring nobility.

Without Chu Qianchen opening her mouth, Aunt He who was beside the Empress Dowager Yin said first, "This is the first time I've heard that this noble princess cannot afford to kneel down as the daughter of a second-rank official."

Aunt He glanced at Lu Wenjing casually, as if to say, why don't you even understand dignity?

Yuan Zhitong was of no rank, and the way others looked at her differently depended on her father and whether the Queen Mother was willing to give her any favor.

"..." Lu Xianjing was speechless and almost tore the handkerchief in her hand.

Aunt He's attitude was equivalent to that of the Queen Mother. Lu Wenjing couldn't help but look at the Queen, but seeing that the Queen's face was really ugly, she reluctantly closed her mouth.

So, the futon was moved to Chu Qianchen by another palace maid.

Yuan Zhitong lowered his face and remained silent.

She knew that she was a **** in the game between the Queen and the Queen Mother, so she had no right to take the initiative and had to passively respond. She had to do whatever the Queen asked her to do.

Now she is like a prisoner who has been tortured. If she wants to be freed, she can only survive the punishment as soon as possible; the longer it is delayed, the more painful the knife will be on her.

Yuan Zhitong stepped forward with decisive steps, knelt down again, and simply kowtowed to Chu Qianchen to apologize.

When her forehead rested on the ground, her facial features were hidden at the same time, and only the gentle and still voice said in a smooth tone: "Princess, please forgive me."

Chu Qianchen didn't even look at her, and replied as if he was happy: "It's good that Miss Yuan realizes her mistake."

Yuan Zhitong apologized and was helped up by the maid again. There was still a smile on his face, and a little of the makeup on his forehead was rubbed off, as if a crack suddenly appeared on the once perfect mask.

Yuan Zhitong could finally sit down again, but this time he returned to Anle's side, his eyebrows lowered and his eyes narrowed, like a shadow without a sense of existence.

"..." The Queen's face still looked unhappy, and her eyelashes twitched several times. She rubbed her eyebrows and endured it.

Even though Queen Mother Yin looked calm and calm from beginning to end, anyone with eyes could see that she was supporting Chu Qianchen.

Maybe the Queen Mother really liked this daughter-in-law, or maybe it was just because of Gu Jue that their mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were unanimous in speaking out.

The queen's heart surged with anger, and she felt that the Queen Mother's presence was really an eyesore, but she had to give in due to her filial piety.

Queen Mother, it would be better to stay in Shouning Palace as sickly as before!

A dark cloud flashed in the Queen's eyes. Although she quickly lowered her eyes and covered up the abnormality with the movement of picking up the tea cup, the subtle change in her expression still did not escape Lu Wenjing's eyes.

The farce has come to an end for the time being.

Everyone's attention shifted to the stage again, and the atmosphere was far less lively than before.

Except for An Le, who was innocent and happy, applauding desperately to the stage for a while, cheering for a while, everyone else just watched the show silently.

"The Fan of the Concubine Xiang" has reached its second song, and the atmosphere on the stage has become even more lively, filled with the sound of playing string and bamboo.

The groom came to pick up the bride with a sedan chair. The elder sister was about to get married, but the younger sister was reluctant to leave. The two sisters hugged each other, crying and laughing, and almost missed the auspicious time of getting married.

After Yiyi said goodbye, the sedan chair carrying the bride swayed away, leaving her sister holding her parents and crying bitterly, saying that if her brother-in-law treated her badly, she would teach her brother-in-law a lesson for her sister.

"Crackling..."

The sound of the drum that imitated the sound of firecrackers was loud and harsh, hitting the queen's heart chaotically, adding a little more anxiety to the queen's restless heart.

The queen's mind was still not on the stage at all, she was still thinking about what happened just now.

Originally, the Queen was very sure of what she was going to say today, but after seeing how Queen Mother Yin defended Chu Qianchen just now, she became a little unsure.

The queen absentmindedly brushed off the foam floating on the tea soup with the tea lid and hesitated.

Yuan Zhitong has calmed down a lot, but his face is still burning.

The remaining trace of shame in her heart could not be suppressed, it was like a small insect biting her heart over and over again.

She looked towards the queen from time to time, again and again...

Next, Jingle, Yunhe and other guests who went out to enjoy the plum blossoms returned to the flower hall one after another.

Although these people did not know what happened before, they felt that the atmosphere in the hall was different, so they all slowed down their steps and lowered their voices. Yuan Zhitong looked at the emperor's mouth for an unknown number of times. Seeing that the queen had not spoken yet, he felt a little anxious.

Her late mother was the Queen Mother's cousin, and it was because of this identity that she gained the Queen's special attention and selected her as the third princess's companion.

Today, Queen Mother Yin stepped on her to defend Chu Qianchen in front of so many people, and everyone saw it.

If "that thing" didn't happen today, she could imagine that even the queen would no longer pay attention to her in the future.

If the queen gets tired of her, treats her as an abandoned child, and replaces her with someone else...

Yuan Zhitong's heart suddenly shrank again, and he couldn't help but think of the scene at Wanqing Restaurant yesterday, and the focused and unobtrusive way Gu Jue treated Chu Qianchen.

Yuan Zhitong bit the tip of his tongue and used the pain to calm himself down. His eyes were filled with a thick haze, getting darker and darker.

But the queen did not speak, and she could not speak herself.

Yuan Zhitong withdrew his gaze, lowered his eyes, and wringed his fingers.

She was a little distracted and didn't notice that several people around her were looking at her.

Princess Li and Princess Li looked at each other thoughtfully.

On the night of the night hunt at the Hunting Palace last month, the Queen asked Yuan Zhitong to serve tea to Chu Qianchen. At that time, Princess Li had already seen some clues. After the incident just now, she became more and more sure of her guess.

Aunt Shan beside the Queen also looked at Yuan Zhitong and said something to the Queen.

The queen sat in her seat, raised her orchid fingers, and took a leisurely sip of tea.

She looked down on Yuan Zhitong's anxious look, but she also knew that she had no other better candidate for the time being.

Over the years, the Queen Mother Yin has been guarding herself and the emperor. If she changes the candidate to someone else, the Queen Mother can be sure that the Queen Mother Yin will not agree, and Chu Qianchen is a thorn in the side.

Even if he issued an edict, Chu Qianchen could not respond. With Empress Dowager Yin, his edict as a queen was not counted.

Every time she thought about being the mother of the country and having to be suppressed by the Queen Mother, the Queen couldn't help but have a suffocating look in her eyes, and she felt panicked.

The only person she can use is Yuan Zhitong.

The hesitation between the queen's brows became even stronger. At this time, the eldest maid looked at the pot leak and whispered to the queen.

The queen came back to her senses, quickly regained her composure, and said to Chu Qianchen calmly: "Nine younger brothers and sisters, the auspicious time is coming, and I have to trouble my younger brothers and sisters to give Anle hairpins."

According to the customs of Daqi, the hairpin ceremony of noble ladies of the royal family is extremely cautious, no less than the crown ceremony of men. During the hairpin ceremony, the elders will bless her hairpin.

Chu Qianchen was the princess of Gu Jue, and Gu Jue was the late emperor's only legitimate son besides Jinshang, so the job of decorating the third princess's hairpin was left to her.

Like the Queen Mother Yin, Chu Qianchen also liked Anle somewhat, so she did not refuse.

She had been sitting for a long time and wanted to get some air, so she took Jiang Yuan out of the flower hall.

Chu Qianchen decided to pick plum blossoms without even thinking about it, so he headed in the direction of Meilin.

It snowed yesterday, and the white snow is still piled on the branches and roofs, decorating the surrounding pavilions, carved beams, painted beams, and rockery flowers and trees with a unique charm.

Compared to the three seasons of spring, summer and autumn, winter has the fewest flowers. In fact, what you can enjoy in the imperial garden in this season is not flowers, but snow.

Chu Qianchen was not in a hurry and walked slowly, bypassing a lake, passing through several verandas and paths, and passing several rockery pavilions before he saw the plum forest appearing in front of him.

The plum grove is also filled with pure white snow. When the wind blows, the snowflakes fall in large numbers, accompanied by the fragrance of plum blossoms.

Those snowflakes dyed with plum fragrance were flying in the air, falling on the lake rocks, floating over the tops of pine trees, or brushing against Chu Qianchen's cheeks.

Just looking at this dreamlike scene, Chu Qianchen's heart calmed down.

She raised her hand and picked off a branch of red plum, put the flower under her nose and smelled it.

The fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold.

Chu Qianchen twirled the red plum branch covered with snowflakes in his hand and decided to give this proud snow-cold plum branch to the third princess.

Chu Qianchen didn't stop at Meilin. He only folded three or four plum blossoms, then turned around with her small flower basket. He saw a woman wearing a purple mink fur cloak not far ahead looking towards this person. direction coming.

In the cold wind, the cloak swayed and fluttered in the wind, making the woman's already slender figure even more fragile and fragile.

Until the visitor came closer, her appearance gradually became clear. She was none other than Princess Jingle.

Chu Qianchen thought of the last time Jingle came to see her, and had an inexplicable intuition in his heart that Jingle came to see her specifically.

really-

"Sister-in-law of the Nine Emperors."

Before Chu Qianchen could say anything, Jingle stopped her.

Her expression and voice were as gentle as ever, so gentle that it made people feel fragile. The purple cloak made her skin as shiny as snow, and her temperament was gentle.

Jingle stopped three steps away and met Chu Qianchen's eyes. The smile on her face deepened, as if just looking at Chu Qianchen like this was a pleasure to her.

She thought of something, her smile faded, and she looked around like a frightened deer. She was relieved when she saw no one around.

She quickly said: "Sister-in-law of the Nine Emperors, you have to be careful."

She repeated her opening remarks when she was in the hunting palace. Chu Qianchen was stunned, with a hint of smile in his eyes.

She told Jingxiao last time and she remembered it.

So, this time, Chu Qianchen smiled and said, "I'll remember it."

Jingle smiled shyly, and her dark eyes brightened a little more, as if she had received such great praise and recognition.

She clenched her hands into fists in her cloak and thought to herself silently.

Last time, many of the things she wanted to say were said for her by her nanny. Afterwards, she was upset for a long time.

This time, she can definitely say it herself.

Jingle took two deep breaths, mustered up the courage, and said out loud what she had rehearsed countless times before: "The Queen wants to give Yuan Zhitong to Brother Jiuhuang as a concubine. They plan to come today to convince the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother forced you to agree."

Jingle heard Yuan Zhitong and Lu Wenjing talking about this matter in private yesterday. She was worried that Chu Qianchen would be plotted by them, so she didn't sleep well last night. From the moment she saw Chu Qianchen in Fengluan Palace this morning, she had long wanted to remind her, but there were so many eyes around her, and Chu Qianchen was never alone, Jingle really had no chance to say it.

It wasn't until she saw Chu Qianchen coming out to pick flowers that Jingle knew that the opportunity had finally come, so she came out while changing clothes and hurriedly came over to remind her.

After saying this, Jingle's heart finally fell to the ground.

She remembered another thing, stretched out her right hand from the cloak, and rolled up the cuff, revealing a white wrist.

The scar on the wrist has scabbed off, leaving only a faint pink mark, so light that it is almost invisible.

"Sister-in-law Jiuhuang, the ointment you gave me is very useful." Jingle added with a smile on her face.

Jiuhuang's sister-in-law is so kind, with clear grievances and deep feelings.

No one has ever been as kind to me as the Nine Emperors Sister-in-law.

Jingle looked at Chu Qianchen's eyes, which were sparkling, as if he were looking up at the bright moon in the night sky. The description revealed grace and kindness, as soft as white dough that could be rounded and flattened.

Chu Qianchen pointed to his quiet right wrist and said with a smile: "Everything will be fine when spring comes."

Jingle retracted her wrist into her cloak and saw Chu Qianchen looking at her, feeling increasingly embarrassed. She was embarrassed to be seen by Chu Qianchen, and she even felt ashamed of herself.

It is impossible for her to live like the Nine Emperors Wife in this life, so can she achieve 50%, no, 30%? !

Jingle's face turned red immediately, and she wanted to turn around in a panic.

Seeing that she seemed to be running away like last time, Chu Qianchen stopped her: "Wait a minute."

As a result, Jingle froze in place, her cheeks stained with a bright red glow.

Chu Qianchen picked a red plum from the flower basket and handed it to Jingle.

Jingle pursed her lips and smiled. Her joy came from her heart, making her smile pure, gentle and beautiful, just like the clusters of pear blossoms as white as snow on the branches in March.

Jiang Yuan from behind looked at the two sisters-in-law with a strange expression. It was obvious that Jingle was several years older than Chu Qianchen, but the feeling between them was completely reversed.

The princess is really good at being a "sister" to others. Jiang Yuan thought.

Jiang Yuan was just stunned when he saw Chu Qianchen and Jingle walking side by side back the same way, heading towards the flower hall and the stage.

The two of them walked and talked.

Jingle was very familiar with every part of the palace. With her leading the way, Chu Qianchen didn't have to worry about finding the way. The two passed through several winding corridors. Suddenly, a low voice came from a warm pavilion in front of them on the right. male voice:

"Sister Chen!"

His voice was slightly hoarse, unable to conceal his excitement.

A few sparrows that had been pecking around the pavilion were frightened and flew up. Their wings brushed against the pine trees, and the pine branches swayed, mixing with the sound of the wind and scattering the low male voice.

The next moment, the second prince Gu Nanzhao, who was wearing a prince's python robe, walked around the screen and walked out of the warm pavilion, looking at Chu Qianchen who was approaching him without blinking.

His eyes were as bright as stars, so focused, as if he could only see her, and the ecstasy in his heart could not be suppressed, it was completely displayed on his face.

Someone had previously sent him a message saying that Chu Qianchen had asked him to meet here, so he came immediately. When he saw that there was no one in the Nuanting Pavilion just now, he also doubted whether that person had lied to him, but he still didn't leave.

He waited here for a long time for a cup of tea, and finally saw Chu Qianchen coming.

At this moment, the past flashed through his mind like a tidal wave. Gu Nanzhao looked at Chu Qianchen with eyes that were as if they were from another world. He had many things to say to her in his heart.

Sister Chen should be like this too!

Although they were only two or three feet apart at the moment, Gu Nanzhao felt as if they were separated by thousands of mountains and rivers.

He wanted to get closer to Chu Qianchen and took another step outside the pavilion. However, Chu Qianchen was talking to Jingle and walked through a bluestone path in front of him without looking back.

Gu Nanzhao: "..."

Gu Nanzhao froze for a moment, and the joy froze on his lips, turning into a strange and stiff face.

"Sister Chen!" Gu Nanzhao called again, his voice raised by three points.

He quickly chased in the direction of Chu Qianchen, raised his right hand two inches forward, and then paused, not daring to pull Chu Qianchen for fear of rudely disturbing the beauty.

(End of chapter)