Started as a mute girl? I prospered in the lean years

The next day, Shen Huaixu was summoned into the palace by an imperial decree. While waiting outside the door of the Queen's bedroom, she heard a familiar voice.

"Grandmother, Chaohua is your granddaughter. You don't want to see Chaohua suffer in the future, right?" Chaohua looked pleading.

The Queen held her forehead with one hand, her brows slightly furrowed, feeling both headache and heartache.

Logically speaking, the parents' orders and the matchmaker's words are the responsibility, and as a mother-in-law, she shouldn't interfere too much when her daughter-in-law is anxious to find a husband for her granddaughter. However, the daughter-in-law is good in other aspects except that her vision is a little poor.

The mother and daughter had always been on good terms. Because of her marriage, Chaohua often came to her to complain.

She caught a glimpse of a figure at the entrance of the palace, and her brows relaxed. The aunt beside the Queen spoke at the right time: "Your Majesty, Princess Mingyi is waiting outside the palace. Should we call her in first?"

Chaohua's voice suddenly stopped, and his wrinkled face relaxed. "Mingyi is coming to the palace?"

The Queen hurriedly said, "Let someone in quickly."

Shen Huaixu walked into the hall gracefully. As soon as he finished paying his respects, Chaohua grabbed his hand and said, "Mingyi, you are finally back! I was so bored when you were not in the capital."

The Queen looked helpless, "This little devil is only a step away from turning Tanyuanjing upside down."

Chaohua was so embarrassed after his past was exposed that he said angrily, "Grandmother..."

Shen Huaixu smiled and said, "The princess has a very genuine and kind nature, and is very rare."

Upon hearing this, both the grandfather and grandson nodded with satisfaction.

The Queen continued, "I heard that you went to Shouning Mansion and presented a very rare medicine brought back from Nanxia. Nanxia is in turmoil, and it must be very difficult for you to stay in Nanxia as the Princess of Dajin County. It's really hard for you."

"Thank you for your concern, your Highness. I am doing fine."

Shen Huaixu knew that the Queen was worried about the hidden illness of the Prince of Shouning, so he said, "It is my duty to share the worries of Your Majesty. The old doctors of the Imperial Hospital have taken good care of the Prince of Shouning. With the help of the medicine I brought back, I believe it won't take long for the Prince of Shouning to recover."

The Queen was obviously relieved. "That's good, that's good."

Shen Huaixu and Chaohua talked to the queen for a while and left only after the queen had rested.

As the two were walking on their way out of the palace, Chaohua was very interested in what had happened in Nanxia recently and he almost never stopped talking.

Shen Huaixu talked about what he could say and also started to gossip about Chaohua's marriage.

She asked in a low voice: "I heard that the Crown Princess selected a lot of good men in the capital for you, but you didn't like any of them?"

Speaking of this Chaohua, she couldn't help but curl her lips, "Good men in the capital? How come this princess hasn't seen any? Humph, the ones my mother found are all ugly. Every girl in that family's yard has been deflowered. This family's son is old-fashioned, cold, and unsympathetic. He is also addicted to eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling. There is also the one who is secretly homosexual..."

Next, Shen Huaixu heard a lot of secret stories about the noblemen in Tanyuan City. In short, each of them was so exciting that she could not help but be amazed.

The eunuchs and palace maids walking beside them just lowered their heads and walked forward in silence, wishing they could hear nothing.

The only thing to be thankful for is that the two masters also know that this is in the imperial palace. At least they walk gracefully, neither hurried nor slow, and their eyes do not look to the side. One can just ignore what they say.

After hearing a lot of gossip, Shen Huaixu asked casually, "Where did you get this information? How come you know it so clearly?"

Chaohua was choked by the question and his steps slowed down.

She stammered, "Of course I have my own way. After all, I am a princess. It's not difficult for me to find out what I want to know."

Shen Huaixu tilted his head and glanced at her, feeling that there was something fishy going on.

A young general in military uniform was walking towards us. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. He had a handsome face, and a thin scar at the end of his eyebrow added a bit of wildness to his face.

Shen Huaixu glanced at the face, but did not find the corresponding identity in his memory.

It was someone she didn't know.

Thinking of this, she followed the eunuch towards the palace gate without stopping. After taking a few steps, she found that the person next to her slowed down and seemed a little hesitant.

She looked over in confusion, and heard a man's voice in her ear, "General Cheng Ze greets Princess Chaohua and Princess Mingyi."

Chaohua raised his chin slightly, hummed softly, and took a step forward to leave.

Cheng Ze seemed to be very familiar with Chao Hua's behavior. Before she passed him, he raised the corner of his mouth slightly and smiled wickedly, "Princess, don't forget what you promised me."

Chao Hua slowed down her pace and said with a stern face, "This princess has a very good memory, so there is no need for you to remind me as soon as we meet."

"Really?" Cheng Ze said, "It seems the princess has done a lot of naughty things."

Shen Huaixu looked at this and that, his eyes full of interest. He thought he had eaten enough melons today, but the biggest one turned out to be here.

"You!" Chaohua's face turned red with anger, but she suddenly smiled and whispered, "Cheng Jinbao, you are so stingy. I was young and ignorant at that time, but now you and I have grown up, so I will not go back on my word."

After saying this, she walked away with her head held high.

When the name "Cheng Jinbao" came out, Cheng Ze's expression stiffened for a moment, his jaw tightened for a moment and then quickly relaxed.

He did not look back at the person who was leaving. He just nodded slightly to Shen Huaixu and continued walking forward.

Shen Huaixu took a few quick steps and walked side by side with Chaohua again.

Chaohua looked at her several times, and when he saw that she had no intention of speaking, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

After the two stepped out of the palace gate, Shen Huaixu followed Chao Hua and got into her carriage, and the two sat in the carriage staring at each other.

"Why do you keep looking at me?" Chao Hua felt his hair stand on end when Shen Huaixu looked at him. He endured it again and again before speaking.

In line with the principle of eating melons to the end, Shen Huaixu asked directly: "You seem to be very familiar with this 'Cheng Jinbao' Master Cheng?"

Chaohua coughed uncomfortably and stammered, "Not bad."

Shen Huaixu was dissatisfied, "Are we still good sisters?"

Chaohua said nothing.

Shen Huaixu continued, "Since you don't want to tell me, let me guess?"

Chaohua remained silent.

"I have never seen this young General Cheng before, nor have I ever heard of a general named Cheng in the capital. So, he has only recently arrived in the capital?"

"I heard you say that you two had some interactions when you were young, and you even called him Cheng Jinbao. You were so familiar with each other, could it be that he is also from Qianzhou? Are you two childhood sweethearts?"

As she asked questions one after another, Chaohua's eyes gradually widened, unable to conceal his surprise, and finally blurted out, "How did you know?"

Shen Huaixu: “...isn’t it obvious?”

Chao Hua had no choice but to lower his head and said, "Cheng Ze is from the Earl of Wuling's mansion, and he is the eldest son of the family. We two did know each other when we were young, but we can't be considered childhood sweethearts."

She was a little depressed. "Before I knew he was coming to Beijing, we hadn't seen each other for six years."