Dark clouds obscured the moonlight; twenty miles outside the Outskirts of the Capital lay a field of desolate graves and wild tombs.
A tightly wrapped straw mat was tossed down.
"This is truly wicked... the flowers beside this little brat can actually bite, and those bugs... they can actually understand human speech!"
"I've long heard that the cold palace is haunted. Could it be... let's just leave her here; we must not let her latch onto us, ah!"
Under the night sky, the two young eunuchs screamed and ran away.
They did not notice at all that a chubby little white hand reached out from the straw mat behind them. The next moment, the wind stopped and the trees grew still.
"Oh my, who woke me up?"
After the little milky voice fell, Xiao Sui An rubbed her eyes and curiously pushed aside the mat.
But when she poked her little head out to look, there was nothing left here but eerie yin energy and waist-high weeds; the two people from before had long since vanished.
Where are the people? I didn't see them? Did I miss them again?
Xiao Sui An lowered her head in disappointment and let out a small yawn.
She had grown up in the cold palace, raised by the spirits of heaven and earth.
The crooked tree spirit once told her that the first person she saw when she opened her eyes would be her fated family.
But for this day, Xiao Sui An had waited for such a long, long time.
It had already been three and a half years...
"Where is my family? Why haven't they come to find me yet? My tummy is so hungry."
Xiao Sui An cupped her little round face, suddenly thought of something, and looked up at the night sky.
"Did they get lost and can't find me? Why don't you go and help guide them~"
As soon as these words fell, the dark clouds quietly dispersed.
The moonlight instantly illuminated the entire earth!
And at this moment, not far away, in a small forest.
"It's a cliff, stop quickly!"
Su Jinhan suddenly saw what was in front of her and pulled tight on the reins, narrowly avoiding falling down the hillside.
The guards rushed forward in alarm, "Madam! Are you alright? Just now, you almost..."
Su Jinhan rubbed her brow, breaking out in a cold sweat.
She had been physically and mentally exhausted lately, and with the night road being difficult to travel, if not for the sudden moonlight lighting the way just now, a big event would have truly occurred.
After calming her nerves, Su Jinhan shook her head and sighed, "I am fine. Let us rest for a moment; it is not far from the Marquis's Estate anyway."
On this trip out of the capital, she still hadn't gathered any news of the Marquis, and she already felt that the Marquis's Estate was heading toward a dead end...
Several months ago, the Rongdi tribe caused chaos at the border, and the Marquis, Shen Ruoyuan, led troops to battle but went missing after encountering a sandstorm on his return journey.
Rumors spread everywhere, all saying he must be dead, and even the Imperial Court had provided a generous pension.
They even allowed the Marquis's Estate to choose a son to inherit the title.
However, although she and the Marquis had two sons, half a year ago, the eldest son perished in a fire at the Academy, and the second son suddenly fell critically ill, with at most one month left to live.
The Marquis's Estate, shrouded in bad luck, was now on the verge of having its lineage cut off.
Su Jinhan gripped her safety charm tightly, thinking of how the Marquis had sought it for her, and a wave of sorrow rose in her heart.
"To think that our Marquis's Estate has always been charitable and generous, and we as a couple have never done any evil, yet why have we encountered such a disaster?"
Her lips trembled as she said, "If heaven is not just, I hope the various immortals and Buddhas I have worshipped in the past can grant me a blessing to resolve the plight of the Marquis's Estate. I will surely do good and accumulate merit a hundredfold in return."
Having said this, Su Jinhan was about to raise her sleeve to wipe away her tears.
"Oh my, my tummy is really so hungry..."
At this moment, an extremely faint little milky voice drifted over on the wind.
Su Jinhan could not help but freeze, hurriedly tilting her head to listen.
"In such a desolate place, how could there be the voice of a child?"
Soon, following the sound, she walked to the vicinity of the wild graves and saw a tiny little milk ball, no bigger than a bean, wrapped in a tattered straw mat, sitting on a small dirt mound.
The wind was strong at night, and both people and horses were being blown about.
Yet only in this spot, not even a blade of grass or a tree moved at all!
"Madam, there really is a child. This is a mass grave! Who would throw her here!" the guards exclaimed.
Su Jinhan's heart tightened. Without time to say more, she hurriedly pulled off her cloak and rushed over to shield the little milk ball in her arms.
The sudden warmth made Xiao Sui An lift her little face, revealing her sparkling eyes.
Wow, has someone come?
She had finally waited for them!
After seeing the little face in her arms clearly, Su Jinhan could not help but be stunned.
The child was born with a round face and almond eyes, her chin chubby and pink; she was so beautiful she didn't look like a real person... she looked just like an immortal doll!
"Child, what is your name? How did you end up here? Do you remember where your home is?" Su Jinhan asked with a heart full of pity.
Xiao Sui An was a bit nervous and helplessly twisted the corner of her clothes.
"I don't have a home. Although I used to live in a very big courtyard, it caught fire there. When I woke up, I was placed here~"
The little milk ball pursed her little mouth and reached out her little fleshy hand, saying expectantly, "My name is Xiao Sui An, Sui An for 'peace and safety every year'. The name was given to me by the antique desk grandma in the kitchen. You can call me..."
But before Xiao Sui An could finish rambling the second half of her sentence,
Su Jinhan's eyes turned red, and she hugged her tightly in her arms.
"Good, whatever you are called is fine! Are you willing to come back to the mansion with me, live in the best house, wear the best clothes, and be my daughter?"
With the many difficulties in the mansion lately and now encountering an orphan, Su Jinhan could not help but feel a sense of shared fate.
Furthermore, she had long wanted a daughter, and with the Marquis's life or death unknown, perhaps this child she had chanced upon was a golden opportunity granted by the heavens.
Xiao Sui An's eyes brightened even more; she had waited for this day for a long time.
Although her little hands were sweating with anticipation, when it came time to truly have family, she could not help but feel shy. In the end, she just tucked her head into Su Jinhan's embrace.
"Mm-hmm, I am very willing!"
"But I'm not picky about food or housing; as long as I can be full, it's fine. And I can protect you too; I'm very capable." Xiao Sui An patted her chest, promising in a small voice.
To think she was so sensible; the tears that had welled up in Su Jinhan's eyes were almost laughed away.
She picked up Xiao Sui An, cradled her in her arms, and teased, "Alright, but first call me Mother and tell me what you will protect me from."
Xiao Sui An wrapped her arms around Su Jinhan's neck and hummed in a little milky voice, "Mo... Mother~"
"Yes, Mother is here!"
"I'll only tell Mother secretly, but I can do so many things." Xiao Sui An blinked slyly, "If you are sick, I can make you better, and if there are bad people, I can scare them all away. Really, if you don't believe me, let's pinky swear."
Su Jinhan was stunned for a moment.
If she were truly that capable, wouldn't that be exactly what she had prayed for—a lucky star to resolve the plight of the Marquis's Estate?
She was moved to tears, "I know you are just coaxing Mother, but having this heart is enough to make Mother happy for once. Come home with Mother."
Holding Xiao Sui An, she mounted the horse, and the group set off to return to the mansion.
Su Jinhan wrapped the little one in her arms tightly.
The distress of these past days also dissipated from her chest like the dark clouds that had been driven away.
The journey was steady, and soon, the city gates were not far off.
Joy appeared on Su Jinhan's face; she only hoped to return to the mansion quickly and settle Xiao Sui An in properly.
However, at this moment, a wolf's howl suddenly erupted, piercing the silent night!
Immediately following, several wolf howls echoed in response, and a large expanse of ghostly green eyes emerged from the side of the forest, approaching with predatory intent.
"Oh no, Madam, it seems... it seems we have encountered a wolf pack!"
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