By the next morning, Sui An rarely slept in.
She went to Tingxiang Pavilion early, carrying a small bag of pastries, and placed them on tiptoe by Shen Jinghuai's bed.
"Eldest Brother, sleep well for now. Don't worry, with Sui An here, I will definitely cure you. I promise to turn you back into the smartest Shen Jinghuai who writes such beautiful calligraphy!" the little one said, patting her small chest.
In his sleep, Shen Jinghuai let out a soft hum.
Sui An took it as his agreement, then skipped away happily.
When she saw Bai Zhi, Sui An called out, "Sister Bai Zhi, bring a shovel. Let's go find the evil object together!"
"Evil object?" Bai Zhi was stunned. "Little Miss, wait a moment."
Although she did not know what they were looking for, the Little Master had given an order, so she had to comply. She hurriedly grabbed an iron shovel and followed.
After returning last night, Sui An had asked Shen Jingzhao for details.
Only then did she learn that Eldest Brother and Second Brother had met with their accidents almost at the same time!
Since Second Brother was harmed by a talisman, it was highly likely that Eldest Brother was as well. Therefore, the little one wanted to find the evil object in the mansion that harmed Eldest Brother, hoping that he might recover.
It was a pity that this time, Sui An searched a large area and almost turned the Marquis's Estate upside down, but found nothing.
Instead, Bai Zhi was left panting heavily. "Little Miss, if I had known, I would have just brought a small shovel earlier..."
Sui An scratched her head. Seeing it was almost noon, she thought about returning to Yingyue Courtyard first.
Unfortunately, just as she turned around, she bumped into a young man!
The young man was walking carelessly, waving his sleeves, and almost knocked Sui An over.
Fortunately, Bai Zhi hurried to support her. "Little Miss, are you alright?"
Shen Jingping stopped and looked back with a sneer. "Oh? So this is the stinky beggar that Madam picked up? No wonder it's so unlucky."
"I just returned from the Imperial Academy and am going to pay my respects to my paternal grandfather. Those who are blind, don't block my path! Don't you know your own identity?" Shen Jingping scolded with a sidelong glance.
Sui An looked up at him. Calling Mother "Madam"?
Oh, so this is that eldest son of the Eldest Branch who wants to snatch the position of Heir Apparent.
Although the young man in front of her was only about ten years old, he was born with a sharp-mouthed, monkey-cheeked face and triangular eyes. Sui An wrinkled her nose; he was simply too ugly.
With such a face and character, he still dared to dream of bullying Mother and snatching things from her two brothers. He was truly as ugly as his thoughts were beautiful!
She suspected that this opportunity at the Imperial Academy was likely stolen from Eldest Brother. Thinking of this, Sui An felt even more displeased.
How could Bai Zhi let her mistress be wronged? She spoke up to stop him. "What are you saying, Young Master Ping? Little Miss is not a beggar, but the daughter of our Madam. You are merely a nephew of the Marquis's Estate, so please do not be presumptuous!"
Shen Jingping turned around impatiently. "You are just a servant, yet you dare to speak to me like that? Are you looking for death? Do you believe I will tell my paternal grandfather?"
Sui An was sharp-tongued and immediately retorted, "Oh? Since you pointed out that Sister Bai Zhi is a servant, that means you acknowledge the order of status."
"Then why are you being disrespectful to me? Did I not tell you just now that in this mansion, I am the master and you are the guest, and I am superior while you are inferior? It is useless to complain to anyone." Sui An asserted her authority.
A flash of admiration crossed Bai Zhi's eyes. Well said, Little Miss!
Shen Jingping was stumped, his face flushed red, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.
Originally, because his mother was sent to the Dali Temple, he resented Su Jinhan and wanted to teach this orphan and widow a lesson.
So, Shen Jingping suddenly clenched his fist and aimed for Sui An's head. "You nameless bastard, you dare to lecture me? You are clearly asking for a beating!"
As the fist was about to fall, Bai Zhi was startled and hurriedly stepped in to block it, taking the blow on her shoulder for her mistress.
Shen Jingping rubbed his wrist and spat on the ground. "A pair of wild master and lowly servant."
"Hmph, I am going to see my paternal grandfather; I don't have time to waste on you!"
Seeing Sister Bai Zhi in pain, Sui An was now furious.
"You like to hit people? Fine, then let him be hit once, or a hundred times!"
"Little Miss, what do you mean?" Bai Zhi rubbed her shoulder, not yet reacting.
Sui An said nothing more, just staring intently ahead.
At this moment, Shen Jingping had already flicked his sleeves and left, just about to step onto the arched bridge.
Suddenly, the willow tree beside him moved, and its branches swung fiercely, lashing across his face.
Shen Jingping was caught off guard and his eyes were swollen from the lashes!
He screamed in pain and was about to curse, but to his surprise, countless willow branches lashed out at him all at once.
"One..."
"Two..."
"Three..." Sui An squinted and counted for him.
After dozens of lashes, Shen Jingping lost his footing, panicked, and before he could call for help, he accidentally fell off the bridge and into the lake.
"Help... someone help! I can't swim, come save me!" Shen Jingping lost his arrogance, screaming at the top of his lungs while frantically dog-paddling in the water.
The two servants beside him wanted to jump in, but the willow branches lashed out and drove them away too.
After a long struggle, seeing Shen Jingping had swallowed a bellyful of water and was about to roll his eyes back, Sui An clapped her hands in satisfaction and left with Bai Zhi.
After all that, Shen Jingping was scared out of his wits. By the time people from Pine and Crane Hall came to fish him out, he had finally fainted.
When he woke up, Old Master Shen was already by his side, and there was a bowl of hot medicinal soup nearby.
Shen Jingping was full of grievances and anger. He sat up to complain, "I was perfectly fine, but it was all that stinky girl's fault for blocking the way, which caused me to stay on the bridge for so long and fall into the water."
"And that girl actually said she is the master of the mansion and I am just an outsider!"
"Paternal Grandfather, I am the one with the surname Shen! Someone picked up from the road is now riding on my head and being presumptuous. You must be the master for me." Shen Jingping cried out loudly, rolling around on the couch in anger.
Hearing this, Old Master Shen frowned and said angrily, "What? Is she truly so arrogant that she dares not respect my Shen family's eldest grandson?"
Shen Jingping nodded repeatedly. "It is absolutely true. The orphan and widow in Yingyue Courtyard clearly do not hold you in their eyes."
Old Master Shen narrowed his eyes and sneered, "It seems Su Jinhan has no manners and ignores my Shen family's bloodline. Tomorrow, I will go to the Old Imperial Concubine's place. It is time for her to learn what the duties of a Fu Ren truly are!"
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