Back at the Yingyue Courtyard, upon learning that Sui An had taught that fellow a lesson, Su Jinhan simply nodded with satisfaction.
"Daring to provoke my legitimate daughter at the Marquis's Estate, letting him fall into the water is getting off lightly. Sui An did very well."
Shen Jingzhao, however, had a huge reaction. "What? Shen Jingping bullied my younger sister?"
He grabbed his long sword and rushed out of the courtyard. "Fine! I haven't used my sword in a long time while ill, so I'll use that brat to practice and see if he dares to do it again!"
Su Jinhan took two steps in one, grabbed him by the ear, and hauled him back.
"That's enough. Don't dirty the fine sword your father picked out for you. That fool will eventually bring about his own ruin; do you really need to dirty your hands?"
"Save your energy. You still have to accompany Mother out this afternoon to seek out a few more famous doctors," Su Jinhan continued.
Although Divine Doctor Xu had already given his diagnosis, she still wanted to try again, hoping that perhaps someone could cure Huai'er.
Upon hearing about her Eldest Brother's condition, little Sui An was also anxious to help.
Unfortunately, she hadn't found any evil objects and didn't understand medicine, so she could only run to the backyard, find a little ant that knew how to dance, and take it to cheer up her Eldest Brother.
When she entered Shen Jinghuai's room, she saw him sitting quietly by the side of the couch all by himself.
The afternoon sunlight slanted through the window lattice, falling right onto Shen Jinghuai's shoulders and face.
This time, little Sui An trotted over and took a closer look at her Eldest Brother.
After being washed and groomed, Shen Jinghuai's temperament seemed different.
His skin was fair, and even though the upper half of his face was covered in a burn scar, he still possessed a prominent, elegant nose, a perfect jawline, and beautiful, pale-colored lips that were hard to ignore.
Little Sui An couldn't help but sigh; if his appearance hadn't been ruined, what a handsome young man he would have been.
Noticing someone watching him, Shen Jinghuai did not dodge; instead, he turned obediently, his expression revealing his innate gentleness.
Little Sui An reached out her hand to show him the insect. "Eldest Brother, I was afraid you would be bored, so I brought you a gift."
Shen Jinghuai's reaction was slow, his gaze moving downward gradually.
"Bug... little bug..."
He gently picked it up, brought it to the window, and let it go. "The bug... must, must be missing its home..."
Little Sui An was stunned, and suddenly a sense of sorrow crept into her heart.
Even after losing his wits, he hasn't forgotten his kindness? Such a good Eldest Brother must get better; she had to think of a way quickly.
Time flew by, and just like that, another three or four days passed.
On this day, news came from the Pine and Crane Hall telling Su Jinhan to prepare, as she needed to make a trip to the palace.
At first, Su Jinhan didn't know why.
After asking, she learned that the Old Imperial Concubine who had recently returned to the capital was approaching her birthday, and the Marquis's Estate needed to prepare a congratulatory gift.
"The Old Imperial Concubine and our Shen Family have a deep friendship. In the past, she was recuperating in the Northern Lands and not in the palace, so it was fine that we didn't offer our respects for her birthday."
"But now that the Old Imperial Concubine has returned to the capital, and this is the first time in years she is celebrating her birthday in the palace, you, as the mistress of the Marquis's Estate, must go in person to present the birthday gift to show proper respect!" Old Master Shen stared at his daughter-in-law and said in a calm, steady voice.
To his surprise, Su Jinhan did not argue. "I understand, Father. I will go back and prepare."
After all, this was something the Marquis's Estate was supposed to do, and even if the Old Imperial Concubine preferred the branch of Shen Ruohai, her etiquette still had to be in order.
After she left, Old Master Shen hummed with satisfaction in the Pine and Crane Hall. "The Old Imperial Concubine dislikes those who don't understand the rules. Su Jinhan rarely enters the palace and comes from a merchant background; if she sends gifts that reek of copper, she will inevitably make a fool of herself."
"This time, letting her hit a few walls in the palace will teach her that the Marquis's Estate is not something a mere woman like her can control!"
As for the birthday gift, Su Jinhan was not troubled.
After returning, she went to the storeroom and found the Diamond Sutra hand-copied by the Southern calligraphy master Enjia, which her Eldest Sister's merchant caravan had brought back once.
Chaoyan couldn't help but ask, "Madam, is this for the Old Imperial Concubine? She is the Emperor's adoptive mother; the valuable gifts she receives will surely be numerous. If we only send scriptures, will people say we are not showing enough respect?"
Su Jinhan shook her head.
"Valuable items are easy to obtain, but a gift that is just right is rare. The Old Imperial Concubine has been a devout Buddhist for many years; sending scriptures copied by Master Enjia will at least ensure we don't make a mistake."
Hearing this, Chaoyan felt relieved.
She selected a sandalwood box, wrapped the scriptures in yellow cloth, and placed them gently inside.
The next day, Su Jinhan took the birthday gift and little Sui An with her to the palace.
Actually, Su Jinhan had originally intended to go alone.
But as soon as she heard she could enter the palace, little Sui An was so excited she almost jumped up, insisting on going along.
Su Jinhan assumed her daughter was just craving the excitement and wanted to play, so she indulged her.
Little did she know, beneath those red palace walls and yellow tiles was the very place where little Sui An had lived for three and a half years!
The carriage creaked along, passing through the bustling market, and soon arrived at a quiet palace road.
Little Sui An kept looking outside, and seeing the palace gate ahead, she excitedly swung her short legs.
Old friends in the palace, your Hu Hansan is back!
The place they were going to today was the largest and most solemn location in the Harem: the Old Imperial Concubine's Huaze Palace.
Before entering Huaze Palace, Su Jinhan held little Sui An's hand and did not forget to instruct her, "The palace is not like the mansion; there are many rules. You must listen to Mother later and don't touch or look at things randomly. Do you understand?"
Little Sui An suppressed her excitement and obediently promised, "Don't worry, Mother. I know everything; I won't cause any trouble."
Su Jinhan nodded with relief and asked the palace attendant to go ahead and announce them.
Soon, after receiving the Old Imperial Concubine's permission, two palace attendants dressed in identical uniforms came to lead the way.
Upon entering Huaze Palace, the first thing that met their eyes was a grand and magnificent courtyard, showing the high status of the Imperial Concubine.
Su Jinhan handed the gift to the palace attendant and then brought little Sui An into the inner hall to pay her respects. "Madam of the Marquis Anxin, Su Jinhan, has come to pay a visit. May the Old Imperial Concubine be blessed with good health and peace."
At this moment, little Sui An couldn't help but look up out of curiosity.
She saw an old woman with a head full of silver hair sitting in a wooden wheelchair on the dais, glaring at them with displeasure.
The Old Imperial Concubine did not respond; she only furrowed her brows and stroked her legs—those legs that were almost completely devoid of sensation!
Some past events involuntarily surfaced in her mind again...
Recalling those years, Shen Ruoyuan was still a child. At that time, she had been very fond of the boy and even allowed him to live in the palace to be educated alongside the current Emperor.
However, it was in that very year!
The Emperor was lively and active, and Shen Ruoyuan was obsessed with building bridges. The two of them ran to the Imperial Garden and dismantled the load-bearing mortise and tenon joints of the wooden arch bridge, causing her to step into thin air and fall, resulting in a spinal injury that left her disabled.
For the first few years, she could barely walk, but as she aged, half of her body became paralyzed.
From that point on, the Old Imperial Concubine began to loathe Shen Ruoyuan.
Now, she felt displeasure toward his wife and daughter as well.
Thus, the Old Imperial Concubine deliberately remained silent, acting as if she hadn't heard, and slowly sipped her tea, leaving Su Jinhan to continue kneeling.
In the great hall, Su Jinhan had been kneeling for a long time, and her legs were already numb, but she could only grit her teeth and persist.
At this moment, little Sui An stood up, ran over to take the gift from the palace attendant's hands, and trotted toward the Old Imperial Concubine.
"Old Imperial Concubine, this is a gift from my mother for you. I wish you happiness as vast as the Eastern Sea," she said, holding up the gift with a sweet voice.
Su Jinhan's heart tightened at the sight. "Sui An, come here quickly!"
"I beg the Old Imperial Concubine to forgive us!"
The Old Imperial Concubine frowned and was just about to scold them.
But as her gaze swept over little Sui An's hands and landed on the Diamond Sutra, her eyes brightened slightly, and she swallowed her words of reprimand.
After taking the Diamond Sutra and examining it closely, the Old Imperial Concubine finally softened her expression and looked back at Su Jinhan.
"I have been devoutly practicing Buddhism; you certainly knew how to choose a gift that suits my heart. Master Enjia is not only a famous calligrapher but also a man of the Buddhist faith."
"Although this gift is not expensive, it is far better than those fools who only know how to send extravagant items and mountains of gold and silver. Very well, you may rise."
Su Jinhan let out a long sigh of relief and hurriedly called Sui An to her side. "My daughter was reckless just now; I hope you will not take offense."
The Old Imperial Concubine raised her eyelids and took a closer look at the mother and daughter.
The mother was patient and knew her etiquette, and the little girl was clever and likable; this didn't seem to match what the old master of the Shen family had said...
Just then, little Sui An seemed to notice something and suddenly turned her head to look at the calligraphy and paintings on the side.
Hanging in the great hall today was the famous masterpiece from the previous dynasty, The Thousand Autumn Night Banquet.
Little Sui An walked a few steps closer, looked at it carefully for a moment, and suddenly grabbed the black ink from the side and splashed it onto the painting!
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