The exclamation of the guards had just faded.
The horses of the group also lost their direction due to the fright of the wolf howls, beginning to charge about wildly.
Little Sui An was lying comfortably, but she felt an instability beneath her and almost rolled out of her mother's cloak to have a close encounter with the ground.
"Oh my!"
She immediately opened her eyes wide to look; fortunately, her mother had strong arms, gripping the reins tightly and pulling her back into her chest.
"Sui An, don't be afraid, Mother is here!"
After stopping the horses, Su Jinhan looked toward the wolf pack, her heart sinking into an ice cellar.
"Oh no, it is currently the season of sudden warmth and lingering cold; I fear these are hungry wolves forced down from the mountains because there is no food left."
She then gritted her teeth and said, "Do not panic. Two of you who can still ride, ensure you escort the Little Miss safely back to the estate."
"The rest of you, light the torches and follow me to cover the rear. If we cannot scare them off, we will draw our blades and fight this pack of wild wolves!"
Although the guards had steadied their footing, their faces were already ashen and devoid of color.
Seeing the dozen or so wolves closing in, Su Jinhan drew her long sword, her chest trembling slightly.
At this moment, little Sui An shook her small head and pressed her hand against Su Jinhan's, "Mother, I am not going anywhere. So you are all afraid of the big doggies? It is okay, watch me~"
Before Su Jinhan could react, little Sui An sat up straight with her soft, warm body and squinted her eyes at the wolf pack with a smile.
Her tone was playful, "Hello, doggies. Hurry back to your dens. The Black Wolf Demon, your great-grandmother who lives in the Royal Hunting Ground, has even held me before. I certainly do not want to tell on you."
This little milky voice was very soft, so soft that even Su Jinhan did not hear it clearly.
However, the next moment, the wolf howls stopped abruptly!
The lead wolf seemed struck by lightning, freezing in place. After a while, it lowered its tail and led the other wolves in a dejected retreat.
"This is!" Su Jinhan widened her eyes, simply unable to believe it.
This pack of wolves actually left on their own?
The guards of the Marquis's Estate were also extremely shocked, rubbing their eyes desperately, "What is going on?! Are we seeing things? It is like a dream; they actually became like house dogs and do not intend to eat us?"
Little Sui An giggled, showing her white little baby teeth, "Mother, I told you it would be fine. Alright, now we can go home."
Su Jinhan had just been terrified, but staring at her daughter's little face now, she could not help but turn her fear into joy. Could it be that the heavens truly pitied the Marquis's Estate and bestowed a Lucky Star by her side!
"Good, good, let's return to the estate. Mother will listen to our little Sui An." She hurriedly kissed her daughter.
Then she happily ordered, "Quick, take out the food we brought in our bags. I remember there is still some raw meat that hasn't been cooked; throw it all into the forest as a thank you to them."
After a flurry of activity, the group finally entered the city, and the main gate of the Marquis's Estate was finally in sight.
Little Sui An was still too young, and by now she was getting sleepy, already curled up like a little steamed bun, fast asleep on Su Jinhan's shoulder.
Having blown in the wind for the whole journey, everyone's nerves had calmed down.
Su Jinhan held her daughter, and thinking of something, she said calmly before entering the estate, "As for the matter of the wolf pack, perhaps it was just that the torches were too bright and those hungry wolves had no energy left, so they dared not approach. Do not treat it as a miraculous encounter and speak of it to any Outsider, do you understand?"
"Yes, Madam."
Just like that, after one night...
...
When the daylight became bright again, there was a long-lost lively atmosphere inside the Yingyue Courtyard of the Marquis's Estate.
Over a dozen maids and Old Women moved with swift feet, carrying clothes and jewelry, making trip after trip into the warm chamber.
Two servants also appeared as if by magic, holding newly purchased glazed tile lanterns, rattles, and clay figurines, excitedly handing them over at the hanging flower gate.
These were all for little Sui An.
"The sun must have risen from the west today in the Yingyue Courtyard. Why is it so noisy with gongs and drums like the New Year?"
Passing by the corridor, Zhou Yuncai, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Shen Family, stopped in confusion and frowned as she looked over.
The Old Woman beside her gossiped, "I heard the Marchioness returned last night and even picked up a little girl on the way. It seems she intends to raise her."
Zhou Yuncai pinched her handkerchief to cover her mouth, "Heh, I fear she couldn't gather any news about the Marquis and is grasping at straws, thinking that by adopting a child, she can block my son from inheriting the Heir Apparent position? If she were to do that, she should have at least picked up a boy."
"Enough, don't mention this unlucky person." Zhou Yuncai curled her lips and said triumphantly, "Let's hurry to pay our respects to the Old Master."
With that, she took large strides. Today, no matter what, she would force the Marchioness to finalize the matter of the Heir Apparent!
On the other side, in the warm chamber, little Sui An had just woken up and was lingering in the soft quilt, wanting to roll around a few times.
The next moment, her soft, chubby body was suddenly lifted into the air and held in Su Jinhan's arms.
"Oh my, is it Mother?" The little one was not yet used to it and exclaimed.
"Our Guai Bao should get up now." Su Jinhan dotingly tickled her little soles.
After making little Sui An giggle, she combed her hair into a pair of flower bud buns and dressed her in a jacket and skirt made of soft smoke gauze, dressing her with great care.
"From now on, this is our little Sui An's home. Take a look."
Su Jinhan carried her out and pointed around with a smile, "The servants here are also here to serve you. If there is anything you want, feel free to tell them."
Little Sui An stretched, nodded softly, and squinted to look around.
She hadn't had time to look last night; this courtyard was very well-proportioned, and the atmosphere was bright—it was worthy of being her mother's residence.
It was just that for some reason...
Little Sui An tilted her head to the side. Under the Begonia tree in the courtyard, there seemed to be some strange sounds, but it was a bit too far away to hear clearly.
Just as she wanted to go look, the head maid Bai Zhi came over in a rush, "Madam, the Pine and Crane Hall is calling for you."
Upon hearing the words "Pine and Crane Hall," Su Jinhan frowned subconsciously, and little Sui An noticed that her mother's arm stiffened as well.
"I know. You all go take care of the Little Miss's breakfast first; I will go take a look." In front of her daughter, she did not show any emotion.
But once her mother walked out slowly, little Sui An immediately looked at the two maids beside her with curiosity, "Where did my mother go? Is there someone in that hall who makes Mother unhappy?"
Bai Zhi was straightforward, "Miss Sui An is so smart. Hmph, you must remember, in our Marquis's Estate, you can go anywhere, but that Pine and Crane Hall is the one place you must not even go near!"
"Alright, the Little Miss is still a child." The other maid, Chaoyan, stopped her and said gently, "Miss, you didn't eat after returning late last night. Are you hungry? Let's have breakfast."
Little Sui An was indeed hungry. As soon as she licked her lips, her little shriveled tummy reacted, emitting a series of rumbling sounds.
"Eh? Who set off firecrackers in my tummy~" Little Sui An patted her belly helplessly and strode toward the dining table.
This cute little appearance immediately made the two maids laugh, and for a moment, they forgot their worries.
"The Little Miss is so cute."
"Indeed, no wonder our mistress likes her so much!"
However, little Sui An could not be bothered with gluttony. After eating only half a bowl of porridge to pad her stomach, she jumped off the chair, anxious to go under the Begonia tree to investigate.
In this courtyard, everything was grand and bright, and all the scenery was pleasing to the eye.
But only this old Begonia tree had withered branches; although it wasn't dead, it showed no signs of life, and it kept emitting mournful cries.
After walking closer, little Sui An stuck out her little bottom and leaned close to the ground, asking seriously, "Big Begonia tree, what did you say just now? I didn't hear clearly, please say it again."
"Miss, the ground is cold, get up quickly."
Bai Zhi, who had chased after her, was about to reach out to help, when she saw little Sui An frown and clench her little fist in agreement.
"There is actually such a thing? That is too much, watch me!"
"Little Miss, who are you talking to??" Bai Zhi was a bit dazed.
Little Sui An immediately stood up and said urgently, "Sister Bai Zhi, is there a shovel? Bring it quickly, there is a Dirty Thing under this big tree!"
Bai Zhi and Chaoyan were very confused, but remembering that Su Jinhan had instructed them that no matter what Sui An said, they must take it seriously.
So, they exchanged a look; one ran to get a shovel, and the other ordered the servants in the courtyard to withdraw.
The two of them were panting heavily from exhaustion, and the shovel was almost deformed. Half an hour later, they actually dug out a cloth bundle the size of a fist from under the tree...
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