The Old Imperial Concubine looked up again, only to see that little Sui An had already slipped away and vanished from sight.
She hurriedly leaned forward and said, "You child, where are you going? Grand Consort Grandmother still wanted to keep you for the evening meal."
Little Sui An’s giggles drifted in, long and clear.
"You must take good care of your injury! Next time I come, I will bring a handsome young man for you to see~"
The Old Imperial Concubine shook her head helplessly, yet with doting affection.
"This Guai Bao, I don't know what she is talking about. She really is a little eccentric. Oh well, let her be."
Having stayed in the palace for so long, it was already late into the night by the time she returned to the Marquis's Estate.
Bathed in moonlight, little Sui An ran energetically into Yingyue Courtyard and quickly called for Bai Zhi to help.
After a flurry of activity, a bowl of crushed Silver Green Grass was finally ready.
At this moment, inside Tingxiang Pavilion, Shen Jinghuai was sitting at the table, lost in thought about the events of the day.
The young man’s handsome features, like bright stars and the moon, revealed a touch of melancholy.
For now, the rumors had temporarily ceased.
But with his face damaged, he feared his future would be greatly affected...
When he was only three or five years old, his talent had brought glory to the Marquis's Estate, and by the time he was nearly twelve, his outstanding appearance had made him the object of much admiration.
Even Sun Hanlin, who was always aloof and did not associate with the powerful, had made an exception to come and propose a marriage.
However, now... Shen Jinghuai gently touched the scar. How could he not feel regret that such beautiful jade was now flawed...
Just as he was feeling down, suddenly, the wooden door creaked!
Little Sui An bounced in like a little sun.
"Eldest Brother, I have a great gift for you!" she said sweetly as soon as she arrived.
Shen Jinghuai finally snapped out of his thoughts, putting on a smile as he looked at her hands, "Little sister is here, hmm? What are you holding?"
Little Sui An smiled until her face turned red, "I won't tell you yet, Eldest Brother. You must promise me that you won't look in the mirror for five days. That way, it will be a surprise in the end!"
Before Shen Jinghuai could react, little Sui An busied herself, holding her small hands high to apply the Silver Green Grass ointment onto her Eldest Brother's face bit by bit.
Shen Jinghuai did not understand her intentions.
But seeing his little sister’s sparkling eyes, his heart softened, and he cooperated, gently lowering his head to let her "paint" his face.
"Is this some kind of beauty treatment? It smells very fragrant, but for the scar on your brother's face, ordinary creams are of no use. I fear I am wasting your things," Shen Jinghuai speculated.
Soon, after the emerald green "paste" was fully applied, little Sui An let out a breath, tired but incredibly happy.
"Don't worry about it, Eldest Brother. Just remember not to look in the mirror. I'll come back tomorrow to change it for you~"
After saying this, the little one ran off happily.
Shen Jinghuai thought she was just playing around, touched the ointment, and chuckled, "Understood, little sister. Eldest Brother will obey."
However, when he went to sleep that night, he suddenly felt a strange, itchy sensation where the scar was.
Was it an illusion? Perhaps... Shen Jinghuai dared not hope, and even less dared to harbor any expectations...
Just like that, for several days in a row, little Sui An would go to apply a fresh layer of ointment for her Eldest Brother.
Shen Jinghuai was very gentle and truly listened to his sister, never touching the bronze mirror again, and since his face was covered, it was even more inconvenient for him to leave the room.
In the blink of an eye, five days had passed.
Early this morning, as soon as little Sui An opened her eyes, she scrambled out of bed, anxious to go to Tingxiang Pavilion to check the results!
However, at this moment, an announcement came.
"Madam, someone from Sun Hanlin's house has arrived and is asking to see you," Chaoyan said hurriedly.
Su Jinhan was in the small kitchen checking on the morning meal and was surprised to hear this.
"At this hour? It's too early. What are the Sun family members here for? Invite them to the guest hall; I will be there shortly."
Soon, after walking through the corridor and arriving at the guest hall.
She saw Madam Sun, the daughter-in-law of Sun Hanlin, sitting in a chair with an unreadable expression.
Accompanying her was a young girl in a pink-blue dress, about thirteen or fourteen years old, with a gentle and refined look about her.
When little Sui An heard it was the Sun family, she thought of Sun Zishao from that day and quickly pulled Shen Jingzhao along to join the excitement.
Behind the screen, she observed for a long while and couldn't help but ask, "Second Brother, who is that sister?"
Shen Jingzhao lowered his voice, looking displeased, "Her name is Sun Yuelan. She is two years older than Eldest Brother. Last year, she was engaged to him. She is Sun Hanlin's granddaughter."
Come to think of it, this was a marriage engagement set by their father before he left home.
"An engagement? So she is going to be Eldest Brother's wife?" Little Sui An thought for a moment and couldn't help but pout.
This sister had a strange aura; she couldn't explain it, but she didn't like her.
Moreover, she vaguely seemed to hear the sound of crying coming from Sun Yuelan's stomach...
At this time, Su Jinhan walked slowly into the guest hall. Seeing her arrive, Madam Sun hurriedly stood up to greet her, "Is the Marchioness well lately?"
Su Jinhan nodded slightly, sat down, and asked, "I wonder what brings Madam Sun here today?"
Madam Sun wore a smile, but it was stiff, "I heard that Young Master Huai has returned, so I thought we should come to pay our respects. We brought some small gifts; please do not mind their simplicity."
Su Jinhan glanced over and saw that the "small gift" was indeed very small.
Although she couldn't see what was inside, the brocade box on the outside looked quite crude.
Furthermore, Jinghuai had been back for many days, and they were only visiting now, which clearly showed a lack of sincerity.
So, Su Jinhan decided to get straight to the point, "There is no need for gifts. If Madam Sun has something important to say, please speak freely."
Madam Sun took a sip of tea, hesitated for a moment, and then stopped pretending.
"The Marchioness is indeed straightforward, so I will speak plainly," she cleared her throat and said awkwardly, "It is true that our two families previously made a marriage arrangement for Young Master Huai and my Yuelan."
"But later, when we heard the news of Young Master Huai's death, Yuelan cried for days and nights. We assumed the marriage was off and began looking for another suitable family for her," she feigned a sigh.
"However, now that Young Master Huai has suddenly returned, this truly puts us in a difficult position," Madam Sun looked up, her eyes darting away, "Plus, my father-in-law was made ill a few days ago by my good-for-nothing son, and I heard it had something to do with your family. Given all these circumstances, perhaps our two families are not meant to be. This marriage... perhaps it should be called off."
That day, Sun Zishao had embarrassed himself in the street.
When the Sun Manor heard the news and went to find him, they saw him lying in the crowd like a dead pig, and upon returning, he had angered Sun Hanlin into illness.
Taking advantage of Sun Hanlin's illness, Madam Sun saw an opportunity and hurried over to break off the engagement.
Upon hearing this, Su Jinhan stood up in anger, "Are you saying that your Sun family wants to break the engagement?"
Although she didn't necessarily insist on this marriage.
But a marriage was a major matter; even if it were to be broken, the heads of both families should have set a time to sit down and discuss it in detail. How could they come here so brazenly?
Seeing this, Sun Yuelan couldn't hold back and interrupted in a soft voice, "Marchioness, please do not be angry. A marriage should be based on mutual consent."
"Besides, when Young Master Huai 'died' once, the engagement should have been void. Surely you don't intend to use the Marquis's Estate's power to force me to comply?" Sun Yuelan blushed, twisting her sleeves in nervousness and resentment.
Su Jinhan glanced at her sideways and scolded coldly, "When elders are speaking, there is no place for you to interrupt!"
"Hmph, perhaps I am inexperienced, but I have never seen an unmarried girl personally discuss breaking off her own engagement. She truly has no sense of shame!" She shook her head in disdain.
Madam Sun coughed hurriedly, "Yuelan, step back!"
Sun Yuelan's face burned, her eyes trembling.
Only then did she realize she had lost her composure and couldn't help but fall silent in shame.
In fact, her urgency was not because she disliked Shen Jinghuai.
If it were in the past, when Jinghuai was talented and handsome with a bright future, and had the illustrious background of the Marquis's Estate, she would have been perfectly satisfied.
But now, hearing that his appearance was damaged, she feared that for the sake of their reputation, the Marquis's Estate might not even name him the Heir Apparent.
With her own talent, why should she waste her time on a man who had lost his standing? She was a beauty who deserved to marry into a noble family!
Seeing the ugly behavior of the Sun mother and daughter, Su Jinhan thought to herself that she didn't want Jinghuai to have any further involvement with such people.
So she said with a cold face, "A few days ago, that scoundrel Sun Zishao spoke rudely, and I hadn't even gone to hold your family accountable yet, but you have come here to make a spectacle of yourselves."
"Very well, since the Sun family's family style is like gold on the outside but rotten on the inside, and so despicable, you are not worthy of my Marquis's Estate."
Su Jinhan waved her hand decisively, "This marriage is hereby void. My Huai'er is a rare and fine young man; he deserves a truly good marriage, and it certainly shouldn't be with the likes of you!"
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