Looking at Xiao Sui An, Su Jin Ying could not help but feel envious.
"Actually, if I were to adopt one, it wouldn't be impossible. I would be content if only the child could be as adorable as Sui An."
However, Xiao Sui An shook her head at this moment.
In her soft, little milky voice, she said seriously, "No, Aunt, you will have a child of your own!"
"What?" Su Jin Ying was stunned.
Xiao Sui An looked at her, "Aunt, you will definitely have one. As long as you go to the most spiritual temple in the city and perform a rite to release the soul of the child you miscarried before, you will surely have another child very soon."
Upon hearing these words, Su Jin Ying was extremely shocked, and the tea in her hand spilled out from the trembling.
Nine years ago, she was busy managing her merchant caravan and had indeed accidentally miscarried a child. However, she had hidden this matter deep in her heart; even her husband and sister did not know. How did Sui An know about it?
After Su Jinhan realized what was happening, she said with a mix of heartache and joy, "Eldest Sister, hurry and do as Sui An says. Believe me, it is guaranteed to work!"
Su Jin Ying had no time to think further; her mind went blank, and she stumbled out of the Marquis's Estate.
However, when the carriage passed by the Su Mansion, it did not stop, but instead headed straight for Pu'an Temple.
Having traveled far and wide for many years, Su Jin Ying did not actually believe in gods or Buddhas, let alone the concepts of infant spirits or spiritual liberation.
But this time, perhaps because Xiao Sui An had startled her, or perhaps because her sister's words had taken effect, Su Jin Ying took the initiative to request an audience with the abbot, pressing her palms together.
"Believer Su Jin Ying, I beg the Master to liberate my child, so that they may find peace soon..."
……
Time flew by, and another month or so passed.
The chill of early spring had passed, and it was the season when spring was warm and flowers were blooming.
Xiao Sui An had been at the Marquis's Estate for some time now and was being well cared for. Her cheeks were chubby—not in a fat way, but becoming increasingly full and adorable.
In her spare time, the little one could not stay still, either chatting with the big trees and rocks in the front and back yards.
Or dragging Shen Jingzhao to the garden to tend to the flowers, plants, birds, and insects.
"Little ants, take these pastry crumbs back to your nest to eat."
"Don't worry, I know you don't like being watered, so I won't let them water you anymore."
Whenever Xiao Sui An gave her "magical guidance," the flowers would bloom brilliantly, and the old trees would sprout new buds; the entire Marquis's Estate was filled with a new atmosphere.
Seeing this, Su Jinhan was naturally happy.
She had long since given orders that since Xiao Sui An was still young and liked to talk to herself, no one was to spread rumors, but whatever she wanted to do, no one was allowed to defy her!
Even the Fu Ren in the garden and the servants at the gate were overjoyed.
"Don't you feel that since Little Miss arrived, everything in our mansion has come to life? Even that old white goose in the garden has started laying eggs!"
"That's for sure! And those stone lions in front of the gate—one day, one of them actually spat out a small silver ingot. Oh, that was exactly the reward money I lost last year."
"Right, Little Miss even taught us how to prune flower branches. Oh my, I have lived for decades and only just learned that flowers can bloom so large in early spring. Working is not even tiring anymore!"
"Hahahaha!!"
Everyone chatted and laughed, and the sky over the Marquis's Estate seemed to have become much brighter.
Just then, two carriages stopped abruptly in front of the mansion gate.
"Quick, I must see my sister, and I must thank Xiao Sui An properly!"
Su Jin Ying jumped down while holding onto the carriage shaft, laughing and crying at the same time, and ran into Yingyue Courtyard.
When Su Jinhan came to welcome her, she was extremely surprised and was about to ask what had happened.
Su Jin Ying hugged her tightly, placed her hand on her lower abdomen, and said excitedly, "My good sister, the doctor said I am pregnant! One month along, and the pregnancy is very healthy. The Su Mansion has an heir!"
These words made Su Jinhan almost scream out loud as well.
"Eldest Sister, that is wonderful! You have finally achieved your wish, and I will finally have someone to call me Aunt!"
"This is all thanks to Xiao Sui An. Otherwise, I fear I would have reached seventy without knowing the truth. Quick, where is the child? I brought a whole carriage of good things for her. She is my Little Benefactor!" Su Jin Ying said with tears in her eyes.
Logically speaking, being only one month pregnant, it was not appropriate to announce it too early.
But this time was different; Su Jin Ying wanted to tell her benefactor, so it was only natural.
Hearing the commotion, Xiao Sui An had already run over from the backyard with mud all over her hands, hopping and skipping, "Hello, Aunt~"
Su Jin Ying did not mind the dirt at all; she picked her up and wanted to kiss her little chubby face until it turned red. "My little darling—no, that's not right, my Little Lucky Star! Let Aunt give you a good hug. When the little brother or little sister is born in the future, they must thank you for the rest of their life."
Xiao Sui An understood, and at this moment, she leaned in and whispered into her ear, "Hehe, Aunt, it's a little brother~"
After Su Jin Ying was stunned for a moment, she nodded hurriedly, "If you say so, then it must be true. Anyway, Aunt only believes your words."
"Someone, hurry and bring the things from the carriage inside! They are all for Sui An!"
Soon, four Fu Ren huffed and puffed as they carried in five or six willow-wood chests carved with intricate patterns.
Upon opening them, two chests contained Suzhou flower silk, Huzhou damask, as well as expensive fragrant cloud gauze, red cloud gauze, and more.
The other four large chests were filled with gold and jade jewelry, pearl hairpins, bracelets, and some sheepskin drums and agate nine-linked rings from the Western Regions—all little trinkets that children liked.
Xiao Sui An was stunned and hurried over to lie on the chests, touching them with delight.
"Wow, Aunt, my eyes are dazzled!"
Su Jinhan felt a bit embarrassed, "Eldest Sister, look at you. She is still so young; even if you like her, you don't need to give her so many things."
Su Jin Ying waved her hand dismissively and retorted, "You daughter-obsessed mother, don't be falsely polite. The Su Mansion is not short of money, as you well know. What is wrong with buying a little something for our Sui An?"
Hearing this, Su Jinhan could not help but laugh, unable to hide her love for her daughter.
"Fine, Sui An, if you see anything you like, just take it and play," she said with a smile.
"By the way, Eldest Sister, when did you go to the temple? Counting the days, you must have conceived as soon as you returned from my mansion," Su Jinhan asked with a gossipy look after they entered the inner chamber.
Su Jin Ying's face flushed slightly, "Ahem, yes. That day, after I listened to Xiao Sui An, I went to Pu'an Temple and held a grand ritual for three days and three nights. After I went back... I had that with your brother-in-law..."
"Oh my!"
The private conversation between the sisters was only half-finished when it was interrupted by a "wail" from Xiao Sui An.
Su Jinhan hurried out to look and saw that Xiao Sui An had fallen into the toy chest, with only her two short legs, which looked like white radishes, kicking around outside.
Xiao Sui An regretted it deeply. She had wanted to get the sheepskin drum inside, but the chest was too high. She had tried to climb up using her hands and feet, but accidentally tumbled in, and her arm got stuck among a pile of toys.
"Help, Mother, Aunt! This chest is eating people! Wuwuwu, I will never be greedy for toys again."
"Hahaha!" Seeing this, Su Jin Ying was truly torn between laughter and tears.
But she liked this little one even more.
Su Jinhan had no choice but to come over to fish her out, taking away a few small toys before she could rescue Xiao Sui An.
Xiao Sui An's little face was flushed red. After taking two deep breaths, she hugged the sheepskin drum and laughed again, "Hehe, it was just a lapse in judgment. Mother, Aunt, you are not allowed to laugh at me."
Seeing that it was almost noon, Su Jinhan ordered the small kitchen to prepare a meal.
She kept her eldest sister for a meal so they could continue chatting in the afternoon.
At this time, Bai Zhi returned from outside, bringing news from the Dali Temple.
"Madam, just as you expected, after the old master went to beg Noble Consort Shen for mercy, the Dali Temple released the person. However, the Zhou woman had one leg broken and was sent to stay at a farm in the countryside," Bai Zhi snorted.
Su Jinhan narrowed her eyes slightly, "Daring to bully my daughter, having her leg broken is a light punishment. Let her suffer slowly on the farm."
Ever since Zhou Yuncai was thrown into prison on the day of the banquet.
She had been subjected to whipping and interrogation from time to time.
This Fu Ren only knew how to enjoy life and had delicate skin and flesh; she could not withstand the beating and confessed to her crimes early on, but she still did not manage to save her left leg.
According to the law, intentionally damaging imperial gifts was a serious crime, but because Noble Consort Shen helped mediate, the Emperor spared Zhou Yuncai from further punishment.
However, at the same time, the Emperor issued an order that Zhou Yuncai and her husband were not allowed to live in the Marquis's Estate anymore!
"Ruoyuan is already gone, and his wife is already suffering. I have a friendship with him from our childhood; how can I watch others cause trouble in the Marquis's Estate and vainly attempt to occupy the magpie's nest?"
Thus, on the day Zhou Yuncai was released, Shen Ruohai also slunk back to his own mansion.
But how could these two be reconciled?
In the evening, when Shen Ruohai brought food to the farm, the two of them hugged each other and cursed bitterly.
"That damned Su Jinhan, how dare she send me to the Dali Temple for a mere family matter? Does she have any respect for the ancestors of the Shen Family in her eyes?" Zhou Yuncai, who had become so thin that her eyes were sunken, cursed while gnawing on a pastry.
Shen Ruohai snorted with a cold face.
"Don't forget, she comes from a merchant background; her mind is much more ruthless than ours."
"I heard that after she learned Father went to plead for mercy, she wrote a petition and submitted it to His Majesty first. Otherwise, why would His Majesty forbid us from living in the Marquis's Estate?" Shen Ruohai gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.
After hearing this, Zhou Yuncai could not catch her breath and was almost choked by the pastry.
After drinking some water and forcing it down, she touched her still-aching left leg and said with red eyes, "No, we cannot just admit defeat like this. Even if we don't fight for Jingping to be the Heir Apparent, we must vent our anger for our own sake."
Shen Ruohai, however, already had a plan, "Hmph, don't be impatient. Su Jinhan won't be proud for long. This Marquis's Estate might not necessarily not be ours."
"What, do you have a countermeasure?" Zhou Yuncai asked urgently.
Shen Ruohai narrowed his eyes, "Father has already sent people to the Northern Lands to inquire. I heard that that person is about to return to the capital. When that time comes, why worry about having no one to be the master for us!"
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