Su Yu Ru was thinking very hard.
A sinister expression flashed across Zhao Xiao Hua's round face.
Hmph, as expected, these young ladies from wealthy families were indeed so unreliable.
When they had come to the prefectural city, the two of them had agreed on everything.
Su Yu Ru would be responsible for bringing her along, and she would solve her problems, after which she would agree to her requests.
"Miss Su must not be able to recall," Zhao Xiao Hua said.
Su Yu Ru lowered her gaze and thought, asking her to repeat herself.
So far, the information provided by this person named Zhao Xiao Hua had been quite useful, and it would be a pity to discard it.
"No, next time. Let me finish solving your problem first," Zhao Xiao Hua said, being coy.
"However, I do not know how much Miss Su is willing to pay for that jade pendant. That way, I will have an idea in mind."
Only after knowing Su Yu Ru's bottom line could she know what kind of price she needed to extract from her.
"Anything, as long as you help me get the jade pendant back, I will agree to anything you ask."
Su Yu Ru carefully remembered the words her father had spoken.
As long as their family could retrieve that jade pendant and activate it, let alone the treasures in the mountain, they could easily become as rich as a nation.
These were such bold words.
Of course, she did not have those unrealistic thoughts; all she thought about was that man.
A smile spread across Zhao Xiao Hua's face as she nodded and said, "Deal!"
In any case, if Su Yu Ru dared to go back on her word at the last minute, she would have plenty of ways to teach her a good lesson.
Meanwhile, Su Jia Mo was still confronting Shen Yun.
He tried to utter threats, "Between you and me, our feud is settled. We shall not rest until one of us is dead."
He had always been someone who repaid every grievance and avenged every wrong.
Shen Yun said coldly, "It's best if it is so." Hadn't their feud already begun when he was beaten up by two vagrants on the street last time?
However, if he saw him coveting his wife again, his hand would not just be broken next time.
Su Jia Mo cast a deep look at Su Xiao Qi, who had not even glanced at him from beginning to end. His heart filled with resentment, he left with his arm hanging. In the Zhuangyuan Tower, only Su Xiao Qi and her husband, Du Yi Yi, and an outsider, Chang Wan Qing, remained.
A closed door blocked out the noise from outside, and the hall instantly became quiet.
It was then that a gentle breeze began to blow, bringing some of the coolness of early autumn and alleviating the stuffiness of the late summer heat.
"It is my honor to have met Brother Xu Zhi. We shall speak again another day. I bid you farewell." Chang Wan Qing sensed the awkwardness and took his leave at the opportune moment.
Shen Yun politely saw him off.
He considered it a favor for his righteous intervention.
The yamen runners who had come to apprehend her stood where they were, not knowing what to do.
The young lady from the prefectural yamen had arrived, and she was a friend of the person who had been accused.
Moreover, after a round of debate, the accused had committed no wrongdoing at all.
However, they had accepted a bribe from the Crown Prince at the time.
It was impossible to arrest them now.
"You all go back yourselves and explain clearly to the arresting officer what you have done." Du Yi Yi looked at them with considerable displeasure.
She had grown up in the borderlands and had only seen the brave and righteous Yu family army, who possessed a spirit of camaraderie.
She had never encountered such cowards.
A mere piece of silver could make them betray their souls for others.
"Yes, yes, we understand," the arresting constable replied quickly.
They worked under the prefect, so they knew the rules.
As long as it wasn't a major issue or a matter of principle involving injustice, Prefect Du generally did not punish them for occasionally bending the rules.
In fact, they knew their limits. If there had been genuine injustice in this matter, they would not have dared to accept anything.
At the time, they thought it was just a minor dispute between some scholars, and they would be able to return after just going through the motions.
Now, to their dismay, they had implicated themselves.
This farce finally came to an end.
Su Xiao Qi thanked Du Yi Yi and bid her farewell.
The couple rode back to the estate in a mule cart.
Su Xiao Qi was unusually quiet during the journey.
She was afraid that Shen Yun would ask her what Su Yu Ru's words meant, and she was also afraid that he would ask about the jade pendant.
Heaven bear witness, she truly only had the mutton-fat jade pendant gifted to her by Mr. Gu.
She had never seen any jade pendant brought out by the Su family.
She looked up, wanting to speak but hesitating.
"I..."
"Don't mind her!" Shen Yun, however, took her hand and led her off the mule cart.
Then, before she could speak, he reached out and covered her mouth.
Su Xiao Qi looked at him with shock. Did Shen Yun not have even the slightest curiosity about the meaning of Su Yu Ru's words?
"Just listen to what others say, there's no need to take it to heart." Shen Yun saw that she still looked troubled and felt a pang of heartache. He supported her waist, looked into her eyes, and told her earnestly.
What others say is their business; it is the two of them who are living their lives.
"Living your own life well is the most important thing." While these words didn't seem particularly special, Su Xiao Qi felt as if her soft spot had been struck.
Her eyes reddened, her nose twitched, and her trembling eyes watched as tears began to fall.
"I, I don't want to cry, but it doesn't listen to me," she explained in a muffled voice.
When Su Yu Ru had questioned her, although she had appeared confident and composed, she had actually been under immense pressure.
This pressure was like a great mountain pressing down on her shoulders, making it difficult to breathe.
Shen Yun's light words were like a gust of wind that swept away the mountain that weighed as much as a thousand catties.
Her heart suddenly relaxed, and the wall she had deliberately erected in her heart collapsed, allowing tears to fall naturally.
Shen Yun pulled Su Xiao Qi into his arms, gently patting her shoulders and coaxing her in a soft voice.
He had been by her side when she spoke with Su Yu Ru. Shen Yun, who was increasingly understanding her, did not need to inquire deliberately to see her thoughts clearly.
Regardless of the circumstances, he was grateful to heaven for letting him meet her.
She had filled his empty heart and warmed his cold one.
He had come to know that in this world, apart from his mother, younger sister, and Er Dan, there was one more person worth his love.
He wanted to hint to her that he already knew what Su Yu Ru had said, and from now on, no matter what the Su family said, she would not need to be afraid.
However, before he could say it, Su Xiao Qi had already wiped her tears in his embrace, shaken her hair, and said decisively:
"It's alright, I'm fine. I'll pack my bags when we get back, say goodbye to Yi Yi and the others in the city tomorrow, buy some things, and then we'll head back the day after tomorrow. Mother and my little sister must miss us very much."
As she spoke, she turned and disappeared in a flash.
Shen Yun reached out to pull her, only to touch the tips of her hair.
Watching Su Xiao Qi's figure quickly disappear into the backyard, Shen Yun stood rooted to the spot, smiling and shaking his head.
On the second day of the ninth month, Su Xiao Qi and Shen Yun spent the day out and even had dinner in the prefect's inner hall.
When Yu Rong learned that they were leaving, she was very reluctant and had her attendants search the storeroom for many items for her to take along.
As Su Xiao Qi was leaving, she gave Yu Rong a bundle of medicine.
This medicine contained spiritual herbs that she had exchanged from her space.
To avoid the effects being too pronounced, Su Xiao Qi had ground them into powder and evenly mixed them into the warming and tonifying pills she had made.
Facing Du Yi Yi's expectant gaze, Su Xiao Qi said, "There are two courses of treatment in total, with each course lasting seven days. After taking them, you should no longer fall ill."
"That's wonderful, Sister Xiao Qi, you're so amazing." Du Yi Yi hugged her happily.
Sister Xiao Qi was their family's great lucky star.
Yu Rong was also somewhat excited. If her illness could truly be cured, Xiao Qi would undoubtedly be her great benefactor.
One could not be too good to one's benefactor.