The atmosphere in the warm chamber loosened considerably after the Grand Princess left.
The young maids served hot tea and pastries. Baoge’er, acting as if he had known Su Xiaoqi forever, invited her to eat.
“Sister Xiaoqi, this is a tangerine. I heard my mother say it grows in the Lingnan region. It’s very far away, and only found in the imperial palace. I like eating them, do you?”
Su Xiaoqi looked at the golden tangerines on the table and smiled, “I like them too.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Baoge’er picked up a tangerine, peeled it for her, and handed it to her. He smiled with exceptional warmth and brightness, “Sister Xiaoqi, please eat.”
Su Xiaoqi looked at his rosy cheeks, his plump, adorable little face, and was immediately reminded of her younger cousin and Shen Erdan from Zhaojia Village. Her heart melted like water. Unable to refuse, she took a bite. Then, in return, she peeled one for him. The two of them ate, one bite after another, a pair of big and small, remarkably harmonious.
Su Xiaoqi had taken care of younger brothers and nephews before, so she was very good with children. She would sing them nursery rhymes, tell them fairy tales, and even played cat’s cradle and shuttlecock with him. She had many tricks up her sleeve, all of which children liked, and it was very amusing.
When the Grand Princess returned, she saw the two of them playing shuttlecock in the warm chamber, laughing and playing together. The Grand Princess stood at the doorway, not entering, leaning against the doorframe and watching with a face full of motherly smiles. After watching for a while, seeing that the two inside were happily playing, she quietly withdrew and sat in the outer room, with Granny Xu accompanying her in conversation.
“This Madam Shen is truly wonderful. Our young master doesn’t easily play with people,” Granny Xu said, feeling a little jealous.
“Yes, after all, she saved him. They’ve become quite familiar now,” the Grand Princess said, greatly relieved.
By the time Su Xiaoqi remembered to take her leave, it was already the beginning of the hour of You. The case outside had been settled, and Shen Yun had returned. Not finding her, he had come back to look for her anxiously. Baoge’er looked at her reluctantly, his dark eyes red as he asked, “Sister Xiaoqi, when will you come to see me again?”
Su Xiaoqi flicked his nose and smiled, “Very soon. I’ll be staying here for two more days. If you want to play with me, just send someone to find me.” She thought that she would just be here for Shen Yun to recover from his injuries for these two days, and there was nothing else. Seeing how cute Baoge’er was and how well they got along, she genuinely liked him.
Baoge’er was clever. Upon hearing Su Xiaoqi’s promise, he quickly looked at the Grand Princess. He knew very well that his mother was in charge here. Without his mother’s permission, he couldn’t find anyone. The Grand Princess understood her precious son’s subtle glance and immediately promised that as long as he missed Sister Xiaoqi, she would send someone to invite her.
Su Xiaoqi walked out of Luoxia Courtyard and saw Shen Yun waiting at the entrance. She quickly hurried forward. Hearing footsteps, Shen Yun quickly turned his head. Seeing it was her, he rushed to help her and looked her up and down. Only when he found no wounds on her did he feel relieved.
“Are you alright?” he asked in a low, gentle voice.
Su Xiaoqi shook her head, “I’m fine. What about you? You ran so fast earlier, did your wound split open?” Although Su Xiaoqi had already heard from the Grand Princess that his wound was fine, seeing his pale face, she couldn’t help but worry.
Seeing her worry about him, Shen Yun felt the missing piece in his heart suddenly filled. He gently held Su Xiaoqi’s slender waist and whispered close to her ear, “Really, I’m fine. If you don’t believe me, why don’t we go back and try and see…”
“You… what nonsense are you talking about…” Su Xiaoqi glared at him. However, her gaze contained both her concern for Shen Yun and her own shyness, making it completely ineffective against Shen Yun. Fortunately, Shen Yun knew when to stop and didn’t tease her further, only telling her that the matter had been resolved. He also explained to her why she had been kept by the Grand Princess.
It was because Baoge’er was the involved party, Su Xiaoqi was the rescuer, and Shen Yun was considered a third witness. After all, that old nanny was the wet nurse of the Prince Consort. While the Grand Princess had the right to punish her, she needed fairness and impartiality so that no one could find fault. Hence, his testimony was needed.
“How was she dealt with?” Su Xiaoqi was a little curious.
Shen Yun shook his head, saying it was the Grand Princess’s affair and it was not appropriate for an outsider like him to investigate. Su Xiaoqi nodded in understanding. She knew in her heart that since Granny Gui had intended to harm the Grand Princess’s beloved, her fate would not be good.
What Shen Yun did not tell Su Xiaoqi was that the Grand Princess had initially kept him to punish him. Although Granny Gui had made a fatal mistake, he, as an outsider, had kicked Granny Gui in a moment of desperation, which was also considered a transgression. In the eyes of outsiders, it was disrespect to the Grand Princess. However, later, because Xiaoqi had gained favor with the Grand Princess, coupled with Granny Gui’s subsequent confession, she had held a sharp weapon and intended to strike Baoge’er. Fortunately, he had kicked her over, which was considered saving Baoge’er’s life. Therefore, the offense of his earlier transgression was forgiven, and he even received many rewards.
Su Xiaoqi stopped him, saying, “You were indeed too impulsive earlier. I can explain.” She hadn’t expected Shen Yun to act so rashly as to hit someone in front of the Grand Princess. After all, he had always been a gentle and refined gentleman in front of others. Su Xiaoqi never thought he would resort to hitting someone.
“For someone who betrayed his master, not only did he hit you with a bamboo pole, but he also slandered you. If I could still forgive him, how could I be a husband?” Shen Yun’s expression was calm, but his voice was somewhat heavy, indicating significant emotional turmoil within him.
Su Xiaoqi quickly comforted him. Seeing people coming and going around them, they supported each other and walked towards the courtyard where they had been staying. As soon as they entered the courtyard, the gift list sent by the Grand Princess to Su Xiaoqi arrived. It was a long and substantial gift list, containing a variety of fine fabrics, gold and silver jewelry, as well as food and ornaments. Su Xiaoqi was astonished.
The nanny delivering the gifts also told her that the Grand Princess was considerate. Knowing that they were new to the capital and likely hadn’t settled down yet, she was sending the gift list first. Once they found a residence in the capital, she would send people to deliver the gifts, so they wouldn’t have to transport them to the capital, saving them trouble. This seemed like something the Grand Princess would do.
However, Su Xiaoqi did not wish to accept the gifts the Grand Princess sent. She told Granny Xu that she had not known he was from the Grand Princess’s manor when she rescued Baoge’er. She had simply been unable to bear seeing someone so adorable being harmed.
“Your Highness anticipated that you would refuse. She said this is her gesture of goodwill.” Granny Xu directly played her card, “Madam Su, please allow this servant to say one more thing. Your Highness likes you very much and considers you like her own junior. You will be visiting each other often in the future, so you should make a few outfits from the fashionable fabrics inside. When Scholar Shen makes further progress in the capital, you will also be part of the circle of officials’ wives.” Granny Xu’s words were very pertinent, and Su Xiaoqi fully felt the Grand Princess’s kind intentions for her. Declining would be impolite, so she accepted.
However, she quickly fiddled around in her space and prepared ten catties of tremella, a thousand-year-old ginseng, and two cans each of lotus root starch and coffee powder, which she handed over to Granny Xu as a return gift. Granny Xu, having grown up in the palace, was startled to see the ginseng, lotus root starch, and tremella. She thought to herself that she had misjudged this person; she was indeed from a well-to-do family. She happily accepted them on behalf of the Grand Princess and returned. Not only Granny Xu, but even the Grand Princess felt that the items Su Xiaoqi had produced were too valuable. It wasn’t that she didn’t have them, but she felt that someone of Su Xiaoqi’s status should not be able to produce them.
“It seems I misjudged her; she truly is a capable person,” she chuckled and instructed people to continue investigating Shen Yun and Su Xiaoqi. After all, they were people she would interact with, so a thorough investigation was necessary for peace of mind.
Granny Xu then inquired about the Grand Princess’s handling of Granny Gui. “Give her thirty more strokes of the cane and hand her over to the authorities. Tell them she betrayed her master and attempted to harm her lord,” the Grand Princess said after a pause. “People say even a tiger doesn’t eat its cubs. It seems some people have their eyes blinded by power, becoming worse than pigs or dogs.” The Grand Princess’s exceptionally beautiful face turned cold. Whoever dared to touch her precious darling would be rendered heirless.