The Grand Princess realized that Su Xiaoqi might not understand her true intentions and further explained, "That hawthorn lollipop you gave me, is that what it's called..."
With the investigation reaching this point, Su Xiaoqi had nowhere to hide. She hesitated, about to speak, when the Grand Princess spoke first.
"Brother Bao is an honest child. Although he's young, he's very filial. He really liked the hawthorn lollipop you gave him and couldn't resist hiding one to bring back to me."
When the Grand Princess first saw the hawthorn lollipop, she didn't think much of it. But after hearing Xiaoqi say it was exclusively for Little Bao, she was startled. Having navigated the treacherous waters of court intrigue and domestic schemes her entire life, even though she liked Su Xiaoqi, for the sake of her only son, she couldn't help but entertain a conspiracy theory. She quickly had Madam Xu take the hawthorn lollipop to Master Jishi, the highly skilled abbot of Ganquan Temple, for verification. Upon learning that there was nothing harmful in it, and if anything, it contained several medicinal ingredients for detoxification, suitable for someone who had just been cured, the Grand Princess, a woman of her caliber, understood Master Jishi's words clearly. She then realized that Su Xiaoqi had genuinely cared for her precious son. The best solution was to play along with Su Xiaoqi's intentions and pretend not to know. However, having lived a life of smooth sailing, she still couldn't learn to keep everything hidden. This led to today's scene.
Su Xiaoqi discovered that the Grand Princess knew more than she had imagined. With nothing left to hide, she could only tell the truth. "I... I didn't do it on purpose. I just happened to discover it when I was taking Brother Bao's pulse that day. I thought that at his young age, he might find medicine bitter, so I made it into a candy for him to eat," Su Xiaoqi said with sincere sincerity. She particularly wanted the Grand Princess to follow this line of thought instead of delving deeper into the matter.
"Oh, you child, I don't blame you. I was the one who scared you a few days ago," the Grand Princess said, believing she understood why Su Xiaoqi had secretly given Brother Bao medicine. She thought it was out of fear that she, as a mother, would object.
"I... I was wrong, Your Highness the Grand Princess," Su Xiaoqi lowered her head, sincerely admitting her mistake.
The Grand Princess, however, grasped her hand tightly. "Xiaoqi, you are a good person. You saved my Brother Bao; I'm grateful to you." Su Xiaoqi keenly noticed that the Grand Princess had even changed her self-reference. She thought to herself that no matter how noble one's status, a mother's love was always universal. She felt she had further gained the Grand Princess's trust, both times due to Brother Bao. At this moment, Su Xiaoqi was unaware of the chain reactions that her association with this distinguished Grand Princess would trigger. But she would soon enjoy the benefits.
As they were talking, Guoruo came to announce that the second young master of the He family had arrived. Su Xiaoqi thought he had arrived just in time and got up to apologize to the Grand Princess. The Grand Princess then rose as well, agreeing to meet again at her manor once they reached the capital.
He Qiulei had accompanied Shen Yun and Su Xiaoqi at Luochán Courtyard for two days. However, remembering that they were going to the capital and the residence had not yet been cleaned and tidied, he had bid them farewell and gone to the capital first. He had returned a few days later, presumably after arranging the matters concerning the residence. He Qiulei's arrival confirmed this intention. Before leaving, he had asked Shen Yun and Su Xiaoqi for their thoughts. Shen Yun had no particular opinions on decorating the residence; as long as it was clean, tidy, and elegant, it would suffice. Su Xiaoqi, however, had some ideas. She had given He Qiulei a blueprint for bathroom renovation and asked him to find a craftsman to make the changes according to the design. At the time, He Qiulei had not paid much attention to the blueprint. But when he found the people responsible for the renovation and heard about the conveniences and inconveniences of the project, he was truly amazed.
Seeing He Qiulei arrive so quickly, Su Xiaoqi couldn't help but be curious about how things had turned out. He Qiulei, with his plump face, immediately said, "I haven't failed in my mission. Since you're going to the capital tomorrow, you'll be satisfied when you see it." He was very confident. Although he had limited time for the renovation, he had put considerable thought into it, especially the elements on Su Xiaoqi's blueprint, which had taken him quite some effort. Su Xiaoqi smiled. Although she had given He Qiulei the blueprint, she hadn't held out much hope. After all, the bathroom she envisioned was modern, and with the short timeframe, it was understandable if He Qiulei couldn't achieve it.
Shen Yun cupped his hands in thanks, "Thank you, Brother He." He Qiulei beamed, "You're too kind." Seeing his happiness, Su Xiaoqi's heart stirred, and she suddenly thought of something, asking softly, "Second Young Master He, have you finished everything?" It couldn't have been that fast. He Qiulei shook his head, "Not quite, but I had my elder brother take a look. He said Brother Shen's calligraphy and paintings are top-notch, and according to him, His Majesty will surely like them." Not only that, but He Qiu Miao had also told him that with these two pieces of calligraphy and painting, his promotion was hopeful. Therefore, He Qiulei was very happy and also very grateful to Shen Yun, thinking that he must hold onto such a fortunate person. Su Xiaoqi, seeing his demeanor, knew that things should go well. After all, she had specifically instructed Shen Yun to abandon his most practiced style and write in the "Slender Gold" script favored by Emperor Zhaoxing. In novels, the reason Shen Yun's calligraphy and paintings later became priceless was largely due to the efforts of a certain high-ranking official. With He Qiulei's arrangements, Shen Yun and Su Xiaoqi were happy to travel at their leisure, and the three of them embarked on the journey to the capital.
On the road, Su Xiaoqi hesitated several times. While staying at Ganquan Temple, she hadn't felt this way. It was a Buddhist sanctuary, after all. The deep sound of the wooden fish and the sonorous chanting, along with the perpetual mist, had brought an inexplicable peace to her mind. She rarely thought of the original host's tragic end in the book. But now, having left Ganquan Temple and getting closer to the capital, she couldn't help but worry. If, according to the original plot, the capital was the original host's place of death, should she still go? She carefully glanced at Shen Yun. He seemed to sense her thoughts and happened to look up at her as well. His gaze was deep and calm, and looking at him seemed to have a grounding effect.
"My dear, there's no need to worry. I'm here for you," Shen Yun gently patted her hand, comforting her warmly. He could see Su Xiaoqi's inner apprehension and her worries. But he didn't know what those thoughts stemmed from, and he couldn't ask. All he could do was comfort her as much as possible and ask her to trust him.
"Husband, I..." Su Xiaoqi's worries were unconsciously put to ease by Shen Yun's words. She didn't know why, but facing Shen Yun like this, she was willing to trust him. "No matter what happens, I will be with you," Shen Yun continued to charm her, seeing the good effect. His voice was magnetic and pleasant, and when he spoke it close to Su Xiaoqi's ear, it felt like a hypnotic effect. Su Xiaoqi's heart skipped a beat, and she threw herself into his arms. Shen Yun lowered his head, gently pressed his lips to hers, a light, tender, and affectionate kiss. Su Xiaoqi was involuntarily lost in the moment. The fear and worry deep in her heart were completely cast aside.
When she saw the tall and majestic city walls of the capital, she decided to take it one step at a time. Of course, she wasn't acting blindly; she needed to have more bargaining chips. No matter how Shen Yun changed, she could protect herself. Unconsciously, they arrived at the city gates of the capital. This was different from the imperial highway. People and carriages were everywhere, with people coming and going ceaselessly, demonstrating the prosperity of Daliang's capital. The carriage moved smoothly behind the other traffic. Suddenly, the sound of horses galloping came from behind: "Giddy up, giddy up..." "Make way, make way, be careful, be careful..." With the sounds, several fine horses galloped past the carriage. The wind stirred by the horses whipped up, lifting the carriage curtains. Su Xiaoqi was curiously looking outside, wondering who was riding their horses so recklessly, when she saw an old acquaintance.