Chapter 13

Su Mi was wrapped in the cloak that the little eunuch had given her earlier. She couldn’t guess what Qin Yan meant by giving her the cloak, but her mind was slightly settled. She returned to the queue and was one of the last few. After a while, it was her turn.

Su Mi pushed open the door and entered. Cao Gonggong had received instructions from Feng Bao and was extremely respectful towards Su Mi at this moment. He handed her a flower card directly.

“Miss Su, please come back here in three days. There will be a mule cart to take you and the other ladies to the capital.” This was an obvious implication that she had passed.

Su Mi was surprised, but still smiled and said, “Thank you, Cao Gonggong.”

Cao Gonggong replied, “Not at all. If you had told us earlier that you knew our Lord, we would have let you through earlier. Why stay outside in the sun?”

Su Mi still smiled, but she was puzzled in her heart. He had helped her again. Did he guess the reason she wanted to be a court lady and pity her?

Su Mi walked out with the flower card in her hand, thinking until she met Chun Mei, who was waiting outside the courtyard with an umbrella. She still hadn’t come up with a definite answer.

It was dusk when they boarded the carriage. Even though they drove fast all the way, they still arrived at Su’s mansion in the south of the city at nightfall. A few scattered stars hung in the sky, making it appear somewhat lonely.

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Ubwd Ylk pyo Fw Yk zssj wr y qlo vkxlp, dsv jdsokdt obyv oyp sd bla xkde. Fbl vbld bydele bla vbl nzsyj yde kdpvawnvle bla vs cakdt kv cynj vs vbl pxyzz nswavuyae clqsal bwaaukdt kdvs vbl xykd byzz.

Rd vbl xykd byzz, dsv sdzu olal Fw Ykdtel yde Hbys Zkdkydt vblal, cwv Fw Ykdtel’p svbla eywtbvla, Fw Hbld, oyp yzps ralpldv.

“Pye, Ysx, uswa eywtbvla kp cynj.”

“Ebyv’p tskdt sd?” Fw Ykdtel oyp qllzkdt y ckv dlahswp. Tl bye prldv y zsv sq xsdlu, yde kq bl nswzed’v lhld tlv y nbydnl vs ts vs vbl nyrkvyz, kv oswze cl hlau wdqyka.

“R tsv vbl kdhkvyvksd, yde kd vball eyup, R okzz ts vs vbl nkvu okvb Hbld’la sd y xwzl nyav,” Fw Yk alrzkle.

Wkdyzzu, Fw Ykdtel’p qynl naynjle y pxkzl, yde bl ayalzu pxkzle yv Fw Yk. “Txx, dsv cye.”

“Yypvla, R vsze usw ps. Ekvb Flnsde Ykpp’p yrrlyaydnl, pbl kp sdl bwdeale rlanldv clvvla vbyd Hbld’la. Tso nswze pbl dsv cl nbspld?” Gwdvkl Hbys pyke, pvknjkdt nzspl vs Fw Ykdtel’p pkel.

“Ebyv’p oasdt okvb Hbld’la? Zsw yal bla xsvbla. Ebyv jkde sq vyzj kp vbyv?” Fw Ykdtel oyp alxkdele cu Gwdvkl Hbys vbyv bl bye ydsvbla eywtbvla obs oyp yzps plzlnvle.

Zhao Auntie lowered her head and humbly accepted the rebuke.

Su Zhen was standing by, beaming with joy. She came over and took Su Mi’s hand, saying, “That’s great. I won’t be alone if I can go with my sister.”

Su Zhen’s appearance could be considered good, with her oval face and willowy eyebrows, she was a beautiful woman. But standing next to Su Mi, who had a particularly stunning appearance, Su Zhen looked a little plain.

In front of Su Mingde, Su Zhen was reluctant in her heart, but her smile became even more sincere. Despite Su Zhen’s feigned smile being transparent to Su Mi, she wondered if it would be appropriate to feign ignorance.”

“Yes, I also want to have a companion in Zhen’er and take care of her,” Su Mingde laughed. “Haha, you sisters both getting selected would be great!”

Everyone in the room was smiling with joy, except for Yu Qingniang.

Yu Qingniang had a pleasant expression on her face, but she didn’t show any emotions. She didn’t know whether to be happy or not. With Su Mi’s appearance, she knew what was going on.

But how did the play say it? “Entering the palace gates is like entering the depths of the sea. If her daughter suffers in the future, she will definitely swallow it alone. Su Zhen is already doing well by not harming her; how could she help her? “With this thought, she couldn’t feel happy at all.

If the selected woman doesn’t succeed and returns, it would be difficult for Li Xiuyuan to be a good match to Su Mi. It’s a challenging situation. At this point, the only hope is for her to fail the selection process and for someone else to act as a matchmaker.

Su Mi looked at Yu Qingniang’s expression; she could guess her thoughts, and her heart was also mixed. In this big Su family, only her mother really cared about her.

“Well, since you have the invitation, I’ll go talk to Xiuyuan and ask him to wait a little longer.” Su Mingde stood up and left the main hall, ready to go to the study, and called Li Xiuyuan to wait for him there.

Before Su Mi got the invitation to the imperial capital selection, Su Mingde had not planned to let Li Xiuyuan know about this, so at this time, Li Xiuyuan was happily staying in the study, thinking that Su Mingde wanted to discuss the details of the marriage.

This kind of thing doesn’t need him to step in; just take a concubine. However, the other party is Su Mi, and he is willing to talk. In the future, there will be Su Xian, who is dignified and gentle, and Su Mi, who is charming and lovely. He is lucky to have both.

When Su Mingde stepped into the study, Li Xiuyuan was still thinking of some wicked things and lustful thoughts, but as soon as he heard Su Mingde’s first sentence, his heart sank.

“Xiuyuan, I think we should put your marriage with Mi’er on hold for a while.”

“Father-in-law, I don’t understand.” Li Xiuyuan stood up and saluted. This fat piece of meat that was about to be in his hands—how could it fly away again?

“Hey, Mi’er has received a flower card and is going with Zhen’er to the selection for court lady. In three days, they will depart for the capital. If she is selected, it will also be a blessing for my Su family

Li Xiuyuan had just come from the capital and knew that the selection of court ladies by the court was a lively event among the people, but since Su Mi had just had an engagement, he did not pay much attention to it. He was surprised that there was still a flower card available even though the deadline had passed.

Li Xiuyuan knew there was something fishy about it, but since the matter was not yet settled, there was no point in staying in Jiaozhou.

“Father-in-law, in that case, I have been bothering you here for a long time, and I should return to my home in the capital.”

Tomorrow is the day when the selected women go to the capital. Yu Qingniang accompanied Su Mi in her courtyard, instructing her on various things to pay attention to along the way.

After finishing her instructions, Yu Qingniang said softly, “Yesterday, Xian’er was still talking about you before she set off.”

“Hmm,” Su Mi replied indifferently.

That day, if she had not desperately climbed out of the window, she could imagine what might have happened to her. Whenever she thought about it, she still felt scared. Therefore, she could not forgive Su Xian. It was already her greatest tolerance, but it seemed that they, the sisters, would never be able to return to how things were.

Yu Qingniang sighed. She understood and did not want to force her youngest daughter. She took out a transparent red jade bracelet from her pocket, which was bright and vibrant. The jade was fine and transparent, and it looked like it was of excellent quality.

“Mi’er, this is what your grandmother left for you.” “Keep it with you, and if your grandmother has a spirit, she can protect you in the future.”

Mother…” Su Mi’s throat felt a bit bitter.

“It’s all my fault. If my body had been better at the time, your brother… wouldn’t have had your father’s attention solely on Auntie Zhao.” She couldn’t say much about her marriage either.

Yu Qingniang felt uneasy, only realizing she had let slip something she shouldn’t have.

“Mother, what are you saying? I have a brother. When did you conceive him? Why don’t I know?” Su Mi exclaimed in surprise.

“When I was pregnant with you two, my belly was bigger than others. The doctor said it was twins, and your father was overjoyed.” Yu Qingniang recalled the time when Su Mingde doted on her so much, but then…

“What happened later?” Su Mi asked anxiously.

“Afterward, I gave birth, and it was indeed twins, a boy and a girl. You were naturally the girl, and you survived, but the other one…” Yu Qingniang sighed sadly. “The doctor said he was too weak and probably didn’t get enough nutrition in my womb, so he couldn’t survive.”

Yu Qingniang still remembered Su Mi’s birth: she was white and chubby, while the other one was dark and thin. That was why Su Mingde disliked Su Mi even more. In his heart, Su Mi was the one who took away his son’s life.

Su Mi fell silent after hearing this.

Her heart felt heavy. It turned out that she still had a younger brother, though she had never met him. But he was still her blood relative, and it touched her heart.

She had never thought that Su Mingde had been cold and distant towards her for so many years because of this. Did he think that she shouldn’t exist in his heart?

“Mother, in your heart, is it my brother who should be the one to live?” Su Mi looked at Yu Qingniang with a slightly hoarse voice.

“What nonsense are you talking about?” I never told you because I was afraid you would think like this. Yu Qingniang hugged Su Mi and said lovingly, “You are all my children.” “How could I dislike you?”

Su Mi snuggled into Yu Qingniang’s warm embrace, feeling a sense of warmth in her heart.

Yu Qingniang patted her back lightly and sighed, “But at that time, even though I was in pain, I clearly remember hearing two cries.” “How come the midwife insisted my son died in the womb?”

“Mother, did you really hear two cries?”

“Yes, I did. But the midwife said the baby was stillborn. Maybe I misheard.” Yu Qingniang didn’t tell Su Mi that she could still remember that cry whenever she dreamed in the middle of the night. After all, that was her son who had been in her womb for ten months.

Meanwhile, not far from the capital, in a small village near a county town, a man dressed in rough brown clothes was drawing water in front of a dilapidated brick house.

He was not bad-looking; he was tall and slender, with fair skin and handsome eyebrows and eyes that were as warm as a piece of warm jade. Even when he was drawing water, he didn’t look crude.

After drawing water, he bent over and went into the kitchen, quickly boiling medicine. He poured the hot liquid into a white teacup with a missing piece and carried it into a room on the left.

“Grandma, drink a little. After you finish this last dose, you will be well again.” His voice was as gentle and clean as his appearance.

The old woman, called “Grandma,” was half lying on a pallet. Perhaps the medicine had taken effect over the past half year, and she had regained her vitality. Her hair was white and neatly combed, and she was covered with a thin blanket that was old and patched but clean and smelled of fresh grass. It was clear that she was a strong-willed old lady.

“Ah Jue, did you skip the imperial examination in the second lunar month and use all the money to buy medicine for me?” Granny Jian, although old, was still clear-headed.

Her grandson, Ah Jue, was the top scholar in their village. It’s been so long, but there was no news of him taking the imperial examination this year.

Jian Yujue lowered his head and blew on the medicine soup, “Mmm.”

“You! Do you want to kill me?” No wonder that the neighboring aunt was so kind. She came to take care of her during that period. It turns out that Yujue gave her some benefits. “Where did you go during that time? Did you go to do some other work?”

Jian Yujue answered evasively, with a faintly gentle smile on his face, “I’ll take the exam next time.”

“The next time will be three years later!” Granny Jian was so angry that she couldn’t speak. Yujue was talented and had a photographic memory. He had been the smartest person in their village since he was a child.

“You’re not even my real grandson. I picked you up. Why are you so good to me?” Granny Jian was deliberately trying to provoke him.

“If you don’t take the medicine soon, you’ll get sick.” Grandma, please take the medicine first, okay?” Jian Yujue finished speaking and just quietly looked at her with a gentle and docile expression.

Unable to resist his gaze, Grandma Jian sighed. He had a good temper and good looks, but how did he end up with such a burden? In the end, she was still going to burden him.

“A passing gentleman gave you the name Yujue and also read your fortune, saying that you will definitely become a high official in the future.”

Grandma Jian wiped her eyes. “If it weren’t for my frailty…”

Jian Yujue’s expression remained unchanged as he spoke gently, “Grandma, it’s only three years later.” I can still become a top scorer, but you can’t wait that long.”

Upon hearing this, Grandma Jian sighed and took the medicine bowl, drinking it all in one gulp.

“When I’m better, I’ll help you make money together.”

“Okay.”

Inside the dilapidated brick house, there was a faint warmth flowing. Under the flickering candlelight, Jian Yujue’s profile was somewhat similar to that of Su Mi.