Rebirth of the Exclusive Herbalist

When Su Qinghan first heard that the kitchen staff had brazenly neglected the third sister, she frowned slightly, silently cursing the unreliable servants in the kitchen before bringing Mingya over to apologize to Su Qingqi.

“It’s all my fault for being too busy and careless, almost letting the third sister suffer.”

Su Qingqi quickly responded with a smile, “It’s just that the people below tend to flatter the higher-ups while looking down on others. Second sister, don’t worry; I don’t blame you.”

As for whether there was any hidden meaning in her words, Su Qingqi didn’t care and chose to ignore it.

Hearing this, Su Qinghan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Indeed, the third sister was just like before; as long as she apologized, the third sister would let it go. However, the servants had gone too far this time. With their eldest brother Su Zhijin still overseeing the household, they dared to pull such tricks, not even bothering with appearances, leaving her to clean up the mess.

If this were the Jiangnan Su household, their stepmother Han Shi would have sold them off in no time.

This incident highlighted the difference between her and their stepmother Han Shi.

It would be a lie to say that Su Qinghan wasn’t a bit resentful.

Sure enough, her methods weren’t good enough.

The two sisters then chatted warmly about other topics, and Su Qingqi couldn’t help but steer the conversation toward the osmanthus feast Su Qinghan was organizing.

“Second sister, I heard you’re planning an osmanthus feast. Is there anything special about it?”

Hearing the mention of the osmanthus feast, Su Qinghan smiled slightly and couldn’t resist boasting, “Third sister, there’s nothing particularly special about it. It’s just that all the dishes, drinks, and tea at the feast are made with osmanthus.”

Su Qingqi’s eyes lit up, and she couldn’t help but ask, “Could you tell me more?”

With a proud smile, Su Qinghan began to describe the carefully planned Osmanthus feast.

“Of course. I’ve prepared steamed crabs with osmanthus, osmanthus wine, osmanthus cakes, osmanthus cookies, osmanthus porridge, osmanthus fish, osmanthus tea…”

Listening to Su Qinghan list them one by one, Su Qingqi couldn’t help but feel her mouth water. Although these dishes and drinks were common, Su Qinghan’s ingenuity was truly admirable.

“Second sister, you’re amazing! Just hearing about it is making me hungry.”

Su Qinghan’s smile grew even brighter.

The two sisters enjoyed a pleasant and harmonious conversation.

On the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Marquis of Chu was, as usual, invited by the emperor to celebrate the festival in the palace. However, this time, an extra person was invited, as the emperor was very curious about Su Yuanhong’s third daughter.

He had already met Su Yuanhong’s two other daughters, and since this third daughter had caught the eye of the Marquis of Huaining, she must be extraordinary. With the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet approaching, the emperor decided to summon Miss Su Third to the palace.

But then he thought it would be inappropriate to show favor to one while neglecting the others, so he decided to invite all three Su siblings to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival in the palace.

When the Marquis of Chu heard this news, he suppressed his initial thought of refusing the palace invitation to spend the festival at the Su household and silently applauded the emperor’s decision.

However, he voiced a different sentiment.

“The Mid-Autumn Festival is supposed to be a time for family reunions. The emperor is being a bit inconsiderate by summoning the three Su siblings to the palace!”

Chu Yi silently remarked: If only the Marquis didn’t look so pleased, those words might be more convincing, but outwardly he respectfully agreed.

“The Marquis is right!”

The Marquis of Chu nodded in satisfaction.

When Su Qingqi and the others received the imperial decree, they were all stunned, especially Su Qinghan, who had painstakingly prepared a grand Mid-Autumn Festival party and had even invited the Fourth Prince for moon viewing that evening. Now it was all for naught, and she couldn’t help but feel a bit resentful towards the emperor.

A fleeting look of excitement passed over Su Zhijin’s usually indifferent face. No matter what, it was a great honor for a lowly guard like him to enter the palace and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with the emperor and ministers.

As for Su Qingqi, she was completely dumbfounded. She had thought she would be moon-gazing at the Su household while enjoying the osmanthus feast prepared by her second sister. Who knew she would end up celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival in the palace? This was far more grand than she had expected. Fortunately, she didn’t feel any fear at the thought of meeting the emperor; she just needed to behave properly, and with that thought, she let it go.

But the thought of having to kneel and bow to all the emperor’s concubines made Su Qingqi silently pity her knees.

She wondered if she should be like Xiao Yanzi and ask Minglan to make her something to “kneel easily”?

However, when she saw her second sister, this idea vanished. Well, it’s only for one day. Once she becomes the wife of the Marquis of Huaining and gains a noble title, there will be fewer people to kneel to.

Su Qingqi silently comforted herself.

Little did she know, Su Qinghan was thinking the same thing. The only difference was that Su Qingqi gave up on the idea while Su Qinghan put it into action. Su Qinghan actually created something to “kneel easily.”

On her way back to her room, Su Qinghan whispered to Mingya and her trusted maid, Granny Qian, about the “kneel easily” idea.

Mingya and Granny Qian were stunned, and their eyes showed a trace of doubt as they looked at the second young lady.

After all, in ancient times, people held great reverence for imperial power, and being able to kneel before the emperor was considered a tremendous honor. In Mingya and Granny Qian’s view, Su Qinghan’s actions were tantamount to disrespecting the emperor.

“Young lady, isn’t this deceiving the emperor?” Granny Qian disapproved.

Unaware of what her trusted servants were thinking, Su Qinghan confidently smiled. “Granny Qian, don’t worry. If you don’t tell, who will know?” Only Xiao Yanzi in *My Fair Princess* would be foolish enough to expose such a thing.

“But…” Granny Qian wanted to say something to dissuade the young lady, but Su Qinghan interrupted her with a wave of her hand.

“Granny Qian, there’s no need to persuade me. I don’t know how many concubines I’ll have to kneel before tomorrow, and my knees won’t be able to take it. This is the only way to protect my knees from injury.”

Although Mingya didn’t agree with it either, she knew her young lady’s personality well enough to understand that this “kneel easily” would be made no matter what, so she remained silent.

Seeing Granny Qian’s stubborn attempt to dissuade her, Su Qinghan grew a bit impatient and sent her off to do something else. Then, she excitedly discussed the benefits of “kneel easily” with Mingya.

Mingya reluctantly agreed with the second young lady.

The master and servant didn’t take much care to avoid being overheard. In Su Qinghan’s mind, as long as she didn’t explain what “kneel easily” was, the other servants wouldn’t know what it was.

So, she continued talking without worry.

Back in her room, she immediately shut the door and began rummaging through her things to find materials to make “kneel easily.”

Little did she know, one of the young maids in Su Qingqi’s courtyard overheard the conversation and quietly reported it to Nanny Feng, who then told Minglan…

Not only that, but the dark guards assigned to monitor Su Qingqi by the Marquis of Huaining also discovered what the second young lady was up to. After secretly investigating and learning what she was making, they were both astonished and speechless.

The second young lady is quite bold!

That night, as Su Qingqi soaked comfortably in the bath, Minglan while helping her mistress wash, cheerfully shared some gossip. Suddenly, she remembered what Nanny Feng had said and brought it up.

“Miss, today I heard from Nanny Feng that the second young lady and Mingya were talking about something called ‘kneel easily.’ Do you know what it is?”

Su Qingqi’s mouth twitched. As expected, kindred spirits think alike. She silently thanked herself for giving up on the idea; otherwise, the second sister might have suspected her.

“I don’t know either. It’s probably some new idea she came up with.”

“Maybe. The name sounds pretty awful,” Minglan pouted as she continued to wash Su Qingqi’s back with just the right amount of pressure.

Su Qingqi relaxed as she poured water over herself, secretly amused. As for the name, it might be unappealing, but it’s clear and easy to understand.

“Oh, by the way, miss, Minghong secretly asked me during dinner if she could accompany you into the palace tomorrow.”

Su Qingqi’s eyes darkened, and she smiled, “How did you reply?”

Minglan grinned proudly, “I directly refused, saying that you don’t need maids who are two-faced and eager to climb the social ladder. You should have seen Minghong’s face at that moment, haha…

“Well done!” Su Qingqi praised with a smile.

It’s always better to deal with small issues promptly, even if they aren’t dangerous yet. Having something constantly buzzing around you can be really annoying.

Minglan was delighted by the praise from her mistress but still expressed some concern, “I’m just worried she might go to Second Miss…”

“Don’t worry. Second Sister has plenty of servants around her; she won’t notice someone like her. And even if she does, it’ll depend on whether Eldest Brother is willing to let her into the palace.”

Minglan slapped her forehead and laughed foolishly, “Oh, right! I completely forgot about the Young Master.”

After a relaxing bath, Su Qingqi went to bed. Despite having to meet the emperor tomorrow, she wasn’t the least bit affected. Her sleep was as sound as ever.

At the Huaining Marquis’s Residence

Before going to bed, Marquis Chu received a report from his subordinate about Su Qingqi’s activities that day. A trace of admiration flickered in his eyes—this woman he had set his sights on was indeed something special, remaining calm even when facing a visit to the palace.

“There’s one more thing, but I’m not sure if I should mention it…” The black-clad man hesitated after reporting on Su Qingqi.

Marquis Chu raised an eyebrow slightly, “What is it?”

“It’s about Second Miss Su. After receiving the imperial decree to enter the palace, she made two ‘easy kneeling’ devices.” The black-clad man’s mouth twitched slightly as he spoke.

Marquis Chu was silent for a moment, frowning slightly. Was this ‘easy kneeling’ device what he thought it was? If so, tsk tsk, Su Qinghan really was bold.

“What exactly is ‘easy kneeling’?”

After the black-clad man explained, he lowered his head even further.

Chu Yi, who was standing behind the Marquis, was utterly shocked. How could this Second Miss Su resort to such underhanded tricks?

Marquis Chu, however, rarely smiled, his smile dazzling.

Who would’ve thought that Second Miss Su would hand over such a piece of incriminating evidence? How foolish.

“Chu Yi, have someone inform the Fourth Prince about this ‘easy kneeling’.”

As for how the Fourth Prince would handle it, that wasn’t his concern.

How dare she scheme to have his Aqiu seduce Zhao Xiran? How could he not cause her some trouble in return? But this matter shouldn’t affect the Su family; letting the Fourth Prince handle it was just right.

Yes, that’s correct. Marquis Chu had learned of Second Miss Su’s schemes through Zhao Xiran, who had heard it from Su Qingqi’s elder sister, Su Qingwan. Fortunately, Aqiu hadn’t been dazzled by Zhao Xiran’s handsome face.

Otherwise, hmph!

“Yes, Marquis!” Chu Yi quickly summoned a black-clad subordinate, gave a few instructions, and returned to the room.

Marquis Chu stroked the ring on his finger, feeling particularly pleased.