Rebirth of the Exclusive Herbalist

Around midnight, the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet had ended. Since it was too late, the princes and princesses stayed in the palace for the night, and Su Qingqi and her siblings, along with Lord Chu, stayed in the palace as arranged by the Empress.

The next day, when they were about to leave, Second Sister Su Qinghan was summoned by Consort Jiang. After thinking to herself, “Second Sister is really busy,” Su Qingqi and her elder brother, Su Zhijin, left the palace and returned to their residence with Lord Huaining.

As their carriage passed by the Huaining Marquis’s residence, Lord Chu suddenly invited the siblings inside, saying he had a gift for Su Qingqi. Curious about the gift, Su Qingqi expressed interest, while Su Zhijin frowned slightly but followed along.

Lord Chu instructed, and Butler Chen had a one-meter-tall double fish lantern brought out.

The moment the double fish lantern appeared, Su Qingqi was captivated and couldn’t help but compliment it.

“Lord Chu, this lantern is truly beautiful!”

Su Zhijin was slightly surprised. Was Lord Chu trying to win Third Sister’s favor? This didn’t seem like something Lord Chu would do.

“This is the gift I wanted to give you,” Lord Chu said, pleased to see that Su Qingqi was captivated by the lantern.

Su Qingqi’s eyes widened in delight. “Really?”

“Qingqi, do you like the gift I gave you?” Lord Chu asked with a smiling gaze.

Su Qingqi looked at the tall, intricately carved wooden double fish lantern in front of her with affection. Hearing Lord Chu’s words, she nodded like a chick pecking at the grain and said, “I like it. This lantern is very beautiful.”

“I specially had it made. These two fish have our names carved on them,” Lord Chu said with a smirk, adding one more detail.

Upon hearing this, Su Qingqi carefully examined the intertwined fish and indeed found names carved on their tails. Her cheeks warmed slightly as an indescribable feeling wrapped around her heart.

Not knowing what to say, a rare blush appeared on her pretty face.

Seeing this, Lord Chu’s lips curved into a deeper smile, and his eyes sparkled with amusement.

An ambiguous atmosphere flowed between them.

Chen Bo, standing by, was extremely pleased. The lord’s thoughtful gesture hadn’t been in vain; Miss Su wasn’t entirely indifferent.

Su Zhijin cleared his throat, breaking the rare moment of ambiguity. “Ahem, Lord Chu, it’s getting late. We should head back to the residence. Thank you for the gift for my sister!”

Lord Chu thought, “…Eldest brother-in-law is a master at ruining the mood!”

“Eldest brother-in-law is right. Qingqi, this double fish lantern is quite large, so I’ll have Chen Bo deliver it to the Su residence.”

Su Qingqi’s face flushed even more, and she nodded shyly.

After Su Zhijin and Chen Bo left, Lord Chu looked down at his still-paralyzed legs and sighed slightly. “Chu Yi, take me to the study!”

………………

When Su Qingqi returned to the Su residence, she had the lantern sent by Chen Bo moved into the house, planning to light it up in the evening. This was the most heartfelt gift she had received since arriving in this era.

“Miss, is this lantern from Lord Chu?” Minglan’s eyes sparkled as she circled around the double fish lantern.

Su Qingqi nodded with a smile and continued to admire the intricately crafted lantern. After a moment, she hesitated and asked Minglan, “Minglan, do you think I should give Lord Chu a return gift?”

She usually valued reciprocity, but with Lord Chu, Su Qingqi felt a bit unsure.

Minglan immediately nodded and, with a thoughtful look, suggested, “Miss, it’s only right. Since Lord Chu gave you such a meaningful lantern, why don’t you design a lantern pattern and have one made to give to Lord Chu in return?”

Su Qingqi felt that Minglan’s suggestion made sense, but she thought sending a lantern might be too much. Moreover, custom-making a lantern would take time, and by the time it was ready, the Mid-Autumn Festival would have passed for several days, which would seem insincere.

Hmm, she needed to think it through.

Oh, she had an idea. How about painting a picture instead? Her painting skills had improved significantly, and her work was presentable. So, she decided on that.

“Minglan, I think sending a painting made by myself would be more sincere.”

Minglan’s eyes brightened at the idea. It was a good one. She looked at the young lady with admiration and said, “Yes, yes, you’re so clever, miss. I’ll get the easel and paints ready for you right away.”

With that, she hurried off.

Su Qingqi sighed and thought, “Never mind.” While her second sister was not around, she decided to cook a nice meal and think about what to paint. With a relaxed attitude, Su Qingqi went to the small kitchen.

Since the small kitchen hadn’t been used before, she sent a servant to get some fresh vegetables and fish. When Minglan returned, she would have her start the stove.

After learning that his sister was cooking in the small kitchen, Su Zhijin had his personal servant bring a message saying he would have lunch at her place.

Su Qingqi sighed and resigned herself to making an extra serving.

At noon, just as Su Qingqi had guessed, her second sister, Su Qinghan, was staying in the palace to have lunch with Concubine Jiang. Her second sister had caught the attention of two concubines and seemed to have a promising future.

“Big Brother, Second Sister is becoming quite prominent in the palace. When are we going back to Jiangnan?” Su Qingqi was eager to return and prepare for her own marriage.

Her wedding date had already been set, and she was to marry into the Chu family before the New Year, several months earlier than her second sister. She didn’t have much time left.

“That’s hard to say,” Su Zhijin said with a slight frown. He acknowledged his second sister’s abilities, but he didn’t agree with her high-profile involvement in the palace.

Moreover, he was unsure what their father’s decision would be, especially considering the incident with Wan’er.

As for the third sister, her abilities were relatively ordinary, though her cooking was exceptional and very tasty. Although it was beneficial, it took a lot of time.

However, her birth time was fortunate, and she was perfectly matched with Chu Houye, their destinies intertwined.

With Chu Houye’s affection for the third sister, she would certainly have a very good life in the Hou residence.

With Chu Houye as their support, the Su family would not need to worry about prosperity.

“But I’m going to marry into the Hou residence in three months. It takes over two months for a round trip from Jiangnan to the capital, so there won’t be much time left at home,” Su Qingqi said with a worried frown.

“We’ll set off in two days,” Su Zhijin decided firmly. He agreed that they couldn’t delay any longer. As for the second sister, she would be dealt with as she wished. The Su family would not get involved in the royal disputes.

Su Qingqi immediately brightened up. After sending her brother off, she happily sat by the large easel, which had a smooth canvas laid out. Humming a tune, she eagerly picked up her paintbrush and began working on her painting.

Minglan was busy mixing colors and grinding ink for her while keeping a curious eye on what the young lady was painting—she was extremely busy!

Su Qingqi had a clear idea in mind and quickly sketched a human figure on the canvas. Minglan’s eyes widened in excitement, wondering if the young lady was painting Chu Houye. It was thrilling!

Time flew by, and before she knew it, it was evening. Su Qingqi had spent the entire afternoon painting and didn’t even notice when her second sister, Su Qinghan, returned with a large amount of rewards.

Since painting required time, by the end of the afternoon, she had only managed to complete a black-and-white sketch of a man and a woman going out for a spring outing. The man was in a wheelchair, and the woman stood behind him, pushing the wheelchair through the countryside. The piece was relatively large but not too complex; it was finished by the afternoon, though she hadn’t had time to add color.

Of course, paintings from this era emphasized abstract and ethereal beauty, even in portraits, so they were not very realistic.

Su Qingqi didn’t plan to be the first to try something new; she just couldn’t shake the blush on her cheeks while painting this couple.

Minglan watched from the side, covering her mouth and chuckling quietly.

Those who didn’t know might think the young lady was excited, but Minglan knew she was actually shy.

In the evening, the three siblings of the Su family had dinner together. Eldest brother Su Zhijin announced the departure time for their return to Jiangnan. Su Qinghan immediately stated that she needed to stay behind to treat the Ninth Princess and could not return with them to Jiangnan.

It was a joke; she originally intended to win over the Second Prince, and the Ninth Princess was his own sister. Being infertile was not a problem given her medical skills, which could potentially resolve it.

Therefore, she had deliberately extended her stay in the capital, not wanting to return to the Su residence in Jiangnan. As for whether her father and stepmother had objections, she didn’t care.

After all, she was now a daughter of the Su family, sharing both its honor and disgrace. Even if her father was unwilling, he had to support her.

As for the third sister, even though the Duke of Huaining only had two years left, her position as the second elder sister was enough to help the Fourth Prince consolidate the influence left behind by the Duke’s death.

Eldest brother Su Zhijin said nothing but nodded to indicate that he understood.

Su Qingqi silently glanced at her confident, elegantly smiling second sister, and quietly listened to her talk about palace matters without interrupting, allowing Su Qinghan to thoroughly enjoy her moment of boasting.

On the way back, Su Qinghan affectionately held Su Qingqi’s arm. The servants around them, seeing this scene, thought to themselves: The second and third young ladies really have a good relationship!

Indeed, this was Su Qinghan preparing for the future. Only by maintaining a good relationship with her third sister could she smoothly assist the Fourth Prince in taking over the influence left by the Duke of Huaining.

One must say, Su Qinghan’s foresight was impressive!

“Second sister, do you remember Cousin Han Chen?” Su Qinghan suddenly brought up a person with a somewhat mysterious smile.

Su Qingqi shook her head, looking at her second sister with confusion: “I’ve never heard of Cousin Han Chen!”

Su Qinghan’s smile froze: “…” She forgot that her third sister hadn’t met Han Chen yet. However, she would get to meet him when they returned to Jiangnan.

“That’s right, I forgot you haven’t met Han Chen. I heard from grandmother before coming to the capital that Han Chen will be participating in next year’s imperial exams and will stay with us for a while. You’ll meet him when you return.”

“Oh!” Su Qingqi wasn’t interested in Cousin Han Chen and didn’t think much about it.

Su Qinghan didn’t elaborate and instead talked about other topics.

The two sisters chatted casually as they walked, and only parted ways when they reached their respective courtyards.

Back in her room, Su Qingqi continued working on her painting. The large double-fish lantern that the Marquis of Chu had given her was lit in the room, making it especially bright and warm.

Su Qingqi was in high spirits, coloring the painting quickly and accurately. By the end of the Hai hour (around 9 PM), she had finished.

All that remained was to wait until tomorrow morning for the painting to dry before framing it.

Huaining Marquis’s Residence

From the daily reports from his subordinates, the Marquis of Chu learned that in two days, he would receive a painting personally created by Aqie. The painting depicted him and Aqie on an outing, which made his smile deepen.

Hmm, it seems that Aqie indeed has feelings for him!

Otherwise, why would she make an excuse to trade with him upon seeing him for the first time?

One must admit, the Marquis of Chu’s ability to indulge in imagination is quite powerful!