Rebirth of the Exclusive Herbalist

On August 18, with the crisp autumn weather, clear skies, and favorable conditions for travel and marriage, but with restrictions on construction and landbreaking.

This time, when returning to Jiangnan, she only brought Minglan with her. Feng Mama was left in the capital to manage the large estate in the suburbs, while Minghong was demoted to a third-class maid by her elder brother and stayed at the Su residence in the capital.

The dowry was also sealed in the Su residence.

Su Qingqi and her elder brother, along with servants, guards, and carriages, arrived at the dock in the suburbs of the capital. The Su family’s luxurious ship was moored near the dock, and many people came to see them off.

This time, her second sister, Su Qinghan, was at the dock not to return but to see them off. The eldest sister, Su Qingwan, did not come due to her pregnancy, but her brother-in-law, Zhao Xiran, was present.

Of course, there was also Lord Chu, dressed in military attire and accompanied by a group of guards.

Lord Chu’s presence gave the Su siblings a lot of dignity.

“Ah Qi, have a pleasant journey!”

Su Qingqi looked at Lord Chu, who smiled and waved at her, and she waved back to bid him farewell. She then glanced at her second sister before boarding the ship. She would return to the capital in about three months.

There was no feeling of separation or sorrow.

As for her elder brother, Su Zhijin, he, along with her brother-in-law, Zhao Xiran, and Lord Chu, finished their farewell drinks, cupped their hands in a gesture of farewell, and boarded the ship. The servants followed, methodically removing the deck, and loosening the ropes, and then the ship set sail.

Su Yuanhong, who was far away in Jiangnan, had already received news from the capital. He learned that his second daughter was once again involved in the affairs of the imperial palace. He was already furious over her secret scheming against the legitimate daughter, and her disregard for his warnings by aligning herself with the Fourth Prince and becoming entangled in palace intrigue only added fuel to the fire. If it weren’t for the royal edict bestowing marriage, he would have expelled her from the family long ago to prevent her from bringing disaster upon the family.

Sun Yiniang, Su Qinghan’s birth mother, initially thought that her daughter’s impending marriage to the royal family would finally elevate her status. However, she was severely reprimanded by Su Yuanhong and had to behave humbly and submissively afterward.

As for Han Shi, the legitimate wife, she was deeply pained by her own blindness. She almost considered officially acknowledging Su Qinghan as her legitimate daughter, which made her current hatred for Su Qinghan all the more intense.

Regarding the third young lady, Han Shi’s perception of her had undergone a complete transformation—from initial disdain, through the complex feelings when the third young lady saved her daughter, to her current gratitude.

Memories of past events kept resurfacing in her mind, with the figure of Tian Shi becoming increasingly clear. Thus, she called in Gao Mama to discuss this old matter.

“Gao Mama, I remember that Qi Jie’er’s birth mother, Tian Shi, was a particularly timid woman. After she caused me to lose a son, I thought she was just pretending and didn’t take her cries of innocence seriously. But now that I think about it, there seem to be many doubts.”

“Tian Shi came from a humble background, and the master didn’t care much for her. If I recall correctly, she was even a bit afraid of him…”

“How could someone like that suddenly plot to harm my child? There was no benefit in it for her at all.”

The fog that had clouded her judgment for so long was gradually lifting, and the more Han Shi analyzed the situation, the more suspicious she found Tian Shi’s alleged attempt to harm her.

Gao Mama was startled. “Madam, do you think it’s possible that Tian Shi was wrongly accused? Should I have someone investigate this matter?”

Han Shi nodded and rubbed her forehead. “It’s just that so much time has passed, any traces of evidence might have been erased.”

“That may not be the case; there could still be some clues left behind,” Gao Mama pondered for a moment and then said.

“Then have someone investigate thoroughly!” Han Shi’s eyes flashed with determination.

In about a month, Zhijin and Qi Jie’er would return to the Su family residence. If Tian Shi had indeed been wronged, Han Shi was determined to provide some compensation to Qi Jie’er. She also wanted to clear Tian Shi’s name so that Qi Jie’er wouldn’t have to endure any comments about her birth mother.

A month’s journey may not be long, but it isn’t short either; in the blink of an eye, it was over.

With Minglan’s help, Su Qingqi stepped off the boat and found that the bustling scene at the dock was much the same as when she had left. The common people were busy with their lives, and the shouts of vendors and the sound of fishmongers filled the air.

After getting into the Su family’s carriage that had come to pick her up, Su Qingqi looked out through the window and realized that she actually missed life at the Su residence. After all, she had lived there for over three years, and compared to the strict rules of the Wuchang Marquis’ household, the Su residence felt more comfortable.

…

In the past few days at the Su residence in Jiangnan, everyone—from the elderly Lady Li to the cleaning maids—had smiles on their faces. This was because their eldest young master’s boat was expected to arrive within the next few days.

Of course, this was just the outward explanation. In truth, there was also a small sense of guilt from Han Shi, the headmistress of the Su family, towards Su Qingqi. Yes, guilt. The matter involving Tian Shi had already been thoroughly investigated, and the real culprit turned out to be Han Shi’s half-sister from her maternal family.

The reason was quite absurd: the half-sister didn’t want to marry the person chosen by her stepmother and instead had her sights set on Governor Su. She originally thought that by orchestrating an incident where Han Shi and her unborn child would both perish, she could marry into the Su family under the guise of an eligible young lady from the Han family.

However, things didn’t go as she had planned. Han Shi, being in good health, only lost the baby boy. Despite her deep desire to become the wife of an official, Han Shi’s half-sister had no choice but to marry into a merchant family, much to her discontent.

After the secret from many years ago was uncovered, both the Su and Han families were furious. Han Shi’s half-sister was immediately expelled from the Han family. Her husband’s family, upon learning of the situation, also treated her with disdain. If it weren’t for the fact that she had given birth to a good son, she would have been divorced long ago.

It was said that she was now living a very difficult life.

Tian Shi was posthumously recognized in the Su family and was elevated to the status of Su Yuanhong’s second wife. Not only that, but Han Shi also arranged for Tian Shi’s grave to be relocated to the Su family’s ancestral tomb.

Su Qingqi was unaware of this development, and even if she were to find out, she would likely just feel that it was unfair to Tian Shi. In ancient times, concubines had low social status, and Su Qingqi had never intended to become someone’s concubine herself.

Fortunately, her father, Su Yuanhong, was a wise and farsighted man who wouldn’t let even his concubine-born daughters become someone’s concubine. The only exception was her second sister, Su Qinghan, who likely thought that becoming a prince’s consort was a good option.

Around noon, Su Qingqi and her group finally arrived at the governor’s mansion. The trained maids at the entrance skillfully set up a stool and lifted the carriage curtain, respectfully inviting Su Qingqi to step down from the carriage.

As she stepped down, Su Qingqi saw the smiling Gao Mama—the trusted maid of her stepmother, Han Shi—waiting to greet her. Beside Gao Mama was a small, green sedan chair.

Recalling how she was largely ignored when she left a few months ago and comparing it to the warm welcome she was receiving now, Su Qingqi was momentarily taken aback but quickly regained her composure.

“Third Miss, please come inside. The Madam has been thinking about you constantly,” Gao Mama said with a warm smile.

“Alright!” Su Qingqi nodded and smiled, not feeling particularly flattered, but rather surprised by Gao Mama’s unexpected warmth toward her.

And her stepmother thinking about her?

That was very strange indeed!

Eldest brother Su Zhijin had already gotten off the carriage. Seeing that his third sister had also disembarked, he walked over to her with large strides. “Let’s go inside; Grandmother, Father, and Mother are all waiting for us in Mingyan Hall.”

Su Qingqi nodded and got into a small green sedan chair. Su Zhijin, being a military officer, did not ride in a sedan chair but instead walked in front with his personal servant.

When they arrived at the courtyard outside Mingyan Hall, Su Qingqi got out of the sedan chair, holding onto Minglan’s hand, and entered through the flower-decorated gate. She passed through a corridor with a large purple sandalwood and marble screen, entered the main room, and turned past a large golden silk nanmu screen with a pine and crane longevity design. There, she saw her grandmother, father, and mother sitting upright in the hall. Her grandmother, with graying hair at the temples, was holding a string of prayer beads, gently rolling them one by one.

As soon as Su Qingqi entered, she knelt and greeted the three elders. Su Zhijin also stepped forward to pay his respects to his grandmother and parents.

Su Yuanhong, for the first time, took a serious look at his third daughter. He noticed her low, cloud-like hair bun, her delicate and refined appearance, and her clear and upright features. Even while kneeling, she did so with perfect composure and grace.

Compared to the silent, almost unnoticed daughter from a few months ago, the difference was night and day.

Was it the environment in the capital that had nurtured her, or had his third daughter been hiding her true abilities all along?

Su Yuanhong believed it was likely the latter.

Especially since this daughter had hidden her abilities, though these abilities were far less impressive compared to her second sister’s exquisite medical skills, they were advantageous in being unnoticeable.

“Alright, you may rise,” Su Yuanhong said, revealing a rare smile. He glanced at Han Shi beside him and added, “Qingqi, you’ve really made me see you in a new light.”

As Su Qingqi stood up, she heard his remark and, not knowing how to respond, simply replied, “I wouldn’t dare!”

The old lady, fingering her prayer beads, took a good look at Su Qingqi, her third granddaughter, and gave a rare compliment: “She’s a good girl!”

Han Shi smiled and chimed in, “Mother is right, Qingqi really is a good girl!”

Su Qingqi was taken aback, lowered her eyes, and softly said, “Thank you, Grandmother and Mother, for your praise.”

Then, the governor asked in detail about what had happened in the capital, since the information sent by carrier pigeons had been too brief and some things weren’t clearly explained.

Su Qingqi answered the questions she could, while Su Zhijin handled the matters concerning their second sister.

Han Shi pulled Su Qingqi to her side and carefully inquired about the situation of her eldest sister, Su Qingwan. The old lady also listened in. Su Qingqi relayed everything she knew, and in the end, Han Shi patted her hand, saying repeatedly, “Good child, good child, we owe it all to you!”

“This is what I should do!” Su Qingqi responded.

Afterward, Han Shi publicly announced the injustice done to Su Qingqi’s birth mother, apologizing profusely and stating that Su Qingqi had already been recognized as her own daughter, effectively making her the legitimate daughter.

Su Qingqi was dumbfounded by this series of ‘surprises.’

However, it was good that her birth mother’s name was cleared. She just wasn’t sure what the true story was, so she planned to have Minglan look into it once they returned to their quarters.

As it was getting late, a servant woman came in, bowed, and asked, “Old Madam, Master, Madam, the meal is ready. The servants are awaiting your orders. Shall we begin the banquet?”

The old lady nodded, and with her approval, the two daughters-in-law quickly arranged for the meal to be served.

Han Shi had Su Qingqi sit on her left. This was the first time Su Qingqi had eaten at a family banquet with them. Across from her sat her eldest brother’s legitimate son, Hong’er, a beautiful little boy who was four years old.

At that moment, Hong’er was tilting his head, looking at her with great curiosity. After a while, he excitedly exclaimed,

“Papa, Mama, the cakes made by the sister across from me are really delicious!”

Everyone at the table: “…”

“Hong’er, that’s not your sister, that’s your third aunt…” Su Zhijin’s wife, Madam Zhao, corrected Hong’er, slightly embarrassed by his mistake.

“Third Aunt, Third Aunt, did you make more cakes?” The little boy beamed with joy, and thinking about the delicious cakes his third aunt had made, he couldn’t help but swallow eagerly.

Su Qingqi’s eye twitched. This little guy had quite the memory!

Wasn’t it just a few months ago when she happened to meet that cute and beautiful little fellow who had wandered into her yard? She played with him a bit and even gave him a piece of hawthorn cake she had made herself…

She didn’t expect that this little fellow still remembered her.

Thinking about how clingy this little fellow is, Su Qingqi’s face darkened!”