Su Xiaoqi tugged at the corner of her mouth speechlessly.
She stepped forward to face the furious gaze of the Grand Princess and kicked the old wet nurse who had been kicked down by Shen Yun but had somehow scrambled in front of her.
She bent down and softly said to the little boy, "Young master, do you see clearly now, who harmed you, me or her?"
"It, it was her, it was Granny Gui. Mother, it was Granny Gui who pushed me into the water and hit me with a bamboo pole. It was sister who saved me..."
The Grand Princess stared intently at Granny Gui for a few moments, her eyes overflowing with ferocity.
Without her needing to give any orders, the head wet nurse beside her had already had Granny Gui captured and bound tightly.
"Throw her into the lake water, let her experience my son's feelings properly."
After saying this, she turned and glared at the many wet nurses, "Don't let her die. Lock her in the wood shed and find out who instructed her to do this."
Having witnessed the Grand Princess's decisive and ruthless nature, Su Xiaoqi realized that this most noble person had actually been lenient with her earlier.
She hadn't had her bound and thrown into the lake from the start, but had given her a chance to explain.
It seemed the Grand Princess didn't believe Granny Gui at all, but was acting on the principle of rather killing by mistake than letting go.
Alas, this was the so-called person in power.
As Su Xiaoqi was inwardly complaining, the Grand Princess bent down to try and pick up the little boy, but was gently pushed away by him: "Mother, don't hug me. Mother is not well, and Bao'er dares not trouble Mother. Bao'er can walk."
Su Xiaoqi raised her eyebrows. No wonder the Grand Princess had only hugged her son in the first instance when he encountered such danger, and later handed him over to the wet nurses to carry.
It turned out it wasn't that she didn't want to hug him, but that she couldn't.
Seeing her pale complexion, she must have some chronic illness.
However, Su Xiaoqi was not in the mood to dwell on these matters at this moment.
Because the Grand Princess had already invited her to her courtyard to change her wet clothes and tidy herself up.
Su Xiaoqi hesitated for a moment, thinking that her residence, Luochán Courtyard, where she lived with Shen Yun, was too far from this artificial lake. It was not appropriate for her to be so drenched, so she agreed.
As for Shen Yun, who was a witness and had after all kicked one of the Grand Princess's people, he was also brought by the Grand Princess to her temporary residence, Luoxia Courtyard.
Half an hour later, Su Xiaoqi comfortably took a bath and changed into clothes that were reportedly made by a favored senior maid of the Grand Princess, and had not been worn yet.
She emerged refreshed, and the little maid serving her looked at Su Xiaoqi with admiration.
She couldn't connect the bright-faced woman in front of her with the dishevelled woman she had seen earlier, wet and with her hair stuck to her face.
For a moment, she was stunned.
Su Xiaoqi frowned slightly, and the little maid came to her senses, curtsied to her, and said that the Grand Princess had prepared lunch and invited her to join them after tidying up.
Ah...
Su Xiaoqi maintained a calm facade, but her heart was in turmoil.
What, what, what? The Grand Princess was inviting her to dine with her.
But this surprise and emotion lasted only for a moment before Su Xiaoqi processed it.
Because according to modern etiquette, she had saved the Grand Princess's precious son, and it wasn't anything unusual for her to be invited for a thank-you meal.
It was just that she might have been staying here for too long, bound by external factors like status and position, that she had this thought.
Having prepared herself mentally, Su Xiaoqi followed the little maid to the main courtyard.
As they were all in the Zen courtyards of Ganquan Temple, although the regulations here were higher, the overall style was still simple and generous, not extravagant or luxurious.
Upon arriving at the entrance, a middle-aged wet nurse stood at the door, looking expectantly. Seeing Su Xiaoqi arrive, she quickly greeted her warmly: "Miss, my Princess and Young Master are inside."
"Who are you?"
"This servant is the Young Master's wet nurse. They all call me Granny Xu."
"Greetings, Granny Xu." Su Xiaoqi saw that her face was round and her appearance was kind and approachable, seeming easy to get along with.
Moreover, she was very polite to her, so Su Xiaoqi naturally reciprocated with courtesy.
While they were talking, Granny Xu personally lifted the curtain for Su Xiaoqi.
Su Xiaoqi did not understand these things, but the other senior and junior maids saw it, and their gazes towards Su Xiaoqi changed instantly.
Granny Xu was the one who served the Young Master closely, so her attitude represented the Young Master's attitude.
And the Young Master was the Grand Princess's only son, and he was born late in middle age, so he was doted on immensely. Therefore, the Young Master's attitude was the Grand Princess's attitude.
It seemed this young lady was about to have great fortune.
Su Xiaoqi did not know what others were thinking.
As soon as she entered the warm room, she saw a little boy, carved from jade and painted with pink, rushing towards her.
"Sister, Little Sister Xiaoqi... you're here. I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Su Xiaoqi looked and saw that this was not the boy named Xiao Bao whom she had rescued?
She quickly bent down and hugged him, but this child looked skinny, yet he was quite heavy. With one hug, she took two steps back before stabilizing herself.
The Grand Princess, seated at the head of the table, looked at Brother Bao with affection, her eyes filled with doting, but she did not forget to teach him manners:
"Brother Bao, you're being unruly again. Be careful, if you're so ill-mannered, you'll scare your Little Sister Xiaoqi away."
Su Xiaoqi heard this and quickly got up to pay her respects.
She didn't know what palace etiquette was, but she curtsied as usual.
The Grand Princess now regarded her as a benefactor, and her own son liked her so much that she would not pick on her for these manners.
Before she could finish her curtsy, she waved her hand and told her to rise and be seated.
Although Su Xiaoqi felt that the Grand Princess was of noble birth, she had grown up under the red flag and learned the ideology of equality for all. She had no inherent sense of hierarchy, so she took the main seat.
Granny Xu, who was beside her, wanted to speak up and remind her, but was stopped by the Grand Princess.
This was indeed a rare genuine woman who was not affected or pretentious.
Although it was the Grand Princess who invited them for a meal, because they were at a temple, there were no lavish dishes. However, the high-end vegetarian dishes were also very delicious.
Moreover, Su Xiaoqi was truly hungry and had a great appetite, eating two bowls of rice.
Then she remembered Shen Yun, who had been called over with her, and wondered if he had eaten.
His injuries had not yet fully healed.
Putting down her bowl, she looked at the Grand Princess with some embarrassment, looking quite hesitant.
After all, if she asked, wouldn't people know that her husband was her witness?
Little did she know that the Grand Princess was also straightforward in her personality. She directly pointed out: "Oh, you want to ask about your fellow scholar husband."
Su Xiaoqi blinked her eyes. Uh, so the Grand Princess already knew.
It made sense. It had been more than half an hour since they were brought in.
If she wanted to find something out, what couldn't she find out?
"Don't worry, he is resting well in the guest courtyard. Granny Xu has arranged for someone to send his vegetarian meal over." The Grand Princess smiled upon seeing their good marital relationship.
As she grew older, she enjoyed watching happy unions and affectionate couples.
"You two truly have a telepathic connection. Earlier, Granny Xu mentioned that he was asking about you.
He was afraid you might catch a cold after being in the cold water and begged Granny Xu to boil you a bowl of ginger soup. Did you drink it when you changed your clothes?"
Su Xiaoqi nodded quickly. After she had bathed and changed, a little maid had brought her ginger-scented water. She had thought they were truly considerate.
It turned out that their consideration was genuine, but it was from Shen Yun.
Su Xiaoqi lowered her head, her heart filled with sweetness, and she couldn't help but smile.
"Don't worry, Granny Gui is being interrogated in the wood shed. Once the results are out, you will return together.
Brother Bao has been missing you. Please take him for a while on my behalf. I will be back shortly."
Su Xiaoqi knew that the Grand Princess was going to deal with Granny Gui's matter. As long as it was handled well, she and her husband could return to their own courtyard, so she readily agreed.
After seeing the Grand Princess off, Granny Xu went to send her off and quietly asked the Grand Princess if she should teach Su Xiaoqi some etiquette.
After all, although Su Xiaoqi was polite and knew etiquette, and her curtsies were standard.
But those were for ordinary families. They came from the palace, and the palace rules were different.
"Eh, it's good for you to teach her. However, since Brother Bao calls her sister, then I will treat her as a junior in my own family.
In front of me, she doesn't need to worry about those superficial courtesies."
Granny Xu looked at her mistress with some surprise.
Her Grand Princess was born noble, the legitimate daughter of the late Empress. Because her disposition from a young age was quite similar to the current Emperor, she had always been doted upon.
Even when the deposed Crown Prince had an accident, the Grand Princess, his full sister, was not affected at all due to the Emperor's special pardon, and even her imperial favour had not diminished one bit.
But the heights were cold. Although her mistress was praised so highly, she never dared to easily pour out her heart to anyone, nor had she ever been particularly close to anyone.
That girl today was the first.
"If Your Highness is only doing this because she saved the Young Master, then it's not necessary..." Granny Xu advised softly.
Unexpectedly, the Grand Princess shook her head, "No, it's not that. Earlier, when she was wet, I didn't notice. But just now, seeing her, I feel familiar, like someone I once knew.
I can't quite explain it. She has about three parts resemblance, but her temperament is very much like hers, six parts."