Chapter 56: Qi Niang

 Chapter 56: Qi Niang

When Shen Shi suddenly asked this question, Shen Wan was momentarily stunned.

She looked at Qi Niang, who was being held in Shen Shi's arms, and without hesitation, shook her head. "Of course not."

Qi Niang was her life!

Last year, when Qi Niang went missing, she nearly couldn't survive it either...

Thinking back to that time, Shen Wan's gaze flickered, and her heart tightened with fear once again.

Shen Shi furrowed her brow slightly and said with some hesitation, "I always feel like Concubine Jiang doesn't particularly like Chen Jie'er."

In the past, Chu Qianchen kept her distance from her, always avoiding her. Over time, Shen Shi no longer insisted, since she had more than one illegitimate daughter under her care.

Indeed, there were many illegitimate daughters in the Marquis' residence. The first, second, third, and fourth branches all had them, yet only Chu Qianchen seemed dispensable, lacking any significant presence.

Although she was the daughter of the Marquis and Concubine Jiang, and Concubine Jiang often spoke of her daughter, there was still something off about the whole situation...

And then there was that day when Old wetnurse Cui admitted her wrongdoing and slammed the table, repeatedly saying that she was standing up for Chu Qianchen.

Shen Shi thought back on it and couldn't shake the strange sense of discomfort.

"Miss!"

The voice of a maid greeting interrupted Shen Shi's thoughts.

In the next moment, the door curtain was lifted, and Chu Qianhuang walked in gracefully. She wore a bright red embroidered skirt, the vivid color of her clothes making her look even more radiant.

"Qiang'er, come here," Shen Wan joyfully waved at Chu Qianhuang, signaling her to come over.

Chu Qianhuang properly greeted her and then walked over, smiling joyfully, "Aunt."

Shen Wan took Chu Qianhuang's hand and affectionately asked, "How have you been lately, staying in the palace with the Third Princess as her companion? Are you getting used to it?"

"With the Empress Dowager looking after me, and the Third Princess being very kind to me, it's all quite good," Chu Qianhuang smiled gracefully, exuding an air of confidence.

The more Shen Wan looked at Chu Qianhuang, the more she liked her. She patted her hand and laughed, "Qiang'er, you truly grow more beautiful every day. You resemble your mother in her younger years."

As she said this, something came to her mind, and she looked at Shen Shi, who was sitting on the couch. "Speaking of which, I saw someone the other day whose eyes were so similar to yours, and she was incredibly beautiful."

It was rare for Shen Wan to compliment someone else in such a manner. She spoke casually, as if making light conversation. "It might just be a distant relative."

"We, the Shen family, are not that lucky!" Shen Wan said excitedly. "It was the divine physician I mentioned earlier. She has the same phoenix eyes as you did when you were young, almost exactly alike."

One of Chu Qianhuang's hands stiffened ever so slightly as she leaned in, asking curiously, "A divine physician?"

Shen Wan went on to recount the details about the divine physician and sighed, "When I was at Jishi Hall, the way that young physician looked at me as she walked out of the back room, it reminded me of how you used to look at me back at my family home."

"Aunt, what does the divine physician look like?" Chu Qianhuang asked with curiosity, "Is she more beautiful than my mother?"

The youthful girl appeared innocent and lively, her demeanor playful, carrying a slight sense of coquettishness.

"I wouldn't know," Shen Wan smiled. "The divine physician wears a veil, so I can't tell what she looks like, but she's very young—about thirteen or fourteen, probably around your age."

Shen Wan then casually added, "Qiang'er, your eyes are quite different from your mother's."

She said it without much thought, not noticing that Chu Qianhuang's eyelashes had subtly quivered.

Chu Qianhuang smiled faintly, and with a casual tone, said, "Aunt, my second sister also has phoenix eyes. Would you like to see them?"

Hearing them both mention Chu Qianchen, Shen Wan felt a surge of irritation and lost interest, saying, "No need."

Phoenix eyes weren't rare. The Empress in the palace had them too. It was no surprise for a niece to have the same trait as her aunt. After all, she was just an illegitimate daughter.

Shen Wan shifted the topic. "Big sister, I haven't seen Mu Ge'er in a long time. Will you take me to see him?"

"Let's go, we'll take a look at Mu Ge'er together," Shen Shi said with a smile. "Mu Ge'er's leg hasn't fully healed, so he's been resting in the green silk cupboard in my room lately."

As she spoke, she stood up while holding Qi Niang and moved toward the back, lovingly teasing the little girl. "Qi Niang, your brother will play with you later."

Qi Niang was absent-minded, playing with her own fingers, seemingly unaware of anything happening around her.

The two Shen sisters exchanged a glance, and a faint bitter smile appeared on Shen Wan's face.

At that moment, Qi Niang suddenly twisted her body, as if urgently trying to break free from Shen Shi's embrace.

Shen Shi gently placed her on the ground, crouched down, and asked softly, "Qi Niang, what's wrong?"

Without even looking at her, Qi Niang's gaze remained fixed on the open window to the east. A dragonfly-shaped kite soared through the blue sky, flying among the clouds.

"Qi Niang wants to play with a kite," Shen Shi gently patted the little girl's head.

Qi Niang's eyes remained glued to the dragonfly kite in the sky.

Chu Qianhuang suggested, "Mother, Aunt, let me take Qi Niang to play with the kites."

Shen Wan hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded in agreement, placing Qi Niang's hand in Chu Qianhuang's.

Seemingly content with her wish being fulfilled, Qi Niang stopped making a fuss and obediently let Chu Qianhuang lead her out.

Qi Niang's wet nurse and the other attendants quickly followed behind.

Once the figures of the two girls disappeared, Shen Shi softly asked, "A'wan, is Qi Niang still like this?"

"..." Shen Wan nodded, her expression somber, the sorrow clearly visible in her eyes.

She took a deep breath and continued, "A few days ago, a Daoist priest named Xuánjìng from Yuanqing Temple came. I heard he's very effective, and I plan to take Qi Niang to see him."

As the two sisters talked, they entered the green silk cupboard.

Meanwhile, Chu Qianhuang had brought Qi Niang to a small garden not far from the main courtyard.

A clever maid had already brought a butterfly-shaped kite for Chu Qianhuang, which she then handed to Qi Niang.

However, Qi Niang didn't take the butterfly kite, still gazing up at the dragonfly-shaped kite in the sky.

Chu Qianhuang smiled gently, her voice soft. "Oh, so Qi Niang just wants to watch the kites."

"Would you like me to have the maid fly it higher so you can see better?"

With that, she handed the kite back to the maid.

Qi Niang remained silent, still fixated on the kite.

To be honest, accompanying such a quiet little girl was an incredibly dull task. The maids of the Marquis' residence exchanged glances, thinking that the seventh young miss of the Jingjun Wang's residence was truly difficult to understand.

However, Chu Qianhuang smiled throughout, showing no sign of impatience.

She continued to speak softly to Qi Niang, not at all bothered by the lack of response.

The sunlight in April was warm, casting half of its glow on the flowers and trees, and the other half on the people.

Soon, a thin layer of sweat appeared on Chu Qianhuang's fair forehead.

Noticing that Qi Niang's face had also turned slightly red, Chu Qianhuang gently pointed to an octagonal pavilion ahead and said, "Qi Niang, shall we go sit there for a while? From that pavilion, you can also see the kites."

She took Qi Niang's hand and walked toward the pavilion.

Qi Niang silently followed her, and the dragonfly-shaped kite in the sky continued to rise higher.

Suddenly, Qi Niang came to an abrupt stop, letting out a sharp scream.

(End of this chapter)