Aunt Xue glanced at the box in Feicui's hand and felt a little jealous.
The Madam and the eldest daughter gave all the good things to Aunt Lian. They were really biased, but she never got anything good from them.
Su Qingyu ignored Aunt Xue's indignant look and took her people to Aunt Lian's Ruyi Pavilion.
When she went in, Aunt Lian was doing needlework, and Su Shunci was also learning how to embroider beside her.
Su Qingyu walked forward to look at Su Shunci's needlework, but Su Shunci directly covered the embroidery frame and said, "Don't look at me, my embroidery is ugly."
The little girl looked embarrassed and hid the embroidery frame behind her.
Su Qingyu couldn't help laughing. She told Feicui to put the things down and said to Aunt Lian, "This is the donkey-hide gelatin that my cousin gave me. Aunt Lian, you've worked hard these days. This is for your health."
"You've lost a lot of weight these days taking care of my mother."
Aunt Lian quickly refused, saying, "Young Miss, you'd better take it back. It's a waste if you send it to me. You can take it back to nourish Madam."
Su Qingyu shook her head and said, "My mother has a lot of supplements. Since they are for Auntie, you can eat them with peace of mind."
"My aunt ordered her servants to make this, and it uses top-quality ingredients. Please eat it yourself, Auntie, and don't give it to others."
Aunt Lian nodded and said, "Well, I'll remember what the eldest lady said. I'll keep it for myself and not share it with anyone else."
Before leaving Ruyi Pavilion, Su Qingyu winked at Su Shunci, and Su Shunci nodded slightly.
The two sisters understood each other tacitly.
After leaving Aunt Lian's place, Su Qingyu went to Ziwei Garden.
Lin was able to get out of bed and walk around. She was fiddling with a few plum blossoms on the high table and carefully inserting them into plum vases and flower cups.
"Mom, you should lie down more." Su Qingyu stepped forward and held Lin's arm and said.
Lin turned around and touched Su Qingyu's cheek, saying lovingly, "You can't just lie down all the time. You need to move your arms and legs."
Su Qingyu helped her lean against the big kang by the window, with two large pillows woven with gold thread placed behind her.
"Mom, I remember you mentioned that I had an older sister, but she died at birth, right?" Su Qingyu asked tentatively.
Lin was stunned for a moment, then sighed and said, "Your sister is two years older than you. She happened to be born during the turmoil in the first year of the Xuande reign."
Su Qingyu looked carefully at Lin's expression and found that there was nothing else on her face except some sadness.
She then asked, "Has mother seen my sister? Is she very pretty?"
Upon hearing this, Lin's face lit up with a loving smile. As she recalled, she said, "She was very beautiful, with a pink and tender complexion. She didn't look like a newborn baby at all."
"It was fate. It happened that day when there was a great riot in the capital, and your grandfather and your father were not at home. The rebels rushed into everyone's house in the city and killed people without a care. We were terrified when we heard about it."
"I placed half of the guards in your grandmother's Songhe Hall, and the rest were stationed at the various gates of the Marquis' Mansion. Perhaps I was too nervous and went into premature labor."
"When I woke up, the child was already dead. Luckily, Sulian was by my side; she was so frightened that her face turned pale."
Sulian is Aunt Lian's maiden name.
"It's all because of my mother's incompetence. Your sister was born prematurely, and so were you."
Su Qingyu quickly comforted Lin, "Mother, don't say that. I'm fine."
"I was just a little weak when I was little, but now I'm well taken care of."
Speaking of this, Su Qingyu's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
My sister was born prematurely, so why did my mother say she didn't look like a newborn? Aren't premature babies usually skinny and small?
Su Qingyu thought of what Su Shunci said, and her heart became more and more solemn and uneasy, but she did not dare to show any clues on her face.
Seeing that Lin looked lonely, Su Qingyu teased her for a few more times before returning to Bishui Pavilion with mixed feelings.
Su Qingyu was restless throughout the afternoon.
What exactly happened that night eighteen years ago?
What did Aunt Xue mean by that? And what did Aunt Lian know?
Fortunately, Aunt Xue did not disappoint her and indeed had some bad thoughts about the box of donkey-hide gelatin.
In the evening, just after Su Qingyu finished dinner, Su Shunci ran in.
"Big sister, Aunt Xue...she...went to see my aunt."
Su Shunci was panting and speaking incoherently, but he looked obviously anxious, afraid that Su Qingyu would be late.
Upon hearing this, Su Qingyu stood up and walked out quickly, with Su Shunci jogging behind her.
In Ruyi Pavilion, the maid guarding the yard had been driven away by Su Shunci, and the entire yard was quiet.
Su Qingyu tiptoed to the door of the main room and listened attentively to the noise inside.
First came Aunt Lian's voice, with a pleading tone, "You can't take this donkey-hide gelatin. The eldest lady has ordered that I can't give it away."
Then I heard Aunt Xue snort coldly, "It's okay if you don't give it to me, I'll go ask Madam for it."
"If Madam knew what she gave birth to, she would be frightened to death."
"And the Marquis and the old lady, if they knew the truth, what do you think would happen?"
Then came Aunt Lian's choked, pleading voice: "Please stop talking. Can you please not mention this again? I've given you everything you want. I beg you, please don't tell anyone."
Su Qingyu's brows furrowed, as if she were hiding something from her mother. Meanwhile, Concubine Lian silently endured Concubine Xue's threats for her mother's sake.
Aunt Xue continued, "It's okay if I don't tell you. Tomorrow you can go to the Madam and tell her that the eldest young master should be made the Crown Prince."
"I promise you, as long as the eldest young master becomes the crown prince, I will never mention this matter again."
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