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Chapter 345: Visitors from the He Residence
Chapter 345: Visitors from the He Residence
The lotuses in Prince Qi's mansion were arranged by the Princess of Qi, who had a particular fondness for them since the banquet at the Viscount's mansion.
Now that the temperature was just right, the lotuses were in full bloom, creating a stunning and vibrant sight.
Song Kuan had been captivated by their beauty before, and seeing Ren Shuhan's bewildered expression, he kindly invited her to join him in admiring the flowers.
Meng Jundong, listening to their conversation, eagerly added, "Let's go and see them!"
With both of his friends expressing interest, Ren Shuhan smiled and agreed.
The three of them set off to enjoy the lotuses, and before long, Sui Sui and the others joined them as well.
The children happily admired the flowers, had their evening meal, played for a while, and then returned to their respective rooms for the night.
Ren Shuhan remained attached to Sui Sui, who adored her gentle older sister. She held onto her hand, chattering away, "Sister this, sister that, sister is so good, sister is so pretty."
Ren Shuhan had never received such direct praise before, and now, hearing it from Sui Sui, she felt herself floating on air, as if her feet barely touched the ground.
She thought that this feeling was not only pleasant but also brought her great joy. Ren Shuhan realized she loved having such a cute little sister like Sui Sui.
In contrast, her 'sisters' back at the mansion…
The difference between them was stark.
If it weren't for the fact that Sui Sui was a princess, Ren Shuhan would have begged her mother to bring her back to their mansion and adopt her as her little sister.
Who wouldn't adore an adorable and incredibly sincere child like her? Ren Shuhan felt that falling asleep while holding Sui Sui's hand made her dreams as sweet as honey.
The next day, the weather turned gloomy, with a dampness in the air that suggested rain was on its way.
Although there was no morning court session, Prince Qi still had a busy schedule.
The Empress Dowager had been unwell ever since the incident with Princess Jiao Yang's remains, and Prince Qi was concerned about her health.
Thus, he planned to visit the palace that day.
However, there was no need to rush, so Prince Qi took his time feeding Sui Sui breakfast and seeing her off to her lessons before preparing to leave.
Just as he was about to depart, a servant from the gatehouse came to report that they had visitors from the He Residence.
Minister He had come with his wife and their fourth son, He Dai, to express their gratitude in person.
They had mentioned before that they would personally visit and thank the Prince once he returned to the mansion.
Their absence yesterday was out of consideration for the morning court session and the busy schedules of the Prince and the other officials. Today, with a more relaxed schedule, Minister He even took half a day off to pay this visit.
Upon hearing that the He family had arrived, Prince Qi temporarily set aside his plans to leave and instructed the gatehouse servants to entertain the guests warmly while he personally went to greet them.
The He family had brought two carriage loads of gifts as a token of their appreciation.
The culprits behind He Dai's kidnapping were remnants of the Su family.
As Minister He was the Chief Judge of the Court, they had intended to use He Dai, a precious and pampered young master, as leverage to force Minister He to submit to their demands.
To carry out this plan, they had sacrificed many of their deeply embedded spies.
In the past half month or so, the Emperor had used the information from these spies to root out even more remnants of the Su family.
Not all of them were from the Su family, though; there were also remnants of other families involved.
It was just that the Su family remnants were the most numerous and influential, and they had been guided by someone from the shadows.
After Minister He, his wife, and He Dai entered the mansion, the couple first bowed politely and waited for Prince Qi to waive the formalities before Minister He pulled He Dai forward.
He Dai used to be a lively and spirited child, with a hint of unruly arrogance in his bones.
He Dai, only ten years old, had grown somewhat spoiled with the favor of his parents, the love of his grandmother, and the adoration of his aunt, Noble Consort He. However, after the kidnapping incident, He Dai had become more subdued.
At the moment, he was kneeling politely, offering a grand ceremonial bow to Prince Qi and his wife.
Regarding the specifics of the rescue, Minister He was still somewhat unaware. He had come to the mansion that day to express his gratitude and to inquire about the details of the incident.
Prince Qi graciously accepted He Dai's bow. After all, he was the young one, and he had indeed rescued him.
However, the one who truly saved him was Sui Sui.
Therefore, after the formalities were exchanged and everyone was seated for a chat, Prince Qi candidly remarked, "That day, it was also thanks to my darling's keen eyes that noticed the anomaly with the carriage. Otherwise, I might not have paid attention to it."
Upon hearing the word "darling," Minister He immediately realized that the Prince was referring to his young daughter, the little princess of the mansion.
In a few days, there would be a small banquet to celebrate her birthday, and Minister He intended to present another valuable gift on that occasion.
The original gift was already substantial, but now that he owed a debt of gratitude for saving his son's life, Minister He felt that the gift must be even more extraordinary.
Noble Lady He was also pondering the same matter.
"What could be an appropriate gift?" she wondered. The gift she had initially prepared was a set of headwear adorned with rubies—a lavish and precious ensemble.
But now, she felt that it wasn't enough, not nearly enough.
A set of headwear, no matter how precious the rubies were, would hardly be considered extraordinary in the context of the Qi royal family, which possessed countless treasures.
So, what could she offer instead? Noble Lady He smiled and conversed while her mind raced with ideas.
Soon, she recalled a precious heirloom that had been bestowed upon her a couple of years ago by Noble Consort He—a golden diadem adorned with pearls.
The diadem exuded an air of nobility and elegance. The golden base shimmered with a radiant glow, suggesting wealth and prestige, and it was embellished with countless pearls of varying sizes. These pearls were intricately strung together into strands and then assembled into cascading tassels, adding a touch of refined grace to the diadem.
The golden diadem had originally been a gift from His Majesty to Noble Consort He, and she had cherished it dearly. However, as other interests captured her heart, she eventually set it aside and presented it to Noble Lady He on her birthday.
Noble Lady He felt that the diadem was overly ostentatious for her taste, and considering her age, she believed it wouldn't suit her anymore. Thus, she had kept it locked away in her jewelry box.
Her initial plan was to present it as part of the dowry when her eldest son eventually married, using it as a token of the He family's sincerity.
However, now she contemplated using it as a token of gratitude for saving little He Dai's life.
Noble Lady He's thoughts raced with this new idea, but her expression remained unchanged, giving no hint of her internal deliberations.
Very soon, she would have the perfect gift in mind—a treasure befitting the occasion.
Sui Sui was still in her lesson when they received the news of the guests' arrival, and out of consideration for their studies, Prince Qi decided not to disturb her. Minister He expressed his gratitude repeatedly and politely declined the invitation to stay for lunch, citing the need to return to the court soon.
However, after some gentle persuasion from Prince Qi, and feeling that he couldn't refuse the hospitality any further, Minister He eventually accepted the invitation to stay for lunch.
During lunch, Sui Sui noticed the unfamiliar guests and curiously asked Feng Xuanrui, "Who are they, Brother?"
That day, she had only caught a distant glimpse of He Dai's face, and with his disheveled appearance at the time, he looked quite different from the well-groomed and dignified young master seated before her now.
Naturally, Sui Sui couldn't recognize him, and she looked at the adults with a puzzled expression, trying to make sense of who they were.
Second Watch
(End of Chapter)
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