Chapter 157: The Marriage Document

Su Wan was stunned for a moment. Was it really that simple?

“Did you go to the Su family?” Gu Huaizhi asked, not paying much attention as he placed the box in front of Su Wan.

“I went to the Qi family,” Su Wan replied, sitting cross-legged on the nearby chaise while holding the box.

Inside the wooden box were a few letters and some small items. Their luster was dull, carrying a sense of the passage of time and the wear of the years.

For her mother to have carefully stored these items in the wooden box, it was clear that they were very important to her. Without much thought, it was easy to guess that these were probably gifts from the Regent.

Su Wan picked up a small wooden figurine, skillfully carved to capture the likeness of a young girl. The surface of the wood was smooth, indicating it had been frequently handled, which had given it a thin, glossy sheen.

Carved onto the flowing skirt of the wooden figurine were the characters “Qi Min.”

Su Wan’s eyes flickered slightly as her thumb brushed over the two characters. She set the figurine aside and took out the letters inside. They were all letters from the Regent to her mother.

She read through each letter one by one. Some contained everyday trivialities, as if he were merely informing her mother of his recent happenings.

Others conveyed messages through red leaves, expressing his longing. When she reached the last letter, her gaze halted.

“Two families unite in marriage, an agreement made under one roof, a bond forever sealed, matched and named together. With this vow of lifelong union, written on this fine paper, the pledge of red leaves is recorded in the marriage book…”

This was the marriage document the Regent wrote to her mother. At the end of the marriage document, there was a line of careless and free-spirited handwriting, different from the strong and powerful script before it. Su Wan guessed it was written by her mother.

“Two hearts longing, both enduring the snow; in this life, it counts as growing old together.”

The date on the marriage document was exactly two days before her mother’s wedding.

Su Wan felt a twinge of bitterness in her heart, a slight sense of sorrow.

A deeply passionate love, in the end, concluded in tragedy.

If her mother had agreed to this marriage document, perhaps she wouldn’t have died, would she?

Su Wan placed all the letters back into the box. She then noticed two wooden figurines, one large and one small, and curiously took them out, only to find that the craftsmanship of these wooden carvings was not as refined.

The larger wooden figurine was of a man, whose outline somewhat resembled the Regent. The hem of the robe was carved with the characters “Ji Xuan.”

The small wooden figurine had a bald head and was dressed in a little bellyband, with the characters “Ping An” (Safe and Sound) carved in the middle, identifying it as a baby.

As her fingertip brushed across the back, she felt a character. An odd premonition surged within her, and her heartbeat gradually accelerated. She slowly turned the small doll over and saw a line of birth characters.

“What’s wrong?” Gu Huaizhi noticed something was off with Su Wan. He closed the official documents and walked over, seeing her staring blankly at the figurine in her hand.

Frowning, Gu Huaizhi took the figurine from her hand and saw the birth characters on it—it was Su Wan’s birth date, nothing unusual.

His gaze shifted to the other two wooden figurines nearby. He picked them up for a closer look; one was Qi Min, the other Ji Xuan. Su Wan’s was mixed in among them, suggesting a different implication.

Gu Huaizhi’s gaze shifted subtly as he asked in a low voice, “What do you think?”

“We are all the most important people in my mother’s heart,” Su Wan replied, refusing to let her thoughts run wild. The three wooden figurines being mixed together easily led one to overthink, suspecting a subtle implication of “a family of three.”

If she were the Regent’s child, Su Jihong would have discovered that her mother was not chaste on their wedding night. Given Su Jihong’s character, he would have surely used this to threaten her mother and achieve his own ends.

However, there had been no such reaction from Su Jihong, leaving only one other possibility: she and the Regent were simply the most important people to her mother.

Gu Huaizhi remained silent. Without concrete evidence, such matters couldn’t be spoken of lightly.

Otherwise, it would tarnish Qi Min’s reputation and drag Su Wan into public scrutiny.

“The Regent has been poisoned with the same toxin as you. Aside from reacting to arsenic, other medicines have no effect on him. I instructed Imperial Doctor Liu to use acupuncture treatment to knock him unconscious.

If Imperial Doctor Liu dares not help, then Luo Cheng is to dissolve the antidote into the Regent’s medicine, though the efficacy will likely be poor.”

Su Wan’s gaze fell on the box in her hand, her eyes sparkling with a glimmer of light. “I’ll take this to see him and see if I can persuade him.”

“I’ll take you there,” Gu Huaizhi said softly. “Today, my godfather coughed up blood.”

Su Wan was startled. “Then this matter cannot be delayed.” She quickly stuffed everything back into the wooden box, except for her own figurine, which she picked out. “Let’s go right now.”

Gu Huaizhi instructed someone to prepare the carriage.

The two of them headed straight for the Regent’s residence.

——

The Regent was seated behind his desk, reviewing and approving memorials.

Luo Cheng knelt on the ground, drenched in cold sweat, and confessed, “Master, I was worried about your illness. Young lady Su is a divine doctor, so I took it upon myself to bring her to see Imperial Doctor Liu.”

He swallowed hard, his voice trembling. “Young lady Su cured Young Master Gu’s poison; she will surely be able to cure yours as well.”

“Did Liu Rende tell Su Wan?” The Regent’s voice, as cold as ice, echoed through the study.

Luo Cheng felt a chill in his heart and quickly explained, “No! Imperial Doctor Liu didn’t say anything! Young lady  Su is just too clever; she tricked it out.”

The Regent, having long been indifferent to life and death, was already weary. “Go receive your punishment.”

Luo Cheng, with a mournful expression, got up from the ground, ready to accept his punishment.

At that moment, the butler announced from outside, “Regent, Young Master Gu and Young lady Su are here.”

Luo Cheng’s eyes lit up, as if he had seen his savior.

Before the Regent could speak, the butler continued, “Young lady Su said she visited the Qi family and found something in her mother’s room that she wishes to present to you.”

The Regent’s eyebrows twitched slightly, and after a long silence, he coughed and said, “Let them in.”

Luo Cheng let out a sigh of relief.

The Regent sneered, “Do I need to call someone to escort you to receive your punishment?”

It was as if a thunderbolt struck, shattering the faint hope in Luo Cheng’s heart. He knew there was no escaping this ordeal.

Just as he reached the doorway, he encountered Su Wan and Gu Huaizhi.

Su Wan noticed Luo Cheng’s resigned expression and understood immediately. “The Regent has punished you?”

Luo Cheng gave a bitter smile.

“Don’t go. Go prepare the medicine for me instead. If the Regent wants to hold someone accountable, I’ll take the blame for you.” Su Wan handed him a prescription and urged, “Hurry up.”

Luo Cheng was overjoyed and patted his chest. “I swear I won’t let you down!”

Su Wan couldn’t help but smile. She turned her head and met the Regent’s piercing gaze. She spread her lips into a bright smile. “Regent, I just visited the Qi family and accidentally discovered something. I’ve brought it specifically for you.”

The Regent’s gaze fell on the wooden box in Su Wan’s hand, instantly recognizing it as Qi Min’s. Everything he had given to Qi Min, she had kept inside.

“I opened my mother’s box and found this inside. She carved it herself.” Su Wan placed a wooden figurine in front of him, intentionally creating suspense. “As for the marriage document you gave her, she did reply to you.”

A tinge of red filled the Regent’s eyes as his gaze locked tightly onto the figurine. He spoke in a deep voice, “The marriage document.”

“Do you want to see it?” Su Wan was unafraid, meeting the Regent’s sharp gaze directly. “If you agree to let me cure your poison, then I’ll give it to you.”