Chapter 289: Cripple Her Hand

As Su Wan and Gu Baozhu reached the entrance, they were about to board the carriage.

“Sister-in-law, look.” Gu Baozhu pointed at the neighboring residence.

Su Wan looked over in confusion and saw that the previously vacant residence next door now had its main gate wide open. Servants were carrying trunks and boxes in and out—it seemed that someone was preparing to move in.

“Sister-in-law, do we have new neighbors?” Gu Baozhu’s eyes sparkled with curiosity about the people who would soon be living next door.

“The people who live here are either wealthy or noble. Whether we should associate with them depends on who moves in. Once it’s confirmed, we should ask your elder brother’s opinion,” Su Wan said, recalling Gu Jingyun’s status. She paused for a moment before reminding her, “If anyone inquires about our family, don’t reveal any information easily.”

“Mm-hmm, I understand!” Gu Baozhu’s eyes curved into a smile. “Elder Brother always says, ‘One must not harbor ill intentions, but should always be cautious of others.’ I don’t need to play with others—having Second Brother is enough!”

Su Wan patted her head. “You can make friends. Jingyun can’t always be with you, and it would be too lonely for you to be by yourself.”

Gu Baozhu tilted her head in thought, then shook it. “I don’t want friends.”

Su Wan pressed her lips together. How could she not understand what was in Gu Baozhu’s heart? She was probably afraid because she had been bullied as a child.

“Not everyone is bad,” she softly consoled Gu Baozhu.

Gu Baozhu thought to herself: If they are as kind as Sister-in-law, then I’ll befriend them.

The two of them boarded the carriage. Just as the curtain fell, Su Wan caught sight of a figure emerging from the neighboring residence—it looked very much like Gu Qingsong. She quickly lifted the curtain and turned back to look, and sure enough, it was Gu Qingsong.

“Sister-in-law, what are you looking at?” Gu Baozhu stuck her head out, but Su Wan placed a hand on her forehead and gently pushed her back into the carriage. “It’s nothing.”

Changing the subject, she asked, “Are you nervous about going to the Defender Duke’s residence later?”

Gu Baozhu hugged Su Wan’s arm and rested her head on her shoulder, speaking sweetly, “As long as Sister-in-law is by my side, I’m not afraid.”

Su Wan pinched her soft, fair cheek, her thoughts drifting to Gu Qingsong living next door to the Gu residence. Acquiring that house must have taken considerable effort, which showed his determination to win back his wife and child.

Forget it—let him be.

The carriage stopped in front of the Defender Duke’s residence, and Su Wan and Gu Baozhu stepped down.

A young servant from the Defender Duke’s residence quickly led Qi Sixteenth away to park the carriage properly.

A maid stepped forward to greet them. “Madam Gu, please follow me.”

Hearing the form of address, Su Wan raised her eyebrow. Many people called her “Divine Doctor Su,” and even more addressed her as “Young lady Su.” Only a rare few referred to her as “Madam Gu.” She had to admit, the title sounded rather pleasant.

“Thank you for the trouble,” Su Wan nodded toward the maid.

The maid caught sight of the smile on Su Wan’s face and couldn’t help but blush. She quickly turned away and led the way, guiding them to pay respects to the Old Madam of the Zhao family on her birthday.

From the moment they entered the Zhao residence, Su Wan noticed that Gu Baozhu had been pressing close to her. The fingers holding her hand had tightened slightly.

“Don’t be afraid, Sister-in-law is here,” Su Wan reassured her softly.

Su Wan firmly grasped Gu Baozhu’s hand in return, and the two made their way together to Rong’an Hall.

As they passed by the waterside pavilion, Su Wan paid no attention to the people seated inside. However, at that moment, those individuals were watching her intently, engaged in discussion.

“Sister, is she Su Wan?” Tang Haoyue scrutinized Su Wan with a critical gaze—her attire and appearance were both rather plain.

Seeing that Su Wan had brought along an eight or nine-year-old girl, Tang Haoyue frowned slightly. “The Dingyuan Marquis Manor has long since fallen into decline, and their title has been revoked. The Old Madam has gone to a temple. Su Wan married a mere farmer—what right does she have to attend this birthday banquet?”

County Princess Lin’an stared at Su Wan with jealousy in her eyes, as if she hadn’t expected Su Wan to actually have the audacity to show up.

Hearing Tang Haoyue’s words, County Princess Lin’an curled her lips in disdain. She suspected that Su Wan couldn’t endure hardship and was trying to latch onto the Defender Duke’s household as a means of support.

“Cousin, not everyone knows their place. Su Wan is here merely to climb the social ladder. Who knows what tricks she used to seduce General Zhao? She doesn’t even consider her own worth and dares to dream of entering the Zhao family’s gates.”

County Princess Lin’an felt a surge of jealousy flare up in her heart. Once her engagement to Zhao Wei was finalized, if that wretched woman dared to approach him again, she would make sure Su Wan couldn’t survive in the capital!

Tang Haoyue’s thoughts stirred. This younger cousin of hers hadn’t grown up in the capital, but they had met a few times before. She knew well that Lin’an was narrow-minded and willful. Back when her own father still held the title of marquis, Lin’an had looked down on her with utter disdain.

Now that her father had passed away and her mother, bedridden with illness, had soon followed, the Guangyuan Marquis Manor had fallen into the hands of her second uncle. Her cousin had completely disregarded the main branch of the family, holding her nose high in the air. So why would she now be talking to her about such trivial matters?

“Sister, why lower yourself to her level? Today, the Empress Dowager will bestow your marriage to General Zhao. From now on, you will be the Fourth Young Madam of the Defender Duke’s residence. How could Su Wan ever compare to you? Not to mention her background—just the fact that she is already married makes her unworthy of General Zhao.”

Tang Haoyue saw that County Princess Lin’an didn’t have much of a reaction and couldn’t help but add, “She’s not even worthy of carrying your shoes.”

County Princess Lin’an curled her lips slightly but remained silent.

“Sister, if anything is troubling you, just tell me. I will help you,” Tang Haoyue said warmly, trying to ingratiate herself.

Although the Guangyuan Marquis Manor was her home, Tang Haoyue couldn’t help but feel like she was living under someone else’s roof. Her grandmother no longer managed household affairs, leaving everything in the hands of Princess Yongfu. In the future, both her and her younger sister Tang Nuan’s marriages would likely be decided by Princess Yongfu as well.

If she didn’t curry favor with County Princess Lin’an and please Princess Yongfu, how could she possibly secure a good marriage?

Thinking of this, Tang Haoyue couldn’t help but glance at the young girl sitting by the railing. She was dressed in a long blue skirt, her hair styled into two bun-like knots. Holding a red apple in her hand, she rubbed it against her sleeve before taking a big bite with a crisp “ka-cha” sound. Her cheeks puffed up as she chewed, eyes gleaming with satisfaction. Then, hugging the apple close, she took another big bite.

Tang Haoyue looked at her carefree demeanor, completely oblivious to the fact that their fates had long fallen into the hands of others, like fish on a chopping block, waiting to be butchered.

Perhaps her gaze had been too intense, for the young girl, engrossed in eating her apple, suddenly noticed it. Her bright, jet-black eyes looked over, and she raised the half-eaten apple in her hand, offering a sweet, innocent smile. “Sister, do you want an apple? It’s really sweet!”

“You eat it yourself.”

“Oh.”

Tang Nuan blinked her bright, almond-shaped eyes and went back to munching on her apple with crisp “ka-cha ka-cha” sounds.

Tang Haoyue felt a surge of inexplicable anger rise within her. All she did was eat all day—completely useless, like mud that couldn’t be molded into anything.

County Princess Lin’an cast a half-smiling glance at the two sisters, a sneer flashing through her heart. She held them in utter contempt.

Tang Haoyue was scheming and calculating, focused entirely on securing her own interests. In contrast, Tang Nuan seemed to have left her wits behind in the womb—so long as she had food, she was content, easily deceived by anyone offering her a bite to eat.

County Princess Lin’an beckoned to Tang Haoyue. Once she drew closer, Lin’an leaned in and whispered into her ear, “Su Wan is only in the limelight because of her medical skills. Help me cripple her hands, and in return, I’ll petition the Empress Dowager to grant you an imperial decree for your marriage to Young Master Tingyuan.”

Tang Haoyue’s heart trembled with shock. She looked at County Princess Lin’an, who was staring at her, waiting for her response.

After a long moment, she finally nodded.