The next morning, Luo Siqian rubbed her eyes as she woke up, only to find that Mother was not by her side.
Lately, she had always felt an inexplicable sense of unease, though she couldn’t put her finger on why…
After skillfully changing her clothes, she hopped off the bed and stood before the mirror that had been specially made for her, combing her hair and tying it into a neat ponytail.
Not long after, Shun and Ying quietly pushed open the door.
They had intended to wake Luo Siqian and help her get ready, but as soon as they stepped inside, they saw that the little one was already prepared!
“Sister Shun, Sister Ying, you’re here!”
“Here we are! Little Siqian is so capable～ You can already get up and get ready on your own at such a young age. Well then… Let’s have some breakfast, and today… the two of us are taking you out to play all day!” Shun said cheerfully!
At first, Luo Siqian’s face lit up with anticipation, but then her smile faded, replaced by a look of worry. “Did Mother run into some kind of trouble…”
Instinctively, Shun wanted to tell a comforting lie, but was stopped by Ying.
Luo Siqian was a clever child; empty reassurances wouldn’t fool her. It was better to tell the truth and comfort her that way:
“The Emperor has indeed run into some troublesome matters lately and is rather busy. But the Emperor is the strongest and smartest person in this Kingdom. She’ll solve the problem in no time, so don’t worry!”
Luo Siqian pondered for a moment, and the cloud of worry in her heart lifted considerably. “That’s right, Mother is the most amazing person. Nothing will go wrong. I’ll wait obediently and not cause any trouble for her.”
Seeing Luo Siqian like this, the two sisters both breathed a sigh of relief. They hoped the Emperor would resolve the problems soon too…
“Well then, little Siqian, shall we go have something to eat?”
“Mm. Let’s go~” Luo Siqian ran over to them, grabbing both their hands.
…….
Not long after, Luo Wuhen gazed in the direction that Shun and Ying had taken Luo Siqian, then rolled up the scroll in her hands and strode toward the Imperial Court!
For a while now, she had been preoccupied with taking care of Luo Siqian, and her grip on the court’s affairs had loosened.
Sure enough, the hearts of men cannot withstand the test of time.
In just a few years, considerable decay had appeared…
“It’s time to clean out the old mice from within…” Luo Wuhen said coldly.
……
It was still early, before the Street grew busy, so the road was rather empty.
But Luo Siqian was lively as ever, skipping around, her earlier precociousness gone.
This version of Luo Siqian put the sisters’ hearts at ease.
“Sister Shun, Sister Ying! That, that shop’s buns are delicious, I want some!”
Luo Siqian said excitedly, pointing to a shop still selling breakfast in the distance.
Shun couldn’t help but laugh. That greedy look really resembled someone…
“Shopkeeper, one basket of each kind!”
“Alright! One basket of each to go!”
“No, we’ll eat here.”
“Huh?”
Then, the Steamed Bun Shop’s shopkeeper witnessed a strange sight.
The buns were quite large, but the little girl’s hands were even smaller than the buns themselves.
Yet, she grabbed the big buns with both hands and ate rapidly, like a Mouse.
A single bun took many bites for her little mouth, but she ate so quickly that soon, several baskets had vanished!
The shopkeeper glanced at the two older girls; they didn’t seem to be eating at all.
After a moment of careful observation, the shopkeeper’s memory was suddenly jogged:
He probably wouldn’t have remembered anyone else, but this pretty little doll-like girl stood out.
She had come before with her Mother to buy buns, but that time they took them to go.
He thought it was for a big family to share. But seeing this now…
“Raising such a lovely little girl must cost a fortune…” was the first thought that crossed the shopkeeper’s mind.
If every meal was like this, he’d never be able to afford it.
After a while, when Luo Siqian saw Shun and Ying weren’t eating, she stuffed plenty into her sisters’ hands.
The three of them soon polished off all the buns.
Luo Siqian gave a little burp, looking thoroughly satisfied.
Mother once told her that she had already been a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator at birth and didn’t need to eat.
But Mother thought she should taste more of the world’s delicacies, and Mother’s cooking was always the best!
“Little Siqian, where do you want to go next? Do you have a plan?”
“I do! Last time Mother bought me a really interesting Fairy Tale Book, but I feel like the story wasn’t finished. I want to see if there’s a sequel.”
“Alright, let’s go! Target, Bookstore!” Shun called out excitedly!
“Yeah! Let’s go!” Luo Siqian and Ying raised their arms in unison.
Shun and Ying extended their divine sense, found the nearest Bookstore, and took little Siqian by the hand, leading her step by step to a large Bookstore.
As they entered, a lively young woman approached.
She glanced at the three of them, her gaze lingering curiously on Shun and Ying—blue hair and horns were worth a second look, after all—but the two didn’t pay it any mind.
“Welcome! Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Sister, I’m looking for a book. It’s a story about a Swan.”
“Swan… I remember! Little one, come with me～” The girl smiled and led Luo Siqian to a bookshelf, pulling out a Fairy Tale Book.
“Is it this one～?”
“Yes! Thank you, sister!”
“Hehe, you’re welcome. You’re such a cute little sister. Do you want to look at this one too? My little sister really likes it!”
“Ah～ It looks interesting!”
Luo Siqian’s eyes sparkled—she loved reading stories!
“You know, Siqian really resembles her. Even their interests are exactly the same.”
The two sisters stood by Luo Siqian, their expressions complicated as they watched her engrossed in the stories.
When Luo Siqian started reading, she was completely absorbed, and she got along very well with the Bookstore’s sister.
Suddenly, she thought of something and asked that gentle sister:
“Sister, what’s your name?”
“You can just call me Sister Yuanxiao～”
“Sister Yuanxiao, what a cute name! I’m Luo Siqian, but you can call me Little Siqian.”
“Alright, cute Little Siqian!”
Luo Siqian chatted happily with Yuanxiao, but suddenly, Shun and Ying both became alert, sensing several strange gazes on them!
“Sister, did you feel that?”
“Yes, it could be some unsavory types. Stay sharp!”
In no time, the two silently drew closer to Luo Siqian, searching for the source of the anomaly.
They quickly locked on to their targets but didn’t act rashly.
Meanwhile, Luo Siqian and Yuanxiao were talking merrily.
Suddenly, Yuanxiao looked into Luo Siqian’s eyes:
“Little Siqian, your eyes are so beautiful～ Just like the Empress’s!”
“Eh? Empress? She had golden eyes too?” Luo Siqian was puzzled. Wasn’t there no Empress now? Mother was always alone.
“Yes, yes. Even though I’m just a Bookstore attendant now, I’ve actually met the Empress before. I was very young then and even played with her in the Capital. By the way, your two guardians look so familiar. I think the Empress had two attendants just like them—though it’s been so long I can’t remember their faces clearly.”
“Sister Yuanxiao, tell me more! I’m very interested!” Though she didn’t understand everything, Luo Siqian’s heart was racing.
She felt like she was about to discover some “truth!”
Seeing Little Siqian so eager, Yuanxiao couldn’t resist showing off a bit, collecting her thoughts and beginning from their first meeting…
Luo Siqian listened intently, but Shun and Ying were starting to panic.
That attendant—was she that little girl?!
Now that they looked, there was indeed a resemblance, but a few years had brought so much change! They hadn’t even recognized her at first!
With Siqian’s bright mind, if she kept listening, she’d definitely figure something out.
Besides, there were still those with malicious intent lurking nearby!
“Ahem, Little Siqian, are you done buying books? Should we take you somewhere else to play～”
“Sister Shun, just wait a moment, I’m listening to something really important.”
“Um, the Emperor just sent us a message saying she’s coming back. Should we go meet her?”
“Really? Then… just a bit longer, I’ll be quick…”
This time, the usually obedient Luo Siqian was surprisingly stubborn, insisting on listening till the end.
Since she didn’t want to leave, the two could only stay alert, watching out for any surveillance while nervously listening to Yuanxiao recounting her childhood adventures.
Soon, the story reached its conclusion: “One day, our Empress held a National Wedding. It was a grand affair. How to describe it… Ten Miles of Red Makeup! It was a bit strange though—Senior Sister Qianqian should’ve already been the Empress by then, but her wedding was later…”
“After that wedding, I never saw Senior Sister Qianqian again. For someone like me, it’s impossible to always be loved by the Empress…” Yuanxiao laughed at herself a little.
“What’s the Empress’s name…”
“I always called her Sister Qianqian, I don’t actually know her full name…”
“I see…” Luo Siqian was a bit disappointed, but still felt she’d learned a lot!
As she was thinking this, a familiar, gentle voice suddenly sounded in her ear:
“Her name is Su Qianqian…”
Luo Siqian and Shun and Ying spun around:
“Mother!”
“Emperor!”
When Shun and Ying called her Emperor, Yuanxiao immediately panicked and stood up in a hurry. “Y-Your Majesty!”
Luo Wuhen nodded at Yuanxiao. “You’ve grown so much.”
“Your Majesty remembers me?” The Empress actually remembered her name. Yuanxiao was utterly flustered.
“Of course. She liked you a lot… How have you been lately? I can get you a good position.”
“No need, no need. Back then, just being chosen to enter the palace meant my whole family was well rewarded. We’re doing fine now. I’m just here as an attendant because I can’t sit still.”
Luo Wuhen nodded, then hugged her daughter who had run over.
“Mother, why are you here?!” Luo Siqian asked excitedly!
“I have some free time now, so… I came to find you.”
“Hehe, Mother is the best! Can you play with me a little longer?”
“Of course.” Luo Wuhen gently rubbed Little Siqian’s head as she spoke.
“Yay! Oh right, Mother, Su Qianqian… who is that? Sister Yuanxiao said she’s the Empress? But I don’t know her?” Luo Siqian asked, tilting her head up.
Luo Wuhen squatted down and dotingly pinched Siqian’s cheeks. “I’ll tell you when we get home.”
Then, Luo Wuhen took Little Siqian’s hand and walked out of the Bookstore. Yuanxiao’s mind was still spinning:
“Eh? The daughter of Her Majesty, so she’s also Senior Sister Qianqian’s daughter. No wonder they look so alike—but both of them are women?”
In the end, Yuanxiao gave up thinking and simply concluded, “The Royal Family is just that magical…”
……
As for Luo Wuhen’s sudden return, it wasn’t because she suddenly had free time…
She had recently dealt with a batch of “mice.”
While confiscating their property today, she discovered some plans that hadn’t been destroyed in time.
Some of them actually targeted her daughter, Luo Siqian!
At that moment, Luo Wuhen was instantly enraged! At the same time, she was terrified, and hurried to her daughter’s side…
“They’re plotting against Siqian now? Looks like the rot goes deeper and farther than I thought…”
After quietly dealing with the ill-intentioned people lurking nearby, Luo Wuhen’s unease still did not dissipate…