After my luck was stolen, I led my whole family to defy fate and change our destiny.

Su Zhe noticed that his sister's expression was off and asked what was wrong.

"What's wrong with my sister?"

Su Xiuran realized what was happening and loosened her clenched fist. She was determined to change her elder brother's tragic fate.

"It's nothing, it's just that the lip rouge you mentioned looks a lot like a type from the previous dynasty."

"It seems to be called Thousand Sand Red. It was all the rage in the previous dynasty, but it contains cinnabar, which is poisonous. Several people died from it, and afterwards, both the previous and current courts have banned the use of cinnabar."

Wow, Mother is so amazing! She even knows about Qian Sha Hong. Mother and I are truly on the same wavelength.

Su Xiuran gave Gu Yu'an a look, and Gu Yu'an understood immediately. They couldn't let his sister find out that they could hear her thoughts.

He stood up and bowed to Su Zhe, saying, "Uncle, Aunt, you and Mother can chat for a while. I'll take Linglong downstairs to change her diaper."

Upon hearing this, Su Zhe handed Gu Linglong to Gu Yu'an, saying, "Take her away."

[Hey... I didn't pee, I want to stay here and listen.]

Gu Linglong cried out in protest, and Su Xiuran immediately spoke up.

"Linglong must have peed; she's crying because she's uncomfortable. Take her away quickly."

"Yes," Gu Yu'an said, carrying Gu Linglong away.

Gu Linglong: "..."

What happened to the promise of having a telepathic connection with my mother?

Su Zhe sat back down in his chair, the tea lid swirling around in the teacup.

His expression grew increasingly serious as he continued the previous topic, "I've also heard about Qian Sha Hong; I'll have to investigate her thoroughly when I get back."

Su Zhe paused for a moment and said, "Could someone be framing our Su family? But I haven't offended anyone."

Su Xiuran Wan'er, my elder brother's personality is still so sincere.

"Brother, sometimes you don't go looking for trouble, but trouble comes looking for you. Countless people are envious of your status as a royal merchant."

"Many people are scrambling to get a piece of the pie; your position is just too eye-catching."

Su Zhe frowned, his fingers unconsciously tightening: "You mean to say that someone really framed our Su family for the sake of our status as imperial merchants?"

Su Xiuran gently shook her head. "I can't really say. We should just be more careful, and besides, we've separated from the second branch of the family."

"Having left them not a single penny, there's no guarantee they won't hold a grudge."

Su Xiuran paused, then raised her voice: "I'm saying, what if, in the worst-case scenario, if Qian Sha Hong were to be taken into the palace by you, brother, for use by a noble person, and something were to happen, do you know what the consequences would be?"

Su Zhe and Zhuang He were both terrified, breaking out in a cold sweat, their voices trembling slightly. "The lightest punishment is exile, the heaviest is beheading at the Meridian Gate!"

Su Xiuran nodded in agreement. "In these kinds of things, it's better to be safe than sorry."

Su Zhe wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. If what his sister said was true, then his Su family was probably being targeted by someone.

"I'll take my leave now; I need to go back and carefully consider this matter."

Zhuang He didn't dare to talk about sister-in-law affection at this time. She stepped forward and patted Su Xiuran's hand reluctantly.

"Rest well, we'll come back the day after tomorrow for Linglong's full-day celebration."

"Okay, take care, brother and sister-in-law."

Su Xiuran watched her elder brother and sister-in-law leave, and breathed a slight sigh of relief. In order not to expose her daughter, she had read all the books about the business world of the imperial court and those that were explicitly prohibited.

Fortunately, one of the clues matched what my daughter had said. Her hint was so obvious that my older brother should be able to escape this predicament.

The inner courtyard of the imperial palace, with its red walls and green tiles.

Inside the Minghuang Hall, there was singing and dancing. The emperor and empress sat in the center, with concubines and princesses on the right and princes and some members of the royal family on the left.

Because the national treasury was not wealthy in the past two years, and the imperial harem also advocated frugality, the emperor's birthday banquet was not a nationwide celebration or extravagant affair as before, but rather a family banquet.

However, the family banquet was not comparable to that of ordinary ministers. After several rounds of drinks, the eldest prince, Chu Zhong, took the lead in bringing gifts to celebrate the emperor's birthday, and Chu Zhong knelt on both knees.

"Father, I have found a white jade bed to celebrate your birthday. Summer is approaching, and I have heard that this white cloud bed is cool and comfortable to lie on. I have come to present it to you, wishing you a long and healthy life."

The newly enthroned Emperor Chu Yuan nodded. Although his eldest son was somewhat dull-witted, he was fortunate to be filial, and the gift was somewhat to his liking.

"Father is very pleased, please rise."

"Thank you, Father Emperor."

The second prince, Chu Hanchen, gritted his teeth inwardly. In terms of talent and virtue, how could the eldest son compare to him? Yet his father was delaying in establishing a crown prince, just because he held the status of the eldest legitimate son.

Chu Hanchen concealed all his emotions, bowed respectfully, and the guards behind him brought in a traditional Chinese ink painting.

"Father, I know you love painting, so I traveled far and wide to find famous paintings throughout the land. By the grace of Heaven, I found Qi Baixian's ink painting."

"With this, I wish my father a happy birthday and a long and blessed life."

Chu Yuan's eyes lit up slightly. "Quickly bring it up, let me see it."

The other clansmen also craned their necks, eager to catch a glimpse of Master Qi's demeanor, and whispered among themselves.

"The Second Prince is truly remarkable; he even managed to find Master Qi's painting."

"That's for sure. Master Qi has passed away, and only a handful of his paintings remain, making them incredibly valuable."

"No wonder he's the Prime Minister's grandson..."

The second prince slightly raised his chin, enjoying the compliment. The emperor on the high platform gently stroked the painting, his eyes carefully following its depiction.

"Hahaha, great painting, great painting! Second brother, you must have put a lot of thought into this painting."

"As long as Father is happy."

"Haha, Father didn't take yours for nothing. I recently acquired a dagger that can cut through iron like mud and gave it to you."

The second prince's lips curved into a slight smile. "Thank you, Father Emperor."

Seeing this, the eldest prince downed a cup of wine. What was he so smug about? So what if they had a good maternal family? If he had such strong support, why would they be strutting around like this?

The other members of the imperial family and the concubines with children couldn't help but murmur to themselves that the eldest prince hadn't given a gift in return, while the second prince had.

Does this mean they favor the Second Prince? The people present were lost in thought.

The third prince was renowned for his virtue, but fate was cruel; he died of a serious illness two years ago.

The fourth prince, Chu Zikuo, has a leg ailment and is the least likely to ascend the throne, making him the target of the other princes' efforts to win him over.

They would neither compete with him for the throne nor prevent him from gaining a reputation for caring for his siblings.

The fourth prince, seated in a wheelchair, bowed with his fists clasped, saying, "Father, please forgive me for not being able to kneel."

"This is the inkstone your son found for you. The ink is clear and does not stain, making it excellent for painting. I wish Your Majesty good health and a happy birthday."

Chu Yuan's eyes showed pity. "Wu Fang, has your leg been acting up lately?"

The fourth prince lowered his eyes and shook his head. "Thank you for your concern, Father. No, it's nothing."

Chu Yuan sighed softly, "Take it slow, but never give up hope."

"Yes"

Since the Fifth Prince died young, it was Chu Jingyan's turn to present a gift.

As the emperor and the fourth prince were chatting on the stage, a young eunuch quietly reported that the gift he had prepared was missing, and Chu Jingyan's heart skipped a beat.

Gu Linglong's words came true.

"Where did you lose it? Take me there quickly!"

Chu Jingyan rushed to the imperial kitchen. "Sixth Prince, please forgive me. There are just too many people coming and going in the kitchen. The guards were carrying Coral past the kitchen when they lost it in a moment of inattention."

Chu Jingyan frowned, recalling Gu Linglong's words: Did she know that Coral would be lost around the kitchen?

At this point, Chu Jingyan had ninety percent trust in Gu Linglong.

Thirty strokes of the cane would have left him half-dead, so how could he possibly return to the sect, not to mention he would implicate his mother?

But what in the kitchen could turn a crisis into an opportunity?

He strode in. The kitchen was large but organized despite its clutter. He glanced around briefly but found nothing he could use.

Just as I was about to go out and look elsewhere, I turned around and caught a glimpse of a palace maid squatting on the ground washing something, and I could faintly smell a pungent odor.

Chu Jingyan was a little curious, so he went over to take a look, and immediately the corners of his lips turned up. There was hope!