Crisis

The days passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, several more months had gone by.

Months later...

Chen Anshan's wife, Luo Zijuan, had finally reached the day of her delivery.

That night, the Chen manor remained brightly lit. Everyone in the household, from top to bottom, was busy and flustered.

As for the usually steady Chen Anshan, he spent the entire night pacing outside the room, looking exceptionally anxious.

Even though he had already asked his neighbor—the one with genuine mystical abilities—to calculate the outcome, and was told that both mother and child would be safe, he was still consumed by anxiety.

The night felt long, especially for Chen Anshan.

He waited and waited.

It wasn't until the first light of dawn broke and the sun began to rise that a baby's cry suddenly echoed from inside the room.

As soon as the sound emerged, the heart that Chen Anshan had held in his throat all night finally settled.

Not long after...

The door that had been tightly shut all night finally opened.

The midwife, her hands covered in blood and her forehead drenched in sweat, walked out carrying a wrinkled newborn in her arms.

"Congratulations, Master... Mother and child are both safe."

"Is the child a boy or a girl?"

"It's a young miss." The midwife handed the child in her arms to Chen Anshan as she answered.

"A girl? A girl is good, a girl is good too," Chen Anshan muttered to himself as he looked at the wrinkled infant in his arms.

Just then, Luo Zijuan's voice came from inside the room.

Hearing her weak voice, Chen Anshan didn't dare delay and immediately carried the child back into the room.

He looked at Luo Zijuan and said, "You've worked hard."

"You should hurry and give the child a name."

"This child was born at dawn, and since she's a girl, let's call her Chen Chaoyan. Coincidentally, the morning glories in the courtyard have also bloomed."

"You rogue, it seems your usual reading wasn't for nothing after all."

"So, my lady also thinks the name is good?"

"Since you chose it, how could I have any objection?" Luo Zijuan gave a soft smile and said, "Alright, give the child to me!"

Hearing his wife say this, how could Chen Anshan refuse? He hurriedly handed the child over to Luo Zijuan.

Daylight broke.

After Su Qing got out of bed, she also pinched her fingers to perform a calculation. Upon finding that Luo Zijuan and her daughter were safe, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Phew, it seems that as my strength grows, my divination techniques are becoming more refined."

After her daily moment of self-praise, Su Qing went to wash up.

If her estimation was correct...

She would have guests at her manor today.

Su Qing's estimation was indeed correct.

Around noon, after Chen Anshan had finished tending to his wife's needs, he ran over to Su Qing's courtyard to share the good news.

"Miss Su is truly a divine calculator... It's a little girl, and both mother and child are safe." The smile on Chen Anshan's face was wide; it was clear he was overjoyed to have a daughter.

Su Qing smiled upon hearing this and said, "Congratulations!"

"Thank you! Once my daughter reaches her full moon milestone, I'll bring her over to acknowledge you as her godmother." Chen Anshan naturally remembered his agreement with Su Qing. While coming to report the good news, he also mentioned it to her.

"Then I shall look forward to it," Su Qing said with a graceful smile.

Chen Anshan had only come to share the news, so he didn't stay long after doing so.

He wanted to visit a few more people!

After all, such a rare and joyous occasion was better shared with as many people as possible.

The days passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, the day of the full moon milestone arrived.

The Chen family hosted a banquet for their guests, celebrating grandly with a feast.

On that same day, following the original agreement, Chen Anshan had his daughter acknowledge Su Qing as her godmother.

Everything was done with great ceremony...

The Chen family was clearly different from Su Qing, who preferred to keep everything simple.

Afterward, life gradually returned to a mundane routine...

Time passed day by day.

Soon, the little princess of the Chen family, Chen Chaoyan, had turned two years old.

The two-year-old little thing could already walk and talk.

Though her gait was wobbly, her energy was boundless.

Chaoyan was exceptionally likable. Like her mother, she was very well-spoken and knew how to praise people. Although she was very energetic and sometimes a bit mischievous, that was just how children were... once one got used to it, she was quite adorable.

Yudie also grew particularly fond of Chaoyan...

Because she was quite bored in the mortal world, spending most of her time with nothing to do.

So now that Chaoyan had grown a bit older, she began to frequently accompany the girl in her play.

Luo Zijuan was very open-minded about this. There was nothing strange about children gathering to play together, and in her eyes, it was impossible for Yudie to be a bad influence on her daughter.

The relationship between the Su and Chen families was also quite good.

Su Qing and Luo Zijuan got along very well.

Su Qing would often teach Luo Zijuan some of the things she knew whenever she was free.

And the other woman was more than happy to learn.

Days passed like this...

In the blink of an eye, Chen Chaoyan was already six years old.

Over these years, Su Qing watched Chen Chaoyan grow up bit by bit... and she also watched Chang'an, the Sui Dynasty, and the Emperor become increasingly decadent.

Although Su Qing was aware of all these changes, seeing the world develop in the direction of her memories still made her sigh.

But a sigh was just a sigh.

Su Qing couldn't interfere in national politics...

She could only wait for that group of heaven-sent heroes to appear and transform the Sui Dynasty into the Tang Dynasty... entering the most prosperous era in her memory.

One day.

Su Qing sat in the courtyard, watching Chen Chaoyan begin to learn arithmetic under Yudie's tutelage. Seeing the pained expression on the girl's face, Su Qing couldn't help but smile gracefully.

At six years old, Chen Chaoyan was still exceptionally cute. Her little face, which hadn't yet lost its baby fat, was still Su Qing's favorite place to play with; it felt incredibly comfortable to pinch.

However, looking at this adorable little girl, a trace of worry rose in Su Qing's heart.

Because she knew...

Although the Chen family was still doing well now, a great upheaval was bound to occur in the near future.

When that upheaval happened, this cute little girl would have to go to a nunnery to become a nun...

Of course... if it were just that, Su Qing wouldn't be so worried.

After all, that was something she had known for a long time.

What she worried about was what kind of changes would happen to this child after losing her parents...

After a long while, Su Qing shook her head slightly and exhaled a breath of turbid air.

"Why is Mother sighing?" Yudie, who had been teaching Chen Chaoyan arithmetic, seemed to have heard Su Qing's sigh and couldn't help but look up and ask.

"I just thought of some things." Su Qing naturally couldn't say outright in front of Chen Chaoyan that her family would face trouble in the future, so she simply said, "However, though it's bothersome, it's no great matter. I will have a way to resolve it!"

Having lived as neighbors with Chen Anshan's family for so long, Su Qing had developed some neighborly affection for them...

While she certainly couldn't interfere too much in their fate, she could at least save their family and ensure the couple didn't die.

She might not be able to guarantee anything else, but she was confident in this much.

After cultivating for so long, how could she not even have this much ability?

Yudie was slightly puzzled upon hearing this, but she didn't ask further or overthink it. She simply nodded and said, "Don't worry, Mother. There is a way for everything!"

Chaoyan chimed in from the side, "There's a way for everything, but there's really no way for me with arithmetic... I don't understand it, I really don't!"

Su Qing smiled helplessly at those words, pinched her cheek, and said, "If you don't understand, just learn slowly. Let Yudie teach you..."

Chen Chaoyan pouted slightly but obediently went back to her studies.

Though this child was mischievous, she was still quite eager to learn.

In the blink of an eye, the heavy snow began to fall again.

The snow scenery in Chang'an wasn't particularly interesting; Su Qing had already grown tired of seeing it back at the Changbai Mountains.

Now that it was snowing, she only felt that the courtyard full of white was a bit of a nuisance.

This day...

Su Qing thought it would be another ordinary day as she discussed poetry with Yudie.

She didn't understand poetry, but she could plagiarize some.

Yudie didn't understand it either; she was just responsible for cheering her mother on and acting like a little sycophant.

While the two were enjoying themselves, a maid hurried to find Su Qing, saying that a servant from the Chen family next door had urgent business with her.

Su Qing's brow twitched instinctively upon hearing this...

She knew that what was meant to come had finally arrived.

Su Qing sighed and gestured for the maid to let the person in.

Soon, Su Qing saw this frantic old servant...

Upon seeing Su Qing, he knelt down excitedly and said, "Madam... I beg you, you must help my master!"

"Alright, I know... Calm down first and tell me exactly what happened." Su Qing sighed and set down her cup of strong tea as she asked.

Seeing Su Qing speak like this, the old servant hurriedly explained the situation.

The situation wasn't particularly complex, yet it wasn't simple either...

To put it simply, Chen Anshan's emotional intelligence was a bit low and his speech was too direct, which ended up offending the Emperor.

In a fit of rage, the Emperor had him thrown into the celestial dungeon.

He even said he would have him executed in a few days.

Whether those were words spoken in anger or a genuine intent was unknown.

Su Qing only knew that the current Emperor was not a good one. If truly provoked, he might actually do such things.

She sighed softly and said, "There's no rush for this... He won't die for the time being. And even if you ask me to save him, I have no way to change the Emperor's mind, do I? Besides, most of this is likely just angry talk; he'll be out in a few days."

"Miss... this is no angry talk! Master has been placed in the condemned cell. Furthermore... Master has offended some people in the court... If Master dies, I fear Madam and the young miss will also find it hard to escape disaster. It is for this reason... that I have come to seek your help, Madam."

Su Qing's brow arched, and her lip couldn't help but twitch.

No way?

Just because of a few words, Old Chen is truly doomed?

Su Qing had thought that... even if the Emperor was decadent, he wouldn't go so far as to kill people so randomly. Even if an accident was bound to happen, it should have been something occurring on the road to exile.

But it seemed she had still underestimated the Emperor's shamelessness.

What he said was actually not just angry talk.

Honestly, was human life in this feudal dynasty really so worthless?

Su Qing couldn't help but shake her head and say, "Why do you think I can save your master? Look at me, I am but an ordinary citizen."

Su Qing intended to save him, of course, but she was curious why this old servant had specifically sought her out...

"Master said... that Madam is a divine person who can even kill demons. So... so this old servant took the liberty of coming to seek Madam's rescue."

"Does your mistress know about this?"

"Madam knows... but she wouldn't let me come."

"I see..."

Su Qing gave a helpless smile and shook her head, saying:

"I'm sorry, I cannot save your master either. I might indeed have some abilities, but I have long since stopped practicing. Besides, demons are easy to kill, but I can't exactly go and kill the Emperor, can I?"

Hearing this...

The old servant was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly kowtowed and asked, "Can Madam truly not save my master?"

"I can't, I can't," Su Qing said with a helpless sigh.

Hearing this, the old servant's heart turned to ash. He let out a long sigh, then knelt before Su Qing, kowtowed once more, and said, "This old servant was presumptuous. I have disturbed you, Madam."

Seeing this, Su Qing sighed again and said, "Alright, go back."

At her word, the old servant rose silently and left Su Qing's courtyard.

Watching the old servant depart, Su Qing lamented, "He is a loyal servant. I don't know if I should say Old Chen's family has good luck or bad."

After the old servant left, Yudie, who had been quiet for a long time, finally spoke up:

"Mother... do you really not intend to help Chaoyan's father?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Su Qing gave a helpless smile and said, "Having lived as neighbors for six or seven years, there is some sentiment there. If I can help, I might as well. It's just... I can't help him in such a simple manner, that's all."

Yudie nodded upon hearing this and said, "That's good then... I was also quite worried about Chaoyan. But... why can't you help him so simply?"

"You, you're just worried about losing your playmate, aren't you?" Su Qing said with a chuckle. "As for why? You don't need to know that."

Su Qing realized she had finally become the kind of 'riddler' she hated most.

However... explaining these things to Yudie would be quite a hassle.

So she couldn't be bothered to explain.

As for how to help them...

Su Qing naturally had a plan in mind.

In short, both husband and wife would definitely need to 'die' once first.

"Is that so? Fine, if Mother won't say, then don't! But... the mortal Emperor is too much, isn't he? Killing people just like that."

"Indeed! That's why such an Emperor is destined not to last long," Su Qing replied with a faint smile.

Yudie didn't quite understand, but she felt that whatever her mother said was right, so she also nodded.

"That's good then." Yudie said with a beaming smile, "I wonder when this Emperor will finally disappear."

Su Qing smiled gracefully and said, "It probably won't be much longer, right?"

The two chatted like this, waiting for events to unfold further.

Over the next few days, things remained very peaceful, and Luo Zijuan next door did not come to seek Su Qing's help.

However, despite the peace, Su Qing was still quite busy during these days.