The mistress who remarried has returned.

Qin Lanzhang silently watched Zhou Qiu's retreating figure. This man was eager for quick success and his ambition was evident.

All the retainers felt that they had escaped danger unscathed.

After Zhou Qiu had walked away, Qin Lanzhang said to Qin Huai, "After the banquet, come to my study in Yingtian Pavilion."

"Alright." Qin Huai bowed. He understood that his father wanted to give him a warning, since it was his oversight that led to the second prince's provocation and alarmed everyone in the household. Although his father would give him face and not investigate the details, he would still remind him.

Qin Huai realized that because of Su Yunxi, he had indeed lost control of even his most basic ability—emotions. It was time to pull back from the brink.

The father and his retainers all left.

Lin Enxiao slumped there, barely able to support herself by leaning against the wall.

Qin Huai glanced at Lin Enxiao.

Lin Enxiao immediately moved away from the wall and bowed respectfully before Qin Huai, saying, "Thank you, General, for sparing my life. If you ever need my help in the future, please feel free to give me your orders."

Qin Huai was much taller than Lin Enxiao. Under the moonlight, he looked at Lin Enxiao with disdain. He still couldn't accept that he was on the same level as Lin Enxiao in Su Yunxi's mind. He slowly walked to Lin Enxiao's side and stopped, turning to face Lin Enxiao.

Lin Enxiao felt an immense sense of oppression, the gaze of someone in a superior position, someone even the Zhou family feared. He even found it hard to breathe, and the sound of his heart pounding against his chest was audible, like thunder.

Time seemed to be stretched endlessly, and the mental torment was magnified incessantly, a thousand times more torment than being killed by a single sword.

I disagree.

Qin Huai's voice was soft and gentle, yet it pierced Lin Enxiao's eardrums like a sharp arrow.

When Lin Enxiao suddenly raised his head, he saw that Qin Huai's serious face was filled with undisguised possessiveness. His knees buckled and Lin Enxiao knelt straight on the ground.

Lin Enxiao felt weak all over, his limbs trembling with fear, and his face was covered in cold sweat. He understood what the general meant.

The general disagreed with his plan to buy Consort Su as his wife.

The Crown Prince's concubine remarried, but her ex-husband disagreed...

Lin Enxiao kept this huge secret to himself, never revealing it even if it meant his death, lest it bring him mortal danger.

"Meet me at the Meridian Gate after court tomorrow." Qin Huai looked ahead.

Lin Enxiao pressed his head to the ground and said, "Yes."

Qin Huai didn't say anything more and walked away.

Qin Huai walked to the back of the artificial hill.

Su Yunxi's attempt to seek help from Lin Enxiao failed, and with the birthday banquet drawing to a close, not only had her efforts to help Yan Yixiao failed, but she had also fallen out with Su Yuanzhou, who kicked her out. She had also infuriated Qin Huai beyond measure.

Today's matter was handled very poorly.

It can be said that they set off full of ambition, but ended up achieving nothing.

Now that things have come to this point, and they can't just give up halfway and ignore Empress Xiao, they have no choice but to bite the bullet and ask Qin Huai for help.

However, she really had no idea what to expect. She had already exchanged those six arrows for asking Qin Huai to place a doctor in the Eastern Palace. Logically, now that the Crown Prince's condition had improved and Qin Huai had given her the Crown Prince's life, he no longer owed her anything. On the contrary, she still owed him seven years of care and that deal had not yet been fulfilled. If she asked him again and he did not repay the debt, he would definitely not continue to comply with her.

Especially now that she had angered Qin Huai, she couldn't even imagine his expression if she asked him for help again. She also worried that he would grab her by the neck again, or hold a dagger to her throat.

She remembered the fate of the stray cat that Qin Huai had once kept that stole food from the neighbor's house.

My heart immediately started pounding.

Even if she immediately clarifies that she did not betray him or have an affair, he may not believe her and may even think she is making excuses. It is better to bring this up again after he has calmed down a bit.

We can only take it one step at a time.

Seeing Qin Huai approaching, she went to greet him. He must have been heartbroken because of his mother's disdain and disappointment. His uncles and brothers had also been watching him make a fool of himself for a long time. She felt guilty and her heart was clenched with worry.

"Qin Huai..." Su Yunxi slowly walked towards Qin Huai.

When Qin Huai saw her coming to greet him without stopping, Su Yunxi guessed that he was going back to the banquet, so she reached out her hand to him.

Qin Huai originally planned to go straight past Su Yunxi without continuing the conversation, lest he get so angry that his blood vessels would burst. He had carefully raised a little wolf, only to have it turn around and bite him when it grew up.

He planned to go back to the banquet and sit there peacefully until the banquet ended.

As he was walking, he felt a slight but undeniable weight pull on his sleeve. He turned around and saw Su Yunxi's hand tightly gripping a section of his sleeve. The small, rounded knuckles revealed the white of the bone beneath the thin skin, and pale blue veins were finely outlined in the crevices of the bones.

Qin Huai pulled his sleeve back, but Su Yunxi held on tightly and refused to let go. He glanced at her, and she folded his sleeve into her palm several more times, clutching even more fabric.

Qin Huai stood there without saying a word. He knew perfectly well why she was bothering him. He had ruined her plans and cut off her path to asking others to help her secure the Eastern Palace. So, she had resorted to his idea instead.

"Qin Huai, when will you be finished? I'll wait for you here."

"What are you waiting for me for?"

"Didn't you say we'd talk later when you're done with your work?" Su Yunxi reminded him. He had said he wanted to talk about the grievances she had suffered over the years, why he wouldn't let her tell Xue Wenying that the clothes were a gift from him, and how they could meet her expectations.

She didn't just want to ask him about Empress Xiao; she wanted him to talk to her about these things, and she was genuinely curious.

Qin Huai looked at her. "It's all over the capital that Xue Wenying is the woman I cherish most. The reason I didn't let you tell her the clothes were a gift from me is because I was worried she'd be jealous and upset, and that it would create a rift between us. Don't you know how hard it's been for us to get to where we are today?"

Su Yunxi felt a dull ache in her chest. It turned out that he just wanted to warn her privately after he finished his work not to provoke Xue Wenying. She forced herself to remain calm and said, "I thought you were afraid that she would mention me to your mother and that your mother would punish me, so you were protecting me."

As she spoke, Su Yunxi gave a bitter smile. Then, she stopped smiling, her nose tingling, and she pressed her hand to her heart. She remained silent for a long time.

Qin Huai stared at her expression and saw a very obvious and even undisguised sadness flash across her eyes. Was she bothered by his relationship with Xue Wenying and feeling jealous because of it?