The mistress who remarried has returned.

Qin Huai lifted her face with his hands, gazing down at her red, tear-filled eyes. Her submissive demeanor offered a small measure of comfort to his troubled mind, and he whispered, "Okay."

While the Crown Prince was ill, she and Qin Huai secretly met in the Eastern Palace.

The deal, which satisfied Qin Huai's desire for revenge, was finalized.

Su Yunxi considered herself a well-behaved and virtuous girl, and she knew best what she should and shouldn't do.

But... the crown prince was already rotting and near death, and she couldn't turn a blind eye to her benefactor. What other options did she have?

As Su Yunxi's face was lifted by Qin Huai, tears slid down from the corners of her eyes, flowing over the back of his hand, so hot that his hand trembled involuntarily.

"The ground is cold, stand up and talk."

Qin Huai withdrew his hand from her chin, and her tears trickled down his fingers.

Su Yunxi stood up. The snow on her knees, which had melted into black mud from kneeling on the snow at the Yan residence, made her pale pink clothes look very dirty and inappropriate.

The scene of their meeting today was just like many years ago when she was covered in wounds and waiting to die in a dilapidated temple, and he appeared in her life to shelter her from the wind and rain.

The difference is that this time he didn't come to redeem, but to humiliate.

But why was there a phrase "the ground is cold" before the phrase "stand up and say" to give her hope?

Noticing Qin Huai's gaze fixed on her knees, she subconsciously gripped the side of her skirt and hastily tugged at the hem. Despite the layers of fabric, the dirt on her knees was still impossible to conceal, revealing her embarrassing state.

"Why are your clothes dirty, Master? You look quite disheveled," Qin Huai asked calmly. "Didn't you leave the Jiuli Lane villa this morning dressed perfectly?"

The gentle tone, if not for the passage of time, would have sounded like concern.

Su Yunxi was not as lucky as the wildcat. The wildcat could die quickly under Qin Huai's boots, but she, having fallen into Qin Huai's hands, would suffer slow torture and humiliation. She lowered her chin and obediently exposed her situation to him for his amusement.

"Early this morning, the Crown Prince was only breathing and not breathing at all. I went to beg his uncle, Lord Yan, for medicine. Lord Yan said that the Crown Prince had committed the crime of regicide and that the Crown Prince should not harm him. So he closed the door. I knelt for a long time, but the door of the Yan residence was tightly closed and would not open."

It was obvious he was asking a question he already knew the answer to, but she had no choice but to answer seriously. She could easily hear the sarcasm in his words about how she had become such a wretched person after leaving him.

As she spoke, Su Yunxi gave a self-deprecating laugh, "The snow on my knees will melt and my clothes will get dirty. Does the general know that I not only knelt today, but I also learned to crawl on my knees? However, it's still of no use."

Qin Huaijiu didn't answer, studying her helpless expression as she poured out her heart. He remembered that his younger sister was the same age as Su Yunxi, and she didn't even know how to do laundry or fold blankets.

Su Yunxi looked up, but she didn't see any look of satisfaction or catharsis in his eyes. He just frowned in annoyance. She was walking on thin ice, wondering if it was because she hadn't refuted him.

It was both cold and fear; I couldn't stop shivering.

But then she saw him raise his long, clean hand to his neck, take off his understated yet luxurious indigo cloak, and drape it over her shoulders.

The cloak, still warm from his body heat, enveloped her instantly, filling her heart with warmth as well.

"Put this on," Qin Huai said, carefully tying the cloak straps for Su Yunxi. "In the past four years of palace banquets, I've often seen the Crown Prince drape outer garments over Consorts. Your Highness is dressed too lightly, and your clothes are dirty. The Crown Prince is ill, so I must share the burden of his household duties."

She had run into him several times at palace banquets over the years, but they never recognized each other. She never imagined that he would see the Crown Prince draping a robe over her shoulders, and she must be filled with resentment.

The women of the Eastern Palace have no right to be helped by officials from outside the court. And what man from outside the court would be willing to share the burden of the imperial family's internal affairs?

The warmth in Su Yunxi's heart was replaced by a helpless chill. She was a concubine of the Crown Prince, wearing the clothes of an outsider. This would be a disgrace to the Crown Prince, and she should take them off and refuse.

She didn't even have the courage to refuse. What benefit would it bring to the concubine if she went against the general's wishes? She could simply ask for a divorce decree once the crown prince woke up, so as not to tarnish his reputation.

Qin Huai was merely retaliating against the Crown Prince for humiliating her; she shouldn't have sought any trace of his concern for her in such small, tender moments.

Did he have not a single genuine feeling during those seven years?

On the night she was riddled with arrows and turned into a hedgehog, when he held her in his arms and said that anyone else could die but she was the only one he wouldn't, was it out of gratitude?

"General, should I go to the East Palace to wait for you, or...?" Su Yunxi asked cautiously, afraid that the other party would change his mind and refuse to arrange a doctor for the East Palace. "What are the next arrangements, General?"

Her humble and subservient attitude in trying to get medicine for the Crown Prince did not earn her a kind look from Qin Huai; on the contrary, his expression became even more serious.

She knew he did not like her, who had once been his mistress, and she cared for the Crown Prince in every way and made plans for him in every way.

However, she felt obligated to do so because she had received a favor from someone.

This made people dislike him.

The best we can do is keep a low profile and avoid provoking him.

"Does Your Highness intend to go to the East Palace to cleanse yourself before I pamper you, or do you intend to attend to the Crown Prince when he is ill?" Qin Huai asked her casually, without telling her his plans.

Remembering how he learned yesterday that she had come to seek medical treatment for the Crown Prince, and how she had been nearly killed when he grabbed her by the neck, she subconsciously took a half step back. He was so tall and had become much stronger in recent years; she was quite afraid of him.

The other party is busy with official duties and often cannot get away due to matters at their post, but the Crown Prince cannot wait even a moment longer, and we cannot hastily urge him here.

Every breath was torture for Su Yunxi.

When people are in dire straits, they feel powerless and heartbroken no matter what they do.

Su Yunxi had no sharp edges and was all flattery. "I plan to wash myself first and wait for the general's favor."

Qin Huai seemed to laugh in exasperation, "Keep making this up."

Su Yunxi was helpless; no matter what answer she gave, it wouldn't satisfy him. Between two evils, she chose the lesser one, rather than replying that she should go back and attend to the Crown Prince.

Liu Shun, who was not far away, couldn't bear to hear Su Yunxi's words. The general had only recently returned from Jingzhou and had finally gotten a half-day off this afternoon. Liangdi kept urging the general to do things, showing no consideration for his fatigue from the journey. It was a pity for all the sacrifices the general had made for her over the years.

This is like taking in a little white-eyed wolf, caring for her diligently, hoping she would grow up to be understanding and caring, only to be bitten hard in return.

Qin Huai pondered for a moment, about to say something, when he was interrupted by a warm greeting.

"Rongzhi..."

It was Xue Wenying's voice.

Su Yunxi's shoulders suddenly stiffened.

The general's surname was Qin, his given name was Huai, and his courtesy name was Rongzhi.

She knew his courtesy name was Rongzhi, but she had never called him that, because it was too intimate and always made her feel shy and embarrassed.

Now that Xue Wenying is addressing him by his courtesy name so intimately, one can imagine how close their relationship is.

Qin Huai frowned slightly when he heard himself addressed by his courtesy name. He quickly regained his usual composure and turned to look in the direction of the voice, where he saw Xue Wenying walking towards him.