The mistress who remarried has returned.

Su Yunxi naturally understood what "much more serious than this" meant. It was nothing more than being cornered by him on the bed in the Crown Prince's tent, and being scolded by him for being nothing compared to the Crown Prince.

Compared to how he became a laughingstock in the capital back then, what happened today is indeed insignificant.

She didn't continue the conversation, fearing that she might anger him and cause him to leave on the spot, leaving her with no further opportunity to ask him to place a doctor in the Eastern Palace.

Su Yunxi quickly sat down and picked up the mushroom soup he had served to eat.

Qin Huai's arm was draped over the chair behind her. She leaned back slightly, and his hand rested on her arm. His hand naturally landed on her shoulder, so she leaned forward a little to create some distance and avoid offending him. However, his fingers were playing with the strands of hair on her shoulder, showing no intention of avoiding any impropriety.

Indeed, why would he need to avoid suspicion when it comes to his possessions?

As she diligently drank her soup, Qin Huai's gaze fell on her brows, and he abruptly asked, "Are your toenails painted for the Crown Prince's benefit? Will he find it interesting to see these?"

Su Yunxi was about to swallow a mouthful of soup when she suddenly heard him ask such an unexpected question. She couldn't swallow and coughed up the soup, choking herself.

Her bare feet, which had nowhere to go, did leave an impression on him.

"Yes... cough cough..."

"My mother dyed it for me," he said, only uttering the word "yes," followed by a series of coughs.

Seeing that Qin Huai's eyes darkened and he coldly watched her cough, she realized that he was just watching her perform.

Su Yunxi managed to regain her composure, and to prevent herself from being choked again and suffering a fate worse than death, she quickly clarified, "Yes..."

"Shut up," Qin Huai said calmly. "How many times do you need to answer?"

Is it against the law to let her finish speaking...?

This time, when I said "it was my mother who dyed it for me," he only said "yes" before refusing to listen to the rest.

The other party's angry tone made Su Yunxi stop immediately. He was known for not showing his emotions, so it was not hard to guess how angry he was when the other party's anger was seen.

It's quite frustrating.

It was really her mother who dyed it for her. She grew so many henna plants, it would be a pity if they withered. She didn't do it to please anyone, she just wanted to make herself happy.

But, never mind.

He was convinced that she had seduced the Crown Prince barefoot, so why bother clarifying it? She wasn't the type to like explaining herself.

During the meal, Qin Huai remained silent, showing little appetite, only occasionally taking a sip of wine and glancing at her lips, which were moistened by the milky white tofu soup.

Su Yunxi remembered that he did not have the habit of drinking. When did he start drinking alcohol? She saw that he had barely eaten any food but had drunk five or six cups of alcohol. Even though it would make him feel hypocritical and disgusted, she couldn't help but say, "Drinking on an empty stomach is bad for your stomach."

Qin Huai pursed his lips slightly. "Aren't you tired of pretending? The doctor is already on his way."

As expected, she was perceived as hypocritical, so Su Yunxi stopped trying to persuade her, lest she drink more if she kept urging her. She put down her chopsticks and left.

Qin Huai stared at her retreating figure. As she walked away, the calmed-down annoyance suddenly returned, and the thought of eliminating the root cause began to arise.

Su Yunxi returned after a while.

Qin Huai's tightly clenched fist loosened slightly. "You didn't run away?"

Su Yunxi sensed the sarcasm in his words. He probably thought she had changed her mind and was going to run away instead of selling herself for medicine. She took out a jar of chili oil from the waiter behind her and placed it on the table in front of him. "I went to get you some chili oil."

When Qin Huai saw the chili oil, his eyes suddenly lit up.

Su Yunxi sat down again and ate quietly, feeling that Qin Huai might kill her at any moment. She should have informed him before going out, so that her chances of survival would be greater.

When Liu Shun entered, he whispered something in Qin Huai's ear. Qin Huai's expression was complicated, probably because something important had happened at his post.

Seeing that Su Yunxi had stopped eating, Qin Huai asked, "Are you full?"

Su Yunxi nodded, "Mm."

But he didn't touch the chili peppers or eat much of the food; it seemed as if he had brought her here specifically for this meal.

As they left the restaurant, the snow fell even harder, and Su Yunxi tightened her cloak around her neck.

Liu Shun came over with an umbrella to welcome Qin Huai into the carriage.

Qin Huai took the umbrella, but instead of immediately getting into the carriage, he stood by the entrance of the restaurant, holding the umbrella and watching the sudden snowfall on Jingxin Street ahead.

Su Yunxi took the opportunity to slip under the umbrella. He was, after all, a young master from a prominent family, and didn't chase the shameless disabled person away. It was indeed quite cold; she didn't want to get wet in the snow, and Qin Huai wouldn't invite her to share an umbrella, so she had no choice but to endure it herself.

Liu Shun glanced at the two people under the umbrella, then at himself soaked in the heavy snow. This... wasn't right. His plan was for him and the general to hold the umbrella and walk to the carriage, while Liangdi got soaked in the snow.

Where did things go wrong? How did he end up getting soaked in the snow?!

After Qin Huai got into the carriage, Su Yunxi followed his footprints on the footstool and got into the carriage as well.

Inside the carriage, he folded his umbrella and propped it up in the corner. He sat on the east side, resting his elbow on the window and propping his chin up. Having thought things through, he said to Liu Shun outside, "Since these people have taken the bait, let's set a trap and capture them alive tomorrow."

He was responding to what Liu Shun had reported to him in the private room.

Su Yunxi sat down far away opposite him, without disturbing his conversation with his subordinates.

As Liu Shun rode his horse toward the East Palace, he replied, "I will immediately set about having someone carry it out."

The car was quiet for the rest of the time, while Liu Shun outside gave instructions and assigned tasks to his subordinates.

Su Yunxi looked out the window and saw that they were about to pass by the Su residence. In the distance, she saw Su Yuanzhou's carriage turn into the alley leading to the Su residence, indicating that he was returning from an official business.

Her mother and younger brother had no rice to cook and were still hungry. She calculated the time; there was still nearly an hour before the military doctor, Kang Yin, arrived at the East Palace. She could go home to ask Su Yuanzhou for some living expenses to feed her mother and younger brother before heading to the East Palace.

"When Consort Liang was still my mistress, and she and the Crown Prince were secretly meeting in the same carriage, were they also seated so far apart?"

He paused slightly, then added, "If you keep your distance like this, the two of you won't be able to steal it, will you?"

Su Yunxi was lost in thought about how her family of three would be fed and clothed when she heard Qin Huai asking her about her illicit affair with the Crown Prince.

Frankly speaking, with basic needs like food and clothing not yet met, there's no time to talk about desires.

Perhaps in Qin Huai's mind, every frame of the scene of her being alone with the Crown Prince was extremely unbearable.

He misunderstood her character at every turn. As the son of a noble family who was a general protecting the country, how could he possibly be interested in the widow Xue?

In reality, during these four years, the Crown Prince treated her with gentleness and politeness and never offended her. Sometimes she didn't quite understand why the Crown Prince wanted to help her and even gave her the title of Liangdi. Although there were beautiful concubines in the Eastern Palace, there was no Crown Princess. She was the only Liangdi, which was already the highest rank.

If it was just out of kindness, it seemed too kind. She and the Crown Prince were complete strangers, with no prior connection or shared hardships, so this favor always puzzled her.