The mistress who remarried has returned.

"Xixi, is the Crown Prince feeling any better today?"

Su Yunxi shook her head. "If I don't seek medical attention soon, I'm afraid I won't make it through today."

"You've done your best, Xixi. Everyone has their own fate. Report it to the palace if necessary. Stop kneeling everywhere. No one dares to interfere in the Crown Prince's affairs now; he's offended the Emperor." Mother Su's face was full of worry. She also noticed the cloak her daughter was wearing. "This cloak doesn't look like ordinary clothing. Where did you get it?"

He then came over to examine it, touching the fabric and stitches with his hands; it was extremely valuable.

"It belongs to General Qin," Su Yunxi confessed.

Mother Su knew that her daughter was a concubine of the Crown Prince and it was inappropriate for her to wear a general's coat. Xixi was the most sensible girl, and there must be a reason for such an outrageous thing. Since her daughter didn't say anything, she didn't ask too much, so as not to make her daughter feel sad. She only regretted that she didn't have much ability and couldn't help her daughter.

"Xixi, have you had lunch yet?"

Su Yunxi said, "I ate it. Don't worry. Qin Huai treated me to a good meal at a Beijing restaurant and promised to find a doctor for the Crown Prince. Mother, after the Crown Prince has seen the doctor, I will take you and my brother out to start our own household."

Mother Su said worriedly, "You've given me clothes and treated the Crown Prince's illness. With such good fortune, why is the eldest young master so forgiving? Interfering in such matters will surely get you questioned by the Emperor. I hope nothing bad has happened, Xixi."

Ordinary men cannot tolerate a woman disgracing them; they would either beat, kill, or sell her. How much more so would the woman be the eldest son of the Qin family, who is practically a master of the court? A powerful court official like the eldest son would surely know that helping the Crown Prince at this time means going against the Emperor.

Mother Su was particularly worried about Xixi, fearing that her daughter would suffer mistreatment at the hands of Young Master Qin. After all, the news in the capital was quite widespread: Young Master Qin's former fiancée, Miss Xue, had returned to the capital, and the two were about to get married. Mother Su knew her daughter's heart all along; her daughter was like that—either she didn't like someone, or she would do anything for them. She was afraid that her daughter was not having a good time all the time.

"Nothing happened. The eldest young master is a kind and benevolent person."

Su Yunxi didn't mention that she had agreed to sell herself for medicine, nor did she mention that after changing her clothes she would go back to the carriage to sit on Qin Huai's lap for his amusement, nor did she tell her mother that Qin Huai treated her as a plaything that couldn't be seen in public.

Su's mother once asked Xixi what exactly happened back then, but Xixi always remained silent. However, she firmly believed that her daughter would not commit adultery, and there must be some hidden story behind it.

Su Yunxi went into the room, took off the outer robe that had been soiled while kneeling in the Yan residence, and put on a clean but old garment. She tied the belt around her waist, revealing her incredibly slender figure. If it weren't for the small amount of flesh on her chest, she would have looked like a young man.

Su Yunxi inexplicably thought of Xue Wenying's voluptuous and wealthy figure.

He sighed softly; he had always preferred bodies with flesh and blood.

The front yard suddenly became lively.

Father Su brought a cart full of local specialties to the yard. Because there were so many and they were so heavy, the horses could barely move, and the cart was sinking into the snow. He said, "Gui Rong, Miao'er, Xin Xin, come out and see this cart full of stuff. I guarantee you'll be thrilled."

Wang Guirong led her two children out, looked at the cart full of food, clothing and other necessities, and complained, "Oh dear, husband, why did you bring all these local specialties from so far away? The children have seen everything at their maternal grandfather's house, what's so special about them? Besides, all that food and drink you bought before, we can't finish it all. The children are tired of it and don't even touch it, it's just going to be thrown away, what a waste."

Father Su laughed loudly, "The ones we saw at Grandpa's house were Grandpa's, these are what Dad bought for them. They're different. It's a waste, but we can't let Miao'er and Xin Xin suffer."

Su Miao and Su Xinxin rushed over, exclaiming, "Daddy, Daddy! So many nuts, so many big red dates, so many candies! Wow, wow, is it all for us? It's like New Year's! Daddy is so good to us! We are so happy!"

Father Su was overjoyed and carefully examined his two children.

Both children were born when he was successful and had no idea what he was like when he was poor and destitute. They only admired him and enjoyed this admiration, which gave him a sense of grandeur.

"You've all become more successful in just half a month. These things are all for you."

The walls between the front and back yards are low and do not provide sound insulation.

Everything could be heard clearly in the backyard.

In the front yard, people eat until they're stuffed and then throw away the leftovers; in the back yard, there's no rice, so they cook cold water to stave off hunger.

Su Yunxi subconsciously looked at her mother. Noticing Yunxi's gaze, her mother quickly turned away and wiped her eyes. When she looked at Su Yunxi again, she had a gentle smile on her face. "Hurry up and change your clothes, Yunxi. It's very cold."

Su Yunxi couldn't bear to see her mother wiping her eyes; her heart ached as if it were being torn apart. Perhaps her mother was remembering the scene of her father, who was once a poor scholar, going to the capital alone to take the imperial examination, losing his travel money, and begging in front of her cloth shop.

Wang Guirong was the daughter of an official, and she had a father she could rely on.

My mother was an orphan who sold cloth. She apprenticed to learn weaving and became self-reliant.

Before my father became wealthy, my mother sold cloth to support him in taking the imperial examinations. My father said that once he passed the exams, he would let my mother live the good life of an official's wife.

Now that Dad has made his fortune, he's forgotten everything he said before.

In the front yard, Su's father and Wang Guirong were busy arranging for servants to unload things from the car, and the sound of moving things continued for quite a while.

Later, the carriage was emptied, and the wheels followed the road straight from the backyard without stopping. The coachman didn't dare to look the first wife in the eye, because he was originally the first wife's subordinate.

The truck was full of stuff, but not a single jujube was delivered to the backyard.

Su's father said to his beloved wife, "Guirong, I'm going out for a bit, I'll be right back."

Wang Guirong immediately retorted, "You've been in eastern Henan for half a month before returning home. Where did you go next? To the backyard, perhaps? You're still thinking about that weaver girl, and you went to give her your homework, weren't you?"

Su's father said with disdain, "What would I be doing in the backyard? I came straight here to see you. Go and prepare some water for my bath. The children will be taken to their grandmother's tonight."

Wang Guirong smiled knowingly and with satisfaction. "That's more like it. I also thought you wouldn't touch that old, faded weaver."

After Su Yunxi finished dressing, her mother stood by the window, arms crossed, her back straight. Hearing her daughter's footsteps, she turned around and smoothed Su Yunxi's hair. Her mother was always gentle with her and her brother, even when she was suffering inside, she was still dignified and gentle on the surface.

"Xixi, I'll ask your father for some money later. You can have dinner at home tonight," said Su's mother.

Su Yunxi said, "I'll go ask him for it. You don't need to go to the front. I won't be eating at home tonight. A doctor will be coming to the East Palace later. It's a rare opportunity for me to see a doctor, so I need to stay by the Crown Prince's side and take care of him."