The mistress who remarried has returned.

Wang Guirong's expression immediately changed. "What? That little bitch has hooked up with the Protector General again? Does that mean I'll have to live at the mercy of those three women again? What makes her so special? What's wrong with my Xin Xin? Why do all these powerful men insist on marrying that little bitch?"

"Gui Rong, what's with all this 'little bitch' stuff?" Su's father said displeasedly. "It's so rude. Your father is, after all, an official in the Ministry of Revenue. Miao'er and Xin Xin are listening too, so watch your words a bit, Gui Rong. You can say whatever you want when we're alone."

"I told you, she's a little bitch. With her foxy looks, she's with the General Protector of the Nation one minute, the Crown Prince the next. What else could she be but a little bitch? Just when the Crown Prince was done for, she hooked up with the General Protector of the Nation!" Wang Guirong said. "Her mother is a big bitch, and she's a little bitch. Su Yuanzhou, I've suffered so much with you. If it's not good enough, let's get a divorce! You're taking advantage of my kind nature and poor communication skills!"

Upon hearing the words "divorce," Su's father, fearing his wife and weak, immediately softened and said, "Fine, fine, she's a little bitch, okay? My dear ancestor. Calm down."

Su Yunxi pondered, if she made friends, how could she entertain them at home in this environment? They would arrive and immediately leave disappointed.

I returned to the front yard almost numbly, and as I had done many times before, I forced myself to put these worries behind me and try not to let my emotions get the better of me.

But she immediately spotted her younger brother, who had just come home from school, staring at her with a wronged expression. She instinctively smiled and said, "Little brother, you're back."

"Yes. I've been back for a while."

Su Yunze, carrying his schoolbag, was already at the back gate. He had heard every word of the slanderous remarks made about his older sister in the front yard. He picked up a wooden stick about the thickness of his wrist from the gate, dusted it off, and prepared to rush to the front yard to fight.

"Yunze, stop."

When Su Yunxi realized what he was about to do, she quickly grabbed him and snatched the wooden stick from his hand. Yunze gripped the stick tightly, and the veins in his neck bulged with anger.

"Sister, don't stop me."

"Yunze, listen to your sister, put the stick down." Su Yunxi pried his fingers open one by one, and Su's mother also came over and hugged Yunze from behind, pulling him into the yard. It took the two of them to pull the boy into the yard. Fortunately, he was only eleven years old, and the two women could still hold him back.

Su Yunze said, "Don't stop me. Even if I get beaten to death, I'll fight them. I can't stand hearing them talk about you two like that. You have men."

Su Yunxi's eyes stung with tears. The little guy was only eleven, yet he already referred to himself as a man. He was much more sensible than other children.

Su's mother comforted and advised, "Your sister has had enough troubles lately, so don't let her worry about you. After school, go do your homework; that's what it means to have backbone. What's the point of sending her over there to get beaten? You can't beat the strong men there, and if you get beaten, you'll have to pay for treatment. Where will you get the money? Your sister will have to beg for help and listen to these unpleasant things today, and I'm afraid there will be even worse things to come."

"You see, your sister looks fine on the surface, but do you know she's bleeding inside?" He threw her hand away. "How many more times do you want your sister to hear such hurtful things?"

Su Yunze was finally stopped. He wished he could grow up to be twenty-five years old all of a sudden, but he was only eleven. After holding back for a long time, he said in a deep voice, "Mother, I want to eat meat tonight."

Eating meat makes you grow taller and faster. He really wants to grow up so he can kick all the strong men in the front yard away with one kick.

Seeing that Yunze had calmed down, Su Yunxi and her mother were relieved and exchanged a knowing glance.

Su Yunxi took out two taels of silver from her silver pouch and carried them with her for self-defense. It would be quite embarrassing to be out in the world without a penny on your person, so it was always good to carry some silver just in case.

Then she gave the remaining forty-five taels to her mother. "Mother, take this money and comfort Yunze. Then go and buy some rice and noodles to cook, so he'll have enough to eat and have the energy to study. Buy plenty of meat too. He's a boy of that age, he should eat a lot. Don't be too frugal. I'll find a way to make money. We won't cut off his income again."

As she spoke, Su Yunxi picked up the cloak that Qin Huai had draped over the back of the chair, folded it neatly, and held it in her arms. She then said to her brother, "After I finish dealing with things at the East Palace these past few days, I'll take some time to look for a place to live so we can move out. That way, your study environment will be better. If you have any good friends you want to make, you can bring them home and entertain them. Just bear with it a little longer."

Su Yunxi still hoped her younger brother could grow up to be more cheerful and outgoing, unlike her, who was a loner and unsociable. She could tolerate having only one such oddball. Since she had made up her mind to move out, she needed to have a source of income.

When pressure comes, worries arise. All I know is how to make incense, so maybe I can make a living from that.

Su Yunze took the book out of his bag, calmed down, and started reading as if he wanted to sit on the bench forever. "There is no age limit for the imperial examination. I will sign up and try it next spring."

Seeing that her younger brother had calmed down, Su Yunxi felt sorry for him because of his mature appearance at such a young age. She patted his head and said, "There's no rush. You can study for a couple more years and take the exam again."

After bidding farewell to her mother, Su Yunxi turned around and prepared to leave the Su residence.

"Sister."

Su Yunxi didn't stop walking, and softly replied to her brother, "What is it?"

Su Yunze picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and earnestly instructed his older sister, "There's a dog at the alley entrance. Be careful."

"Okay."

Su Yunxi returned to the alley entrance and looked around. Apart from the General of the Nation's carriage, she did not see any vicious dogs.

She lifted her skirt and stepped onto the stool to get onto the carriage. As soon as she got on, Liu Shun took the stool away.

"You spent two quarters of an hour changing clothes. Are you asking the general for a favor, or is the general asking you for a favor?" Liu Shun muttered in dissatisfaction. "Knowing that people are waiting, you deliberately delayed. The general has half a day off, and you're treating him like a farmhand!"

Su Yunxi suppressed the unpleasant things that had just happened at the Su residence, not showing any emotion on her face, not wanting Qin Huai to see that she had any shameful family scandals.

She was also worried that she would be driven by her emotions and couldn't help but seek comfort from Qin Huai, because she felt bitter and wronged and didn't know what to do.

But the other party would never comfort her; they would only take pleasure in her situation and seek revenge.

Therefore, she could only swallow her grievances at home.

Su Yunxi took a deep breath, then lifted the curtain. Without looking at Qin Huai, she turned back to Liu Shun and whispered, "Something came up at home and I was held up. It wasn't intentional."