The mistress who remarried has returned.

And without the slightest hesitation, and it seemed that he was very dissatisfied with Wang Guirong.

It seems Miss Xue has a lot of influence; the general personally went to support his nephew. But why was his first reaction so impatient after hearing the news in the study, as if the Xue family was delaying his important business? Perhaps it was because he was interrogating a spy then, and now that the interrogation is over, the general's mood is different.

But then I thought, Su Yunze is such a sensible child. He's been treated like a younger brother by the general since birth, and under the general's influence, he's upright, self-respecting, and polite. Why would he hit someone for no reason? And what's even stranger is that Wang Guirong is his mother?

However, this time, having fallen into the General's hands, they will likely be punished. After all, they have offended Miss Xue's nephew. The Xue family doesn't intend to let this go easily, otherwise they wouldn't have come to ask the General for help.

Unlike him, the general didn't hesitate or cling to past feelings when it came to Liangdi. He would deal with her severely the moment he saw her again.

Liu Shun inevitably thought of his father who had lost a large sum of money gambling and almost had to sell the house to pay off the debt. It was Liangdi who used the savings she had accumulated from the family's cloth shop to pay off the debt for him without making a fuss, thus saving his face.

Although she helped him pay off his debts with a purpose, she wanted him to keep praising her in front of the general as having the makings of a mistress, which would help her deceive the general and have a chance to enter the military camp and get to know the crown prince.

But he has helped her, and he cannot forget her kindness.

Thinking of this, Liu Shun quickly followed and knelt down at Qin Huai's feet. "General, in consideration of my years of loyal service and countless battles you've fought for me, could you please be lenient with Su Yunze? His sister's past mistakes have nothing to do with him; he's just a child..."

Qin Huai paused, glancing at Liu Shun out of the corner of his eye, but said nothing. Liu Shun stiffened abruptly, his inherent fear causing him to shrink back. Qin Huai then continued walking towards the stable.

Liu Shun felt hopeless. He knew he was asking for mercy in vain. The general would not show any leniency. Even if the conflict between the children in the school could be punished lightly, it would likely be severely punished because it involved Consort Su.

Qin Huai arrived outside the stable, his slender fingers gripping the reins. "Have you found the indigo cloak that the old lady instructed me to wear to the master's birthday banquet?"

Liu Shun followed, brushing the snow off the general's horse as he spoke, "We found it. We inquired about its whereabouts at the East Palace. A guard named Li Changchuan said that the cloak fell from the carriage at the East Palace gate. He found it two days ago but didn't know what to do with it. He was worried that whatever he did would be rash and impulsive, so he handed it over to Consort Su, the mistress of the East Palace."

Qin Huai mounted his horse, pulled on the reins, and turned the horse around. "I gave it to her two days ago, and two days and nights have passed. Has she not returned it?"

Liu Shun's heart skipped a beat. He realized that Consort Su was busy taking care of her precious Crown Prince, cooking and serving him meals, wiping his body and turning him over. She had no time to return the General's clothes, let alone care whether the General was cold.

The general couldn't possibly have been unaware of this.

I'm afraid Yunze is really going to suffer this time.

Qin Huai pressed further, "Hmm?"

"Your cloak," Liu Shun said softly, "she hasn't returned it yet..."

Qin Huai took a deep breath, his eyes darkening. She hadn't returned for two days and nights; what was she doing with the cloak?

Liu Shun immediately said, "Maybe it's because her leg is inconvenient. She'll return it once her leg gets better. She won't keep hiding it from returning it."

Qin Huai said calmly, "What do you know?"

"Huh?" Liu Shun was completely baffled. What did the general find out now? Could it be that Consort Su had returned the cloak? Hoping that the general would punish Su Yunze leniently, Liu Shun made up some reasons for Consort Su to make the general feel better. After all, it was very shameful for the general, who held a high position and power, to be cuckolded. He needed to regain his face. "Perhaps Consort Su wants to keep the cloak secretly, to remember him by seeing it. The general raised her for seven years, and she has called him 'husband' since she was ten years old. After seven years, she will finally remember the general's kindness."

Qin Huai drove his horse out of the stable and instructed Liu Shun, "Arrange for someone to clean and tidy up the villa in Jiuli Lane."

"Yes." Liu Shun was inevitably disappointed. It was no use speaking well of Liangdi, but he immediately responded to the general's order. That villa used to be the love nest of the general and his mistress. After the mistress remarried, it was empty for four years.

As time went by, the general may have forgotten about the house. But the concubine's return reminded him of it, and he probably intends to clean it up and sell it to make it peaceful.

Thinking about this, I couldn't help but feel a sense of loss.

If that house is sold, then all the memories will vanish.

***

It didn't snow on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year. The sun was hidden behind the clouds, and a gust of wind made it dry and cold. With the Lunar New Year approaching, many vendors on the street were hawking their New Year's goods.

Su Yunxi was so worried about her younger brother's condition that she spent a string of cash to rent a carriage and rushed to the Xue residence.

Normally, I would walk to and from the East Palace from the Su residence to save money, even if it meant some physical exertion. But these past few days, my legs have stopped hurting, and walking has become much easier.

But since it concerns my younger brother, the money still needs to be spent.

After paying the driver, Su Yunxi got off the carriage, looked up at the gate of the Xue residence, and felt a pang of sadness.

Although the Xue family has declined in fortune and is no longer as prosperous as it once was when it was the Prime Minister's residence, and Xue Cheng is not as accomplished as when Prime Minister Xue was alive, and is only a fourth-rank official like Su Yuanzhou, the Xue family has the Qin family as its backing, which is something the Su family cannot compare to.

Su Yunxi carefully analyzed the situation in her mind. The Xue family had a good reputation and was known for its virtue and reason. She would explain the situation to Wang Shi, saying that her brothers had not hit anyone and that someone else had done so. She would then ask Wang Shi to deal with the Xue family herself, and she thought that she would have a chance to get away unscathed.

The Xue family wouldn't make things difficult for an innocent child.

As Su Yunxi spoke, she arrived at the door, where the doorman stopped her.

"Miss, what brings you to the Xue residence?"

"Young man, I am from the Su family, the Ministry of Revenue. It's because the young master of the Su family and the young master of the Xue family got into a fight at the school. We from the Su family have come to apologize. A group of people went in ahead of us, namely Madam Wang and Su Yunze. I'm here to take care of the same thing. I stopped my carriage over there just now, so I'm a little late. I was just about to meet up with the two of them."

Su Yunxi told the servant about this with a self-consistent reason.

The doorman, understanding the visitor's reason for coming, said, "Madam Su and Young Master Su have been in the reception hall for quite some time now. Old Madam Xue, Madam Xue, Master Xue, and Madam Xue are all in the flower hall now. Miss Xue will probably be here soon. I can show you the way."

"Alright, then please lead the way." Su Yunxi said rather humbly, after all, if the doorman didn't let her through, she wouldn't even be able to get through the door, let alone bring her brother out.

Seeing that the doorman didn't move, Su Yunxi realized that there was no such thing as free kindness in the world, so she took out ten coins from her sleeve and handed them to the doorman. She had to spend the money she needed to spend, but she was afraid that the doorman would refuse to accept the money. If he did accept the money, it would be easier to handle. "Young man, please take this and buy some wine."