The mistress who remarried has returned.

The doorman weighed the money in his hand; it was quite heavy. Then he gestured for the money to come in, saying, "This way, follow me."

Seeing that the other party had accepted the money, Su Yunxi breathed a sigh of relief and followed the doorman into the mansion.

After passing through a corridor, several archways, and a couple of artificial hills, you arrive at the courtyard where the reception hall is located. The doorman points inside, "Your family is inside. Just walk straight through this courtyard, and you'll find the large reception hall."

"Thank you for showing me the way."

Su Yunxi nodded in return, and the doorman left.

"My mother suffers from chronic rheumatism. Walking is difficult in winter. We're meeting distinguished guests in the reception hall today, and she'll be coming too. Are you in charge of sweeping this courtyard? What's this area called?"

Su Yunxi was about to walk across the courtyard and head towards the inner hall when she heard Xue Wenying's voice questioning the servants behind her.

This was Xue Wenying's maternal home. It was normal for her to come back to visit her nephew after he was beaten by Su Miao. Since Su Yunxi wasn't speaking to her by name, she didn't feel obligated to take it personally. So, she didn't linger but lifted her skirt slightly and stepped into the courtyard.

Su Yunxi felt that Xue Wenying should not use the same trick again and treat her as a servant, after all, Xue Wenying was a well-educated young lady from a high-ranking official's family.

"You arrogant maid, you don't even listen to me anymore." Xue Wenying, supported by Shuang'er, quickly walked to Su Yunxi's side and said sternly, "Hurry up and get a broom, sweep the yard clean, or you'll accidentally knock my mother over. Does the Xue family keep servants like you to slack off and do nothing? You should be dragged away and sold."

After speaking, he stopped beside Su Yunxi, staring at her with displeasure, waiting for her response.

Su Yunxi noticed that Xue Wenying's servant had stopped beside her and was looking at her. She realized that Xue Wenying was not scolding the servant, but scolding her.

Xue Wenying had indeed mistaken her for a servant once again. It seems that regardless of whether they are well-educated daughters of officials or not, they show no mercy when facing a rival in love.

But Su Yunxi, how could she be considered a rival in love? Xue Wenying was taking her, this tool for spite, far too seriously.

Su Yunxi glanced at Xue Wenying. The other woman was dressed in expensive clothes, with elaborate hair ornaments, and looked wealthy and radiant. Su Yunxi was now down on her luck and could not compare to Xue Wenying in terms of status and situation. Although she was unhappy that the other woman had repeatedly mistaken her for a servant, what could she do?

It wasn't that she couldn't verbally retort, but doing so wouldn't do her any good, especially since her younger brother was still in the Xue household. She needed to be cautious in everything she did.

So, without rebuttal or uttering a sound, he simply clenched the food box he was carrying tightly, enduring the humiliation.

She was not a slave.

She was once a happy girl, loved by her father, cherished by her mother, and adored by her husband.

Su Yunxi merely smiled slightly at Xue Wenying, and that was all.

Seeing the aloofness in Su Yunxi's eyes, and her silence in the face of humiliation, Xue Wenying felt a chill in her heart. She realized that this woman's heart was definitely not that of a young girl, and for a moment she felt a sense of crisis.

Shuang'er said, "Miss, you've mistaken me for someone else. I'm not actually a servant."

As she spoke, she gestured towards Su Yunxi with her mouth, gave her a wink, and said sarcastically, "Her status is very noble. She is the Eastern Palace Mistress who married into the imperial family, the Emperor's legitimate daughter-in-law."

Upon hearing this, Xue Wenying sighed and looked Su Yunxi up and down. She saw that Su Yunxi was wearing an old, worn-out cotton dress, her hair simply tied up with a hairband, as if she had just recognized someone.

"Oh, it's Consort Su. Why do you always dress so discreetly? Even the sweeping maids in the Xue household dress more flamboyantly than you. The way the imperial family acts makes us officials seem extravagant."

Su Yunxi remained silent, lowering her head. It wasn't that she couldn't tell Xue Wenying was mocking her, saying she was even dressed more shabbily than the sweeping maids in the Xue household. If she were still in a higher position, she would have slapped Xue Wenying to teach her a lesson. But now, she could only listen and endure it.

If the other party doesn't get a response, they'll naturally find it boring.

Moreover, every stitch on her clothes was made by her mother, earned from the family's fabric shop business. She didn't depend on anyone, and she dressed modestly. Although Xue Wenying was elegant and luxurious, it was ultimately a gift from others, so Su Yunxi didn't envy her, nor did she feel inferior.

Shuang'er responded to Xue Wenying, "Miss, you're a noble lady with many affairs. How could you forget that the Crown Prince was ordered to be cut into a thousand pieces by the Emperor at the Meridian Gate market at the beginning of the month? The Crown Prince was deposed, the Eastern Palace was ransacked, and the Consorts are now starving and have to beg for food everywhere. Wasn't she begging to return to the General's side the other day? I don't know how long she knelt, but the General ignored her completely."

Upon hearing this, Xue Wenying pressed her handkerchief to her heart. "I had forgotten. During the years I was married and moved to Suzhou, Consort Liang served the General diligently for seven years, filling my void. She was kind to me. Since she has come to the Xue residence to beg for money, I cannot let her leave empty-handed. I should give her a few taels of silver."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Shuang'er, take a few taels from the bag of silver that the general sent me the other day and give it to Liangdi."

Shuang'er said, "Liangdi is proud and arrogant. She wouldn't even look at money that passes through anyone else's hands, except for money given to her by the general himself. Miss, you've wasted your good intentions. But... the general has money but doesn't give Liangdi any to spend."

Xue Wenying smiled knowingly, "After all, Liangdi is a person of noble character. Giving her money directly would be to tarnish her precious integrity. Shuang'er, didn't you have some old clothes that you couldn't wear anymore the other day, and you didn't have enough room for them? You brought them to Liangdi. It would be more respectable than her wearing these old and stiff dresses."

Shuang'er went to get a few pieces of clothing that she didn't want and was going to throw away, and handed them to Su Yunxi.

Su Yunxi looked at the clothes and knew perfectly well that Xue Wenying wanted her to accept the clothes that her maids and servants didn't want. She felt that this torture was going to be so long and she wondered when the master and servant would get tired and bored and let her go. The resentment of being used as a tool for Qin Huai to spite her rose up and she could hardly suppress it. It was as if there was a mouthful of blood stuck in her neck, which she could neither spit out nor swallow, and it was stuck there.

"Am I not late?"

A man's clear, cold voice came from the courtyard gate.

Upon hearing this, Su Yunxi's shoulders trembled violently, a bad premonition rising in her heart. So... Qin Huai came today too?

Then she's definitely doomed.