The mistress who remarried has returned.

Su Yunxi originally wanted to refute Xue Wenying's words, but she couldn't say it. Qin Huai had probably already made up his mind and condemned Yunze, just like the slap he gave her four years ago had condemned her.

"Alright." Qin Huai responded to Xue Wenying's words, his gaze shifting from Liangdi's thin, faded clothes. "Let's go inside. It's cold outside; don't let her catch a cold."

Xue Wenying looked at Qin Huai's lips. "Oh, how did your lips get injured?"

Qin Huai chuckled lightly, "My wife bit me."

Su Yunxi was startled, and the tips of her ears involuntarily turned red. But when she realized that he was just subtly mocking her for betraying him, he had never considered her his wife.

Xue Wenying couldn't help but laugh, "I had no idea you had a wife. You're just teasing me. You must have been annoyed by people asking you so many questions that you just brushed it off like this. Unless you're going to marry her, you wouldn't be so inconsiderate as to have a bruised lip. You must be in a fever."

Qin Huai glanced at Su Yunxi's earlobe; it only took a sip before it turned red again.

After Qin Huai followed Xue Wenying and her entourage into the inner hall, Su Yunxi raised her head and looked at the backs of Qin Huai and Xue Wenying walking side by side in front of her. Her eyes became a little blurry.

Is it that you don't want the two of them to walk side by side?

But it couldn't be stopped, nor could its status or circumstances prevent it.

The angina would flare up from time to time. He was a man she could only look up to. If he weren't a tool, she wouldn't have lived under the same roof for seven years.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, she raised her sleeve and wiped her eyes. Qin Huai had no intention of marrying her; he could be so reckless as to injure her lips just to humiliate her. It's not like a kiss would make him take responsibility.

Qin Huai entered the reception hall.

Old Madam Xue, Old Master Xue, Madam Xue, Mr. and Mrs. Xue Cheng, and all the servants knelt down before Qin Huai.

Qin Huai was used to the flattery of the court officials, and the scene before him where no one could stand up straight in front of him was commonplace. Even people who stood up straight to speak to him were rare.

Qin Huai wasn't particularly interested. He simply gestured for everyone to skip the formalities and sit down in the hall. He then saw a young man kneeling in the hall. The delicately carved doll had grown into a young man, but he was still very handsome.

When Qin Huai looked at him, the boy quickly looked away, avoiding eye contact, clearly disapproving of the woman standing next to his brother-in-law.

After paying her respects, Madam Xue was helped back to her seat by her daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law. Madam Xue sat upright, and no one present dared to be disrespectful, for fear of behaving inappropriately in front of such an important guest. After all, the Protector General was someone the emperor called his nephew, and everyone knew about the Zhou and Qin families' division of the country. His status was noble and his power was immense.

The young man kneeling in the hall glanced at Qin Huai again when Qin Huai wasn't looking, thinking to himself, "Is this person here to help that woman in expensive clothes teach him a lesson? Has this person... forgotten who he is?"

Su Yunxi calmed herself down, then picked up the food box and headed towards the reception hall. When she arrived at the door, she leaned against the door frame and looked inside.

Xue Ping was sitting on his great-grandmother, Madam Xue's, lap. His eyes were black and blue from being beaten, and he had his eyes tightly closed. He looked pitiful. Xue Cheng's grandmother was right next to his great-grandmother.

The Xue couple stood beside their son, their eyes fixed intently on Xue Ping, occasionally touching his eyes with extreme affection.

Xue Ping's eyes were probably hurting. When his mother touched them, he bared his teeth and pushed her hand away, not allowing her to touch them. His mother kept saying, "Good boy, it doesn't hurt anymore when Mommy touches it. Good boy, Mommy feels so sorry for you."

Next to her was Xue Ping's aunt, Xue Wenying, and then in the main seat was Qin Huai. One day, this man would be Xue Ping's uncle.

In short, Xue Cheng was surrounded by everyone, receiving a lot of attention.

Su Yunxi withdrew her gaze and then saw a young man kneeling alone in front of people in the hall, his chin lowered, staring at the ground silently. However, the boy's two tightly clenched fists revealed his envy and concern, yet he stubbornly refused to get up and go home, probably because he was struggling to hold on for the sake of the incense-making tools.

It was her brother, Su Yunze.

Her brother kneeling there all alone was heartbreaking to see.

In particular, the man he used to call brother-in-law ignored him, which must have been hard for her brother. He once told her quietly, "Sister, brother-in-law is not only brother-in-law, but also more like a real father."

Su Yunxi felt extremely distressed, fearing that her brother was no less heartbroken than she was because of the estrangement between her and Qin Huai.

Xue Wenying said to Qin Huai, who was sitting in the main seat next to Xue's great-grandfather, "In the school, it was just that Xue Ping's arm went over the edge of the desk, and Young Master Su beat him up like this. His eyes are black and blue, and his eyeballs are bloodshot. It's been two or three days and he still says he can't see clearly. If his eyes are ruined, won't the child's life be ruined?"

"Have you seen a doctor yet?" Qin Huai asked Xue Wenying. "What did the doctor say?"

Su Yunxi looked at the man and saw that he was still wearing his military uniform. He must have just come down from the barracks. He was so concerned about Xue Wenying's condition that he rushed over without even changing into his civilian clothes. There were some dark brown stains on his clothes and shoes that looked like bloodstains, so he must be dealing with important national affairs.

Su Yunxi understood perfectly well that because the Xue family and the Su family held similar official ranks, it was difficult to directly crush them. Therefore, the Xue family brought in Qin Huai for support, intending to give the Su family a severe beating and teach them a lesson. However, as long as her brothers weren't offended, everything else was none of her concern. She was happy to see the Su family in whatever state they were in.

Xue Wenying responded to Qin Huai's question, "The doctor said there were no vital injuries, but that child didn't know his own strength and attacked so violently. We'll see each other all the time at school, and there's no guarantee he won't get into a fight again. He can't continue studying at the same school. An apology isn't the main thing; the real problem is that the child has to drop out of school."

When Su Yunxi heard the words "drop out of school," she clenched her hands tightly, feeling a sense of lingering fear. If she hadn't noticed this in time and Wang Guirong had been allowed to do as she pleased, her brother's future would have been ruined. She broke out in a cold sweat.

Wang Guirong stood timidly in the hall, especially when she saw Qin Huai. She shrank her shoulders even more fearfully. Although the young master Qin appeared gentle, she felt an inexplicable dread from the bottom of her bones. Especially after his gaze swept over her just now, she was so frightened that she held her breath. It's clear that a person's temperament and character are innate. He was born to be superior to others.

Her prediction was correct; the Xue family was definitely not going to let this go well. It was the right thing for her to prepare in advance and have the cloth seller's son take the blame; otherwise, it would have been Su Miao who was expelled from school.

Fortunately, the school teacher only said it was Wang's only son, and fortunately, Xue Ping's eyes hurt so much he couldn't open them.

This school is currently the most prestigious in the capital, producing numerous top scholars in the imperial examinations. Her Miao'er cannot be forced to drop out.

That little vixen spent her days attending to her half-dead husband at the Eastern Palace, and was never at home. By the time the little vixen found out what had happened, it was already a done deal. Having lost the Crown Prince as her backer, it was too late for her to clear her brother's name.

Hearing the Xue family begin to question the matter, Wang Guirong glanced at Xue Ping's bruised eyes and felt even more guilty. She then said to the Xue family, "Seeing Young Master Xue beaten like this breaks my heart. He's a man of great wealth, yet his eyes are blackened and bloodshot. As a mother myself, I understand your feelings of heartache for your child. Since ancient times, parents have always felt the pain in their hearts when their children are beaten, wishing they could bear all the hardships for them."

As she spoke, she glanced disappointedly at Su Yunze kneeling in the hall, then turned to Xue Wenying and Qin Huaiyan and said, "General Qin, Miss Xue, I have brought my unfilial son here. Whether you beat him, scold him, punish him, expel him from school, or banish him from the capital, it is up to you. He did indeed do something wrong; he hit someone, and he must take responsibility for his actions. As for expelling him from school, I can accept your arrangement. I just hope that this matter will not affect the relationship between the Xue and Su families."