The mistress who remarried has returned.

Seeing that her scheme had been exposed, Wang Guirong knelt down abruptly in the hall. She dared not directly beg for mercy from Qin Huai; even speaking to him required immense courage, which she lacked. She only dared to say to Xue Wenying:

"Miss Xue, my son Su Miao is a bit mischievous, but this school is the best in the capital. If he withdraws and goes to another school, his future may be greatly affected. Miss Xue, please forgive Su Miao this time, considering that he and Xue Ping are just children."

Wang Guirong already had a vague sense of unease. She had assured Su Yuanzhou that her handling of the matter would be foolproof, but now that things hadn't gone smoothly, she feared that if she told Su Yuanzhou about it when she got home, he would blame her, as she had embarrassed him in public. Inevitably, Su Yuanzhou would compare the two children's homework and remember the kindness of the cloth-selling woman.

Su Yunxi angrily rebuked, "Miss Xue, you don't need to forgive her. Forgiving her this time might mean your precious child will get beaten again next time. Some people are incorrigible; they need to be taught a lesson once and for all!"

Su Yunxi harbored deep hostility towards Wang Guirong. Her father had neglected her, her mother, and her brothers because of Wang. No matter how much she hated her father's opportunistic and ambitious nature, deep down, in that unknown place, there was a small hope: did her father still care about them? Would driving away Wang mean returning to the simple yet happy days before her father's rise to power?

But reason told her that they and her father could never go back to the way things were.

Xue Wenying looked displeased. "He hit someone first, then tried to cover it up by finding someone to take the blame. How can someone like that be Xue Ping's classmate? We can never forgive him. Don't even dream about it."

As he spoke, he looked at Qin Huai and said, "Rongzhi, the Su family are officials after all, so it's not easy for us to deal with them. We invited you here because of this relationship. We hope you can make the decision."

Qin Huai slammed the teacup down on the table with a dull thud.

Wang Guirong immediately fell silent. Her arrogant demeanor gradually shrank in Qin Huai's sight until she knelt on the ground in defeat, limp as a lump of mud.

Qin Huai said in a low voice, "Liu Shun, promote him to Su Yuanzhou and punish him severely."

Liu Shun immediately bowed to Qin Huai and then said, "Men, take Wang Shi to Su Yuanzhou's post in the Ministry of Revenue. Have her whipped to pieces with salt water in front of his subordinates. At the same time, tell Su Yuanzhou to take Su Miao to the school to drop out."

Two of the general's guards obeyed the order and went to carry it out.

Xue Wenying was overjoyed. She looked around at the relatives of the Xue family, all of whom looked up to her. She couldn't help but raise her head. This was no longer the time for her husband's family to die and for her brother and sister-in-law to try to distance themselves. Now, they all had to watch her every move.

Butler Wang whispered to Madam Xue, "It's all thanks to Miss's connections."

Shuang'er whispered, "Miss, the General is so good to you. Just look how ruthless he was to Wang Shi, and you'll know how heartbroken he is about Young Master Ping'er's injuries! And the General came in such a hurry, still in his military uniform, without even taking the time to change into his civilian clothes. You can imagine how worried he was about your situation after hearing the news."

Su Yunxi lowered her eyes, concealing the emotions within them.

Xue Wenying then stepped back to Qin Huai, smiling as she said, "Aren't you being a bit too cruel? She's, after all, the wife of a fourth-rank official. Are you just going to treat her like an animal?"

"It breaks my heart to see her beaten." Qin Huai gently licked his lips with the tip of his tongue. The wound had scabbed over, and the dry touch left a clear sensation on his tongue. "If I weren't still rational, I would have slaughtered the entire Wang family."

Xue Wenying lowered her head shyly, glancing furtively at Su Yunxi out of the corner of her eye. "It's an honor for Xue Ping to be so highly regarded by you. But he should still restrain himself. Su Liangdi and her brother are still here. Aren't you afraid they'll feel wronged...?"

Qin Huai remained silent.

Su Yunxi's face paled. Xue Ping's eyes were hit by Su Miao, and Qin Huai was so heartbroken that he wanted to kill the entire Wang family. However, when Qin Huai himself was beaten and injured by Wang, he only personally examined her injuries in the carriage that day, taking amusement at her wounds and wishing she would get new injuries.

In comparison, those seven years seemed utterly meaningless.

This reception hall wasn't her domain; she was merely a minor character, utterly insignificant and so destitute she couldn't even afford three meals a day. She took her younger brother's hand and whispered, "Yunze, we should go."

After saying that, she took her younger brother's hand and left the reception hall quietly. Without saying goodbye or exchanging pleasantries, she disappeared like an invisible person, without disturbing anyone, and without wanting to be disturbed. She returned to her own tiny world.

Perhaps their family affairs will become the subject of ridicule among the Xue family.

But what could she do? It was already like this. She had tried her best.

Protect the people you care about, nothing else matters.

She knew that Qin Huai disliked her and even resented her. Right now, the Crown Prince still needed Kang Yin to have a follow-up examination, so she should avoid hanging around under Qin Huai's nose unless necessary, lest she do something wrong and cause Qin Huai to regret treating the Crown Prince.

Thinking of this, he even had a strong urge to flee Qin Huai's territory as soon as possible. He would only ask the Crown Prince for a follow-up examination after the matter had calmed down for a day or two.

Su Yunxi arrived at the entrance of the reception hall, picked up her food box at the door, and then walked with her younger brother towards the outside of the Xue residence.

Liu Shun felt a pang of sadness when he saw Consort Su leave without a word. He had even pleaded for her brother before the general, and the general had given him face. Shouldn't she at least say goodbye? How cold-hearted! Anyway, whatever she did here, she felt it was all perfectly reasonable.

After Su Yunxi left the reception hall, Qin Huai's gaze returned to Liu Shun, and he asked Liu Shun, "I'll be wearing my cloak in the next couple of days, aren't you planning to take it back?"

Liu Shun then exclaimed "Ah!" He was preoccupied with the twists and turns of the situation and hadn't thought to ask Consort Su for his cloak back.

As Liu Shun watched Liangdi sadly lead her younger brother away, he felt a pang of sadness for some reason. He didn't want her to go back to take care of that sickly man in the Eastern Palace, but the General had no interest in Liangdi. The once harmonious villa in Jiuli Lane was about to be sold off by the General. Deep down, he still hoped to return to those harmonious days. After all, true friends are hard to find. During those seven years, the General admired Liangdi's character and integrity, and Liangdi treated the General as a real man, not just a young master from some noble family. The General and Liangdi appreciated and cherished each other.

Upon hearing the general's question, he immediately replied, "This cloak is in Liangdi's possession; we should take advantage of this chance encounter to retrieve it."

Upon hearing this, Xue Wenying hurriedly asked Qin Huai, "Is the thick indigo cloak that the old lady made for you by hand lost?"

"Yes."

Xue Wenying then asked, "How come Liangdi found it?"

Qin Huai said, "What a coincidence, isn't it? Who would have known?"

He didn't offer much explanation.

Xue Wenying couldn't ask any more questions. She genuinely didn't want Qin Huai and Su Yunxi to associate, but she couldn't just abandon the cloak that the old lady had made by hand. How did it end up being picked up by Consort Su?