The mistress who remarried has returned.

Su Yunxi's face suddenly turned pale. It turned out that Consort Shu had intentionally sent bad news to the Crown Prince. Presumably, it was because His Highness had not reported the death to the palace for a long time after his flesh and bones were cut off, and Consort Shu could no longer sit still.

"Wait a mininute."

After briefly responding to the guards, Su Yunxi returned to the room and glanced at the Crown Prince's sickbed. The Crown Prince's fist was clenched so tightly that his knuckles seemed about to break through his skin.

She took a piece of the Crown Prince's old robe, walked back to the gate, and handed it to the guard. "Then please have someone deliver this garment to Consort Shu, and then give it to Empress Xiao. This garment is what His Highness often wears, and it was made by Empress Xiao herself for the Crown Prince."

The guard added, "Consort Shu said that His Highness the Crown Prince should not be too heartbroken. She will take good care of Zhou Yuan and arrange a dignified funeral for Empress Xiao. Although Empress Xiao cannot be buried in the imperial mausoleum, she will not allow her to be thrown into a mass grave."

Su Yunxi remained silent, her eyes inexplicably feeling hot and sore.

After delivering the message, the guard took the clothes and left.

Because the messenger was sent by Consort Shu, it was absolutely crucial not to use him to relay the news of the Crown Prince's improved health to the Cold Palace. In the Eastern Palace now, apart from herself and the Crown Prince, no one could be trusted. She didn't even fully trust Li Changchuan.

Su Yunxi handed the clothes to the guard and stood by the door watching him walk away before returning to the bedside. She saw the Crown Prince lying there quietly with his eyes closed, but tears kept sliding down his cheeks. His nostrils flared slightly, but he didn't utter a single sob. He was heartbroken and silent, yet his words were deafening.

"My dear sister, I am now crippled in both legs, unable to walk an inch. I can only watch helplessly as they die or suffer. It's utterly humiliating," Zhou Yu said, pausing slightly. "As a man, living like this is truly painful. If I were to kill myself, I would be letting you down after all the good things you've done for me. I know you carried me back even after being splattered with excrement. These grudges..."

Su Yunxi recalled how Yan Yixiao had been exceptionally kind to her, never neglecting her, and even intentionally grooming her to manage the affairs of the Eastern Palace. He also entrusted her with managing the rent collection from the estates outside. It could be said that he thought highly of her and trusted her greatly. Now that Yan Yixiao was about to die in the Cold Palace, she was truly heartbroken. For the past four years, he had been her mother-in-law.

Yan Yixiao said that Zhou Yu was a womanizer and neglected her. She herself had no improper thoughts about the Crown Prince, and in fact, she was quite happy with this neglect.

She gently placed her hand on Zhou Yu's shoulder. "Perhaps Consort Shu intentionally released the news of Empress Xiao's tragic death to break you. Don't be too heartbroken. Maybe the situation isn't that bad. If you die, it will play right into Yan Yixiao's hands. Besides, the hardest part of the ordeal is over. To die now would seem foolish, like a coward. Don't you dare to live?"

Zhou Yu simply nodded. "Consort Shu and my mother have been fighting for half their lives, and she has finally gained the upper hand. Now that my mother is about to die in the Eastern Palace, my sister Zhou Yuan is at her mercy, and I am in this state. Consort Shu will be laughing in her dreams."

"So, you must live well."

"You've been to my uncle's place, haven't you...?" Zhou Yu's voice trembled uncontrollably.

"I went to see you a few days ago when you vomited blood and fell into a coma, carrying a blood-stained handkerchief," Su Yunxi said. "Lord Yan said his family is large, and he has many relatives by marriage. He told us not to involve him here. I understand you hope he can help Empress Xiao and the princess. But..."

"Then there's no need to go any further." Zhou Yu nodded and said nothing more.

Su Yunxi felt the helplessness and bitterness of the former crown prince after his downfall. However, she was troubled because she had no way to convey the news of the crown prince's improved condition to Empress Xiao in the cold palace. If she knew that Zhou Yu's condition had improved, Empress Xiao might still have a glimmer of hope and would not die in the cold palace due to excessive worry about the crown prince.

At the same time, Su Yunxi was also worried about Zhou Yuan, who was being raised by Consort Shu and had just come of age. Zhou Yuan had been picky about food since she was a child, and was thin and small, looking no more than twelve or thirteen years old. Her mother was dying and her brother's fate was unknown. If she followed Consort Shu, she would probably be bullied and ostracized by Consort Shu's own children every day, not to mention that no one would properly supervise and take care of her daily life. She probably wouldn't be able to last long.

She could understand Zhou Yuan's situation; she was in a similar situation in the Su family, after all, a stepmother is not a biological mother.

After Zhou Yu finished taking the medicine and rested.

Su Yunxi carried the empty food box towards the Su residence.

She subconsciously thought of asking Qin Huai for help. If Qin Huai was willing to lend a hand, it would not be difficult to send a message to the Cold Palace, it would be as easy as turning one's hand.

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

That night, Qin Huai caught her cutting up his cloak, and he was so enraged that he almost slit her throat with a dagger.

Because she explained to him that she was considering his reputation, but he didn't believe she was acting in his best interests, she couldn't control her emotions and expressed her resentment towards him, even using the word "disgusting."

Qin Huai held a high position and was extremely proud. It was absolutely impossible for him to help her after being so contradicted and humiliated by her. It was already lucky for her that he spared her life that night.

Since he left, whenever she thought of the carefulness with which he kissed her, she had the illusion that he was hurt because his cloak was thrown into the trash can.

Furthermore, given the Crown Prince's crime of regicide, and the fact that Qin Huai had twice planted doctors in the Eastern Palace, if discovered, she would be held accountable by the Emperor. In more serious cases, she could be implicated and implicated, or have her reputation exploited by treacherous people. She cannot risk Qin Huai's life and fortune just to repay the Crown Prince's kindness.

She also didn't want to have too much contact with Qin Huai. The way he avoided seeing her behind Xue Wenying's back made her very sad whenever she thought about it.

In short, he only brought up the deal as a form of humiliation; he wasn't actually interested in her body and wouldn't really intend to have anything with her.

She couldn't possibly be so eager to offer herself up to Qin Huai as soon as the Crown Prince woke up. At the time, she had no choice but to agree to have a tryst with Qin Huai in the Eastern Palace while the Crown Prince was ill because he was on his deathbed.

Now that the Crown Prince has woken up, she has already decided to go back on her word and let the matter slide. Qin Huai is always with Xue Wenying, and he will soon be arranged by the mansion to be a concubine to carry on the family line. She has no intention of having a relationship with him, of being so shameless as to give herself away.

That transaction should be left in the past and never mentioned again.

Qin Huai was busy all day long, and with the New Year just around the corner, there were a lot of important matters to attend to in the court and government. In the first month of the lunar calendar, he would also have to go to Linzhou to visit the troops there, so he would definitely not remember the verbal agreement he made with her, this insignificant little person.

She thought about Yan Yixiao and Zhou Yuan's matter again and again, but couldn't come up with any other ideas. With Lord Yan's self-protective attitude, there was no need to bother with him. She hadn't gotten any results by crawling on her knees that day.