The mistress who remarried has returned.

Wang was usually fond of noisy operas and card games, and knew nothing about incense making.

Su Yunxi sat at her desk, using a small knife to cut the cypress wood into small pieces. After cutting it into seven or eight pieces, she put one piece into a small mill to grind it into powder. She filtered the powder through a mesh to get fine powder, which was then put into a mortar and pestle. The coarse wood shavings were put into a wooden container. Although these wood shavings were not suitable for making incense sticks or blocks, they could be put into sachets to make sachets that could be carried around and smelled nice.

The whole room was filled with the sweet scent of cypress.

She then very carefully took out the small piece of agarwood resin that she had bought for one tael of silver from her clothes, folded the wrapping paper, and gently poured it into the small mill. She even flicked the paper with her hand to fling the wood shavings into the mill as well.

She then grasped the handle of the small stone mill and slowly ground the agarwood resin. The resin was completely dry, and it made a crisp, cracking sound when ground. Because this agarwood was precious, she ground it several times. Instead of using a sieve, she mixed it together with the coarse and fine powder and the cypress powder from before, and poured it into the incense mortar. There was actually a lot of it, enough to make half-inch square incense blocks, which could last all night when burned.

The kerosene lamp cast her shadow on the wall, soft and serene.

When Su Yuanzhou entered, he was lost in thought for a long while upon seeing his daughter's expression. Unlike the lively atmosphere in the front yard where Gui Rong and Xin Xin were always, this place was much quieter. After a long while, he unconsciously lowered his voice and said, "I've already dealt with the matter with the Wang family. I've also spoken to Gui Rong; you don't need to kneel at the Wang family anymore. Gui Rong is a reasonable person. As for the matter of you causing a scene at the Xue residence and resulting in Gui Rong being whipped, we won't mention it again."

Su Yunxi was engrossed in cleaning the sandalwood in the small mill, grinding all her troubles into powder with it. Now, she was sweeping the powder off the mill with a small brush, as if she were grinding her worries into fine powder so they would no longer prickle her heart. Just as she calmed down, she heard her father's voice. She didn't turn around, but said softly, "We both know whether Wang Shi is reasonable or not, or whether it's because you ran into someone you couldn't afford to offend while you were here with me day and night. She didn't dare to continue acting like this."

Su Yuanzhou wasn't angry that his daughter had so bluntly exposed his fear of the Qin family. He simply said, "I've come to tell you some good news today. I've come to share some good news with you."

Su Yunxi stopped the small brush from the millstone, picked up the millstone, and poured the remaining powder into the mortar. "What good news could I possibly have?"

"You're all grown up now. The Eastern Palace has scattered like birds and beasts, and all the women have found their own places. There's no need for you to be a chaste and virtuous woman and die in the same pit as the Eastern Palace. What's the fun in serving him every day with his food, drink, and bodily functions?"

Seeing that Su Yunxi had stopped what she was doing to listen to him, Su Yuanzhou said, "I can't let you continue to get close to the Crown Prince. You must stay away. The Emperor is merciful and won't implicate these women. But you defied the Emperor's decree and kept taking care of that sickly man. This is disobeying the imperial edict. You knew the Emperor wanted him to fend for himself, yet you still carried him back to the Crown Prince's Palace. Do you know how many people resent you for this?"

As Su Yunxi listened to her father say things she didn't like, she added water, sticky powder, and rose powder to the mortar and pestle, stirring it with the pestle. "Father wants me to become like you, ruthless to the person beside me. I have my own plans. Even if the Emperor catches me, he'll just cut off my head. Father can sever ties with me. It has nothing to do with you. Even if I die, I will have a clear conscience."

She did not reveal to her father that the Crown Prince had sent her a letter of release from her concubine status, lest her father forbid her from participating in the affairs of the Eastern Palace or arbitrarily manipulate her life. With this status, her father would be more restrained.

"Forget it, talking to you will only make me angry for no reason. I have a family now, and children too. If you stay here, Gui Rong will always be angry with me." Su Yuanzhou sighed as he spoke. "Only when you get married and leave home can this family be harmonious. If only Qingniang and Ze'er are left, there won't be so many problems. You're too meddlesome."

Su Yunxi suddenly stood up. "In short, this family just can't accept me. All the discord and arguments are caused by me? Of course, without me, my mother and brother, a widow and orphan, would be at your mercy!"

Su Yuanzhou stared sternly at Su Yunxi, "You shouldn't have come back to live here in the first place. Haven't you been with two men already? What married daughter would stay at her parents' home for so long? Even if she were a young lady from a wealthy family like the Xue family, the Xue family wouldn't allow her to return home permanently, considering it bad luck, let alone someone from a middle-class family like yours or mine. It's not like you've stumbled upon some good fortune and brought back auspicious omens. If you were the Crown Princess, I'd carry you back in a grand sedan chair and treat you like royalty. But what are you now?"

Su Yunxi said, "When the Crown Prince was well, you kept calling him your son-in-law. Now that he's gone, you're acting like this again. You don't forget the well-digger when you drink the water, but you've forgotten him now that you've been promoted to the fourth rank."

Su Yuanzhou spread his hands. "Why bring up things from the past? We can only talk about today's events. I was promoted to the fourth rank four years ago. It's hard to say whether it was because of him or the eldest son of the Qin family."

Unable to bear it any longer, Su's mother lifted the curtain and entered the house. "I paid most of the money for this house; it's all from my business profits. Xixi isn't living in your room now. You and Wang Shi from the front courtyard are living in my place. I won't say anything, but don't treat me like a fool. If you want Xixi to leave, let's go to the government office to divide the family property and settle accounts. Let's figure out who gets how many rooms."

When Su Yuanzhou heard that Qingniang, who was usually very tolerant, had actually argued with him to protect the spilled water, he was speechless. However, he couldn't bring his family's shame to the authorities; he couldn't afford to lose face in front of his colleagues.

"Qingniang, if even you are so uncaring towards me, then I have nothing to say. Your intolerance of Wang Shi makes you seem jealous. Didn't I marry Wang Shi to make this family stronger? How can I build and solidify my connections in the court with just your cloth shop? Aren't I laying the foundation for future generations?"

Su's mother stared at Su Yuanzhou expressionlessly. "There's no need to talk about these things anymore. As long as I'm here, it's only natural for Xi'er to live here."

Su Yuanzhou took a few breaths in anger.

"Gui Rong is a sensible person. She wouldn't let Xi Xi stay in the courtyard as an unwanted old maid. The other day, Lin Shanbao's wife came to propose marriage. She was willing to spend one hundred taels of silver as a bride price to take Xi Xi to marry Lin Enxiao, the young master of the Lin family. The Lin family is a respectable family, having been trained as bodyguards by the mother of the second prince. Tomorrow is Master Qin's birthday celebration. Everyone will be at Yingtian Pavilion, so we can arrange for Xi Xi to go and meet the man."