The mistress who remarried has returned.

"Mother, don't worry. Let me see how things go and see if I can see Zhou Yuan. We can't agree to the marriage with the Lin family. We can take it to court and sue them for forced buying and selling later." Su Yunxi sighed as she spoke. "But there are priorities. I really don't have the time or energy to fight a lawsuit with my father right now."

"That's true, but I'm worried that if you agree now, you won't be able to back out later. The Ministry of Revenue is full of your father's subordinates, and lawsuits aren't easy to win."

"Mother, let's take it one step at a time. Worrying about the future now is pointless."

After hearing this, Su's mother had no choice but to agree with her daughter. However, if they went to the Qin residence, she would inevitably see the eldest son of the Qin family and that widow who had returned from Suzhou going in and out together again. Xixi would probably be unhappy again. Su's mother didn't say anything in the end. Her daughter had been someone's mistress for seven years without getting any status, and she was already suffering enough. "But your father is a scoundrel. How could he push you up there and ask the eldest son of the Qin family for his opinion? He knew that the eldest son of the Qin family didn't treat you the same as before, but he still insisted on asking the eldest son of the Qin family. Whatever the eldest son of the Qin family said casually was enough to make you feel bad..."

Su Yunxi didn't quite understand her father's intentions. Seeing that her father had left, she quietly went out of the house and followed him. She stopped in front of the courtyard wall and listened carefully to the sounds coming from the front yard.

Su Yuanzhou returned to the front yard, where Wang Guirong greeted him, and the two talked in the yard.

"So, has your eldest daughter agreed to the marriage with Wang Shanbao's wife?"

"Although there were some minor setbacks, Qingniang tried her best to stop me and insisted on going to the magistrate's office with me to file a lawsuit. Xixi, on the other hand, was quite compliant this time. She agreed."

"Don't worry. If Young Master Qin objects to her marriage, it means he still cares about her, and you'll naturally have a wealthy husband and rise to prominence. If he agrees to her marriage, you'll realize she's just a parasite at home, unable to create any value for you. Get rid of her as soon as possible to avoid causing trouble for the whole family. Isn't everything in this family because of her? If she didn't cause trouble, we'd be so harmonious."

Su Yuanzhou said slowly after a long pause, "If she is of no use to this family, it is indeed better to send her away. There is no reason for her to return to her parents' home and sponge off them after being married two or three times."

Su Yunxi understood immediately after hearing this. The reason her father took her to ask Qin Huai if he agreed to her marriage was to assess whether she was of any use to him. If she was, he would use her; if not, he would kick her out.

Su Yunxi lowered her eyes, and the little girl in her heart who idolized her father died completely.

Su Yunxi returned to the room, stood by the table, and continued to knead the clay with the incense mallet. With a soft pat, a tear dripped into the clay. She silently wiped the moisture from her eyes with the back of her hand, kneaded the clay, which was a mixture of agarwood, cypress wood, and rose powder, into a small square, and pressed it into shape in a container.

The container is shaped like a rose branch. Once the incense block dries, the outline of the branch will be imprinted on the clay block.

She returned to her bedroom, and for some reason, she came to the expensive clothes that Qin Huai had given her before, and reached out to gently stroke the fox fur on the moon-white cloak.

***

The following evening, at the Qin residence.

Today was his father's birthday, and after court, Qin Huai returned home. He rested and adjusted at home before the banquet, and felt increasingly that his head was about to split open.

The more lively and festive the day, the more he remembered that today was not only his father's birthday but also the anniversary of Qin Yun's death. However, the family had stopped mentioning Qin Yun's name in recent years.

Qin Huai leaned back in his study chair and closed his eyes to rest.

Suddenly, it was as if he saw his father's birthday many years ago. A four or five-year-old boy stood in terror by the lake. His mother grabbed his shoulders and shook his thin body violently, making him unsteady on his feet. His mother questioned him hoarsely: Why did you kill your brother? Why didn't you drown?

Qin Huai suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes were bloodshot, and his thin lips were completely devoid of color.

Kang Yin entered at this moment. "General, the servant said you summoned me to examine your pulse."

"My head is throbbing badly." Qin Huai rubbed his forehead and placed his hand on the table. "I've been having thoughts of killing and destroying things, but I can't lose control today. Give me a strong dose of medicine."

Kang Yin reached out and took his pulse. After checking his pulse, she said very carefully, "You still need to get some rest. Even an iron body can't withstand this kind of poor sleep. How many hours did you sleep last night?"

Qin Huai frowned. "I slept on and off for one or two hours at a time."

Kang Yin said, "In previous years, you couldn't sleep on your husband's birthday, but this year the situation is much more serious. Could it be that Su Liangdi came back to ask you for help for her husband, which has aggravated this headache?"

"Just get some strong painkillers. He'll fall asleep when he's tired." Qin Huai withdrew his hand and buttoned up his cuffs. He had taken note of Liu Shun's childish words about Su Yunze.

What happened to the agate bracelet he made? Since we're going to separate, we should separate cleanly. There's no need to drag things out and leave his things with no clear whereabouts.

Could it be that she's been secretly eyeing him for the past four years?

Kang Yin took out some calming and pain-relieving medicine and handed it to Qin Huai. After thinking for a moment, he reported back, "I went to the East Palace for a follow-up visit yesterday and left thirty doses of medicine for the Crown Prince. Today I took some time to inquire with Consort Su, and the Crown Prince has already woken up."

"Awake?" Qin Huai paused, his hand still pinching the bridge of his nose. "Did you wake up last night, or this morning?"

"I woke up last night," Kang Yin said truthfully. "I woke up just as dusk was falling, which is right after I left the East Palace."

Qin Huai was quiet for a moment, then lazily nestled in his chair, casually flipping through the official documents on the desk. "What else did Consort Su say about not having anything?"

She said her subordinates were like Hua Tuo reincarnated, with superb medical skills, and that the title of "divine doctor" was not undeserved.

Qin Huaining glanced at Kang Yin.

Kang Yin smiled sheepishly. Although Consort Su had said many more words praising his medical skills, the general seemed uninterested and stopped repeating them. He then said, "Besides praising my medical skills, Consort Su didn't say anything else before going to the Eastern Palace to attend to the Crown Prince."

Qin Huai's fingers paused on the official document, the page he was holding gradually wrinkling. So, you're going to renege on your debts after you've used it, aren't you?

Kang Yin assumed the general was worried that Consort Su would continue to pester him to arrange for medicine to be sent to the Eastern Palace, so he analyzed and advised, "Consort Su has no intention of continuing to pester you. This is for the best. She once saved your life, and you repay her with the life of the Crown Prince. I owe Consort Su nothing more. From now on, you should not interfere in the affairs of the Eastern Palace. You should make a clear and self-protective plan as soon as possible. The general is always good at self-cultivation and easy to talk to. There is no need for you to hold a grudge against a woman. It would be beneath your dignity."