The mistress who remarried has returned.

Su Yunxi heard that Xue Wenying had wronged her, slandering her for repaying kindness with enmity with Qin Huai, and that Qin Huai had always avoided Xue Wenying and said little to her. She remembered that four years ago, Qin Huai had falsely accused her of adultery and slapped her. Perhaps in his heart, she was just a girl from a poor background who hoped to rise to a higher social status.

But she was only ten years old when she met him, and he really thought she was born with a lowly nature?

Su Yunxi's eyes gradually reddened, but she didn't dare to argue loudly with Xue Wenying in front of others or bring up old grievances. However, she couldn't help but defend herself in a low voice, "I...didn't repay kindness with enmity. Today, you brought up my joke in front of everyone. If you hadn't mentioned it, who would have known?"

Xue Wenying immediately said to Qin Huai with a wronged expression, "This is my fault again. I was trying to give her some advice because I was worried that she would go astray and cause trouble for herself and the Qin family. But she is young and arrogant and doesn't understand my good intentions."

The message implied a desire for Qin Huai to confront and warn Su Yunxi.

Su Yunxi braced her hands on the edge of the table, barely managing to keep her swaying body from collapsing, unable to withstand Qin Huai's questioning any further.

Shen Shu saw that Su Yunxi's hand, which was resting on the edge of the table, was trembling. It was truly heartbreaking to see a young woman being questioned and warned by Qin Huai. He quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "There's no need to be angry, really no need to be angry. It's not a matter of principle. Miss Su was probably just joking. Miss Xue, there's no need to make a big deal out of it. Let's go back to what we're doing."

Liu Shun also chimed in, advising Shen Shu, "Today is the master's birthday; let's talk about other things after today. If the elders find out, they'll make a big fuss about it again."

Qin Huai said to Xue Wenying, "Don't keep my mother waiting."

Seeing that Qin Huai had no intention of pursuing the matter further, Xue Wenying decided to stop while she was ahead. If the elders in the mansion found out that she was the one who took the lead in questioning this matter, it would inevitably leave a bad impression on them.

A hint of disdain flashed in his eyes as he glanced at Su Yunxi, then he planned to follow Qin Huai. Indeed, Qin Huai continued to inquire about the matter with Su Yunxi, but he was belittling himself. Su Yunxi was hardly worthy of hearing Qin Huai's voice. "Indeed, it's impolite to keep Auntie waiting. Let's go then."

When Su Yunxi saw that he was going to take Xue Wenying to see her mother, she breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, she had gotten past Qin Huai's hurdle and could leave to meet Lin Enxiao and attend to important matters.

"Brother Qin's matter is no small matter."

Zhou Qiu spoke up.

Qin Huai and Xue Wenying stopped in their tracks.

Su Yunxi's heart, which had just settled in her chest, jumped to her throat again. At this moment, she was more eager than anyone else for the two of them to meet their parents. It was truly... speechless.

Before Zhou Qiu went to retrieve the Crown Prince's robe, he had already spotted the Eastern Palace Consort. Because he was wary of her past relationship with Qin Huai, he had not made things difficult for her. Now that he knew Qin Huai had no interest in this woman, he no longer held back.

"This woman betrayed Brother Qin four years ago, choosing a better match for him, causing him to lose face. Now she is trying to flaunt Brother Qin's name and tarnish his reputation. Brother Qin is a man of noble character and gentle temperament, often preferring to suffer a loss rather than argue with a weak woman. Perhaps I should teach her a lesson."

Zhou Qiu had long harbored resentment towards Su Yunxi. If it weren't for this woman carrying the Crown Prince, who had suffered the excruciating torture of having his bones scraped, back to the Eastern Palace from the Meridian Gate, the Crown Prince wouldn't have been able to endure these past few days, while Zhou Qiu had suffered immense torment. He waited in vain for news of the Eastern Palace's death. As long as the Eastern Palace remained alive, his rule would never be legitimate.

Su Yunxi knew that Zhou Qiu had long harbored resentment and jealousy towards the Crown Prince, and it was expected that he would take the opportunity to kick the people of the Eastern Palace when they were down. In addition, she had carried the half-dead Crown Prince back to the Eastern Palace, which would surely incur Zhou Qiu's wrath.

Seeing his daughter warned by General Qin and then harassed by the Second Prince, Su Yuanzhou was utterly disappointed. His daughter was no longer of any use to him. Just as Gui Rong said, Xixi was just a parasite who sponged off her parents and had no added value. Moreover, because of her criminal record in the Eastern Palace, she was a hot potato that needed to be gotten rid of.

Su Yuanzhou merely watched coldly as Su Yunxi struggled in the vortex, showing no intention of lending a helping hand, lest he bring trouble upon himself. He had studied diligently for over a decade to achieve his current status, and he could not allow Xixi to be ruined in an instant.

Su Yunxi was isolated and helpless. She subconsciously looked at her father, the peerless hero who had once carried her on his back to look at lanterns and called her "my little darling." Her father had said that he would carry her for the rest of his life, shield her from wind and rain, and protect her from disaster. She weakly asked for help, "Father..."

Su Yunxi knew in her heart that Qin Huai was a scion of a noble family with integrity and moral character, and even if they had a past conflict, he would not make things too difficult for her.

But the second prince is ruthless and domineering, and if I fall into his hands, I will definitely not have a good outcome.

Su Yuanzhou looked at his daughter's hand, which was holding his sleeve.

Su Yunxi gripped the sleeve of her clothes tighter. Her father had once been penniless. When he came to the capital to take the imperial examination, his travel expenses were stolen. He knelt outside her mother's cloth shop and stayed there for several years. Her mother took care of all his food, drink, and daily necessities. Her father didn't have to worry about anything and could focus on studying and preparing for the examination without any distractions. He couldn't forget his mother's support and care, and he absolutely couldn't let her fall into the hands of the second prince and be mistreated.

The father is a fourth-rank official. If the father does not comply, the second son of the emperor is at a time when he is trying to win people's hearts. The second son of the emperor cannot completely disregard the wishes of the official and make trouble for the official's daughter.

Su Yuanzhou thought about his years of preparing for the exam and Qingniang's cloth-selling scheme, then looked down at his official robes. He made up his mind and, without hesitation, suddenly brushed Su Yunxi's hand away from his sleeve.

With a sharp crack, his hand struck Su Yunxi's hand.

A timid young lady nearby was so frightened that she let out a soft "ah".

Su Yunxi's hand twitched in mid-air for a moment before she withdrew it, hiding it in her sleeve. She gently stroked the reddened back of her hand with her other hand. She had overthought things; her father had long forgotten about her mother selling cloth to support him during his examinations. And she was no longer her father's darling.

Qin Huai was quite interested in Zhou Qiu's suggestion. With a slight smile, he asked Zhou Qiu, "How are you going to teach her a lesson for me?"

Su Yunxi heard Qin Huai's voice. Was he unhappy that she had used the clothes he had given her to provoke Xue Wenying, and was he intentionally condoning the Second Prince's harassment of her?

Zhou Qiu intended to win over Qin Huai, and seeing that Qin Huai was interested, he naturally wanted to please him.

Shen Shu noticed something different about Qin Huai. Every time Qin Huai was about to kill someone, he would have this harmless smile. Was he so furious that he wanted to kill Zhou Qiu?

Zhou Qiu raised an eyebrow and asked Su Yuanzhou, "What talents does your daughter have? How about having her perform for me?"

Xue Wenying whispered to Qin Huai, "Liangdi isn't an actress. Performing in front of everyone is too insulting to her. Why... why are you indulging the Second Prince instead?"

Qin Huai remained silent.

Su Yunxi understood that Miss Xue was showing off Qin Huai's affection for her, and a helpless smile appeared on her lips.

It seems there's no need to risk her reputation and innocence by continuing to sulk with him and putting herself in such a passive position. If he knew she hadn't cheated on him, he probably wouldn't have tolerated others' suppression and retaliation like this.