The mistress who remarried has returned.

Su Yuanzhou immediately bowed to the second prince, saying, "My daughter is completely ignorant of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, let alone singing and dancing. She's as dull as a block of wood and only likes collecting wood. I'm afraid she has disappointed you, Second Prince."

At this point, Su Yuanzhou was also extremely dissatisfied. If Xixi could dance, she could perform a dance now, and who knows, she might catch the eye of the second prince, which would be a great joy. But unfortunately, she can't dance.

Zhou Qiu clicked his tongue. "This won't do. A well-bred young lady should learn the four arts: music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Singing and dancing are also required courses. How come she can't do any of them?"

Su Yuanzhou felt ashamed and embarrassed, thinking that his daughter was very uncouth. She didn't know any of the skills that the socialites of the capital possessed. "She has no ambition. In the past, I arranged for teachers to teach her music, chess, calligraphy, dance, and singing, but she couldn't learn them. She didn't study with the young ladies and went off to the mountains to collect wood. Her handwriting is just average, nothing outstanding."

Qin Huai recalled those years in the study in Jiuli Lane, where Su Yunxi quietly polished fragrant wood, engrossed in her studies, the room filled with a subtle fragrance, serene and aloof. The daughters of noble families were all well-versed in literature and martial arts, skilled in singing and dancing, but even her nickname was different from others, making her a unique existence in this world.

"This is difficult. Since she can't do anything, it would be making things difficult for her if I asked her to dance." Zhou Qiu chuckled softly. "Let's give her something simple. Can she polish shoes? I just went to fetch my brother's robe, and the shoes are quite muddy from walking around the Qin family garden."

As he spoke, he raised his left foot and placed it on a small stool that a servant had brought over.

Su Yuanzhou glanced at Zhou Qiu's shoes, which were indeed covered in snow and mud. He grabbed his daughter's sleeve and pushed her forward, saying, "What are you standing there for? Go and wipe the Second Prince's shoes. I'm already being lenient by not exposing your shortcomings and making you lose face in front of everyone."

Su Yunxi frowned. Her hobbies were only for her own enjoyment. She didn't learn these things just because others did them. If she didn't genuinely like them, why would she learn them? It was unnecessary to follow the crowd just to conform.

Her father pushed her forward, but she stood there, refusing to bend down to polish Zhou Qiu's shoes. She glanced at Zhou Qiu's feet out of the corner of her eye, then looked away, staring straight ahead without casting another glance at him. She said coldly, "Not only am I not good at playing musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, painting, singing, or dancing, but I'm also incredibly stupid and can't even polish shoes. I haven't learned this from a teacher."

"What's so difficult about that?" Zhou Qiu was quite surprised to see her straight back and composed demeanor. He figured she must think highly of Zhou Yu and look down on him. He smiled gently, "You can learn on the spot."

Su Yuanzhou watched as his daughter, Xixi, stubborn as a mule, refused to even bend her back to Zhou Qiu. Zhou Qiu's father was the Emperor; with the Crown Prince's downfall, Zhou Qiu was the most promising candidate. Why was Xixi so oblivious? Shouldn't she be seizing the opportunity to make a good impression on the Second Prince? With her stunning beauty, if she subtly touched the Second Prince's feet while polishing his shoes, she might just catch his eye. This was her chance! Why was she so stubbornly defiant, trying to save face for the sickly Crown Prince?

Qin Huai stared intently at Su Yunxi's expression. She had nothing, was even isolated and helpless, yet showed no fear, only utter disdain for Zhou Qiu. Qin Huai's palms slowly warmed, and his heart pounded. A throbbing jealousy welled up, making him feel like he was dying. If she were still his mistress, on his deathbed, with others suffering and bullying her because of him, would she have been so unyielding and considerate of him?

Su Yuanzhou hurriedly handed a clean handkerchief to Su Yunxi, and pressed his daughter's shoulders down, telling her to bend down and wipe the snow and mud off the Second Prince's shoes.

Su Yunxi refused to yield, standing ramrod straight. Ever since her father took a new wife, she hadn't been treated like a human being by him. But even with her bad luck, she still had to treat herself as a human being. "I'm naturally stupid, and I'm afraid I'll only learn how to shine shoes on the spot. If I don't do it well, it will be disrespectful to the young master. Father is naturally intelligent and often learns without a teacher. Father, please shine your shoes for the young master."

The young ladies around her all turned to look at her. Su Yunxi was extremely embarrassed. No other father would treat his daughter like this. No wonder the others were curious and watching the spectacle.

Once the Crown Prince is able to take care of himself, she can no longer stay in the capital. There are too many unpleasant memories and too many things she doesn't want to dwell on.

Zhou Qiu was already unhappy. Now that the Crown Prince's palace had been raided, according to the order of succession, he, Zhou Qiu, was the most promising heir apparent. Yet, the Crown Prince's concubine didn't even give him a second glance? No wonder the Crown Prince could do something like stealing someone's mistress. She was indeed no ordinary woman. But the more she acted like this, the more accomplished she felt when she knelt down to wipe his shoes. After succeeding, she would tell the Crown Prince the news so that he could share in the joy with him.

Su Yuanzhou reached down and pressed on the back of his daughter's knees, trying to make her bend her knees. Because he didn't want to offend the Second Prince, he was sweating profusely. "You're not allowed to be stubborn anymore."

Su Yunxi was unhappy about being forced into being a servant by her father. She naturally understood that Zhou Qiu wanted the Crown Prince to kneel before him, and she couldn't act recklessly and completely disgrace Zhou Yu. If Zhou Yu knew that she was being humiliated like this outside, even if his condition improved, he would probably die of anger. She was repaying a debt of gratitude, not hastening the Crown Prince's death. She picked up a cup of tea from the table, which belonged to someone else, and suddenly splashed it on Zhou Qiu's face. "Zhou Qiu, I am your brother's woman. He's not quite dead yet, aren't you being far too impatient!"

A collective gasp filled the air.

Xue Wenying looked at Qin Huai's face and saw a look of jealousy in his eyes. She was deeply hurt. How could such a despicable and vile expression appear in Qin Huai's eyes? She looked again, but she could no longer see anything. Perhaps she was mistaken.

Zhou Qiu was splashed with half-cold tea. After a brief moment of anger, he actually laughed rather heartily. He raised his hand to touch his face, his hand covered in water, which dripped down his gloomy face and soaked his rough clothes. "Su Yunxi, is it?"

Su Yuanzhou was so frightened that he knelt down on the ground with a thud. "Second Prince, please calm down. My daughter is ill-mannered. Please be magnanimous and do not blame the Su family. You can do whatever you want with my daughter."

"Logically, I should call her 'little sister-in-law'." Zhou Qiu slowly stood up, staring at Su Yunxi's face, and said, word by word, "You've got guts, haven't you? Throwing water in my face?"

Despite her lowly status, Su Yunxi was not self-deprecating. "Even the Emperor mercifully pardoned the women of the Eastern Palace and did not make things difficult for them. Why are you making things difficult for them?"

"Because I am Zhou Qiu." Zhou Qiu raised his hand to grab Su Yunxi's neck. "I don't need reasons to do things."

Su Yunxi was not unaware that she would suffer even more severe beatings if she did not compromise, but she would rather be beaten than kneel down and become a servant. Zhou Yu had been kind to her, and she would not allow the Crown Prince to act like a slave in front of Zhou Qiu, otherwise it would be better not to repay the favor at all.

"Your Highness."

Just as Zhou Qiu's hand was about to land on Su Yunxi's neck, Qin Huai spoke slowly.

Qin Huai's voice was very soft, but everyone was watching him with bated breath.

Zhou Qiu was addressed as Second Prince by the Protector General, who usually only addressed him as His Highness. The addition of "Second" before "His Highness" today was a reminder that there was also a First Prince before him. This "Second" sounded quite jarring.

"What's wrong, Brother Qin?"

Qin Huai's gaze swept across Su Yunxi's face.

Su Yunxi trembled as Zhou Qiu grabbed her hand, her slender shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

Under Zhou Qiu's puzzled gaze and the eyes of everyone else, Qin Huai said calmly, "Try touching her."

Zhou Qiu slowly lowered his hand. The other side had hundreds of thousands of soldiers, fiefdoms, and the financial resources to be self-sufficient through tax collection, while he was still a prince without real power. Qin Huai didn't need to raise his voice much to make it deafening.

Su Yunxi's heart was filled with warmth, and her eyes welled up with tears. Hadn't he said she wasn't worth his falling out with the imperial family? She hadn't even clarified that she hadn't cheated on him, so how could he have stopped Zhou Qiu...?

It's because, all those years, it wasn't just about using her...