After the divorce, I was adorned in a phoenix robe, while my ex-husband's entire family dug up

"Your Highness, His Majesty has arrived."

Yun Ce's voice interrupted Pei Yi's thoughts.

He then got up, opened the door, and said, "I don't have time for acting anymore, please leave."

He was just feeling really down, that's why he said those things.

Looking across the world, there is no one else who dares to speak to the emperor like that, but His Majesty is not angry, because Pei Yi is his most beloved younger brother.

His Majesty sighed and said helplessly, "Wei Zhaoning met with the Crown Prince alone."

Pei Yi's eyes finally snapped back to reality.

*

The Yongxin Marquis's Residence.

Wei Zhaoning has been feeling unwell lately, which is probably a side effect of the calming soup she takes every day.

She was fine for the first few days, but later she found that things were out of her control. Even when she was busy, she would think of Pei Yi. Even during the short period when Lu Zhufeng "died" in her previous life, she had never been this out of control.

She realized that her feelings for Pei Yi might be deeper than she thought, and that it wasn't something she could easily sever and then go her separate ways.

She began to think uncontrollably about where Pei Yi had gone instead of attending the morning court session, what his current condition was, and even how Lu Zhufeng would hold his breath and be extremely nervous every day after court, hoping that Lu Zhufeng would say a word or two about the Regent.

However, no.

After exchanging pleasantries with Lu Zhufeng each day, facing the empty bed, she would think of the time she slept with the Regent, embracing each other in sleep.

I never thought sleeping alone was so lonely before, but habits are terrible. In less than a month at the Regent's Palace, the habit of sleeping with the Regent had become ingrained in my bones.

The Regent's body was so hot, while the bed was so cold. Nothing could soothe her exhaustion after a long day. She was alone, adrift on the vast ocean.

A person.

She had never felt so lonely or so cold before. No matter how much charcoal burned in the room, it couldn't warm her heart.

But she had no chance to turn back; once it was gone, it was gone forever.

"Ningning, come out quickly, look who's back!" Lu Zhufeng's sudden appearance made Wei Zhaoning even more irritated.

She looked in the direction of the sound and saw Lu Ze.

"He went to Qiongzhou a while ago, saying there was a particularly skilled master there, and he went to learn perfumery techniques. He didn't even know you were back, which is such a big thing. He should go and meet him now."

During this period, Lu Zhufeng would always imitate the way he spoke and acted when he was with Wei Zhaoning a long time ago. His tone was very affectionate, as if they were in love. But every time Wei Zhaoning heard this tone, it was undoubtedly like tearing her heart apart.

Every sentence foreshadows her laughable past life.

She felt particularly unwell, so she didn't say a word and simply followed Lu Zhufeng out of the house.

When he saw Lu Ze again, a smug smile appeared on his face. He was dressed in gold and silver, and his clothes were very expensive, definitely not something the Lu Ze of the past could afford.

His missing arm made people instinctively overlook it.

"Aze, your sister-in-law is back." Lu Zhufeng said with a sense of pride.

After all, Lu Ze was a witness when Wei Zhaoning was taken away by the Regent. The frustration he felt at that time was enough to overwhelm him, let alone in front of his own younger brother. He lost all face and dignity, and his pride was trampled on.

The current situation is enough for him to turn the tide and make up for the regret of that day's panic and disarray.

When Lu Ze saw Wei Zhaoning again, he couldn't describe his feelings. He used to hate Wei Zhaoning for her domineering nature, her arrogance, and even her backbone.

But now this woman has become such a pathetic person, going back to her ex. It's like someone who always stands straight kneeling down to lick the feet of their enemy for some benefit. It's utterly absurd!

For some reason, a surge of anger rose within him. "Wei Zhaoning, where's your backbone? Weren't you supposed to be the most principled? My brother has tormented you like this, and you still haven't come back?"

Wei Zhaoning remained silent; what she had done was already enough to make her miserable.

Lu Zhufeng said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Your sister-in-law only came back because she still cares about this family. You need to tone down your temper. Don't think that just because your business is big now, you're something special. At home, you still need to respect your elders."

Lu Ze laughed, "Sister-in-law? Isn't she just one of your concubines now? You're really something, brother, managing to tame someone like her so completely. Her current status requires me to call her sister-in-law. Brother, are you teasing me?"

His disgust for Wei Zhaoning deepened for no apparent reason, perhaps out of disgust at her shameless behavior, or perhaps out of disappointment with humanity.

He thought Lu Zhufeng would scold him for saying that, but to his surprise, Lu Zhufeng burst into laughter, saying, "You, you're just so good with your mouth."

Lu Zhufeng was making low-brow jokes with his cronies, like a man who has won over a woman and then tells his buddies, "This woman was so easy to get, I'm awesome, right?"

Women became the source of amusement in this filthy conversation, a source of capital for showing off and comparing themselves to others.

Wei Zhaoning could sense that Lu Zhufeng's relentless pursuit of her was not out of regret or love, but simply because he had lost and hadn't treated her as a person. He was basking in his own smugness, feeling that he had won over a woman, something he could boast about for the rest of his life.

That's disgusting.

Lu Ze made a few more sarcastic remarks, and the two brothers laughed so hard they were doubled over, completely disregarding Wei Zhaoning's feelings.

After a long while, Lu Zhufeng seemed to realize that Wei Zhaoning's expression was off, and turned around to ask, "Are you angry?"

"If you serve me well, one day I'll make Aze call you sister-in-law again. I cherish you so much now. As long as you behave, I'll elevate your status."

His expression still carried a hint of amusement, as if he were a superior giving alms.

Perhaps Wei Zhaoning has been too obedient lately, causing him to forget Wei Zhaoning's background, and his words gave the impression that he really treated Wei Zhaoning as a bed slave.

Wei Zhaoning suppressed his anger. If it weren't for the Regent, this person in front of him would already be dead.

"Alright, go and cook. The cooks in this mansion aren't as good as you. Go and prepare a good meal. Today, Aze is coming back, so let's have a welcome dinner for him. You two should visit each other more often. If there was anything you didn't get along with before, just say less and he should say less. Then the misunderstanding will disappear, and we'll still be family."

Wei Zhaoning had no choice but to comply, but she couldn't swallow her anger and asked, "Speaking of family, it's been a long time since I've seen Lu Jieyue. Now that you've been promoted, will she still be bullied in the Meng family?"

"If all else fails, just bring him back. Meng Yun's official rank isn't as high as yours right now."