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

Exhausted from running, Lu Jieshuang squatted down, her shoulders slumped, and she sobbed softly. Rain and snow lashed against her thin clothes, but at this moment, besides her body, her heart was even colder.

Why does fate have to play such a cruel trick on her?

She had nothing left, and after traveling thousands of miles to Lingzhou, she was met with this unexpected sight.

A peaceful life, Chen Huai's love—that could have been hers!

Images of being humiliated in prison suddenly flashed through her mind, and she thought, "My life is ruined like this."

If only I had listened to Wei Zhaoning sooner...

Shen Shu will not miscarry, nor will she be sentenced to death. Despite this humiliation, she will still meet Chen Huai and make up for the regrets of her past life.

The cruelest thing in life is to take something for granted when you have it, and only realize its value when you lose it.

We cannot predict the value of this moment until it becomes a memory.

Like a piece of duckweed falling into a long river, it drifts with the current towards the vast ocean, disappearing without a trace.

She hated it, she was unwilling to accept it.

How could we have been so deceived?

Why did it end like this?

Trying to draw water with a bamboo basket—it's all for naught.

Lu Jieshuang collapsed to the ground as if she had gone mad, unable to bear it any longer, and burst into tears. The contemptuous looks from those around her became mere illusions as she was mired in the quagmire and had no time to care about them.

The laughter of children drifted from nearby. "Daddy! It's that beautiful lady who came to the shop today!"

Chen Huai held a large oil-paper umbrella, hand in hand with his lover, and a child who only reached his knees between them.

The family was getting ready to go see a shadow puppet show.

"Why is that girl sitting in the snow? Here, take this umbrella. I have another small umbrella; take it to her. Heaven have mercy." The woman frowned slightly and handed her husband the delicate, small oil-paper umbrella she was holding.

Seeing Chen Huai walking towards her with an umbrella, Lu Jieshuang felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

They immediately scrambled to their feet and fled for their lives, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"Hey! Girl! You..."

Lu Jieshuang dared not look into his eyes; a feeling of suffocation rose in her throat. Every glance at the happy family of three brought her more fear.

It's as if it's reminding myself that I'm really living a terrible life.

To hand over one's own happiness to someone else with one's own hands.

Where could she possibly escape to?

Where in the world could she find refuge? Nobody wanted her anymore; everyone had abandoned her.

Everyone else has started a new life, leaving her alone in the same place filled with regret.

In an instant, she felt abandoned by the world, and that feeling of loneliness and helplessness enveloped her.

correct.

Hou House.

She still has a home; she can still return to the Marquis's mansion.

With her disguise, she could live a life of ignominy and no one would recognize her.

She can reunite with her family privately; yes, she still has a family!

*

Wei Zhaoning was happy to have some free time, and that day he prepared to go out of the city with Shen Shu to admire the plum blossoms.

The gloom in Shen Shu's heart also faded a bit. Staying away from men and trouble, she traveled around with her girlfriends, enjoying delicious food and changing her way of life.

Inside the carriage, the two sisters were checking their makeup with a small bronze mirror.

"Ningning, do you think my lip rouge is too red? I feel like it doesn't match my outfit today."

Wei Zhaoning looked at it for a while and said, "You're just too anxious. What doesn't match? Ashu is pretty, she looks good in any color."

Shen Shu pursed her lips. "You're so sweet-talking."

"Sigh, it's been so long since my sister and I dressed up nicely and went out to play every day like we used to."

Wei Zhaoning's heart skipped a beat. Having lived two lives, it seemed that the happiest time was when she was a young lady in her boudoir. At that time, she thought how happy she would be if she could dress up and go out with her girlfriends for the rest of her life.

Years later, the two married and rediscovered their childlike innocence, realizing that whether married or old, they should always strive to please themselves.

As long as you want to, you can continue to be happy like this.

Humans are free, and nothing can bind them or become a reason to hinder their happiness.

What is the point of living this life if not to have fun?

"Even when we're old, we should still enjoy ourselves like this," she said with a smile.

The carriage suddenly stopped, and the two men were startled. They lifted the curtain and saw that a large crowd had blocked the road ahead.

"Madam, I'll change course," the coachman said.

Shen Shu, however, was delighted by the novelty. "No need, Ningning, let's go down and see what's going on?"

"You're still the same person who loves to watch the excitement," Wei Zhaoning joked, then followed Shen Shu down from the carriage.

The crowd formed a circle, some mocking, others sighing.

Shen Shu was taken aback when she saw the human face on the ground.

Li Changming climbed to the capital, his body reeking of a foul stench. His face was so thin that his features bulged out, making him look like a skeleton wrapped in a thin, yellowish human skin.

In just one month, he seemed like a completely different person.

Li Changming foamed at the mouth, yet he still stubbornly moved forward, like a maggot.

After climbing a little further, he would reach the examination hall. The dawn of victory shone upon him, and he would soon be able to turn his life around.

God knows how many times he's tried this.

The previous times he was so hungry on the way that he turned back to eat something. This time, he stuffed himself full and finally made it to the capital.

But it was just too painful.

He had already exhausted all the wild grass and tree bark on the outskirts of the capital in the previous trips. Along the way, he didn't even spare the cockroaches on the ground, catching them and stuffing them into his mouth, before he could barely step into the capital.

Shen Shu watched coldly, "Hmph, quite persistent."

Li Changming swallowed the foam. Hunger had been gripping him for a long time, and he was mostly out of it. He was just one step away from the end.

But suddenly he lost all his strength. No matter how much he told himself that the light was just ahead, he couldn't move his body any further.

My throat was dry and burning; the cold wind felt like razor blades scraping against it, making me extremely uncomfortable.

"Serves you right! You kept a mistress and framed the entire Prince Duan family. His Highness Prince Duan is such a good person; how could you allow him to spread such nonsense and smear his reputation!"

"I was wondering why His Majesty didn't just kill him out of anger; I didn't expect this method to be even more painful!"

"Tsk tsk tsk, he had a perfectly good son-in-law position, yet he chose to court disaster. His virtue doesn't match his position—that's the point. Some people are blessed but don't even have the life to enjoy it!"

So many people surrounded him, pointing and whispering, watching a person who was about to die, yet not a single one was willing to lend a helping hand, not even a sip of water.

Li Changming mumbled something weakly, like the buzzing of a mosquito; it was impossible to hear unless you got very close.

"You unruly commoners!"

"Wait for me... wait for me..."

He struggled to keep his eyelids open, afraid that if he closed his eyes, he would never be able to open them again.

He wanted to take the imperial examination, to rely on himself to return to the emperor's side, and to become a pillar of the nation.

He struggled to take another step, his blood almost dried up, the effort he used to take this step left him breathless.