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

Wei Zhaoning paused, her heart involuntarily quickening its pace.

"Your Highness."

It had been quite some time since the two had last met.

"Uncle? What are you doing here?" Shen Shu asked with a smile.

The topic we were just discussing has been diverted.

Pei Yi said casually, "I'm here to admire the plum blossoms too."

His gaze followed Wei Zhaoning intently, wanting to say something, but seeing her indifferent expression, he stopped and said nothing.

Shen Shu gave Pei Yi a strange look. Where was her royal uncle looking?

Although the two are from different generations, they are not much different in age and grew up together. They are easygoing and don't care about formalities when they get along.

"Where's my aunt? Why isn't she with us?"

Pei Yi said, "She is not in the capital."

Shen Shu seemed lost in thought, and the atmosphere turned cold. The three of them looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

"Your Highness, we'll take our leave now."

"Since we've met, why not go together?"

The two of them blurted it out at the same time.

Pei Yi's brow twitched, and Wei Zhaoning's eyes widened as well.

Pei Yi coughed lightly, "Alright."

"You guys have fun."

Wei Zhaoning was at a loss. Shen Shu pulled her aside and whispered a few words to her, his eyes full of pity.

"Ningning, why don't we bring my royal uncle along? Look how pitiful he is, coming to admire the plum blossoms all by himself."

He's a decisive and efficient person, and he doesn't have many close friends to talk to.

Don't feel uncomfortable. Just consider it a favor I owe you. Please bring him along this time.

Wei Zhaoning pursed her lips, feeling somewhat embarrassed that her words had sounded like she was trying to get rid of someone, but she still nodded.

The three walked side by side when snowflakes began to fall on their heads, growing heavier and heavier.

"Oh dear, my memory is terrible. I should have brought an oil-paper umbrella with me when I went out."

Shen Shu cursed under his breath.

"It's alright, let's go to the pavilion in the middle of the lake to take shelter."

Wei Zhaoning glanced at Pei Yi subconsciously. Snowflakes fell on his angular face, and unmelted snowflakes clung to the tip of his nose, making him look cold and noble.

She suddenly thought of the two of them sleeping in each other's arms, and her heart warmed slightly.

It wasn't until the three of them sat down in the pavilion in the middle of the lake and started brewing tea that she calmed her anxious heart.

She was definitely very uncomfortable.

This feeling was hard to describe. Before, when she met with the Regent alone, they talked about business and it all felt very natural.

But now it's like a thin veil is covering it, indescribable and the atmosphere is strange.

"What were you talking about just now?"

Pei Yi asked casually.

Shen Shu was about to speak with great interest when she realized something was wrong. Her royal uncle had always been a man of few words and had no interest in such trivial matters.

The atmosphere was so strange that, if it weren't for that icy face, she would have thought she was chatting with her girlfriends.

Wei Zhaoning said softly, "We're talking about divorce."

Pei Yi paused in his teacup, then said indifferently, "Oh, very good."

He didn't say anything else.

Shen Shu felt a little better. Perhaps her uncle wanted to blend in with them, which was why he asked that question. It was really hard on him; it was obvious that he wasn't interested in these topics.

Then an eerie silence fell over them again.

Shen Shu looked at Wei Zhaoning with a pleading expression, as if to say, "I'm sorry this time, please, I promise I won't bring anyone else along next time, so as not to embarrass you."

Wei Zhaoning shook his head with a helpless smile.

At this moment, Yun Ce arrived carrying a food box.

"Your Highness."

"Okay, go down."

Pei Yi took the food box. "Eat something first."

He was also somewhat at a loss, and said dryly.

Shen Shu opened the food box. "Wow, there are mantis shrimp! Ningning, this is your favorite!"

Wei Zhaoning was taken aback. If you want to eat mantis shrimp this season, you can only find them in places near water. They are not available in the capital. This must have been transported here by someone.

She felt uneasy; the regent seemed to know exactly what she liked to eat.

If she specifically arranged for someone to deliver these mantis shrimps to her...

She dared not continue thinking about it. What was she thinking about? Unrealistic expectations.

Seeing that she had been staring at the plate of mantis shrimp for a long time, Pei Yi cleared his throat and said, "Someone delivered it to my residence. I can't finish it all by myself."

Wei Zhaoning relaxed a lot, and Shen Shu picked up a shrimp, peeled it, and handed it to Wei Zhaoning, winking and saying, "Ningning, eat shrimp."

I mouthed: I'm so sorry!

Wei Zhaoning took the shrimp and suddenly remembered that when they were in Jiangnan, the Regent had peeled crab meat for him.

She glanced at Pei Yi, who then withdrew his hand from the shrimp he was about to peel.

He saw that Shen Shu had already peeled it, and felt a little embarrassed. His gaze towards Shen Shu turned cold.

"These shrimp taste pretty good."

Shen Shu, however, was still eating heartily like a complete idiot, utterly oblivious to the cold gaze directed at her.

Wei Zhaoning didn't say anything, she just focused on eating.

To be honest, she had been craving this for a long time, and was now immersed in the pleasure of tasting the delicious food.

Pei Yi watched her eat them one by one, occasionally licking her lips, and found it very cute, so the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up slightly.

The two men were very fierce, and they quickly ran out of steam.

At this moment, Wei Zhaoning found two handkerchiefs in the wooden box, each embroidered with azalea flowers.

His pupils dilated slightly.

Du Ruohua (杜若花).

When she was a child, what she wanted most was a handkerchief made by her father, which had to be embroidered with Du Ruo flowers.

This sounds unbelievable. How could the famous Duke do needlework?

But he did it anyway.

Because Wei Jiaruo wanted it, and because Wei Jiaruo's mother liked it.

As a child, Wei Zhaoning looked at the Du Ruo handkerchief made for Wei Jiaruo and wanted one too. She cried and begged her father for a long time.

But the father just said impatiently, "I'm busy, don't make things difficult for your father."

"But! But Jiaruo has it all! Why don't I?"

The young Wei Zhaoning filed a complaint.

All he got was a beating from his father.

"You're only a little kid and you're already jealous! That's how your mother taught you!"

If I don't discipline you today, you'll likely become like those women in the inner quarters, full of jealousy, scheming, and even harming others!

Wei Zhaoning was whipped until her skin was torn and bleeding, but she endured the pain and was carried back.

She heard her mother and father arguing.

The father spoke as if to an enemy: "Truly your child, he's inherited your talents! A perfectly good child, yet you've taught him to be wicked, always fighting for everything!"

"Explain yourself! Ningning just wants a handkerchief. Why can others have one but she can't? Isn't she your child?" The mother's voice trembled.

"Oh."

"Her mind is so vicious, how can she compare to Jia Ruo?"

"Keep up the good work, try to raise this child to be a carbon copy of you, so that he'll marry someone and take lives too!"

"Wei Xiao! Explain yourself!"

The sound faded into the distance.