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

For a long time after that, her father wouldn't even give Wei Zhaoning a glance.

Cold violence.

Wei Zhaoning dared not mention Du Ruo's handkerchief again and could only try to please her father carefully, but no matter how she tried, her father remained indifferent.

In contrast, Wei Jiaruo would be spun around in her father's arms every day after court, and he would bring her candied hawthorns and buy her novel trinkets.

All the love was poured into her alone.

Wei Zhaoning could only hide in a corner, her dark eyes filled with envy; she also longed for her father's love.

But as they grew older, that longing turned into hatred.

She hated Du Ruo and her father's cold words.

She told herself that she was all grown up and didn't need fatherly love anymore.

But the dampness of childhood means never seeing the light.

Although she told herself she didn't care, her heart still fluttered when she saw the Du Ruo handkerchief.

The stitching was rough, just like the one her father gave Wei Jiaruo.

Wei Zhaoning's eyes dimmed slightly.

"I had someone prepare handkerchiefs; I can use these to wipe myself after eating."

"You young ladies' handkerchiefs are hard to wash."

Pei Yi explained.

This reason is actually quite lame; these tasks are done by servants, and the girls won't get tired.

After he finished speaking, he cautiously looked at Wei Zhaoning.

Wei Zhaoning snapped out of her daze and said, "Thank you."

At this moment, Shen Shu examined the handkerchief closely. After a while, she said sarcastically without holding back, "Uncle, this handkerchief is too ugly."

"The people in your household are no good. How can you possibly send something out with embroidery like this?"

"What kind of flower is this? I can't tell."

Pei Yi's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He gritted his teeth and spat out two words, "Du Ruo."

"Pfft, hahahahahahaha!"

"Who can tell that this is Du Ruo? Ningning, can you tell?" Shen Shu asked with a loud laugh.

Wei Zhaoning nodded; she had actually recognized him at a glance.

"Upon closer inspection, it's Du Ruo."

"It looks like a man embroidered it to me, it's really ugly." Shen Shu said enthusiastically, showing no intention of stopping.

Wei Zhaoning's eyes flickered slightly.

"I don't know, it was the servants who put it there. I'll punish them later." Pei Yi said with a dark face, clenching his teeth.

After wiping her mouth, Wei Zhaoning inexplicably put the handkerchief away.

Perhaps it's too much like a regret from her childhood, and she doesn't want to let go easily.

Shen Shu kept talking, and Pei Yi was almost at his limit of patience.

"Are you very free lately?" Pei Yi couldn't take it anymore.

Shen Shu was puzzled. "You're not free."

"If you're busy, I'll send a carriage to take you back first." Pei Yi's expression was as cold as ice, and his voice became somewhat deep, carrying a threatening tone.

Shen Shu was terrible at reading people's expressions, so she waved her hand.

"No need, Imperial Uncle. I just happened to have some free time today, so I came out to admire the flowers with Ningning. It would be so boring to go back so soon."

Pei Yi's long, slender fingers tapped rapidly on the table, his smile growing increasingly sinister. As if unwilling to give up, he asked another question.

"Are you sure you don't need it?" The tone was already very impatient.

"Really?" Shen Shu grinned.

Pei Yi: "..."

Wei Zhaoning was in a daze and didn't see that Pei Yi's eyes were practically spitting fire.

Pei Yi was speechless and could only continue to keep up the smile.

As the event ended and Wei Zhaoning walked away, he roared menacingly, "Shen Shu, you come here!"

Shen Shu's heart tightened...

*

When Wei Zhaoning returned to the Marquis's residence, she noticed that Lu Ze's room was brightly lit, with servants coming and going.

Lu Ze has been working hard to turn over a new leaf these days. He is not picky at all, and he will even humbly ask the inconspicuous street vendors for advice if he smells a decent aroma.

So, after a lot of research, we're now conducting experiments indoors.

"Fetch another basin of water!"

"Yes, young master!"

The air inside Lu Ze's room was filled with fragrance, with hundreds of spices scattered on the floor and many recipes written on the table.

He added a little here, a little there, and countless times he was dissatisfied, disheartened, and started over, rewriting the recipe and remixing it.

Every night before bed, my mind is filled with recipes, and the first thing I do when I open my eyes is to ask others for advice.

He seemed to have changed completely. He no longer spoke rashly, and when he met elders, he would not put on airs as a young master of a noble family, but would address them as "senior" with great respect.

Some of the street vendors didn't recognize him or have heard of his glorious deeds, but they couldn't help but sigh, "This young man is down-to-earth."

"That's right. He's still living his life so diligently and earnestly even with a broken arm. This young man is truly admirable."

Lu Ze was completely immersed in his own world, temporarily putting all the sorrow behind him, and it seemed to hurt less.

After thousands of attempts, I finally created a fragrance that smells pleasant.

He named this fragrance: Calm Heart.

When he saw Wei Zhaoning again with this incense, he sneered.

"You want to see me fall into ruin and plummet to my lowest point? I'll show you what it means to turn the tide against all odds."

How could he not resent Wei Zhaoning?

If Wei Zhaoning hadn't refused to help, he wouldn't be in such a miserable state.

For two lifetimes, he wanted Wei Zhaoning to see clearly that even without her, he could break through the encirclement and become a superior person on his own.

Wei Zhaoning glanced at him in surprise, then smiled faintly, seemingly not taking it to heart.

The satire is off the charts.

"Okay, keep it up."

Lu Ze was enraged, but his temperament had changed a lot. His first reaction was not to smash things, but to sulk.

"You just wait, let's see if you'll still be laughing then!"

After saying that, he took the heavy object and returned to the shop.

Many people knew about his outrageous behavior, so not even a fly would dare to fly into the shop, let alone a person.

Lu Ze had already devised a strategy. He lowered his profile and loudly announced at the door, "New products are available today, and the first thirty customers will receive them for free."

The passerby glanced at him but didn't react much.

Are you kidding me? This shop's fragrance has a foul smell, I wouldn't dare take it even if it were free, you can't be greedy for such small gains.

Lu Ze was not discouraged, but instead cheered himself up and changed his strategy.

He went directly to the small vendors he had consulted.

"Brother, could you do me a favor? I'd like to sell these incense sticks at your stall, and we'll split the profits fifty-fifty?"

The vendors felt a pang of sadness. Looking at the young man before them, with a broken arm, struggling so hard to support his family, even those with hearts made of stone wanted to help him.

"Young man, don't worry, leave this to us."

Lu Ze's heart finally calmed down a little.

Starting from scratch, from zero to one, is very difficult. He has wasted so many opportunities before, so he can't complain about the difficulties now.

As long as he takes things one step at a time, people will change their opinion of him, and he will succeed.

Money and fame will come back.

Bai Yunxiao will also come back.