Remarried to a top-tier playboy, her reborn ex-husband is filled with regret.

In the inner city, civil and military officials stood in two rows according to their rank.

Someone stepped forward, wanting to say something to Xiao Fang.

Xiao Fang simply shook his head slightly.

The officials said no more, but bowed deeply and returned to their original positions.

The generals and personal guards in the ranks had already dismounted.

Everyone led their horses and followed slowly behind.

Xiao Fang remained standing beside the coffin.

Holding the coffin with one hand, he walked step by step toward the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion.

There were no tears on his face, nor any other expression.

But anyone could see the sadness that enveloped him.

Yun Shuyao followed quietly behind him.

The two people's shadows were stretched long by the setting sun, falling together on the bluestone road.

The alley in front of the Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion stretches from one end of the alley to the other.

The place was packed with people.

Some were wearing the official robes of the Censorate, while others were just playboys wearing plain-colored outer robes.

They are usually the most boisterous; when they get together, they can blow the roof off.

But now, they were all quieter than the last.

Some people crossed their arms, some lowered their heads, and some craned their necks to look towards the alley entrance when they heard the sound of horses' hooves in the distance.

Xiao Fang walked all the way back.

He held Yun Shuyao's hand in one hand, and his other hand hung at his side.

He hadn't said much since he entered the city.

Her lips were pressed into a straight line, and the corners of her mouth, which usually turned up, looked frozen at this moment.

Those once unrestrained and flamboyant phoenix eyes were now drooping slightly, with dark circles under them.

It was as if all that fearless spirit had been drained from him, leaving only a heavy, unyielding sorrow.

Upon entering the alley, Lu Zhao was the first person to greet us.

He walked a few steps to Xiao Fang, paused, and called out once.

"Brother Xiao."

Xiao Fang looked up at him but didn't respond.

Lu Zhao's Adam's apple bobbed, and he swallowed back all the words he had prepared.

He raised his hand, pressed on Xiao Fang's shoulder, and then quickly released it.

My condolences.

Xiao Fang nodded.

The movements were very small, as if even nodding was a struggle.

Lin Huiyin also stepped forward.

He didn't wave his fan as before, nor did he grin and joke. He was dressed in plain clothes and solemnly cupped his hands to Xiao Fang.

"Brother Xiao, everything is arranged at home. Please come in and rest for a while."

Xiao Fang nodded again.

He took Yun Shuyao's hand and walked forward.

The spoiled brats automatically moved aside.

Some people had red eyes, while others turned their faces away.

Xiao Fang walked past the crowd, his throat tight, and after a long while, he finally managed to say something.

"Go inside, everyone."

His voice was very soft, as if it would dissipate with a gust of wind.

Upon entering the Prince's residence, Xiao Fang instructed the steward to lead everyone to the front hall to rest.

Mingrui followed behind him, trying to persuade him in a low voice.

"Your Highness, please go inside and rest for a while."

"I'll oversee the setup of the mourning hall."

Lu Zhao followed him in and hurriedly said.

"Yes, go and rest. We'll take care of things outside."

Lin Hui stood to the side, her tone much more serious than usual.

"You've come all the way back from the Northern Desert, and I'm afraid you haven't slept much. Go lie down for a while; we'll look after the mourning shed."

Xiao Fang remained silent for a few moments.

He really couldn't hold on any longer.

From leading troops in pursuit to fighting for ten days straight, and then carrying the coffin back south, his body had long since reached its limit.

"it is good."

He said in a hoarse voice.

"I'll rest for a while, and then I'll come out later to help you with the setup."

Lu Zhao waved to him.

"Go quickly, don't you feel at ease with us here?"

Xiao Fang didn't say anything more, he just nodded, and then walked towards the inner courtyard with Yun Shuyao.

He held her hand and never let go from beginning to end.

The mansion was draped in white silk curtains, and the servants stood with their heads bowed under the eaves, not daring to breathe.

Xiao Fang walked very slowly.

As he passed the old locust tree in the front yard, he paused almost imperceptibly.

There are still a few shallow knife marks on the tree trunk, which he made when he was a child by randomly carving them with his father's dagger.

Further ahead is the main hall.

The rosewood armchair was still in its original place, the seat where my father used to sit.

Xiao Fang glanced at it, then looked away and continued walking forward.

He used to think that with his mother gone and his father not at home, the palace was cold and deserted.

This is why he always liked to gather a group of纨绔 (playboys) to his mansion to cause trouble.

He walked through the corridor, where a half-dead clivia plant sat at the corner.

Those were the plants my mother raised years ago. My father clumsily watered them for over a decade, killing several of them in the process.

Every time it died, I would secretly go to the flower market and buy an identical one, thinking no one would notice.

Standing in the middle of the corridor, Xiao Fang suddenly felt that he no longer recognized this palace.

He used to complain that it was too quiet here, that his father wasn't home, and that his mother had passed away long ago.

At that time, he thought that being quiet was the hardest thing to endure.

Now he realized that silence wasn't the hardest thing to endure—emptiness was.

Silence means no one is speaking; emptiness means no matter what you say, that person can't hear you.

He and Yun Shuyao walked through the corridor and entered the bedroom.

The door closed behind me, and the room was so quiet that the only sound was the wind blowing through the white curtains outside the window.

Xiao Fang stood by the bed, suddenly feeling like he didn't want to move.

He was such a tall and upright man, but now his shoulders were slumped, as if he had been crushed by something from the inside out.

Yun Shuyao didn't urge him.

She walked up to him first and reached out to untie his dusty outer robe.

Xiao Fang let her do as she pleased, only looking down at her with his eyes unblinking.

Only after the outer robe hit the ground did his fingers move again, once more entwining with her fingertips.

Yun Shuyao didn't say anything, but simply opened her arms and hugged him.

She pressed Xiao Fang's head against her shoulder, wrapped one arm around his waist, and gently patted his back with the other, as if coaxing a child who had been lost for a long time.

Xiao Fang buried his face in the crook of her neck, stiffened for a moment, and then his shoulders began to tremble violently.

Yun Shuyao felt a warm, damp sensation on her neck, one drop, then two drops.

More and more flowed down her collarbone, soaking her collar.

Xiao Fang remained silent.

He didn't cry when he kowtowed before his father's fire.

She didn't cry when facing the Crown Prince at the city gate.

But as he buried his face in his wife's neck, he trembled all over, letting out a suppressed, muffled whimper, like that of a wounded wolf cub.

Those were tears he had held back all the way.

From Pinggetan to the Northern Hu King's Court, and from the Northern Hu King's Court to the capital, we traveled thousands of miles and finally found a place where we could settle down.

After an unknown amount of time, Xiao released her.

He turned his head to wipe his eyes again, then turned back, deliberately feigning nonchalance.

"Don't look at me like that. It's not like I'm new to not having a father."

He and I haven't seen each other much over the years. What difference does it make whether he's home or not? I'm already... used to it.

Yun Shuyao did not expose him.

She simply reached out and brushed the stray hairs that had fallen across his forehead, her fingertips gently tracing the newly added scar on his brow bone.

Then she pulled him to sit on the edge of the bed and whispered.

"I know you can't listen to anything right now, but you need to get some sleep. If you don't, your health will break down."

Xiao Fang's lips moved, but he still didn't speak.

Looking at his thin, almost unrecognizable face, Yun Shuyao felt a pang of sadness and pain in her heart.

She hadn't planned to say it now.

But she was afraid that he would be trapped in grief and forget to even breathe.

"Xiao Fang." She grasped his hand in return.

You're going to be a father.

Xiao Fang was stunned.

His originally dull pupils seemed to have been suddenly filled with a bit of light.

The light was weak, but it still made him tremble.

"What?" he asked, his voice so hoarse it was almost unintelligible.

Yun Shuyao gently pulled his hand up and placed it on her lower abdomen.

"You're going to be a father. Our child is here."