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

ancestral hall.

The blue bricks exuded a bone-chilling cold. Yun Shuyao knelt on the prayer mat, the wound on her back aching as if it were being burned.

The flickering candlelight reflected on the mottled memorial tablet. Her vision gradually darkened, and she finally collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness.

When I opened my eyes again, a faint, bitter smell of medicine lingered in my nostrils.

She moved her fingers, and a tearing pain shot through her back, causing her to gasp involuntarily.

"Miss, you're awake?"

Chun Tao came in carrying a basin of water. When she saw that she had opened her eyes, her eyes instantly turned red.

"You've been unconscious for a whole day! You scared me to death!"

Yun Shuyao turned her head and saw her mother sitting by the bed, her eyes swollen like walnuts, secretly wiping away tears with a handkerchief.

"My dear Yao'er."

Qin held her hand, her voice choked with emotion.

"Listen to your mother's advice, and stop being stubborn, okay?"

Even if Prince Gu was at fault first, now that you have exchanged betrothal gifts, it is impossible for him not to marry you.

Judging from the way your father is using family discipline, he's probably not done yet. He just wants you to be more obedient, so stop making trouble.

With your delicate body, how can you withstand further family discipline?

"If we just apologize and admit our mistake, won't the matter be over?"

Yun Shuyao stared at the intertwined floral patterns on the bed curtains, her throat tightening.

She recalled the days and nights she spent in the Marquis's mansion in her previous life, where all her concessions and forbearance only brought her more and more torment.

"Mother, you've given in your entire life, but has that earned you even a shred of respect?"

Yun Shuyao spoke with difficulty, her voice hoarse but clear.

In this life, one can take countless steps back, but taking one step back means losing a bit of confidence and dignity.

Instead of gritting your teeth and taking a step forward, you might as well fight for yourself.

Even if it ends in utter destruction, at least it was a fight.

Qin opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she just sighed and tucked the blanket around her.

"Mother, Grandfather gives you so much money every year, not so you can suffer mistreatment."

Yun Shuyao knew that her mother had developed a deep-seated inferiority complex due to her father's constant scolding.

But she still wanted to try, hoping that her mother could get rid of her father's shadow as soon as possible.

"You child... you dare to say anything..."

Although Qin Shi did not agree on the surface, her tone clearly showed hesitation.

She understood the saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day."

Yun Shuyao was too tired at the moment. Her eyelids felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead, and she soon fell into a deep sleep again.

She slept very restlessly, feeling as if she were being thrown into a furnace one moment and into an ice cave the next.

My whole body aches and aches.

In her hazy state of consciousness, she felt someone crying in her ear, someone whispering, and someone holding a cold handkerchief to her forehead.

It wasn't until late at night that the symptoms gradually subsided a little.

The next day, as soon as it was light, Yun Shuyao opened her eyes. The sunlight streaming through the window was somewhat dazzling.

She tried to sit up, but the injury on her back immediately made her gasp.

"Miss! Please slow down!"

Chun Tao and Chun Zhi rushed forward to help her up, and their eyes reddened when they saw the blood seeping from her back.

"Why are you doing this to yourself? Even if the Marquis's mansion isn't good, the master and young master are already in such a state, and you..."

"Spring Peach".

Yun Shuyao's teeth chattered, but her tone was absolutely firm.

"Change your clothes and comb your hair."

Spring peaches and spring branches were so anxious they stomped their feet.

"Miss! Your back wound has reopened! How about... how about we..."

"No need to say more."

Looking at her pale face in the bronze mirror, Yun Shuyao remained unmoved and gave the order again:

"Immediately help me with my hair and makeup! Change my clothes!"

The two maids couldn't refuse, so they carefully helped her change into that red dress and simply tied her hair into a bun.

Yun Shuyao stood up with Chun Tao's help. With each step, it felt as if countless needles were pricking her back, yet her steps were unusually steady.

The two women, mistress and servant, quietly boarded the carriage through the back gate of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

The carriage was lined with thick cotton padding, but it still couldn't stop the pain from the bumpy ride.

Yun Shuyao leaned against the car wall, closed her eyes to rest, and the image of a person floated into her mind.

In her previous life, when she was in charge of the household in the Marquis's mansion, she once bought a lame scholar named Zhou Heng from the roadside.

At that time, he was destitute and willing to sell himself into slavery in order to buy medicine for his seriously ill mother.

If I remember correctly, he lived in that dirt alley on the outskirts of the city.

Later, Yun Shuyao discovered that he was a capable person, and gradually handed over all her shops to him to manage.

Zhou Heng's accounts were more accurate than those of the accountant, and he was a man of his word, always keeping his promises and being extremely loyal.

As long as someone can help her manage the shop, she can deal with those shopkeepers as soon as possible and demand compensation from the Marquis's mansion.

Otherwise, if all the shopkeepers were taken to court, the shops would be paralyzed.

The carriage stopped in Muddy Leg Alley. The alley was too narrow, and there were many clothes drying in the sun, making it impossible for the carriage to pass.

After making some inquiries, the master and servant stopped outside a low fence.

From this vantage point, one can easily see the situation inside the courtyard.

A few vegetable patches grow at the base of the wall, a crooked mud-brick house, a dilapidated wooden door, and dim yellow light shines through.

Is this the place?

Chuntao asked softly.

Yun Shuyao had never been here before; the way was pointed out by a neighbor in the alley.

She didn't answer, but walked straight up and gently knocked on the door.

The door creaked open, and a man wearing a faded blue cloth robe slowly walked out.

He was in his thirties, thin, with a slight limp in his left leg, and walked with a slight sway.

But those eyes were bright and piercing, carrying the integrity unique to scholars.

"May I ask who you are?"

He was taken aback when he saw Yun Shuyao's attire, clearly not expecting such a presentable young lady to come looking for him.

"Is that Scholar Zhou?"

Yun Shuyao nodded slightly.

"I am the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's family, surnamed Yun. I have come here without permission to ask Scholar Zhou for a favor."

Zhou Heng was taken aback for a moment, then opened the courtyard gate with difficulty and politely stepped aside to let the person in.

"Miss Yun, please come in. However, my home is bare and I'm afraid I've been neglected."

The room was indeed simple, with an old wooden table, two long benches, and a wooden bed against the wall.

There was no strange smell in the house, which meant it was cleaned regularly.

An elderly woman lay on the bed, barely breathing, covered with a quilt that had been patched several times.

"This is my mother."

Zhou Heng explained somewhat awkwardly.

"I'm getting old, and my health isn't good."

Yun Shuyao glanced at the old woman on the bed, then looked at Zhou Heng.

"I heard that you are skilled in divination and accounting."

I own several shops and would like to hire you to manage them.

The monthly allowance is twenty taels, and it will increase if you do well.

If you are willing to take this job, I will arrange a three-courtyard house for you and your parents in the city, so that you won't have to travel back and forth so much.

Zhou Heng suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with disbelief.

After he became lame, his path to the imperial examinations was cut off. Now he can only make a living by copying books for others.

The mother's illness further strained the already meager family finances.

A monthly allowance of twenty taels of silver and a three-courtyard house were simply a pipe dream for him.

"Miss Yun..."

He opened his mouth, his voice trembling slightly.

"You...you're telling the truth?"

"Of course it's true."

Yun Shuyao took out a pre-written contract from her sleeve.

"If you are willing, sir, we can draw up a contract today."

Zhou Heng looked at the terms of the contract, then at his mother coughing on the bed, and his eyes instantly reddened.

He had been looked down upon his whole life, and no one had ever valued him like this, let alone offered him such favorable conditions.

"I do!"

He agreed almost immediately, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"Thank you for your trust, Miss Yun! I will certainly do my utmost to live up to your expectations!"

Looking into the light in his eyes, Yun Shuyao recalled his words to her on her deathbed in her past life: "Don't worry, Miss, all the accounts have been settled."

A slight pang of sadness welled up inside me, but I also felt a sense of relief.

She finally found someone she could trust.

"Sir, please come with me to the new house first, so that we can settle the old lady in as soon as possible, and then we can go to the shop to familiarize ourselves with the situation."

Zhou Heng noticed Miss Yun's eagerness and didn't delay. He nodded vigorously, carefully folded the contract, and put it in his bosom as if he were holding a rare treasure.

Yun Shuyao didn't linger any longer and turned to leave the courtyard.

Only after asking a strong neighbor for help to carry Zhou's mother onto the carriage did the carriage start moving again.

Yun Shuyao's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and blood was seeping from the wound on her back.

She closed her eyes.

Next, the accounts of the Marquis's mansion, and those disloyal servants, can begin to be settled.

As for the father, don't even think about using family discipline to make her submit!