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

In the main hall of the Yong'an Marquis's mansion, the candlelight flickered in and out due to the draft, reflecting the mess in the room.

Gu Yan stood in the center of the room, looking at the antique display shelf that had been mostly emptied, his knuckles turning white from gripping it so tightly.

Which of those antiques that Xiao Fang had people pawn were not family heirlooms?

Now it's being sold off cheaply like junk. What will he use to save face in the future?

"Will you tell me or not!"

Gu Yan turned around abruptly and looked at Su Shi, who was being held up by two old women and kneeling on the ground. His voice was venomous.

"Where did those 700,000 taels go?"

The wound on Su's back was still bleeding, and she grimaced in pain, but she forced herself to stand up and argued:

"My lord, please calm your anger. The manor's expenses are already high. Last month, the repair of the eastern pavilion alone cost 30,000 taels of silver. And then there are the servants' monthly wages, the cultivation of flowers and trees..."

"Still lying, huh?"

Gu Yan kicked over the flower stand next to him, and the celadon flowerpot shattered into pieces.

"Seven hundred thousand taels to repair a warm pavilion? Do you think I'm a three-year-old child?"

He approached step by step, looking down at Su Shi.

"I sensed something was wrong a long time ago!"

You colluded with those shopkeepers to embezzle a lot of silver from Yun Shuyao, but the silver in the mansion's treasury is still flowing out like water.

"Tell me! Where did all this money come from?"

Su Shi trembled at his shout, his eyes darting around.

"I...I have prepared many betrothal gifts for Jinghuai. Although the wedding date has been moved up, we still have to maintain appearances, don't we?"

And your medicinal soup is made with top-quality herbs; otherwise, how could the Marquis be so vigorous and energetic...?"

"My medicine?"

Gu Yan sneered. "Do you think I don't know what's going on? You took all the medicinal herbs from Yun Shuyao's shop for free!"

Gu Yan bent down, leaning closer, and continued speaking with a sinister look in his eyes:

"Let's say you've repaired the heated room and paid the servants a year's wages, totaling 100,000 taels!"

Where did the remaining 600,000 taels go?

Su bit her lip and kept her eyes tightly shut, refusing to speak.

"Not going to tell?"

Gu Yan straightened up and called out to the door:

"Someone come here!"

Two more burly women entered, standing with their hands at their sides, waiting for orders.

"Put her down on the torture bench!"

Gu Yan pointed to Su Shi on the bed.

"I'd like to see whether her stubbornness is greater than the strictness of family discipline!"

"My lord!"

Su Shi turned pale with fright and struggled to grab the hem of Gu Yan's robe.

"I am the Lady of a Marquis! You cannot humiliate me like this!"

"The Lady of the Marquis?"

Gu Yan slapped her hand away and wiped his fingertips in disgust.

"I must have been blind to have been bewitched by a fool like you, all looks and no substance!"

Without further hesitation, the old women stepped forward, lifted Su Shi up, and pressed her onto the torture bench.

The wound on her back ripped open, causing her to scream in agony. Her hair came undone, and her hairpins rolled to the ground, leaving her in a sorry state.

"Father!"

Gu Jinghuai's voice came from under the corridor. He walked in, leaning against the wall, his face pale. The injury on his back made him grimace with every step.

"Please don't use family discipline on Mother, let's talk this out..."

He then looked at the Su family, his eyes filled with an unprecedented scrutiny.

"Mother, where exactly did you spend the money?"

If you don't tell me, your son won't be able to help you!

He finally understood what was wrong with his mother.

She insisted on marrying Yun Shuyao herself, not just to cover up the misappropriation of her dowry.

Father's calculations were correct; the money in the manor had clearly been taken away.

Su looked at her son, then at Gu Yan, whose face was full of anger, her lips trembling, but she still refused to give in.

"It seems we have no choice but to get serious."

Gu Yan gave the old woman a wink.

"Beat him! If he doesn't talk, kill him!"

"I'll talk! I'll talk!"

Su finally broke down and confessed while crying.

"The silver... I gave the silver to my brother!"

Gu Yan paused,

"Your brother? Su Wenbin?"

What would a fifth-rank local official need so much money for?

Su Shi was on the ground, his face streaked with tears.

"He...he wants to find a job in the capital, and he needs money to bribe officials..."

"Looking for a job?"

Gu Yan frowned even more deeply.

"What kind of job requires 700,000 taels?"

"This humble servant...does not know either."

Su stammered.

"He...he didn't go into details, only saying that it would benefit Jing Huai after it was done..."

"fart!"

Gu Yan kicked Su Shi, ignoring her screams, and said coldly:

"I remember now..."

Gu Yan was furious; now everything was on point!

A few days ago, an aide told him that Su Wenbin had been making unusually frequent trips to the capital in the past six months, and that he had even gone to the Prince Yi's residence to deliver a letter.

Gu Yan's eyes suddenly turned cold.

"I just heard that he landed a lucrative position in military procurement, and I didn't believe it."

It turns out they used the Marquis's connections to get in touch with the Prince of Yi!

He used the Marquis's money to pave the way and in exchange for a lucrative position in military supplies.

"You siblings are quite the schemers, aren't you?"

He pointed at the Su family, trembling with anger.

"It's true what they say, you can guard against anything day or night, but it's hard to guard against a thief within your own ranks!"

Use my money and my connections to pave the way for your brother.

Are you using the Marquis's mansion as a stepping stone?

"No, sir!"

Su cried out.

"My brother is doing this for the Marquis's sake. He took on the role of military procurement officer, so Jinghuai will have someone to rely on in the Ministry of War in the future..."

"To take care of?"

Gu Yan laughed in extreme anger.

"If I were to give the higher-ups 700,000 taels of silver as a tribute, would I still need his help?"

He looked at Gu Jinghuai.

"Jinghuai, listen to this! This is how your mother helps you."

"They're using the Marquis's money to pave the way for her brother, and they're spending your money!"

Gu Jinghuai's face turned ashen. His father was right; Yun Shuyao's money was none other than his own.

His mother was so disloyal, showing absolutely no regard for his feelings.

He will inherit this mansion sooner or later, and then it will just be an empty shell.

Gu Jinghuai felt excruciating pain from the wound on his back, but the chill in his heart was even worse than the wound itself.

He looked at his mother crying on the ground and felt a sense of estrangement for the first time.

"Drag her to a deserted courtyard and confine her to her quarters!"

Gu Yan, too lazy to look at Madam Su any longer, instructed the old woman:

"No one is allowed to deliver the medicine to her without my order!"

As Su was dragged out, she was still crying out, "Master, spare my life!" Her voice grew fainter and fainter until it disappeared into the night.

Gu Yan took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and turned to Gu Jinghuai, his tone leaving no room for argument as he commanded:

"Your wedding with Yun Shuyao will proceed as scheduled."

Gu Jinghuai was taken aback and subconsciously wanted to refute.

"Father, things have come to this..."

"Just do what I tell you to do."

Gu Yan interrupted him, his eyes cold and uncompromising, leaving no room for negotiation.

Looking at his father's still furious face, Gu Jinghuai swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

He knew his father's temperament; arguing at this moment would only backfire.

His lips moved, but in the end he only responded with a low murmur:

"...Yes, son obeys."

Gu Yan didn't look at him again, and called out to the door:

"Prepare the car."

Then, he instructed his staff who were waiting in the corridor:

"Mr. Zhang, please come with me to the Prince Yi's residence."

The staff member rushed forward:

"My lord, are we going to the Prince Yi's residence at this hour?"

Gu Yan lifted his foot and walked out, his voice icy.

"Why should the man surnamed Su do a favor when the Marquis's mansion has given out money?"

We need to let Prince Yi know that this money came from the Marquis's mansion.

As soon as he finished speaking, he walked out of the main hall, and his staff quickly followed.

The servant waited at the gate of the mansion with the carriage. The two boarded the carriage and left. The sound of the carriage wheels quickly disappeared into the night.

Gu Jinghuai remained standing there, the pain in his back mixed with the frustration in his heart, but he dared not say a word. He could only stand stiffly, staring at the empty doorway.

How did such a nice home become like this?