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

Late the next night.

Yun Shuyao had just removed the last jade hairpin, her long, ink-black hair cascading over her shoulders.

Chun Tao was unbuttoning her outer garment when a familiar knocking sound suddenly came from outside the window—three short knocks followed by one long one—it was Xiao Fang's signal.

"It's him again!"

Chun Tao's hand suddenly stopped, her face turning pale.

"Miss, it's almost midnight..."

Yun Shuyao frowned slightly, glanced down at the moon-white inner robe she was wearing, got up and pulled a dark blue outer robe from the screen to put on.

"Let him in."

"Miss! You've already changed into your undergarments!"

Chuntao was so anxious that she kept stamping her feet.

"What kind of girl dresses like that to meet a stranger? If word gets out..."

"We can't worry about that right now."

Yun Shuyao interrupted her, her voice calm.

"Go and brew a pot of tea, then stand guard at the courtyard gate."

Chun Tao wanted to argue, but a single glance from her silenced her, and she could only turn away angrily.

Just as he reached the door, he bumped into Xiao Fang, who pushed open the window and entered.

The bright red dress, glistening with night dew, stood tall and straight by the window.

His gaze inadvertently swept over Yun Shuyao's long, loose hair, his eyes paused for a moment, and then he looked away, his gaze falling on the candlestick on the table.

Chuntao returned after leaving, slamming the freshly brewed tea onto the table with a thud, spilling half a cup of tea.

"My young lady is about to go to sleep, and you still barge in. What are you up to?"

What kind of good person would break into a young woman's room in the middle of the night!

Xiao Fang looked up at her, his eyes filled with a hint of coldness.

Chun Tao suddenly remembered the ruthless way he slit people's throats on the street that day.

The second half of the sentence got stuck in his throat, his legs started trembling, but he still forced his neck to say it:

"This servant...this servant is right at the door! Please call if you need anything, Miss!"

After saying that, he ran away as if fleeing, and even used a lot of force when he closed the door.

The bedroom fell silent instantly.

Yun Shuyao pulled her outer robe tighter and spoke helplessly.

Why did you scare her?

Xiao Fang chuckled softly.

"I think your maid has quite the nerve, daring to give this young master the cold shoulder. She's the first in the whole capital to do so."

Yun Shuyao's expression changed slightly, and she immediately defended Chun Tao.

"What courage does a little girl like her have? She's just putting on an act to protect me."

Xiao Fang stopped smiling, looked at her expressionlessly for a while, and finally gave a faint "hmm".

"Is there any progress at the granary?"

Yun Shuyao immediately got back to the main topic.

"Um."

Xiao Fang took out a piece of paper from his sleeve, on which were drawn a few scribbles.

"This morning, Deputy General Zhang inspected a batch of new grain at the granary. The receipt read 'Su Ji Grain Store'."

He personally oversaw the unloading process and even met with Su Wenbin.

The two men spoke for about half an incense stick's time, their expressions furtive.

He paused, his fingertip pointing to the word "urgent" on the note.

"This batch of grain will be sent to the border in a month. I suspect it's the batch they're planning to tamper with."

Yun Shuyao looked at the note and tapped her fingertips lightly on "Su's Grain Shop".

"It seems they are indeed the ones in question, but these clues alone are not enough to convict them."

"We need to find empirical evidence."

Xiao Fang looked up at her.

"The accounts of the military rations replacement, the letters of their collusion... most of these things are in the study of the Su family mansion."

Yun Shuyao remained silent for a moment.

"Infiltrating the Su residence is not difficult; the difficulty lies in not alerting the enemy."

My uncle is a royal merchant and has business dealings with Su Wenbin; perhaps we can find a pretext to get him in.

"feasible."

Xiao Fang thought there was nothing wrong with this line of thinking.

"I have to tell my uncle the truth."

Yun Shuyao said slowly and solemnly:

"You have to tell him everything about what happened in the dream, and about Su Wenbin's shady dealings."

Otherwise, the two of us alone might not have been able to get into the Su family's study so easily.

Xiao Fang had no objection.

"I'll go with you. With me there, he might be more likely to believe me."

"it is good."

Yun Shuyao nodded.

"Tomorrow I will send someone to deliver a letter to my uncle, asking him to meet me the day after tomorrow."

As for the Su family... after I've met my uncle, I'll find a way to visit them under his name and take the opportunity to check out the study.

The two whispered a few more words about the details, and the candlelight gradually dimmed, while the sky outside the window turned a pale blue.

Xiao Fang stood up to take his leave, but his gaze suddenly stopped when it swept over the screen.

A bright red dress was draped over the screen; it was the same one he had casually given her last time.

The material wasn't top-quality, but it shone brightly in the candlelight, like a dancing flame.

He recalled that Yun Shuyao had been wearing this outfit during their previous meetings, and couldn't help but curl his lips into a slight smile, his tone carrying a hint of mockery.

"You wear this outfit quite often?"

Yun Shuyao followed his gaze and said frankly:

"I used to always wear solid colors, so I didn't realize that this color actually suits me better."

Xiao Fang didn't reply, but the smile in his eyes deepened.

He nodded slightly to Yun Shuyao, turned around and climbed out the window. His red figure disappeared into the morning mist in a few leaps.

Yun Shuyao stood by the window, looking in the direction he disappeared, and felt a strange sense of peace in her heart.

Chun Tao peeked in from the courtyard gate, and only dared to come in after seeing Xiao Fang leave.

"Miss, is he alright?"

Yun Shuyao shook her head, turned around and walked to the table. Looking at the note with the mark on it, her eyes gradually darkened.

I will visit my uncle tomorrow and the Su family mansion the day after.

It's time to make the next move in this game.

Just as Yun Shuyao finished checking the accounts with Chunzhi, Chuntao's angry voice came from outside.

"What are you doing here? My young lady has no interest in learning those rules!"

She put down her pen and saw two wedding attendants dressed in brand-new clothes walk in, holding a booklet wrapped in red silk in their hands, their faces plastered with overly enthusiastic smiles.

"Miss Yun, this old servant was sent by the Duke to teach you the etiquette for your wedding day."

"I won't learn it."

Yun Shuyao spoke calmly, but her eyes held a cold glint.

These two women are trusted servants of Aunt Feng. Their visit must have been a ploy to bewitch my father and bring bad luck upon himself.

The smile on the head matchmaker's face froze for a moment, and she took out a letter from her sleeve.

"The Duke said that if you refuse to learn, he will personally come to invite you back to his residence, and then..."

"I don't need to read the letter."

Yun Shuyao interrupted her, her expression neither surprised nor angry.

"Go back and tell Aunt Feng to stop playing these tricks, or I'll tell Father about her brother using the Duke's mansion's money to pay off gambling debts."

Chun Tao, stomping her feet in anger, finally couldn't help but interject:

"A concubine, in the end, is nothing more than a servant with some semblance of dignity."

Even if you're learning etiquette, there's no need for someone of low status to teach it.

Who do you take our young lady for? She's the legitimate daughter, how dare you insult her!

"Someone come here!"

Chuntao gave a low shout.

"Throw those two disrespectful bastards out of here!"

Yun Shuyao watched the whole thing coldly without saying a word, clearly acquiescing to Chun Tao's words and actions.

The two wedding attendants froze, their hands still holding the booklets they had opened, their faces contorted with rage as they were insulted by a young maid.

But Chun Tao was right, and the fact that the young lady mentioned Aunt Feng's brother's gambling debts made them hesitant to act rashly.

Her fingernails dug deep into her palms, and she dared not use any of the methods she had planned.

"Hmph! You lowly servant dare to insult my aunt. When I get back, I will tell the Duke exactly what you said."

We don't need you to chase us away; we can walk on our own.

Just as the two were about to turn and leave gracefully, they were stopped by the tall and burly Zhao Hu and his men.

"Guard Zhao."

Yun Shuyao spoke calmly.

"These two servants dare to talk like that in front of their master, breaking the rules."

Slap each of them fifty times in the face, then throw them out into the street.

"You can't hit me, we belong to Aunt Feng!"

The two old women turned pale and retreated tremblingly.

Zhao Hu and his men pinned the man down and, without a word, began slapping him repeatedly.

Chun Tao looked at the young lady sipping tea and couldn't help but show a hint of anxiety.

Consort Feng was the Duke's favorite, and no one in the mansion could touch her.

She had originally intended to just kick the person out, but now that the young lady had hit her, things would be difficult to handle later.

Yun Shuyao guessed what Chuntao was worried about, but what the little girl didn't know was that the accounts she had just settled with Chunzhi were her mother's dowry property.

When she came of age, her mother handed over all these businesses to her to manage.

Over the years, the Duke's mansion has been supported by these industries.

She had given this father a chance before, but he made the wrong choice!