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

Old house.

Yun Shuyao had just settled down on the veranda and hadn't even turned two pages of the account book in her hand when a commotion arose outside the courtyard.

"Get out of the way! I need to see Yun Shuyao!"

It was Gu Jinghuai's voice, filled with suppressed anger.

Zhao Hu led two guards forward to stop them, holding an iron ruler in his hand, and shouted in a deep voice:

"Young Master Gu, please leave! My young lady does not receive guests!"

"Get out of here!"

Gu Jinghuai tried to push the guard aside, and his gray-blue brocade robe was forced open, revealing the moon-white undergarment underneath.

"This dilapidated old house dares to block the way of the Marquis of Yong'an's family?"

"Let him in."

Yun Shuyao spoke coldly.

Zhao Hu and the others immediately made way, but still followed closely behind to protect Gu Jinghuai, fearing that he might do something out of line.

Gu Jinghuai strode in, his gaze landing on Yun Shuyao like that of a hawk.

The woman was dressed in a plain-colored dress, her jet-black hair loosely tied back. She was holding a cup of tea and sipping it slowly.

When he barged in, she didn't even lift her eyelids, as if he were just an insignificant breeze.

"Yun Shuyao!"

Gu Jinghuai stood at the bottom of the stone steps, his chest heaving violently.

"Do you really have to go this far?"

Yun Shuyao then raised her eyes, her clear pupils calm and still, like a frozen lake.

"Is this all the young master Gu has done to graciously invite you here?"

"Yu Yan has been ruined by you, you jealous woman!"

Gu Jinghuai's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

"She was an unmarried girl who was sent to a filthy place like the brothel. Her life was ruined!"

"You really can't tolerate her?"

Gu Jinghuai stepped onto the stone steps, looking down at Yun Shuyao with a questioning gaze in his eyes.

"I told you long ago that she and I are just cousins, and we have never done anything inappropriate!"

Why won't you believe me?

Yun Shuyao put down her cup, her voice calm.

"Young Master Gu is probably mistaken."

"Su Yuyan's current predicament is due to Su Wenbin's resale of military rations and the substitution of inferior goods. What does it have to do with me?"

"If it weren't for you..."

"If Su Wenbin hadn't committed crimes and tried to pin the blame on innocent people, he wouldn't be in this predicament now."

Yun Shuyao interrupted him, her eyes filled with icy coldness when she looked up.

"If Su Wenbin uses moldy grain to impersonate military rations, and the soldiers on the front lines are poisoned, wouldn't they be wronged?"

Gu Jinghuai's words stuck in his throat.

"The women of the Su family spend that dirty money, wearing gold and silver, but have they never thought about how much blood of soldiers is stained with that money?"

Yun Shuyao stood up, her figure slender yet ramrod straight.

"Now that the truth has come out, it's my fault?"

"What kind of logic is that?"

Her voice was not loud, but every word was clear, like pebbles hitting ice, crisp and clear, with an undeniable power.

Looking at her calm face, Gu Jinghuai felt a sudden surge of anger.

He always felt that the Yun Shuyao in front of him was completely different from the gentle and obedient woman in his memory.

Her gaze was so calm, as if she were looking at a stranger.

"My prince..."

Gu Jinghuai took a deep breath, suppressed his surging emotions, and calmed his voice.

"I want to live a good life with you."

The position of Crown Princess, the future mistress of the Yong'an Marquis's mansion—aren't these enough?

"I don't care."

Yun Shuyao said calmly:

"The good life of Prince Gu is earned by stepping on the blood and tears of others. I cannot accept such 'favor'."

"you!"

Gu Jinghuai choked and turned pale.

"Yun Shuyao, don't push your luck!"

The marriage certificate has been changed, and it's been registered with the government. You belong to me, Gu Jinghuai, for the rest of your life.

Want to call off the engagement? No way!

He stepped forward, almost touching her, his tone threatening.

"Once you step through the gates of the Marquis's mansion, I'll see how stubborn you still are!"

The air froze instantly.

Zhao Hu and the others gripped their iron rods tightly, waiting for Yun Shuyao's command to advance.

Yun Shuyao raised her hand to signal them to step back, her gaze never leaving Gu Jinghuai's face, which was filled with hostility.

She suddenly laughed, but the laughter didn't reach her eyes; only a very faint curve appeared at the corner of her lips, like mockery or pity.

"Young Master Gu, you should save your breath."

She took a step back, creating some distance.

"I will never set foot in the gates of the Marquis of Yong'an's mansion again in my entire life."

Her voice was as soft as a sigh, yet it carried an undeniable resolve.

"Better to be a shattered jade than a whole tile. I'm giving you this advice."

Gu Jinghuai clenched his fists tightly, his mind uncontrollably replaying his past life.

The sight of Yun Shuyao resolutely smashing the jade bracelet before her death pierced my heart, but I quickly regained my composure.

Looking into the woman's clear yet cold eyes, he suddenly realized that anything he said would be superfluous.

This woman was determined to oppose him.

"Okay, very good."

He gritted his teeth and said, word by word:

"You wait."

After saying that, he turned around abruptly and strode out of the courtyard, the pebbles under the eaves crunching under his feet.

Yun Shuyao only slowly withdrew her gaze when she heard the sound of horses' hooves fading away outside the courtyard gate.

She looked down at the ledger and gave a cold laugh.

Did Gu Jinghuai think that by changing the marriage certificate, he could trap her?

I will collect all the debts from my past life, with interest, in this one.

"Spring Branch".

Yun Shuyao raised her eyes, the coldness she had shown towards Gu Jinghuai was gone, replaced by a sharper edge.

"Bring me pen and ink."

Chunzhi was a quick and efficient maid who had previously studied under the Qin family's accountant for several years.

Hearing this, he immediately responded, bringing over the inkstone and Xuan paper, grinding the ink quickly and steadily.

"Make sure to record all the accounts from these years, one by one."

Yun Shuyao tapped the records in the ledger with her fingertip.

"Lady Su, wife of the Marquis of Yong'an, took the silver from you under the guise of 'working capital,' 'emergency,' and 'temporary loan.'"

"List out all the jewelry, precious stones, and my dowry that I've kept hidden away—everything that hasn't been returned."

She paused, then added:

"Write the words bigger and clearer."

Chunzhi nodded in agreement, her wrist flexing as she dipped her brush in ink.

She had been holding back her anger ever since she moved from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to this old house with Yun Shuyao.

When has her young lady ever suffered such an injustice?

The Marquis of Yong'an's family squandered the young lady's money and then tried to control her; it was simply outrageous!

In less than half an hour, a form as tall as half a person was completed.

The list was densely packed with entries.

Yun Shuyao glanced at it and nodded in satisfaction.

"Zhao Hu".

Guard leader Zhao Hu immediately walked in from the corridor, clasped his hands and bowed.

"Miss."

"Take the list and gather all the guards in the manor."

Yun Shuyao handed him the completed form.

"Make a big fuss and head to the Marquis of Yong'an's mansion to collect the debt!"

Zhao Hu's eyes lit up, and he almost couldn't help but laugh when he took the order.

"yes!"

Soon, the old house gate opened.

Yun Shuyao, dressed in plain clothes, boarded a low-key blue cloth carriage.

Zhao Hu led seventy guards, carrying the large document at the front.

Two guards carried a bronze gong and banged it loudly, the sound echoing through the alley.

"The Marquis of Yong'an's household borrows but never returns it—"

Zhao Hu shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice so loud it could be heard halfway down the street.

"On the sixth day of the third month, Su borrowed a gold headband inlaid with rubies and has not returned it."

"On May 21, Su borrowed 5,000 taels of silver, citing insufficient funds for the Marquis's household, but has not yet repaid it."

On the third day of the seventh month, Su took a pair of mutton-fat jade bracelets from her daughter's dowry, saying they were for "temporary use," and never returned them.

"..."

"A total of 303,000 taels of silver and 127 pieces of precious jewelry were borrowed."

"The Marquis of Yong'an's household has borrowed money and has not returned it. Please, everyone, judge this matter!"