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

Xiao Fang turned her body around, looked into her eyes, and said:

"Isn't it customary for the husband to accompany his wife back to her parents' home on the day of her return visit?"

Yun Shuyao couldn't help but compare them in her mind. Yes, even the most unruly playboy knew this principle.

"My main concern is for my mother. I'm afraid she'll be implicated by me and punished by my father."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Fang's expression turned completely cold.

Upon hearing the word "punishment," he immediately thought of the whip marks on Yun Shuyao's back.

God knows how much it pained him when he saw those crisscrossing scars.

I heard that she was beaten by her eldest brother. Tomorrow is her homecoming, and he'll settle this score with his brother-in-law first.

At this moment, the butler ran over with a happy expression to report.

"Greetings, Your Highness and Your Highness's Consort. The Prince has sent a trusted confidant back from the border."

Captain Feng rode at breakneck speed for two days and delivered the keys to the prince's private treasury.

They said it would be entrusted to the Crown Princess for safekeeping from now on.

Xiao Fang reached out and took the key, then asked a question.

"What else did he say?"

"That's all."

The manager shook his head.

Just this one sentence.

Xiao Fang was silent for a moment, then smiled again.

"Come on, let me pick out some imperial jewelry for you."

The old man's storeroom is full of treasures, which he usually keeps hidden away, but this time he's being quite generous.

Yun Shuyao could sense the subtle atmosphere between the father and son, but she didn't ask any further questions.

However, one thing is certain: the Prince of Zhenbei's actions were a silent expression of his approval of his daughter-in-law.

The Marquis's villa.

Unable to bear the cold treatment from the people in the mansion, Gu Jinghuai brought Su Yuyan to his former residence.

They stood at the entrance of the manor, and what they saw was indeed a scene of desolation. The wind swirled dry grass clippings that stung their faces.

He remembered clearly that every time he returned to this place in his previous life, the scenery was always beautiful.

Su Yuyan would set up a stone table under the peach tree, brew some pre-rain Longjing tea, and accompany her son to practice calligraphy.

Yu Yan would embroider a handkerchief beside her, and flower petals would fall into her hair, making her look as beautiful as a painting.

Back then, the village had gleaming bluestone paths, decorative palace lanterns hanging under the eaves, and top-notch cooks.

Zhuangzi was the place he loved to stay in his previous life.

But now—

The peach tree was completely bare, without a single flower or new leaf, and its trunk was covered in moss, so it must be dead.

As you walk further in, the weeds in the courtyard are almost knee-high. There is no stone table, no swing, only a broken wooden door with a large crack.

"What happened?"

Gu Jinghuai's voice was strained; he had clearly instructed the people on the estate to take good care of the people.

An old woman with a hunched back peeked out from the kitchen, holding a chipped earthenware pot in her hand.

"Reporting to...Young Master, the money here has been cut off for a long time. No one has taken care of this courtyard, and it has become so dilapidated in just half a month."

"Where is the person in charge of the estate?"

Gu Jinghuai persisted in asking, unwilling to give up.

"Reporting to the young master, a while ago someone came to the manor and transferred Steward Zhang back, and all the servants were also dismissed."

"They say...the manor is short of money and doesn't have enough to support so many people..."

"No spare money?"

Gu Jinghuai turned around abruptly, glaring at Granny Su, his eyes practically spitting fire.

"My half-brother bought an inkstone yesterday, and it cost him 180 taels of silver."

"You don't have any spare money when it comes to me?"

The old woman trembled at his shout and retreated timidly, not daring to say another word.

Su Yuyan's eyes reddened again.

"Husband... how can anyone live in this place...?"

"Why can't people live there? If you don't like it, just tidy it up!"

Gu Jinghuai gets angry whenever he sees her tears.

Given Su Yuyan's useless character, how could I have ever found her lovable in my past life?

The woman's voice grew softer and softer, but it still carried a sob.

"Husband, why is this place so dilapidated? How are we going to clean it up?"

"Perhaps...we should go back to the Marquis's residence..."

"I won't reply!"

Gu Jinghuai took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his heart, and turned to walk towards the main room.

It was colder inside than outside. The tables and chairs were covered with a thick layer of ash, and there were only a few embers left in the charcoal brazier. The firewood was crackling and burning, and the smoke was so thick that it was hard to open one's eyes.

He lifted the tablecloth, looking for a clean cup, but found that the porcelain bowls in the cupboard were either chipped or covered in dark stains.

"Where's the cook? Tell her to boil some water!"

The old woman slowly moved in.

"Young master, there is no cook here. This old servant used the last of the coarse rice to cook porridge. Would you... would you like to make do with this?"

The porridge in the bowl was so thin you could see your reflection in it, with a few grains of uncooked rice floating on top, and it had a strange smell.

Gu Jinghuai felt a churning in his stomach and abruptly pushed the bowl aside.

"Is this even edible?"

"The government has stopped sending grain; this little bit is what my old woman grew herself..."

The old woman muttered to herself.

"Miss Yun used to have rice and charcoal delivered to her, and she also received a monthly allowance. Now..."

"Shut up!"

Gu Jinghuai interrupted her, his chest aching with a tightness.

Yes, the fact that this estate is kept so well is definitely because of her management.

He simply assumed that Zhuangzi was good by nature, never imagining that behind that "peaceful and quiet life" was her quiet and unassuming management.

"what!"

Su Yuyan suddenly screamed and pointed at the spider web in the corner of the wall.

"How can anyone live in this place? There isn't even a maid to serve you!"

Back home, someone would hand me water when I drank it. Although my father was only a fifth-rank official, our family…”

"Your father?"

Gu Jinghuai turned his head sharply, his eyes like poisoned knives.

"Your father is no longer a quartermaster; he's now an exiled convict. And you, you better recognize your place."

Even if you're redeemed, you'll still be a lowly slave. Do you think you can wear gold and silver? Don't you even know if you deserve it!

Su Yuyan's face turned deathly pale instantly.

"Cousin...how could you say that about me?"

Did I say something wrong?

He approached step by step, his voice as cold as ice.

"If he hadn't been so greedy, would the Su family have been raided? Would you have been able to enter the brothel?"

Will I miss my auspicious time with Shu Yao because I'm saving you?

If you hadn't pestered me that day, I wouldn't have been just one step too late!

"I……"

Su Yuyan was completely speechless, and even forgot to shed tears.

"You still dare to mention your past life?"

Gu Jinghuai's voice suddenly rose, filled with long-suppressed anger.

"If I hadn't rescued you from the brothel, you'd probably be enjoying yourself under some man's body right now!"

Still want to be a prostitute?

Su Yuyan, don't forget that your father didn't register you because he thought you were dirty. Do you really think you're some kind of precious princess?

These words were like whips, lashing Su Yuyan's face hard.

She staggered backward, bumping into the door frame, and stared at him in disbelief.

"Cousin...how could you say that about me?"

She believed that her cousin truly loved her, which was why he insisted on marrying her despite the Marquis of Yong'an's objections.

Little did she know that in her cousin's heart, she would always be that lowly slave from the brothel.

Looking at her pale face, Gu Jinghuai felt no pity, only a twisted sense of pleasure.

All the anger and resentment he had suffered at the Marquis's mansion these past few days, the hatred he felt from being humiliated by his half-brother, and the despair brought by this dilapidated estate, seemed to be able to be vented through this outburst of cursing.

Su Yuyan suddenly covered her face, cried, and ran out, disappearing without a trace.

Gu Jinghuai stood there, his chest heaving violently.

The smoke in the room grew thicker and thicker, making him cough, but he couldn't be bothered to pay it any mind.

Looking at the overgrown weeds in the yard, the bare peach trees, and the bowl of unpalatable coarse rice porridge, he suddenly found it all incredibly ridiculous.

He thought that by returning here, he could regain the peace he had in his previous life.

But they forgot that the peace and stability were never brought by this manor, but by Yun Shuyao.

She's gone, and the place has become a ruin.

The wind blew in through the cracks in the broken window, making the candlelight flicker and casting his lonely shadow.

He slowly squatted down, hugged his knees, and for the first time truly realized...

What he lost was never a manor or the power of a noble family, but a person he could not lose.

But he caused all of this himself.

In the distance came the faint sound of Su Yuyan crying, echoing through the empty manor, like a mournful elegy for this belated awakening.

The next day, at the Duke of Zhenguo's residence.

Xiao Fang helped Yun Shuyao down from the carriage, and the two walked directly into the inner courtyard without waiting for the gatekeeper to announce their arrival.

On the way, all the servants looked at Yun Shuyao with strange expressions.

She stopped someone.

Where is my mother?

The servant turned pale and stammered:

"The lady has disappeared. The Duke has been searching for her for several days, but she can't be found anywhere."