Transmigrated into the body of the vicious first wife of a fallen prime minister

For a long time, Qi He couldn't forget the look in Shang Jue's eyes when he turned around.

I woke up several times from my dreams, the hoarse, trembling question still echoing in my ears.

After Shang Jue was taken away by the officials, Qi Lanlan temporarily took over Juxian.

The Qi family suffered a severe blow after this ordeal, and remained submerged for quite some time.

Not long after Qi He returned to Qianjin Tower, she received news that Shang Jue's case was too far-reaching to be tried in Jinling and had to be transferred to the capital.

The matter of divorce was thus repeatedly delayed.

Later, Qi He became too lazy to care anymore. In any case, she would be running away in half a year, and by then she would be gone. What would that marriage certificate mean then?

The capital was, after all, Shang Jue's territory, so she wasn't worried about him at all.

Seeing that she was gloomy all day, Hu Ying would come to comfort her every few days, saying that there were plenty of men in the world, so why bother to fixate on that one?

Qi He wasn't depressed because of business acumen. The male protagonist thrived in the capital and within half a year, he overthrew his mother, took control of the business, and reached the pinnacle of his life.

She was clearly worried about herself.

Qi He was indeed down for a while, and even Qi Zheng noticed it. However, everyone knew why, and no one in the entire household dared to mention Shang Jue's name. They spoke to her cautiously, afraid of upsetting her.

Actually, Qi He wasn't that sad. She just didn't want to go out and spent all her free time at the martial arts gym.

Shang Jue's trip to Yun Jing completely turned his life around; if he came back, it would be the death of her. Who could be happy about that?

A month passed quickly, and the case of Shang Jue was finally solved.

Lu Dong, the former manager of Juxian, died in his own home. All the evidence pointed to him committing suicide out of fear of punishment. His suicide note specified the whereabouts of the goods, which turned out to be money he had embezzled to pay off gambling debts.

The cargo ships were found at sea, and all their cargo was intact.

Shang Jue's injustice was cleared, but the day he left the yamen, he seemed to have vanished into thin air, and no one knew where he went.

When Qi He heard this news, she felt a little more at ease.

Only she knew that Shang Jue had returned to the Shang family.

Before long, the situation in the capital will change.

The merchant's eldest son, who had been missing for two years, has reappeared in public, and the capital city will soon welcome a new figure.

After this matter was resolved, Qi He, who was far away in Jinling, gradually returned to his normal life.

She lived alone in Qianjin Tower. After Shang Jue left, several servants were hired to take care of her.

Summer arrived in the blink of an eye, and the name Shang Jue was gradually no longer mentioned in the Qi family. Even the old lady who loved him the most stopped mentioning it.

Qi He celebrated her 22nd birthday at the end of May.

At the birthday banquet, the old lady's old habit resurfaced; after the meal, she pulled her aside and asked when the wedding would be held.

Qi He then remembered that last spring, she had indeed chosen an auspicious day to set her and Shang Jue's wedding date for July of this year.

Bringing up old stories feels like a lifetime ago.

Qi He's feelings were complicated for a moment, but she quickly calmed down.

Grandmother, rest assured, the day when Shang Jue returns to Jinling is not far off.

They'll even hold a wedding ceremony then; it'll be more like a ghost marriage.

She only muttered a casual remark to herself, never expecting it to come true.

Just one month after his birthday, a summit of merchants from the southern provinces was held in Nanjing.

Merchants from all over flocked to this place.

Logically, the Qi family, being the most prominent family in Jinling, should have been the host. However, after the incident at Juxian, the Qi family's influence declined significantly, and the hosting responsibility fell to the Liu family, another long-established family in Jinling.

Although he didn't have to worry about the summit, Qi Zheng was still extremely busy this month.

Seeing this, Qi He felt embarrassed to stay idle at home, and the second young lady of Qi, who had been silent for half a year, finally reappeared in front of people.

The gossip that had been circulating for half a year finally reached the person in question, and everyone eagerly gathered around to inquire.

The Qi family could no longer keep it a secret; many people had already heard about Shang Jue and Qi He's divorce.

It was bad enough that she married a poor boy of unknown origin, but in the end, she was dumped by him. Miss Qi has completely lost face, yet she still dares to come out to a banquet.

In an instant, all sorts of gazes fell on Qi He—some curious, some mocking, and some waiting to see a good show.

The wealthy young men of Jinling are masters of reading the winds and changing their allegiance.

When the Qi family was in trouble, the news spread throughout the circle. Qi He used to have some friends with whom he maintained superficial relationships, but after the incident, even these superficial relationships were severed.

She stayed home for half a year, and not a single person invited her out.

Qi He didn't care about this. After all, even her marriage prospects were fragile, let alone her friendships.

Today is the birthday of the young master of the Liu family, and Qi He has come to the banquet alone.

She used to be surrounded by a large entourage whenever she appeared, but today she seemed unusually deserted.

She didn't join the crowd, but found a corner to sit down and slowly sipped her honey water.

People nearby thought she couldn't hear and whispered about her.

"Have you heard? Is it true that Qi He got a divorce? Wasn't it said that she initiated the divorce? How come she got dumped?"

"If she said she brought it up, then it really was her. If it really was her, why did she stay at home for half a year and dare not go out?"

Qi He heard everything clearly and silently picked up the honey water and took a sip.

Gentlemen, could you please keep your voices down? She's still sitting here.

Also, why spread rumors that she's hiding and afraid to see people?

Can't she just suddenly want to stay home?

The two men started whispering again: "You're right. Qi He is so concerned about her image, she definitely won't tell the truth if she's dumped by a man."

"It's all her fault for acting like a social butterfly all day long, looking down on everyone. Now her husband has run away and is dragging her down with him. It's all her karma."

Then, the conversation shifted to the young master of the Liu family.

Compared to her down-on-her-luck situation, the Liu family is currently in power, and young Master Liu has become a highly sought-after prize.

"Young Master Liu is much more respectable, unlike some people who only have a pretty face."

"What else does Qi He have besides that face? Young Master Liu has actually studied properly."

Qi He lowered her eyes in shame. In fact, she had also entered the academy on her own merit back then.

"I heard that Young Master Liu will also be attending this summit with his father?"

"He was given important responsibilities as soon as he came back, unlike Qi He, who was a good-for-nothing and was spoiled by her older brother."

"Would her older brother dare to let her get involved with Juxian? She can't even keep an eye on her own man."

"That's right, the losses amounted to more than a dozen shiploads of goods, hahaha—"

A crisp slap interrupted the gossip in the corner.

The woman covered her face and looked up, where five finger marks were clearly visible.

Hu Ying, dressed in a dark green brocade robe embroidered with gold, walked out from the crowd and looked down at her. She was holding a handkerchief in her hand and slowly wiping her fingertips, as if she had touched something dirty.

"Are you sick?!"

"I think you're the one who's sick. You can't even keep your mouth shut. Didn't your mother teach you any manners?" Hu Ying said in a cool tone, tossing the handkerchief on the table with her nail polished fingertips.

"If I haven't taught you, then I don't mind teaching you on behalf of the Marquis of Zhennan's household!"

Upon hearing this, the woman's face turned pale and then red with anger.

But in the end, he didn't dare say anything more.

Young Master Liu finally arrived to smooth things over.

Hu Ying casually took Qi He's arm and said indifferently, "I thought you, Young Master Liu, were so busy that you forgot your ears at home and couldn't hear people gossiping here? Or have you started doing good deeds and invited just anyone in?"

Young Master Liu knew things were about to go wrong as soon as he saw Hu Ying.

Qi He has a bad temper, and Hu Ying is just as bad. If the two of them get together, they can turn his table upside down.

He quickly put on a fawning smile: "What's wrong? Who has offended our young lady again?"

Hu Ying rolled her eyes lightly and glanced meaningfully at the two of them: "Why don't you ask them?"

Her outburst drew everyone's attention to Qi He.

Hu Ying leaned close to Qi He's ear without making a sound, and whispered boastfully, "How was it? Was I impressive enough just now?"

Looking at her self-righteous face, Qi He finally managed a slight smile after holding back for so long. She took the cup of honey water from her hand, lowered her head, took a sip, and said nothing.

My dearest girl, forever.