It's all ruined, who cares about the chastity arch

Young Master Guo glanced sideways and sneered, "This is called reaping what you sow. I heard from my father that the late emperor's will not only gave Princess Pingle the supreme status, but also made Chenyang and Anzhou her fiefdoms, and even allowed her to control the military power."

"Cousin, if you hadn't been divorced, even if you didn't become an official, you could have followed the princess to her fiefdom and lived a comfortable life as a prince."

"It's a pity that all this has nothing to do with you anymore."

"Fiefdom...military power?"

Hope rekindled in Zheng Chengyan's eyes.

Young Master Guo nodded calmly: "Yes, this is a grace that has not been seen in hundreds of years, which is enough to show the love of the late emperor for the princess. Cousin, these honors almost became yours."

These words were like a sharp blade, cutting Zheng Chengyan's heart.

Yes, if he had treated Su Wanyu well at the beginning, as her identity was revealed, the honor would naturally benefit him. Why would he go to such great lengths to curry favor with King Liang and get involved in the intrigues of the imperial examination?

Perhaps, his father would not have suffered such a misfortune.

Gu Linjun would not have the opportunity to take advantage of it; and he would not try to please others in a humbly manner like he is now.

As his thoughts raced, Zheng Chengyan's mind was in a mess again and he couldn't utter a complete sentence.

Master Guo looked at his cousin's face full of regret, and said with a hint of mockery: "Do you know you are wrong now? It's too late! The princess is so noble, even if you beg her to look at you more, I'm afraid she won't bother to show mercy."

"However, if you are willing to work as a groom in the princess's mansion, perhaps your former second brother's wife will remember the old times and give you some leftovers."

"Listen to your cousin, stop making unnecessary efforts, accept reality, and stop thinking about those crooked ways. If you want to stand out, you have to be down-to-earth and take it step by step."

Young Master Guo's sarcastic remarks were like a sharp sword, piercing Zheng Chengyan's heart.

His eyes gradually became focused, and the anger in his chest erupted like a volcano. He clenched his fists involuntarily and suddenly swung them towards Young Master Guo's face.

A crisp slapping sound echoed in the air.

This blow caused Master Guo to take several steps back and roared in disbelief: "How dare you hit me?!"

Zheng Chengyan lowered his head, his expression was as cold as ice, and his tone was as cold as iron: "Cousin, you don't need to worry about my affairs! You'd better not provoke me. Anyway, I have nothing. If you drag one more person into the water, I don't care about anything!"

Although Master Guo grew up with him and sometimes gave sincere advice, he showed his dissatisfaction when he saw Zheng Chengyan was so ungrateful: "Okay! Okay! I gave you some good advice, but you don't listen."

"From now on, I will not interfere in your affairs!"

"By the way, my father also specifically instructed that your Zheng family has already severed all ties with our Guo family. Do not force any further involvement in the future, so as to avoid causing the princess to have unnecessary dissatisfaction with our Guo family!"

Having said this, he flicked his sleeves lightly, then turned around and stepped onto the ornately decorated carriage.

He shouted at the driver: "Go! Go home quickly!"

The driver sensed the tense atmosphere in the air, and quickly adjusted direction, steering the horse out at full speed, escaping from the quiet and narrow alley.

The alley suddenly seemed empty and deserted, leaving only Zheng Chengyan, the second young master of Ning, alone. He looked lonely and particularly helpless.

He clutched a strand of his hair tightly, his mind was full of thoughts and confusion, his mental state was extremely tense, and it seemed that he might collapse at any time.

The occasional mournful cries of wild cats floating around seemed to mock this stupid and resentful person.

"Get out! Get away from me!"

Zheng Chengyan suddenly became furious. He grabbed stones from the ground and threw them at the innocent stray cats as if he had lost his mind.

The wild cats panicked and fled in all directions.

Zheng Chengyan almost fell down in the chase, one hand propped against the cold wall, his eyes red, his teeth chattering from excessive anger: "No, I don't believe it, he must be deceiving me! It's all lies!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he plunged into the embrace of the night and ran wildly towards the direction of the Su Mansion.

There were people coming and going on the narrow street. Zheng Chengyan rushed forward against the crowd regardless of everything, stumbling all the way and even accidentally knocking down several innocent pedestrians.

As the gate of the Su Mansion was just around the corner, he was accidentally tripped by someone and fell heavily to the ground with a dull sound.

"Ouch!"

He lay on the cold, hard ground and groaned in pain.

When he struggled to raise his head, he happened to catch a glimpse of Emperor Xuan slowly walking out of the gate of the Su Mansion.

The emperor had a happy face, and after walking a few steps, he gently said to the person behind him: "Sister, it is enough to send you here."

"Okay, then remember to return to the palace early and don't miss the court meeting tomorrow morning."

In the warm light of the red lanterns, Su Wanyu, wearing a goose yellow dress, walked lightly out of the mansion. Her gentle face was filled with a bright smile, and she still maintained her former graceful charm.

This scene made Zheng Chengyan's heart tremble suddenly. His outstretched hand froze in mid-air. He intended to call out, but at this moment, a passerby accidentally stepped on his hand.

The delicate and slender fingers that once held a pen to compose poetry made slight broken sounds under the rough straw sandals.

Zheng Chengyan suppressed the severe pain, clenched his teeth and did not let even a single moan escape.

He had been proud all his life, especially in front of Su Wanyu. At this moment, he absolutely did not want her to witness his desolation and helplessness.

Su Wanyu watched Emperor Xuan get on the carriage and leave. She seemed to hear some noise vaguely. She raised her eyes and looked around, only to see a bustling crowd.

She thought it was her own illusion, so she turned around and walked back into the mansion with the help of her maid Yun Yi, and the heavy door slowly closed.

Hiding in the dark alley, Zheng Chengyan dared to let go of his hands that were covering his mouth and gasped for breath. The frenzy just now seemed to be swallowed up by the night, leaving only endless silence.

He stood against the wall, with only one shoe left on his foot, and staggered towards the simple and dilapidated home.

At this moment, Zheng Chengyuan and Pei were standing at the door, anxiously waiting for his return.

Seeing him coming back, Zheng Chengyuan hurriedly went to meet him and asked eagerly: "How is it? Did you see the young lady from Pingxuan Marquis's Mansion?"

Zheng Chengyan's arms hung limply at his sides, his eyes looking blankly through the two of them. He walked straight into the house, oblivious to everything around him, and lay down directly on the shabby and thin bamboo bed.

"Second brother, what's wrong with you?"

Zheng Chengyuan walked quickly to his side, but Zheng Chengyan just curled up with his back to him, his arms folded, staring blankly ahead, motionless.

In his mind, the harsh words of Young Master Guo, as well as his insults and accusations against Su Wanyu, replayed over and over again. Every scene was vivid, cutting his heart like a sharp blade.