After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

The imperial decree to lift the city's lockdown had just been issued when Lu Huai eagerly took the maple leaf to the General's Mansion. A carriage was parked at the entrance of the mansion, bearing the Jiang family's insignia. Qingzhi was talking to the coachman when she caught sight of Lu Huai, and her expression turned cold.

Knowing she disliked him, Lu Huai took a deep breath and slowly stepped forward: "Is Yunniang ill?"

Qingzhi rolled her eyes at him and said coldly, "Can't you wish our young lady well for once, Lord Marquis?"

Seeing that Qingzhi had misunderstood, Lu Huai quickly said, "That's not what I meant. I was worried about Yunniang!"

Qingzhi shrugged and snorted coldly, "The sun has really risen in the west! Even the dignified Marquis Lu cares about our young lady. Thank you for your concern, Marquis. Since our divorce, our young lady has been doing very well."

In the past, if Qingzhi had given him such a sarcastic rebuke, Lu Huai would have turned around and left immediately. But today, he patiently explained, "All the past events were my fault. I have wronged Yunniang. I have come here today because I have something to ask Miss Qingzhi to inform you."

Qingzhi had never seen Lu Huai so humble before, and couldn't help but mutter, "But it's my young lady..."

“Yuan’er…” Lu Huai hesitated for a moment.

He came because of Maple Leaf; he wanted to know if Xie Chaoyun was the one who saved him at the academy back then. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back. He knew he hadn't treated Xie Chaoyun well, and he knew Qingzhi disliked him. If he told the truth, she definitely wouldn't let him in. After a moment's hesitation, he looked into Qingzhi's eyes.

"It is indeed related to Yuan'er. Please inform her, young lady."

Since it concerned Lu Zhiyuan, Qingzhi dared not delay. She pointed out the place where the carriage was to be parked to the coachman and led Lu Huai into the mansion.

With his changed status, his mindset as he entered the general's mansion also changed.

Before their marriage, he had visited Xie Chaoyun's mansion many times, but each time he was turned away at the gate. At that time, he presented himself as someone deeply devoted to Xie Chaoyun. Regardless of what others said or the weather, his eyes and heart were only for Xie Chaoyun. He never paid attention to how high the steps of the general's mansion were, how thick the doors were, or how cold the guards' faces were.

Later, he married Xie Chaoyun as he wished, becoming General Xie's son-in-law. His first visit as a son-in-law to the general's mansion was met with coldness and hostility; everyone seemed to dislike him, as if he had committed some heinous crime. Looking back now, he realizes that it was simply that the Xie family felt he was unworthy of Xie Chaoyun; they harbored no ill will towards him, and it was he who felt resentment.

The general's mansion was small, only half the size of the Marquis of Pingnan's mansion. The paint on the wooden doors was black, similar to General Xie's armor, giving it an indescribable, heavy, and gloomy feel.

The courtyard was devoid of any festive flowers or plants, but several wooden stakes stood upright, presumably for martial arts practice. Passing through the front yard, one arrived at the back, where several maids were busy at work. The maids all looked surprised when they saw Lu Huai.

Lu Huai recognized them; they were all maids who used to serve in Chaoyun Courtyard, and they shared the same opinion of him as Qingzhi.

Nodding slightly, the maids' expressions became even more exaggerated, as if they had seen some strange monster.

There was no one in the room. After asking the maid, I learned that Xie Chaoyun was practicing swordsmanship in the backyard.

Lu Huai had never seen Xie Chaoyun practice swordsmanship; the only time he saw her practice martial arts was on the second day of their marriage. His wedding night with Xie Chaoyun was far from perfect. He got drunk and, in his drunken state, questioned his father about whether things had gone as he wished. His father rebuked him, and his mother, defending him, argued with his father, resulting in a huge fight on their wedding night.

Xie Chaoyun, unaware of the truth and being a newlywed, was caught in the middle and inevitably in a difficult position. She heard from the servants that she had cared for him until late into the night before finally resting. Before dawn, she went to pay her respects to her mother, kneeling for almost half an hour before her mother accepted the tea from her hands.

He woke up an hour later than usual. When he stepped out of the bedroom, he saw her practicing boxing in the courtyard. She didn't mention a word about the grievances she suffered on their wedding night or the difficulties she faced when serving tea. Instead, she thoughtfully brought him some hangover soup.

The memory paused, and with a clanging sound in the air, a silver spear pierced through the air. Lu Huai opened his eyes wide and saw a woman in red grasp the spear shaft, sweeping the spearhead across the top of his head. He subconsciously closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the woman in red had already landed on the ground with the spear. He didn't know what kind of spear technique it was, only that his entire being was captivated by her.

"Yun Niang——"

"I was unaware of your arrival, Lord Marquis, and failed to greet you properly; this was improper of me." Xie Chaoyun handed the silver spear to Qingzhi. "What brings you here, Lord Marquis?"

"I—" Lu Huai glanced at Qingzhi: "Should I say it here?"

Qingzhi was about to leave when Xie Chaoyun called her back.

“Qingzhi is not an outsider, and besides, the Marquis and I are already divorced, so it's not appropriate to speak in private to avoid misunderstandings.” Xie Chaoyun sat down and poured himself a cup of tea: “Would the Marquis like a cup?”

Lu Huai quickly sat down: "May I?"

"A guest is a guest, please, Your Excellency!" Xie Chaoyun poured him a cup of tea. "Your Excellency has come here because of Yuan'er? Although Yuan'er is a daughter of the Marquis's family, she is not recorded in the family genealogy. If Your Excellency finds her an eyesore in the mansion, you may send her to the General's Mansion. I am her birth mother and will never mistreat her."

“I’ve seen how good you are to Yuan’er!” Lu Huai said urgently. “I will take care of the family tree matter. Yuan’er is my daughter, the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Pingnan’s family, and that will never change. Yun Niang, everything that happened in the past was my fault, and I will make amends. I swear that I will never wrong you and your daughter in the future.”

"The oath you made, Lord Marquis, is too much. I'm afraid that when divine retribution comes, even the Thunder God won't know where to strike." Xie Chaoyun took a sip of tea. "You didn't come here for Yuan'er's sake, Lord Marquis?"

"The top is white, the bottom is black, like moonlight shining on the tea buds. It has a sweet taste and a lingering fragrance. This is Moonlight Beauty from the Southern Frontier. This tea was sent back by Young Master Xie through someone, wasn't it? I remember on the second day of our marriage, you brewed this very cup of tea for me."

“My lord is mistaken. Moonlight Beauty is white tea, and white tea is sweet and refreshing.” Xie Chaoyun turned the teacup. “The tea you drank that day was orchid tea, which is more precious than this Moonlight Beauty.”

“I have failed Yunniang’s good intentions.” Lu Huai finished his drink in one gulp and took out a maple leaf from his pocket: “I found this maple leaf in my father’s room, tucked inside a book. The words ‘Chaoyun’ are written on the back of the maple leaf. I want to know if it was written by Yunniang.”

Xie Chaoyun took the maple leaf and turned it over. The two characters "Chaoyun" were written in small regular script, each stroke extremely careful. Looking at it, Xie Chaoyun seemed to see herself from years ago. With a slight pressure of her fingertips, the originally dry maple leaf instantly cracked into pieces, scattering on the ground.

Lu Huai reached out to catch them, but all he caught were broken leaves.

"Yunniang, do you know what these maple leaves are—"

"A withered leaf, and you care so much about it, Marquis?" Xie Chaoyun stomped on the leaves on the ground. "Please, Marquis. Yunniang has to go out to inspect the shops, so I won't keep you any longer."

"Yunniang!" Lu Huai grabbed her sleeve: "Was it you who saved me at Songyang Academy back then?"

Xie Chaoyun shook him off, suppressing her anger: "What is the Marquis doing? The Marquis didn't care who saved him back then, but now you're asking me? Does the Marquis find it amusing to tease me again and again? Or does the Marquis think that I, Xie Chaoyun, have no temper at all?"