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

In the prison, Duke Rui tightly clutched two things: a bloodstained earring he had taken from Miss Li Er, and a red safety rope he had taken from the child to bind the blanket.

He watched Miss Li die.

At that moment, he felt not only indifferent, but even found this woman somewhat annoying. He wanted her only because she was the daughter-in-law of the An family, a tool he used to humiliate the An family and the imperial court. Yet, the way she looked at him made it seem as if he were a completely faithless man.

What a joke, he has no heart at all.

Even if there was a little left, it was given to Liniang and his child.

Because of his childhood experiences, he had never considered having his own child until he saw Li Niang. Li Niang came with many women, but unlike those who were crying and wailing, she was unusually calm and showed no fear. When she was locked in the dungeon, all the other women were crying, but she found a quiet corner and sat down.

Afterwards, he asked her why she was so calm, and she said, "What else could I do if I wasn't calm? Can crying change everything? If not, why cry?"

He sent people to investigate and found that she was not abducted by human traffickers, but was sold by her uncle and aunt.

Her father passed away when she was three years old. Her uncle and aunt wanted to seize their family's property and bullied her and her mother in various ways. At first, her mother would just hold her and cry, begging her uncle and aunt to take care of them for the sake of her deceased father and stop trying to bully them.

The more the mother cried and begged, the more outrageous they became.

My mother died in sorrow; she was only seven years old when she passed away. I knelt in front of my uncle and aunt's door all night before they took pity on me and gave me some money so that I could bury my mother next to my father.

The wind was strong that day, stinging her face. Kneeling before her parents' tombstones, she cursed for the first time in her life. She cursed her father for being useless, dying young and leaving her and her mother to be bullied. She cursed her mother for being cowardly, for not trying to fight back against her uncle and aunt, but instead dying in despair, leaving her alone to face their accusations.

They cursed, cried, added a handful of soil to their parents' graves, and went down the mountain without looking back.

Duke Rui found it strange; given Liniang's personality, she would never be sold by her uncle and aunt at such a young age. Liniang didn't hide it from him, saying that she had willingly been sold by her uncle and aunt.

Further investigation confirmed that she had done so voluntarily. Her uncle and aunt were reported to the authorities by their neighbors on the very day they sold her, and the entire family was arrested.

Li Niang did not deny that it was her doing, but knelt down in front of the table and humbly brewed tea for Duke Rui: "My uncle and aunt coveted our family's things, and their neighbors were also envious of their hard-earned gains. I only promised some petty benefits, and they united to send my uncle and aunt to jail."

Li Niang spoke calmly, as if she were talking about someone else's affairs.

Duke Rui was attracted to Li Niang because of her appearance, and because she liked to wear pale yellow clothes, which overlapped with the image of his mother in his dream, he developed special feelings for her.

The backyard of the Duke of Rui's mansion was like a small harem, filled with all sorts of women. Whether they competed for his affections or were jealous was unknown; he only knew that among all the women, Li Niang was the one he liked best. For a moment, such as when their child was born, he truly believed they could be an ordinary couple.

He forgot that Li Niang's personality destined her to never be an ordinary husband and wife with him. She hated her uncle and aunt, sending their entire family to prison in a way that resulted in heavy losses on both sides. How could she possibly be devoted to living with him?

When she became pregnant, she secretly bought medicine, which he discovered. She claimed she thought he didn't want the child because none of the concubines in the back courtyard had children. He swore to God that she should keep the child. The room was too dimly lit, so he misinterpreted the expression on her face. She wasn't crying tears of joy, but rather knowing that one day she would kill the child with her own hands.

In the dimly lit prison cell, the Duke of Rui covered his face with the gold hairpin and red string. His life had ultimately been a joke. He had parents, yet he didn't know who they were. Even as a duke, he still worked as a slave trader. He betrayed those who truly cared for him, falling in love with someone who didn't reciprocate his feelings. Finally becoming a father, he never heard his child call him a word; the child was gone.

Tears streamed down the gold hairpin, soaking into the red string, causing the red string to fade and mingling with the blood on the hairpin, staining his face red.

Duke Rui committed suicide with the gold hairpin he had given to Miss Li. Before he died, he placed the red string close to his heart.

The county magistrate reported the matter, and Lu Zhiyuan pondered for a moment before ordering that the Duke of Ruiguo be buried together with the child.

Physician An buried Miss Li Er in the Li family ancestral cemetery. On the day of the burial, he burned the marriage certificate at the graves of the Li family elders. He attributed all of Miss Li Er's misfortunes to his own fault, hoping that they would not blame her in the afterlife. She was just a weak woman, and all her choices were beyond her control.

Li Niang left, wearing the same clothes she wore when she was sent to the Duke's mansion.

After dinner, the Crown Prince accompanied Lu Zhiyuan for a walk on the path outside the estate. The moonlight was pale, the sky was full of stars, and a cool breeze blew gently across the mountains and fields. Zuo Yi followed behind them, about three meters away. Behind them were Liu Ying and Lu Yun.

Lu Yun, who had difficulty moving, needed Liu Ying's support. Liu Ying was talkative, chattering away the whole way. Lu Yun would occasionally reply with a few words, his tone revealing a hint of impatience. Zuo Yi couldn't help but speak up: "How can you be so ungrateful? Miss Liu Ying was just concerned about you, keeping you company so you wouldn't be bored. Look at your attitude! Anyone who didn't know better would think you were enemies. That girl owes you a hundred or two hundred taels of silver."

Liu Ying weakly raised her hand: "I do owe him eight hundred taels of silver!"

Zuo Yi was speechless at Liu Ying's words, and scratched his head as he stood there: "A mere eight hundred taels, I'll help you pay it back. From this moment on, you no longer need to be mindful of his feelings."

Lu Yun straightened up and gently pushed Liu Ying behind him, saying, "Why should the Left Guardian repay the silver that Liu Ying owes me? Eight hundred taels is no small sum."

"I'm here to help those in need, but I can't stand seeing you bully Miss Liuying like this." Zuo Yi stammered, "I'm His Highness the Crown Prince's guard, and Miss Liuying is the Crown Princess's personal maid. We're practically family. I'm happy to help Miss Liuying pay back her money. Just tell me if you accept or not."

The crown prince stopped, looked back, and asked Lu Zhiyuan, "Ah Yuan, aren't you going to try to persuade her?"

"I won't try to persuade them; let them handle their own affairs." Lu Zhiyuan looked at the simple pavilion in front of them and said, "I'm tired. Let's sit in that pavilion for a while."

"Are you feeling unwell? Should we fetch Physician Cui and Physician An?" the Crown Prince asked with some concern.

"Brother Crown Prince, have you forgotten that A-Yuan herself is a doctor? Don't worry, A-Yuan just wants to sit down and enjoy the moonlight, look at the stars, and listen to them bicker."

Upon entering the corridor, I noticed many symbols carved on a pillar. Examining them closely by the moonlight, I realized they were crooked, illegible characters written by a child.