She remarried a cold-faced, powerful man, and the scumbag regretted it and cried his heart out.

As May drew to a close, everyone in the Pingyang Marquis's residence was filled with worry, but Shen Jingshu herself knew the situation.

Inside the Shaoguang Courtyard, Shen Jingshu leaned against a soft couch, looking listless.

She had been feigning illness these past few days, so she hadn't been eating or sleeping well, and was indeed feeling quite tired, which is why she was feeling drowsy at this moment.

"Miss, it's time for your medicine." Yaoqin walked in carrying a bowl of dark, steaming medicinal soup.

Shen Jingshu frowned, her face contorted in a pained expression, and looked at Yaoqin pleadingly, "Can I not drink it?"

She was so tired of drinking this bitter medicine that she had to drink three large bowls every day, which was even more unbearable than torture.

Wuchen's voice came first from outside the window: "No."

Jinse smiled and said, "Miss, you should still drink it. Wuchen said that no matter how much you control the dosage, you've still been poisoned. You have to drink it, otherwise..."

"Otherwise, he would go and tell his young master."

Shen Jingshu replied irritably, took the medicine bowl, and drank it all in one gulp.

The bitter taste spread in her mouth, and her little face scrunched up like a bun. Jinse quickly handed her some candied fruit.

She will make Xie Wanqing pay for this suffering one day!

Jinse looked at her, hesitated for a long time, and then said, "Miss, I think your complexion has been getting worse these past few days. Why don't we ask Physician Xu to take another look?"

"No need." Shen Jingshu waved her hand. She knew that her body was fine; she just had to go all out with the act.

All she has to do now is wait, wait for the fish to take the bait.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The eight characters on the letter, "Defeat at Yangzhou, Zhao Yan captured," stung Wen Huaiqing's eyes like needles.

"Trash! A bunch of trash!"

Wen Huaiqing roared with barely suppressed rage. He raised his hand and waved it, and the jade brush washer on the table fell to the ground and shattered into several pieces. No one dared to step forward to clean it up.

The message, delivered at breakneck speed, turned out to be this!

The advisors in the room lowered their heads and dared not make a sound. They had followed Wen Huaiqing for many years and knew that when he was truly angry, something big was bound to happen.

His carefully laid plans for Yangzhou had been destroyed in a single day; how could he not be furious?

"That idiot Zhao Yan can't even handle such a small matter! And that Xie Wanqing, so clever of herself, ruined my important plans!"

"After years of painstaking effort, everything was about to succeed, but a bunch of idiots ruined it all!"

Wen Huaiqing's emotions teetered on the edge of rage, and even his breathing became somewhat labored.

After a long silence, an advisor mustered his courage and advised, "Your Highness, please calm down. The most important thing right now is how to deal with the situation that is about to unfold."

Wen Huaiqing paused for a moment, then continued, "Have them prepare to take action and make sure to control Shen Jingshu."

The advisors exchanged glances and then withdrew in unison.

Wen Huaiqing took a deep breath, walked to the window, and looked at the lush trees outside with a dark and unfathomable expression.

“Shen Jingshu…” He closed his eyes and murmured to himself, his voice low and cold, “Mo Yun, go and invite Fu Zijin to me.”

This was the first time Fu Zijin had been summoned back to the Prince Jing's residence since he met Wen Huaiqing four months prior.

He followed Mo Yun to Wen Huaiqing's study. Unexpectedly, Wen Huaiqing's attitude was amiable, as if the previous unpleasantness had never happened.

"Zijin is here, please sit down." He raised his chin, gesturing for Fu Zijin to sit down, with a rare gentleness in his expression.

This unusual attitude set off alarm bells in Fu Zijin's mind.

He calmly sat down opposite Wen Huaiqing, cupped his hands, and said, "I wonder what Your Highness has summoned me for?"

Wen Huaiqing merely toyed with the jade pendant in his hand and casually asked, "Have you heard about what happened in Yanzhou?"

Fu Zijin lowered his eyes, concealing the emotions within them. "What is Your Highness referring to?"

"That useless Zhao Yan has ruined my important plans." Wen Huaiqing sighed softly, his tone tinged with regret, as if he were only bothered by a trivial matter.

"Jiang Jin'an will be returning to the capital to report soon, and I'm afraid he will find out about us in no time."

He abruptly changed the subject, his voice suddenly becoming sharp.

“We?” Fu Zijin raised his eyes and looked directly into Wen Huaiqing’s eyes without flinching. “Why does Your Highness say this? I have said more than once that we must get rid of Jiang Jin’an as soon as possible.”

Wen Huaiqing was not annoyed by these words, and said, "I intend to personally deal with Shen Jingshu's troubles."

"Your Highness, please reconsider." Fu Zijin's dark eyes instantly turned cold, but his tone remained calm. "Although Shen Jingshu is a thorn in our side, she is also a useful pawn. If Your Highness takes action against her now, it may alert Jiang Jin'an and be detrimental to the overall situation."

"Oh?" Wen Huaiqing raised an eyebrow, looking at Fu Zijin with great interest.

“Your Highness’s enemies have never been Shen Jingshu, but Jiang Jin’an behind her, the Crown Prince, and… His Majesty.” Fu Zijin’s tone was devoid of any emotion. “Right now, the most important thing is to take advantage of Jiang Jin’an’s absence from the capital and expand our power as soon as possible to plan for the future.”

Given Wen Huaiqing's methods, once Shen Jingshu falls into his hands, she will surely face a near-death experience.

He cannot let that happen.

Meanwhile, Xie Wanqing was both excited and apprehensive when she learned that Wen Huaiqing had asked her to take action against Shen Jingshu.

Excitement stemmed from the fact that Shen Jingshu was finally going to die by his own hand; anxiety arose from the uncertainty of whether Wen Huaiqing's plan was thorough enough to allow him to escape unscathed.

Although she occasionally visited Shaoguang Hospital under the guise of visiting the sick, she didn't dare to be too presumptuous. After all, as long as Song Wan didn't speak, she couldn't be released from her confinement.

Having been confined to my home for many days, I was already feeling incredibly stifled. Now I finally have the chance to vent my anger.

"Shen Jingshu, you've finally met your match!" She looked in the mirror, stroking her smooth cheeks, her smile both smug and sinister.

"Feiyun, go and find my set of red jade headdresses," Xie Wanqing ordered.

That set of jewelry was quite valuable, and she usually wouldn't wear it, but today was the perfect opportunity to show it off.

Feiyun responded and left. She returned shortly with a carved sandalwood box and asked cautiously, "Miss, isn't your attire today, with that red jade headdress, a bit too flashy?"

"Show-off? I'll show off!" Xie Wanqing sneered. "I'll show Shen Jingshu what the difference between heaven and earth really is!"

She picked up the most ornate phoenix and peony hairpin from her headdress and examined it closely. The ruby ​​made her face even more radiant.

"The hairpin should have been mine." Xie Wanqing murmured to herself, her eyes filled with greed and jealousy, but Feiyun couldn't understand what she meant.

She then recalled the day she sent Biyi to deliver a letter, after which a servant from the manor came to deliver a message to her.

She clearly remembered that when the servant handed her the note, her palms were sweating with nervousness. She carefully hid the note in her sleeve, afraid that it would be discovered.

Back in her room, she eagerly opened the note, only to find a single line: "Hold your positions and wait for the right opportunity."

Xie Wanqing was somewhat disappointed. She had originally thought that Wen Huaiqing would assign her some important task, but instead, he just told her to continue waiting.

She was not content; she wanted more, she wanted to be superior to others, and she wanted to trample Shen Jingshu under her feet.

However, she also understood that Wen Huaiqing had his reasons for doing so.

She just needs to be obedient, and one day she will get everything she wants.

"Let's go! To Shaoguang Courtyard!" Xie Wanqing put on her headdress and got up to walk outside.

She wanted to see Shen Jingshu in such a sorry state with her own eyes!