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

The young master of the Cheng family was a notorious playboy in the capital. Relying on his family's wealth, he idled away his days indulging in idleness. Although he had not yet married a wife, he already had dozens of concubines and maids in his courtyard.

He chased after her, grabbed Xie Wanqing's wrist, and yelled at the top of his lungs, "You slept in my bed last night, and now you think you can just walk away? Where do you think I, Cheng Wenhao, put my face? No way! You have to take responsibility for me!"

Xie Wanqing was both ashamed and angry. She raised her hand to slap the other person, but Cheng Wenhao, who had been hanging around on the streets for many years, was much more agile than he looked. He easily stopped her hand and pulled her into his arms.

"Shameless scoundrel, how dare you treat me like this!" Xie Wanqing's eyes widened in anger.

"You heartless little woman, you were the one who threw yourself into my arms last night, and now you're pretending to be innocent?" Cheng Wenhao grinned and acted so self-righteously that anyone who saw him would find it utterly absurd.

Those around them covered their mouths and chuckled, whispering amongst themselves.

Shen Jingshu led Yaoqin and Jinse to stand in the shadows, with Jiang Jin'an standing behind her with his hands behind his back.

Chunlan knelt to one side, trembling all over, her face deathly pale.

The two maids had heard about the Jade Dragon Mountain incident from Shen Jingshu last night. Jinse, who had always disliked Xie Wanqing, now wished she were in the underworld. She kicked Chunlan to the ground and angrily said, "You are also a servant born into the Marquis's household, eating and drinking the Marquis's food every day, yet you betray your own family and help outsiders harm my young lady! You have no conscience at all!"

Jiang Jin'an leaned forward slightly, getting closer to Shen Jingshu, his warm breath brushing against her ear.

Are you satisfied with this result?

satisfaction?

As Cheng Wenhao held onto Xie Wanqing tightly, and the crowd grew larger, Shen Jingshu's lips curled into a cold smile.

I wonder if my cousin will be able to become Mrs. Fu again in this life.

But this is far from enough compared to the suffering she has endured. This drama has only just begun.

Chunlan scrambled to her feet, crawled over, and hugged Shen Jingshu's legs, crying out, "Please spare me, Miss! I truly knew nothing of your scheme!"

Shen Jingshu lowered her eyes, a smile on her face, but her words were like knives: "Don't know? You've been frequently going in and out of the Fu family with Xie Wanqing, and now you're telling me you don't know? Chunlan, do you think I'm a fool?"

Chunlan was born into a family and went to live with Xie Wanqing when she was ten years old, but before that, she had grown up with Xie Wanqing.

Shen Jingshu stopped smiling and looked coldly at Chunlan at her feet. "I'll give you a chance, okay?"

Chunlan's body stiffened abruptly. She raised her tear-streaked face and, after a long pause, managed to stammer out a few words: "Miss...this servant..."

Shen Jingshu looked down at her, her eyes still cold, and said, word by word, "Chunlan, since you say you don't know Xie Wanqing's scheme, now is your chance to prove yourself. Do as I say, and you will still be a maid in the Marquis's mansion."

Chunlan bit her lower lip, and finally, her forehead touched the ground, her voice barely audible: "This servant... will obey your orders, Miss."

Shen Jingshu gave Yaoqin a wink, and Yaoqin understood and immediately stepped forward to help Chunlan up.

Upon receiving the news, Song Wan rushed over with her maids and servants. Seeing Xie Wanqing being dragged along by Cheng Wenhao, looking utterly disheveled, her brows furrowed, filled with both heartache and disappointment. She strode forward and said sternly, "Let her go! What kind of behavior is this!"

As the mistress of the Marquis's mansion and a titled lady, she naturally possessed an air of authority, causing Cheng Wenhao to subconsciously loosen his grip.

Song Wan pulled Xie Wanqing up, took the cloak handed to her by a maid, and wrapped her up tightly. Her gaze quickly swept around, her face growing increasingly grim, and she hissed, "Aren't you ashamed? Come back with me!"

Xie Wanqing was filled with resentment and still tried to struggle, shouting, "Aunt, I was framed! You must do justice for me!"

But Song Wan didn't listen to her explanation at all. She increased the pressure on her hand and almost dragged her out of the crowd.

Seeing this, Cheng Wenhao was about to stop her when Song Wan shot him a sharp look and said, "If you want to take her away, the Pingyang Marquis's mansion is waiting for you!"

He shuddered, shrank back, and obediently retreated.

The crowd sighed and watched the two leave.

Jiang Jin'an said, "The Lady of the Marquis arrived just in time, preventing this charade from going too far and becoming difficult to resolve."

Shen Jingshu shook her head. "Mother has always been soft-hearted, and Xie Wanqing is good at playing the victim. She might go back and cry her heart out to get away with it."

Suddenly, Jiang Jin'an narrowed his eyes slightly, raised his chin, and gestured for Shen Jingshu to look at the street corner not far away.

Shen Jingshu looked in that direction and saw Fu Zijin dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, yet he could not hide the gloomy aura emanating from him. His fists were clenched, his knuckles were white, and he was staring intently in the direction Xie Wanqing had left.

"He arrived quickly." A hint of surprise flashed in Shen Jingshu's eyes.

Jiang Jin'an said in a low voice, "It seems they heard the news and rushed here without stopping."

As if sensing something, Fu Zijin's gaze passed through the crowd and landed on Shen Jingshu and Jiang Jin'an.

Their eyes met, and his gaze flickered slightly before he quickly looked away without a word. Without lingering, he turned and strode away, disappearing into the shadows at the street corner in the blink of an eye.

Shen Jingshu gave Jiang Jin'an a wink, and then, taking advantage of the crowd's distraction and the fact that Yaoqin, Jinse, and Chunlan were still present, quietly returned to the mansion.

After Song Wan pulled Xie Wanqing back to the mansion, she took her straight to her room, dismissed the servants, stared at Xie Wanqing, and asked, "Wanqing, you went out yesterday and didn't come back all night. Where did you go? What happened?"

Xie Wanqing's eyes reddened, tears welled up, and she sobbed, "Auntie, I was really framed. I didn't know anything."

At this moment, Chunlan hurriedly pushed open the door and ran in. She knelt down with a thud, her body trembling like a leaf, and her voice was timid. "Madam, I know what happened. Yesterday, when Miss saw Young Master Fu being humiliated at the door, she was heartbroken and thought she would go and have a few drinks. Perhaps she got drunk and confused, and mistook Young Master Cheng for Young Master Fu, which led to this terrible mistake. Miss has always been fond of Young Master Fu, please don't blame me, Madam."

Xie Wanqing saw Song Wan's face darken and her heart skipped a beat. She knew things were going badly, but since things had come to this point, denying it would only make things worse, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree.

Her mind raced, and she added in a pitiful tone, "Aunt, I... I do indeed love Young Master Fu, but I absolutely did not do such a shameful thing on purpose. Someone must have plotted against me maliciously. You have always been kind to me, you must stand up for me." By the end, her voice was already trembling with tears, trying to gain Song Wan's sympathy.

Shen Jingshu stood silently outside the door, waiting for Xie Wanqing to say those words.

She raised her hand and knocked on the door, calling out, "Mother."

When Xie Wanqing saw her come in, she hurriedly raised her hand to wipe away the remaining tear stains on her face, her eyes darting away, not daring to meet her gaze.

Shen Jingshu looked at Xie Wanqing with a half-smile, "Mother, I was outside the door just now and heard my cousin say that she likes Fu Zijin. That's really strange. I'm a little puzzled. She was so enthusiastic about playing matchmaker for us before. Could it all have been an act for me?"

Her voice trembled slightly, perfectly controlled. The ambiguous smile on her lips remained, as she quietly awaited Xie Wanqing's response.

Xie Wanqing bit her lower lip, nervously clutching the hem of her clothes with both hands. After hesitating for a long time, she stammered, "Sister Jingshu, I... know that my status is inferior to yours, so I dare not reveal it. Later, when I saw that you two seemed to be engaged, I thought that as long as you are doing well, I will keep my feelings to myself."

As she spoke, her eyes reddened again, and she seemed on the verge of tears. "But the more I suppress these feelings, the stronger they become. I... I just can't control myself anymore."

Looking at the two of them, Song Wan finally remembered that Xie Wanqing was her own sister's orphan daughter. "Jing Shu, it's fortunate that you had no interest in Fu Zijin to begin with, so don't make things worse. There are already too many troubles. Chunlan, as Wanqing's personal maid, has caused such a thing; she deserves five strokes of the cane and a six-month fine."

Chunlan hurriedly kowtowed, "Thank you, Madam, for sparing my life!"

Shen Jingshu said, "Mother, I certainly don't want to cause trouble for the family." She glanced at Xie Wanqing as if to say, "But cousin, you should think more carefully about what you say and do in the future, and don't cause any more trouble."

Xie Wanqing trembled, her face turning pale and then red, filled with resentment yet unable to refute it, she could only respond softly, "Yes, cousin."