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

Xuanzheng Hall.

As the court bells rang to signal the end of the session, the ministers filed out.

Shen Zizhong, dressed in court attire and wearing an official hat, had only taken a few steps out of the palace gate when Li Delu quickly walked up to him, bowed slightly, and respectfully gave him a salute.

With a perfectly timed smile on his face, Li Delu said, "My lord, please wait. His Majesty requests that you move to the Imperial Study for a discussion."

Shen Zizhong understood that yesterday's events would not escape the Emperor's notice.

He returned the greeting with a cupped hand, saying, "I'll trouble Steward Li to lead the way."

Before long, the two arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Study.

Li Delu quietly pushed open the door, stood sideways, and gestured for him to enter. "My lord, His Majesty is waiting for you inside."

Shen Zizhong straightened his clothes, took a deep breath, stepped over the threshold, and entered the Imperial Study.

Inside the imperial study, the air was filled with a faint scent of ambergris.

Emperor Hui sat on his dragon throne, his head bowed as he reviewed memorials. Hearing footsteps, he didn't even look up, his vermilion brush still in his hand, and simply said, "Zizhong has arrived."

Shen Zizhong quickly stepped forward, knelt down and performed a grand salute, "Your subject Shen Zizhong greets Your Majesty."

Emperor Hui put down his pen but did not immediately call him up. "Do you know why I summoned you here today?"

Shen Zizhong already knew the truth. He lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, I... know a little about it."

Emperor Hui looked at him with a deep gaze, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke: "Then tell me."

Upon hearing this, Shen Zizhong calmed down instead. "Your Majesty is terrified. Is it because of my daughter Jing Shu and the Commandant?"

Emperor Hui remained silent, simply watching him.

“Your Majesty, my daughter and Lord Jiang are in love, and I am happy to see them get together. However…” Shen Zizhong paused, as if he had something difficult to say.

"But what?" Emperor Hui pressed.

"It's just the Jiang family..."

The Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest. "Jin'an, this child, can be said to have been raised by me."

Shen Zizhong understood immediately and bowed his head again. "Your Excellency is young and promising, and of upright character. If there is indeed a marriage to be arranged, I will certainly do my best to handle it. Furthermore, I will definitely restrain my family and work together with the Jiang family to continue to devote myself to His Majesty and the court."

Emperor Hui nodded slightly, his expression softening somewhat. "In that case, I also think the two are quite well-matched. I will take the liberty of granting this marriage. What do you think?"

Shen Zizhong's heart skipped a beat. The Emperor's intentions were unpredictable, but now that the Emperor had spoken, it was undoubtedly a great favor and glory.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he still prostrated himself and kowtowed, "This is a great blessing for my daughter, and I could not have asked for it more than I could have! However, my daughter was wronged at the Spring Banquet, and I am worried that Your Majesty's bestowal of a marriage will cause rumors and gossip."

Emperor Hui then raised his hand to let him stand up. "I have already made a decision regarding the Spring Banquet, so you don't need to worry. Since I have spoken, I will take care of Jing Shu. As for the Jiang family, you don't need to worry about them either; I will make the arrangements myself."

"The minister obeys the order!"

Although arranged marriages have always been intertwined with interests throughout history, Shen Zizhong finally felt relieved.

After leaving Xuanqing Gate, Shen Zizhong got into the carriage and asked the driver to go to Liuyin Lane first.

Fu Zijin had been taught and guided by him when he was young. After passing the provincial examination with top honors, he came to the capital alone and rented a small courtyard in the inn. From then on, he devoted himself to studying and preparing for the imperial examination the following spring. He was quite diligent and hardworking.

Before long, Shen Zizhong arrived at the Fu family's courtyard.

Upon hearing Qingzhu's report, Fu Zijin hurriedly came out to greet him, bowing respectfully. "I am sorry for not welcoming you properly, teacher."

Shen Zizhong waved his hand and strode into the room. After Fu Zijin served tea, he didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Zijin, I just came from the palace, and there are some things I have to make clear to you. Nothing in the world can escape the eyes of the Emperor. The commotion you caused yesterday was already clear to His Majesty this morning. He intends to bestow a marriage upon Jing Shu and the Commandant."

After saying that, Shen Zizhong stared straight at Fu Zijin, "You are a smart man, you should understand what your teacher means. I advise you to give up those inappropriate thoughts."

Fu Zijin's body suddenly stiffened, and the teacup in his hand almost slipped from his grasp. After a long while, he slowly put the teacup down.

"Your Majesty is wise and insightful." Fu Zijin lowered his head, concealing the resentment in his eyes. "This student will certainly obey Your Majesty's will and dare not disobey."

“It’s good that you think that way,” Shen Zizhong said, his tone softening slightly. “You just need to focus on preparing for next year’s spring imperial examination. With your talent, your future is bound to be limitless. But if any more trouble arises, even I, as your teacher, cannot protect you.”

Fu Zijin bowed his head and said, "I will keep your teachings in mind and will follow them carefully. I will stop having any wild thoughts and focus all my efforts on preparing for the imperial examination."

As soon as Shen Zizhong left, the atmosphere around Fu Zijin instantly became tense.

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand and swept the teacup on the table to the ground. The sound of the porcelain shattering startled the birds outside the window, causing them to scatter and fly away.

After a loud crash, he gritted his teeth and said, word by word, "Jiang Jin'an!"

With a gloomy face, he summoned Qingzhu.

Qingzhu hurriedly entered the room and saw the mess inside, as well as her master's face, which looked as if it could freeze a person to death. Her heart skipped a beat, and she didn't dare to breathe. She lowered her head and said, "Young master, what are your orders?"

Fu Zijin's eyes flashed with a chilling coldness as he lowered his voice and ordered, "Go, inform the important person that the plan has changed and Jiang Jin'an cannot be kept alive."

Qingzhu trembled, but dared not ask any more questions. She quickly replied "Yes" and hurriedly withdrew to carry out the instructions.

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.

Jiang Jin'an had just left the Commandant's Mansion and hadn't even changed out of his python robe when he received an imperial decree summoning him to the palace to meet the Emperor.

As Jiang Jin'an stepped into the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he was about to kneel and pay his respects when Emperor Hui raised his hand to stop him, saying gently, "No need for formalities. Come and take a look at this auspicious pearl crown."

Jiang Jin'an looked up and saw a hair crown on the low table. The crown was inlaid with pearls of different sizes, each one lustrous. The central pearl was enormous. The edge of the crown was also intricately embroidered with gold cloud patterns, interspersed with rubies and sapphires, as if the clouds and stars in the sky coexisted, making it exceptionally beautiful.

Jiang Jin'an was momentarily lost in thought, but after a while, he came to his senses, cupped his hands, and asked, "What does Your Majesty mean by this?"

Emperor Hui smiled and said, "Everyone in the capital knows about your deep affection for the daughter of the Shen family, but I'm the last to know. I've already spoken to Shen Zizhong about my intention to bestow a marriage upon you and his daughter. What do you say?"

Jiang Jin'an was slightly taken aback, a feeling he had never experienced before welled up in his heart. The corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up, and he kowtowed and said, "It is my greatest honor to be granted a marriage by Your Majesty. I am overjoyed and thank Your Majesty for your great kindness."

"Good! Good! Good!" Emperor Hui said three times in a row.

"I watched you grow up, so I naturally hope that you can find a loving partner. I hope that this marriage can be arranged as soon as possible, so that others can see how well my subject and the daughter of the Marquis are matched. You don't need to worry too much about the matters; the Ministry of Rites will take care of them. You just need to prepare the betrothal gifts for Jing Shu."

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Jiang Jin'an kowtowed again.