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

At three quarters past the hour of Yin, the sound of a clapper pierced the thick fog. Wen Yin instructed her maidservant and went alone to the Jiang residence to find Shen Jing Shu.

The thin mist had not yet dissipated, and the dampness soaked her clothes, making her appear even thinner and her steps hurried.

When the gatekeeper of the Jiang residence saw this deathly pale face illuminated by the lantern, he nearly dropped the copper key in his hand in shock.

Upon learning that Shen Jingshu and Jiang Jin'an had both returned to the Pingyang Marquis's residence, she turned around and rushed there.

Jiang Jin'an had many things to prepare, so he left the mansion before Shen Zizhong. Before he even left, he noticed a slender figure huddled at the foot of the mansion's stone steps. His brows furrowed slightly, and his steps slowed accordingly.

The gatekeeper was also startled. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and wondered when a young lady had appeared in front of the mansion gate.

Judging from their appearance, they must have been waiting here for quite some time.

In the blink of an eye, countless thoughts flashed through his mind, finally settling on one point: What would happen if their daughter found out?

He hurried forward and cautiously asked from the stone steps, "Young lady? Is there something you need? It's not even dawn yet, what are you doing here?"

Hearing the sound, Wen Yin looked up and turned around to see Jiang Jin'an. She stood up abruptly. She had been sitting for too long and stood up too quickly, and she felt dizzy for a moment. She tripped and almost fell.

"Commander!" Wen Yin grabbed the stone lion's claws and staggered to her feet. Her jade earring scratched her neck, drawing blood. Ignoring her rudeness, she said, "Wen Yin has an important matter to ask of you. I hope you can arrange a meeting with Young Master Gu!"

The cold light reflected from the black iron wrist guards flashed across her eyes, and this decisive and ruthless captain paused half a step in the morning mist.

Jiang Jin'an remembered her; she was Jing Shu's close friend and the daughter of Minister Wen.

His eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't say much. He simply nodded slightly, signaling the gatekeeper to lead her to the side hall first, while he turned around and went back to Shaoguang Courtyard.

Shen Jingshu had just woken up and was leaning against the headboard, her eyes and brows still showing signs of sleepiness. Seeing him leave and then return, she asked, "Why have you come back again, sir?"

Jiang Jin'an brushed the morning dew off his clothes, took off the black iron wrist guard and placed it on the bedside table, then walked to the bedside and pulled her into his arms. "Miss Wen is in the side hall." The fragrance of tea wafted from his lips and reached her ear. "She wants to see Gu Er."

"Sister Wenying?"

Shen Jingshu was wide awake.

……

When Gu Changyi arrived at the Jiang residence, he felt his eyelids twitching constantly. Even the servants in the residence looked at him with a strange gaze, as if they were looking at something unusual, making him feel uneasy.

He was a little confused, so he touched the tip of his nose and went straight to Jiang Jin'an's old courtyard.

Jiang Jin'an was nowhere to be seen in the courtyard. Instead, Shen Jingshu was sitting alone on a stone bench in the courtyard, her expression indifferent, as if she were thinking about something.

A morning breeze blew by, ruffling the stray hairs at her temples, making her appear somewhat aloof.

"Cousin?"

Gu Changyi was dumbfounded. Lin Yu clearly said that Jiang Jin'an had something to ask him, so why was there no sign of him, but instead his cousin-in-law was here?

Shen Jingshu glanced at him but did not get up to greet him. "Don't be surprised. The person looking for you is inside. Go ahead."

Seeing her displeased expression, Gu Changyi didn't say anything more to her. Although he was a little suspicious, he still pushed open the door as instructed and entered the room, looking back every few steps.

Only a few rays of faint sunlight peeked in from the window, barely outlining the room's contours. The teacups on the table had long since gone cold, covered with a thin layer of steam.

When Gu Changyi pushed open the door and entered, her heart skipped a beat for no reason.

Wen Yin sat upright, her eyes red, staring at him intently.

The girl who was once so vibrant and radiant in my memory now seemed shrouded in frost, looking shockingly haggard.

He had never seen her like this before.

Gu Changyi subconsciously softened her steps and tentatively called out, "Wen Yin?"

She opened her mouth, her voice hoarse and hoarse: "I'm getting married."

Gu Changyi stood there stunned, her hands clenching unconsciously. After a long while, she managed to squeeze out a "hmm" from her throat.

A long silence fell between the two, with the occasional chirping of birds outside the window only making the room feel even more suffocatingly quiet.

Gu Changyi stood there, unsure how to react. She wanted to say something, but found that her throat was blocked, and she couldn't make a sound. Her mind was blank.

“Second Young Master Gu,” Wen Yin broke the silence, “aren’t you curious about who I will marry?”

Gu Changyi then seemed to wake from a dream, forcing a stiff smile, "Miss Wenyin is both beautiful and talented, the one who can marry her must be... must be..."

He wanted to say it was a perfect match, but he just couldn't bring himself to say the words "perfect match."

"I'm going to become Prince Jing's concubine." She chuckled at the frozen Gu Changyi, her nails, painted with red nail polish, digging into her palms. "Does Second Young Master Gu know that seven peonies bloomed outside the walls of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion last night?"

Gu Changyi felt a buzzing in her head.

Shen Jingshu sat in the courtyard, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the patterns on her sleeves, feeling a pang of bitterness in her heart.

Wen Yin's sister suspected her.

[Jing Shu, I've only told this to you.]

The sentence lingered in her mind, making her feel uneasy.

She sighed. The east wind was picking up, and she was about to go back to the front hall to avoid the wind when, without knowing what the two were talking about, a sudden sound of porcelain shattering inside the room startled the birds roosting under the eaves and also startled Wuchen, who drew his sword.

Before Wuchen could even go over to check, the door had already been opened.

Wen Yin rushed out, her blood-stained skirt dangling from her smile, tears welling in her eyes.

Seeing that Shen Jingshu was still in the courtyard, they stopped again.

"Is Sister Wenying going back?"

"Well, I'm back."

Shen Jingshu stood up. "Then I'll see you off—"

Before she could finish speaking, Wen Yin suddenly turned around and interrupted her, her eyes crinkling with laughter, "Don't bother me so early in the morning, it's my fault. I'll come find you another day."

After saying that, she had Yaoqin lead her out of the mansion.

Yaoqin glanced at Shen Jingshu with concern, and only after seeing her nod slightly did she leave with Wenyin.

Shen Jingshu stood there for a while longer. The June morning breeze carried a hint of coolness. She raised her hand to pull her clothes tighter, then turned and went inside.

A faint aroma of tea lingered in the room, along with traces of broken porcelain.

Gu Changyi sat at the table, holding a small bronze mirror in her hand, staring intently at the shards of a teacup on the ground.

His eyes were vacant, and his whole being was shrouded in a somber atmosphere.

Shen Jingshu approached and felt a pang of bitterness upon seeing his dejected appearance.

Wen Yin always carried this bronze mirror with her; she had seen it several times.

Shen Jingshu sat opposite her, her voice gentle yet tinged with helplessness: "I warned you. Some things, if left unsaid, will eventually become regrets."

Gu Changyi remained staring at the fragments, lost in thought, and murmured to herself, "Yes."

He suddenly sprang up and smashed the bronze mirror against the pillar. In the flying shards of glass, Shen Jingshu caught a glimpse of her shattered reflection.

The bronze mirror shattered into seven pieces, just like seven peonies.