To divorce his wife, the top scholar preferred being cuckolded to wearing a red hat.

Dressed in black, Su Sihai looked at him and sighed softly, "Go in peace. I will take care of your family. Men, bring up the wine and dishes that I have prepared for the son-in-law."

Looking at the sumptuous dishes before him, Fu Jingsheng couldn't help but let out a mocking smile.

In his dream, he too was killed by a cup of poison.

Unexpectedly, he died earlier in reality than in his dream.

Why was he in Qingzhou? Who sent him? Who was he working for? Investigating these things wouldn't be difficult. As long as he's alive, he might be able to implicate Lord Su. But how could Lord Su possibly let him live?

"My lord, may I leave a letter for my sister before I die? My mother is seriously ill, and she will likely have a difficult time alone in the capital. I have something to tell her."

Su Sihai waved to the people behind him, and someone brought up a brush and ink.

Fu Jingsheng took out paper and pen and carefully made arrangements for his funeral.

After finishing writing it, I showed it to Su Sihai.

After reading it, Su Sihai found no problems with the contents and accepted the letter: "You can go with peace of mind. I will take care of Ziyu and your family."

Fu Jingsheng knelt down to express his gratitude, ate a few bites of food, and drank the wine in his cup.

Before long, the poison took effect. He leaned against the wall, his mind filled with regret for Su Mingyue, and tears of remorse streamed down his face.

He has let Mingyue down.

If he hadn't harbored ill intentions, and if Mingyue hadn't been kind and sensible, they might have lived a very good and happy life.

Choosing the wrong option is choosing the wrong option.

If there is an afterlife, he will definitely not let Mingyue down and will stay with her for the rest of his life.

Xiao Zhan received news that Fu Jingsheng wanted to see him. By the time he arrived, Fu Jingsheng had already passed away.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, his expression was calm, and tears still clung to the corners of his eyes. It was unknown what he was thinking before he died, which caused him to shed tears of regret.

……

When Su Mingyue learned that Fu Jingsheng had committed suicide in prison out of fear of punishment, she was both surprised and unsurprised.

Su Sihai saved him last time because he was still useful.

The reason we killed him this time was to prevent him from causing serious trouble.

Su Mingyue thought she would be happy, but in fact, she wasn't. It was as if an insignificant person had left, and apart from a little regret, she felt no other emotions.

……

Fu Jingying received a letter from Fu Jingsheng containing only a few sentences. It said that after he left, she must take good care of her mother. It told her to return to her hometown and not stay in the capital, as she would be bullied without his protection. It also insisted that his body be brought back to their hometown and buried near the old house, as he wanted to stay and watch over it.

After reading the letter, Fu Jingying covered her mouth and cried.

Her older brother is gone.

Her brother was the newly appointed top scholar in the imperial examination, a promising young man. How could he just disappear like that?

My older brother is gone, what will happen to my mother? What will she do?

She didn't want to go back to the countryside.

Even if she goes back to the countryside, those people will still bully her.

She regretted not marrying into the Changning Marquis's household and becoming the Changning Heir's concubine. If she had married into the family, even if her elder brother had passed away, she would still have a home.

She knelt by Qian's bedside and cried loudly, "Mother, my eldest brother is gone. He doesn't care about us anymore. What are we going to do now?"

Qian was just regaining some consciousness when she heard that her son had passed away. She couldn't catch her breath and died instantly.

Fu Jingying was still unaware of what was happening; she lay on Qian Shi's body, crying uncontrollably.

It was her maid who noticed something was wrong and came over to pull her away. Only when she touched her did she realize that Madam Qian had already stopped breathing.

When Fu Jingying saw that her mother was gone, her cries grew louder and more sorrowful.

Good heavens, what on earth is going on?

My older brother is dead, and now my mother is gone too.

What path should she take in the future, being an unmarried young woman?

She was caught in a dilemma: whether to go back to her hometown or stay in Beijing and marry just anyone.

……

"Miss, after the news of Fu Jingsheng's suicide in prison reached the Fu family, Old Madam Fu passed away without taking a breath." This news didn't need any special inquiry; it was already widely circulated outside.

Fu Jingsheng is dead, and the old lady is dead too. Now only Fu Jingying is in charge of the Fu family.

Fu Jingying sent all the servants away, leaving only three maids with her.

The servants she had dismissed then spread the word about the Fu family's affairs.

Upon hearing the news, Su Mingyue was lying in the yard lazily eating chilled watermelon.

The weather is hot and humid, and watermelon is the perfect fruit to cool you down.

Su Mingyue thought for a moment: "After all, Old Mrs. Qian was my mother-in-law. Now that she has passed away, I should send her something so that she can have a peaceful journey."

“Miss, she’s dead, so be it. You were so good to her before, letting her spend her money as she pleased, buy her clothes and jewelry as she pleased, and taking care of her headaches. But as soon as Fu Jingsheng wanted to marry Su Ziyu, she immediately changed her attitude towards you and even fabricated a divorce against you. If you ask me, her whole family deserved it.” Xingxia was furious when she heard that her young lady was going to send something to Madam Qian.

"Give her something she really likes but doesn't want to see; I'm sure she'll be happy." Su Mingyue's lips curled slightly.

"Miss, what is it?" Compared to Xingxia's excitement, Xingchun was curious about what her young lady would give her.

Su Mingyue whispered a few words to Xingchun and asked him to take care of it.

Before Xingchun could even get things done, Fu Jingying came knocking on the door.

After she entered the room, she knelt down in front of Su Mingyue without saying a word, and just kept crying.

Xingchun and the others were completely baffled by her actions.

What is she trying to do? Is she trying to extort money from her young mistress?

Su Mingyue was not in a hurry and remained silent, waiting for her to finish crying.

Fu Jingying cried for a while before speaking: "Sister Mingyue, you two were sisters-in-law before, and I know how good you were to me. But it was my eldest brother who was going to marry a new wife, not me. I lived under my eldest brother's command, so of course I had to side with him. But I hope you can forgive him for all the resentment you had towards him before, now that he's dead."

"Get to the point. Why did you suddenly contact me?"

"My older brother sent me a letter before he died. He said he wanted his body buried next to the old house. You know, I'm just a girl, how could I possibly send him home? I came here today to ask for your help. Could you please help me get a few people to transport my brother's and mother's bodies home, considering we used to be family?"

My elder brother is gone, so there's no need for me to stay in Beijing anymore. From now on, I'll stay in my hometown to take care of them, get married, and have children there. I won't set foot in Beijing again.

Sister-in-law, please help me, for the sake of our past relationship. I will remember your kindness and will send my blessings back home. Please help me, okay?

Fu Jingying had rescued Su Ziyu before coming here.

Su Ziyu didn't let her in, only saying that the Fu family's affairs had nothing to do with her and that she should go back to where she came from.

Her elder brother used to treat her so well; he even divorced Su Mingyue for her sake. Now that her brother is dead, Su Ziyu doesn't even bother to come and see him off on his final journey. She's truly an ungrateful woman.