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

Xiao Zhan stepped forward and stood in front of her, taking her hand in his. His voice was gentle: "What are you thinking? You single-handedly prevented a war and saved a city. These are gifts from the Emperor, given on his own initiative. They have nothing to do with me."

Xingchun waved to Liu Yun and the others, and they all went to do their work. Only Su Mingyue and Xiao Zhan remained in the courtyard, their eyes only for each other.

"I'm afraid Su Sihai has really committed a heinous crime, so I'm getting a get-out-of-jail-free card for him in advance, so that the Su family can have me as a fish that slips through the net." Su Mingyue hooked her arm around Xiao Zhan's neck.

Xiao Zhan picked her up and carried her into the house: "Isn't this good? No matter what Su Sihai does, it has nothing to do with you."

He placed her on the bed and said, "Back in Qingzhou, the circumstances were different, so I couldn't indulge myself, but I remember it all clearly. Now that we're back in the capital, shouldn't you make it up to me?"

“Xiao Zhan, it’s daytime now. If people find out about your licentious behavior in broad daylight, what will become of your prestige as a prince?”

"My people are everywhere inside and outside the courtyard. As long as they don't say anything, who will know? You have to make it up to me properly."

"Stop fooling around." Su Mingyue stopped him from doing anything further and whispered in his ear, "Go home early tonight so I can make it up to you. I have to go out later, and it wouldn't be good if I couldn't get out."

Xiao Zhan then released her: "Alright, you said it yourself, you'll make it up to me tonight."

"I won't lie to you." Su Mingyue got out of bed: "Fu Jingsheng is dead. His sister just came to me and asked me to pay for people to escort their bodies back."

"what do you say?"

“Fu Jingsheng has a wife and a mistress, and Fu Jingying has her own money. It’s not my turn. Let her go.”

“Last night, Fu Jingsheng sent someone to see me, saying he had something to say to me. When I arrived, he was already dead. Before he died, someone had seen him.”

"Is it Su Sihai?"

"We can't be sure if it's him right now. Fu Jingsheng's expression is calm, and his resolute look suggests he knew this day would come. By the way, I found this on him; it seems to be for you."

Xiao Zhan took out an envelope.

It was addressed to Mingyue.

Su Mingyue looked at the envelope, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Why did he leave me a letter?

"You'll know if you open it and take a look."

Su Mingyue unfolded the letter, and Fu Jingsheng's handwriting was clearly visible on it, with the words "Mingyue, my wife" immediately catching her eye.

Xiao Zhan's fist hardened at the sight of those four words. If he weren't dead, he would definitely be punching him in the face right now.

How dare you use "My Wife Mingyue" in your letters? You shameless bastard!

Mingyue took his hand and made him look with her.

“I’ve been having the same dream every night lately. In the dream, you died a few days after I returned to my village after passing the imperial examination with top honors. Your death wasn’t an accident; it was caused by me and my family. At the time, I was determined to marry Su Ziyu and didn’t know how to tell you, so my mother said that if we accused you of infidelity, we could divorce you.”

I had no other choice at the time, so I followed my mother's advice and used this method against you. You wouldn't confess, and during the struggle, you hit your head on a pillar, bleeding profusely on the spot. But to get you to confess, we didn't call a doctor for you until you did. You confessed, and you were gone. I lost my wife directly, without having to divorce her. I thought that by marrying Su Ziyu, my future would be bright, that I could inherit Su Sihai's mantle, and become a powerful minister second only to the emperor. I never imagined they only used me as a pawn, that everything was part of their scheme, and that they were determined to put the fourth prince on the throne.

Even the children Su Ziyu bore me weren't mine; they were hers and the Fourth Prince's. Through his machinations, the Fourth Prince returned safely to the capital and orchestrated an assassination. The Emperor was killed, and the Fourth Prince framed the Crown Prince. The Emperor died, and the Crown Prince was deposed. The Fifth Prince was imprisoned in Qingzhou, the Prince Ming died, and the Fourth Prince seized power, ascending to a high position.

After the Fourth Prince ascended to the throne, Lord Su's first act was to eliminate me. He gave me a cup of poisoned wine and sent me to my death. Meanwhile, Su Ziyu changed her appearance and became the Fourth Prince's Empress, ruling the world as a model of virtue.

Mingyue, I don't know if this is a dream or something that actually happened in a past life. Whether it's a dream or reality, I've wronged you in both this life and the past. It was indeed Lord Su's deliberate arrangement to get close to you back then. But after you married me, you treated me with genuine affection. I betrayed your sincerity, and because I wanted to marry Su Ziyu, I tried to harm you several times.

"Mingyue, whether in this life or the last, I was blind to your goodness, causing you so much suffering. I deserve to die. In my dreams, I keep your spirit in the old Fu family mansion. The Qingzhou affair has been exposed, and Lord Su will not let me go. I am a dying man, and I have only one request before I die. For the sake of our past marriage, I hope you will bury me near the old Fu family mansion, so that I may atone for your sins for all eternity."

The inscription reads: "Fu Jingsheng's last words."

Holding the letter, Su Mingyue remained lost in thought for a long time.

Before Fu Jing died, he dreamed about his and her past lives.

She was unaware of the ending because she died young.

Unexpectedly, Fu Jingsheng's final fate was to be poisoned to death by Su Sihai with a cup of poisoned wine.

Su Ziyu married the fourth prince as she wished and became his empress.

"What does he mean by this? He just had a random dream and he's trying to gain your sympathy." Xiao Zhan looked at the words on the letter, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap several flies.

"I think this might not be his dream, but rather a way for him to tell us something. For example, why did Su Sihai use him, and why did he die? The letter says that everything Su Sihai did was to help the Fourth Prince ascend to a high position. What was the relationship between the Fourth Prince and Su Sihai, and why did he help the Fourth Prince? He was the Prime Minister, a powerful minister. Only princes had the right to curry favor with him, not ministers. Why was he so wholeheartedly assisting the Fourth Prince?"

Su Mingyue believed Fu Jingsheng's story of past and present lives.

I also believe what Fu Jingsheng said about his final fate in his previous life.

Shortly after Su Ziyu and he got married, news spread that she was pregnant. If Su Ziyu hadn't accidentally lost the child while scheming against her, she would definitely have given birth to it.

Considering her status, Fu Jingsheng dared not deny it.

And the child that was just miscarried wasn't Fu Jingsheng's either. Now it seems it was the Fourth Prince's offspring.

He was manipulated by Su Sihai and ended up receiving a cup of poisoned wine.

"The Fourth Prince's birth mother was Consort Mei. Consort Mei's family background was ordinary. It is said that before entering the palace, she was just the daughter of a minor county magistrate. That year, the Emperor held a grand selection of concubines, and because of her good looks and talent, she was sent to the palace."

"Where is Consort Mei from?" A thread seemed to be connecting in Su Mingyue's mind.