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

Su Sihai's words were full of holes, and his feigned affection was completely unconvincing. Su Mingyue wanted to laugh at the utter nonsense of affection Su Sihai spouted.

Whenever he thinks of his mother, he goes to have illicit relations with other women. Is that what he calls missing her? Isn't that killing someone by destroying their spirit?

She curled her lips into a sneer, her voice laced with sarcasm: "I simply cannot accept Father's explanation. I wonder if my mother, who is in the underworld, would be so angry upon hearing these words that she would want to jump out of her skin. You miss her, so you seek warmth from other women. You claim to miss him, but who knows if you're just using the excuse of missing your ex-wife to seek pleasure outside."

Su Mingyue didn't want to pretend that nothing had happened.

She is Helan Yi's daughter.

We shouldn't remain indifferent to what Su Sihai is saying now.

“I was really heartbroken during the time after your mother passed away. I missed her every moment. If it weren't for the fact that you were still young, I might have followed her. Later, I met Yiyi in my hometown, and seeing her face, which looked so much like your mother's, made it feel as if your mother had never left me and had always been by my side.”

Mingyue, I know you can't understand this feeling. I don't need you to understand. You just need to know that your mother isn't a substitute for anyone; she will always have a place in my heart. And you don't need to worry about Aunt Liu. She's a quiet person, doesn't like to fight, and will just stay quietly in the mansion from now on, and won't make you unhappy.

“My father says he loves my mother, but he does things to protect others. My mother has been gone for so many years. Whether you remarry or have someone else in your heart, I am open-minded about it now. It is your freedom.”

"I knew you would understand me."

"I didn't understand you. I just didn't want to get involved. The affairs of the inner quarters are not my concern. Even if someone were to get involved, it would be Ruan Shi who should be in charge. Ruan Shi is your wife now. As for Su Guanzheng, no matter whose son he is, he is not from the same mother as me. He is my half-brother, and I don't care."

Father, you must handle this matter carefully, lest it get out and sound bad, affecting your reputation and your marriage to Xiao Zhan. When I returned, I heard from Zhan that the Fourth Prince seems to have rendered meritorious service at the border, and the Emperor intends to summon him back to the capital.

Zhou Wenjun of Xiqi is making moves again. With the Fourth Prince's return, A-Zhan might have to go back. Before he leaves, it's possible the Emperor might allow us to marry.

"As your father, I know perfectly well what's going on and I'll tell them not to make a fuss."

“In that case, Father can handle it. If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back now.”

Su Mingyue glanced at the screen behind her and then left.

As Su Mingyue left, a figure emerged from behind the screen.

The shadowy figure was none other than the Fourth Prince.

The fourth prince curled his lips into a faint smile: "This is that woman's daughter."

"You heard what she just said. What do you think of what she said?"

"I could tell she wasn't interested in the matter between Ruan and my mother, because Zheng'er was the same to her regardless of whose son he was. It was a family scandal, and she didn't want to make a big deal out of it. But her last sentence about me seemed to be intentionally letting my father know something? What was she trying to do?"

"They probably sensed that I have some connection with you, or Xiao Zhan noticed something was wrong and wants to transfer you back. If the Emperor really has this intention, and you're not currently in the army, if he finds out, you'll be exposed."

"I was able to return at this time because everything was arranged properly. Zhou Wenjun told us that she would either hand over Su Mingyue to her or give her Qingqingzhou City in exchange for her lending us troops."

"Father won't be soft-hearted about Su Mingyue, will he? If you are, all our great cause will be in vain."

“No, no. No one’s business is more important than yours. Besides, she’s not my daughter at all. Why should I feel sorry for her? Tell Zhou Wenjun that I will send her to her ex-boyfriend to deal with her soon. She also needs to fulfill her promise to us as soon as possible. We don’t have much time left.”

“As long as you can handle Su Mingyue, everything else will be no problem. Didn’t you say before that she had a secret guard? That secret guard is still in her hands.”

"She's been back for over six months, and I've had people watching her the whole time. I haven't found any secret guards or anything like that. Those few secret guards around her who know martial arts aren't hers; they belong to Prince Zhan."

"That's strange. Where did her secret guards go? Did she disband them?"

“This girl doesn’t follow the rules. She might do something like this. Regardless of whether she has any secret guards, she has to be in our hands.”

"Actually, I'd like to see what she's capable of." The Fourth Prince curled his lips. "If she can behave obediently, it wouldn't be a bad idea to let her enter the palace as a concubine in the future."

"She's the War King's woman now, you'd better not mess with her, lest you ruin our important plans."

"Father, rest assured, I know what I'm doing. I will not let a woman ruin my career."

"Don't let Ziyu know about your return to the capital. Ever since she lost her child, she's been acting somewhat irrationally. It's always better to avoid her." Su Ziyu wasn't his child either.

He replaced both of Ruan's children so that he could wholeheartedly support the fourth prince to ascend the throne.

……

That night, Xiao Zhan was hiding in the shadows, about to enter the Su residence, when he saw a figure fly out of the Su residence.

Behind that figure were several bodyguards.

"Qinghu, go and follow them." Xiao Zhan narrowed his eyes as he looked at the figure.

That figure should be at the border right now, but he's here. This means he can move freely in and out of the capital, and the army must have made arrangements to prevent him from being discovered.

But what was the purpose of his coming and going from the Su residence at this time?

After confirming that no one was around, he leaped directly into Su Mingyue's room.

Su Mingyue was rummaging through some of her mother's old belongings.

When I saw him come in, I asked him to help me look for it.

"The horse was startled by a butcher. Someone wanted to silence the butcher, but Zhang Hu saved him. I have already interrogated him. According to the butcher, a maid gave him fifty taels of silver to help him. Based on his description, we can conclude that the person was someone close to Ruan Shi. Someone wants to pin the blame on Ruan Shi."

"That's quite a tactic. A stepmother harming her stepdaughter is truly irreconcilable." Su Mingyue smiled lightly: "Why do you think he's suddenly so eager to get rid of me?"

"If he is the spy colluding with west Qi, Zhou Wenjun is currently in the capital. If he wants to support the Fourth Prince, he must gain Zhou Wenjun's support. To gain Zhou Wenjun's support, he must do things for her."