Hearing Madam Zhao's reply, Zhao Qingshu finally felt at ease. He slightly curled the corners of his mouth, thinking that the matter was not difficult.

This has been how I've lived for the past ten years or so; whenever something happens, all I have to do is gently coax it and it will be fine.

She has money, connections, the Zeng family, and the prestige of her deceased parents, but she's not very bright. Having a woman like that makes everything easier.

As for Song Xizhi, he had already remembered this grudge.

He will make her pay the price.

Thinking of this, Zhao Qingshu's eyes darkened for a moment, and he slowly released Madam Zhao's hand:

"The Fengshan ceremony will be held in two days. After the ceremony, I will take you back to the capital. Please bear with me for the time being."

Madam Zhao pursed her lips and nodded silently, looking extremely tired.

Seeing her like this, Zhao Qingshu said nothing more, but simply smiled and said to her:

"Ya Xian, you must take good care of yourself and not abuse yourself... Also, remember my words, stay away from Song Xizhi."

After saying this, Zhao Qingshu gently tucked the blanket around her again, then turned and left.

After he left, the old nanny standing to the side couldn't help but speak up again: "Miss, in the past, no matter what it was, you always listened to the young master, and this old servant didn't say anything."

"But about today's events... this old servant doesn't think that Madam He next door is the bad person the son-in-law described."

"She not only pleaded for you before His Majesty, but after you fainted, this old servant only went to beg her on a whim, thinking she wouldn't come at all, but she still came to our door. What do you think of such a person..."

Zeng Yaxian nodded wearily, her eyes dull and lifeless: "Granny, I know, but I no longer know which of his words are true and which are false."

"Let Hei Yin follow him and see what he's been doing day after day. Has he already resorted to any means necessary for the future of Consort Liang and Prince Yu, and for his own path to advancement, completely disregarding our more than ten years of friendship?"

Hearing this, the old woman still held Zeng Yaxian's hand with heartache and sighed, "Miss, the young master is not the kind of person who would not care about the bond between husband and wife."

Zeng Yaxian didn't speak. She turned her head and looked at Hei Yin, who was hidden in the shadows, and could no longer detect her presence.

He Yunze remained silent.

What happened in Consort Li's courtyard last night had become common knowledge by the next day.

When He Yunze heard that Song Ruoan had also been punished by His Majesty, he sat on the soft couch in silence for a long time, unable to come to his senses.

He felt somewhat lost, confused, and vaguely fearful, and his whole being was restless and uneasy.

Why is this matter related to Ruo'an?

Ruo'an was blinded by love in the past. He couldn't bear to part with the deep bond they shared in their past lives, which felt like a soul connection. Considering that Ruo'an hadn't hurt anyone, he could forgive her actions.

Ruo'an also promised herself that there would be no more secrets between husband and wife.

His parents-in-law promised to support him with all their might. Now, the 4,700 taels of silver that Ruo'an owed had been handed over to him, and he hurriedly sent it to Song Xizhi, thus eliminating a major threat.

Even Minister Zhao of the Ministry of Works has recently begun to treat him with more kindness and gentleness.

It was as if everything had returned to the way it was in his previous life; he should be happy.

He Yunze always felt a vague unease in his heart. He didn't know where this unease came from, but it followed him like a shadow, making him toss and turn at night lately.

"Master? Master? What are you thinking about?"

Shuangxi's worried voice rang in his ears, making He Yunce snap back to reality.

"This servant said that the young mistress has been punished by His Majesty and has to kneel for five hours a day. Would you like to go and see her?"

He Yunze suppressed his thoughts and slowly said, "Go and prepare some milk and candied hawthorns. I'll take them to see her."

Shuangxi was taken aback, her eyes widening slightly: "Milk? Candied hawthorn? Where are we going to get milk on Heyan Mountain?"

He Yunze lowered his eyes, as if recalling everything from his past life: "No matter how troublesome it is, we must prepare it. Ruo'an loves to drink it. She is only happy when she sees these things."

Actually, his whole family likes to drink milk; it's him, Ruoan, and their three children.

Ruoan and he were very similar in every way, and they had the same interests. They liked to drink milk, read storybooks, eat street snacks, and keep cats and dogs as pets.

In Huang's eyes, these were all things that could not be presented in a respectable manner. Especially after her brother became brilliant and was praised by thousands, Huang looked down on and loathed his hobbies.

She smashed his pet tabby cat to death, mockingly burned the storybooks he had treasured for years, and forbade him from touching any snacks or desserts.

Huang said that a man should act like a man.

Those lowly things are not something a man from a noble family should possess, and no noble lady in the capital would even look at someone like him.

He could only remain silent, hiding everything he loved and pretending that he didn't love it at all.

But Ruo'an was different from others. Ruo'an also liked these things: she liked to drink milk every day, her eyes were always glued to candied hawthorns every time she went out, and she was even more fond of cats and dogs.

In front of Ruo'an, he didn't need to hide anything and could be completely himself.

They share the same hobbies, enjoy doing the same things, and even their children are the same.

After their child was born in their previous life, the family of several people would often go to farmhouses in the suburbs of Beijing to milk cows during their days off.

Those were his happiest times.

Ruo An was his soulmate.

There will never be another one like it in the world.

This is why he gave up everything in his past life to be with Ruo'an, and it is also why he chose to forgive Ruo'an in this life.

Seeing He Yunze's determined look, Shuangxi didn't say anything more and hurriedly went out to find milk for He Yunze.

Two hours later, when He Yunze stood in front of Song Ruoan with the milk, he saw Song Ruoan kneeling in front of the Buddha, her face pale.

After kneeling for a whole morning, her body was completely stiff, and she seemed to have lost all feeling, becoming a walking corpse.

"Ruo'an, you've been kneeling for so long. I brought you some things. You'll be happy when you see them."