The afternoon sun is particularly hot.

In the small courtyard, a young woman sat under the eaves, sewing. She was thin, her face sallow, and she looked unwell. Her needle moved rapidly up and down, and then she paused to listen to the sound of reading coming from the small window.

The voice is childish, sounding like a four or five-year-old child.

The woman was Su Qing, now calling herself Mei. The child studying was Gu Qian, four years old. Although he hadn't formally started school yet, he had learned to read two books from his mother and could even write dozens of large characters.

This morning, Mei took Gu Qian to visit the teacher at the best private school in the county. After examining and teaching Gu Qian, the teacher couldn't contain his excitement. He said Gu Qian could start school immediately, saying that the child was young and safe, and his daughter-in-law could help take care of him during the school period. He also said that the child had great talent, and that he could only give him a brief introduction. After two years, he should find a famous teacher to guide him, so as not to let him down.

Su Qing was overjoyed to hear this and promised to send her child to a private school the next day.

Just as I was thinking, the sound of reading stopped and Gu Qian came out. He sat on a small stool, pulled his mother's sleeve and said, "Mom, two incense sticks have burned out. Your son can rest for a while."

"Hey." Su Qing agreed, took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. She felt a little sorry for her son who was not even five years old yet. She said, "Qian'er, how about we wait until it's cooler before going to school?"

Gu Qian shook his head and said seriously, "Mother, we have already made an agreement with the master. A man without integrity cannot stand."

Seeing her son say all the famous sayings, Su Qing's smile became even wider. She said, "Okay, I'll listen to my son."

Gu Qian added, "Don't listen to your son, but listen to the saint."

Su Qing nodded repeatedly.

The hanging flower door opened, and He's wife walked in. She shook a large carp weighing more than three pounds in her hand and said with a smile, "Grandma, brother, I bought a fat fish at the market and will cook it for you tonight. They say eating more fish makes you smarter, brother, you should eat more, and you will be smarter in the future."

Sister He also had a child, almost a year old, on her back. She had married two years before last, to a servant the family had hired, a man named Wang Fei. Now, she was to be called Sister Wang.

Gu Qian had heard that eating fish could make people smarter, so he particularly liked it. Seeing such a big, fat fish, he slurped his saliva with joy.

As they were talking, the door rang.

Wang Fei went to open the door and saw a strange young man. He asked, "Excuse me, which house are you looking for?"

The young man asked, "Does Mei live here?" Seeing Wang Fei nod, he continued, "I am Jia Dazhu from the Xiqing Marquis Mansion in the capital. My fourth grandmother has a letter for Madam Mei."

Wang Fei didn't know Jia Dazhu, but Wang's wife knew him. She and her grandmother had been to the Zhao family in Ningzhou Qing twice before and had seen him. He was still a teenager then, and now he has grown into a young man.

Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "Oh, it's Brother Jia. Please come in." She then went into the inner courtyard and reported, "Grandma, Fourth Madam Wen sent Brother Jia to deliver a letter to you."

Xu Lanyin sent her a letter from the capital, so something big must have happened.

Su Qing stood up in shock and said, "Please come in."

Jia Dazhu came in and presented the letter to Su Qing.

Su Qing opened the letter, and her face became darker and darker as she read on. She swayed and was supported by Mrs. Wang.

Gu Qian said worriedly, "Mom, are you not feeling well again? I'll go get a doctor."

Su Qing glanced at Gu Qian with regret and asked Wang Fei to take him to the outer courtyard to play. She dragged Wang Saozi back to the house and asked Jia Dazhu to sit down before asking, "He, he was sentenced to be beheaded in the autumn. Didn't the Zhou family save him?"

Jia Dazhu nodded and said, "Yes. I heard from the masters that Lord Gu...oh, Gu Wangchen, he and several others embezzled 90,000 taels of silver from river management. They were reported and the evidence was irrefutable. The Zhou family, out of loyalty to their own family, not only did not help to plead for his acquittal, but also said that a prince's crime was the same as that of a commoner. Gu Wangchen and those who embezzled the money were sentenced to be executed in the autumn. I heard that the third aunt of the Zhou family has divorced him with her daughter."

At this moment, Su Qing's heart felt hollow. She hated Gu Wangchen with a vengeance and had cursed him to death more than once. But now that he was really going to die, as she had wished, why did her heart ache so much?

Jia Dazhu continued, "My fourth grandmother also said that if Madam Mei wants to take Brother Qian to the capital to see him, my Lord will help, and I will also escort you to the capital. If you don't want to see him, I will return to the capital to report."

Su Qing said hurriedly, "Yes, I want to take the child to see him. No matter how hateful he is, he is still the child's father."

Now, she finally understood why Xu Lan lived a better life than herself. She was smarter than herself and could judge people better than herself...

Su Qing said to Wang Saozi again, "Please invite Brother Jia to the front yard for tea, and then have Wang Fei accompany him to the restaurant for a drink in the evening. You take Brother Qian out for a walk, I want to be alone for a while."

When the courtyard was empty, Su Qing covered her face with a handkerchief and burst into tears. Her cry was shrill, as if she wanted to cry out all the sufferings of her past and present lives.

"Why, why did you do this? Why can't your heart be as good as your appearance... There's no such thing as an easy shortcut. You're a Jinshi, and I have so much dowry. We could have lived a good life together... You abandoned me and Qian'er to marry Zhou Zimei. Her dowry wouldn't be small either, so why did you still go out and embezzle it..."

She felt completely defeated, miserable, and blind. Heaven had granted her a second chance at life, but she hadn't married Wen Zhuofeng and hated him. In this life, both Wen Zhuofeng and Wen Zhuoan were still alive, and she had persistently tracked down the culprit who murdered them, becoming the empress dowager's legitimate grandson. She hadn't been able to marry Prince Ping, and instead fell for Gu Wangchen, the man she'd loved for two lifetimes. But Gu Wangchen's words were false, and she'd misjudged him. She hadn't been able to guide him back to the right path, and she hadn't protected their relationship...

Two days later, Wang Fei drove an ox cart, Su Qing, Gu Qian's mother and son, Wang Saozi's mother and son sat in the cart, and Jia Dazhu rode a horse, and they set off for the capital.

Su Qing told Gu Qian that one of his distant uncles had committed a crime and they went to see him.

In the car, Gu Qian asked in confusion, "Mom, that uncle committed a crime and did something bad. Why should we go see him? Mom always tells us about 'Mencius's mother moved three times' and forbids her son from talking to bad people."

Su Qing said, "Your father died early, and he is the only relative left in the Gu family. We should do our best to take care of him. After seeing him, we will stay in the capital for a while..." and collect his body.

She didn't say the last half of the sentence.

Gu Qian said "Oh". After thinking for a moment, he said, "Mother, corruption is not good. You will be beheaded. If I become an official when I grow up, I will definitely not be corrupt."

Su Qing sat up straight and said sternly, "You are not allowed to be an official, you must be a great scholar."