Suddenly he grabbed his mother's hand and asked, "Mom, will she go back to the old house? Or go to the Guanyin Temple in the south of the city?"

Sheng Xitang ran in, her skirt in hand. "Don't worry, brother. My sister-in-law is most likely going to Jiangnan! That's our hometown, and it's where Dad took her in."

One sentence can wake up the dreamer.

"Dock!" He suddenly stood up and rushed out, and the hem of his official robe overturned the celadon vase on the table.

Amid the flying porcelain shatters, he could hear his mother's cries behind him: "You still have to go to court today—"

Sheng Jingheng couldn't hear anything.

As he rode through the long street, the morning sun had just leaped over the Vermillion Bird Gate, its golden rays splattering on the vendors hawking their wares in the morning. An old woman selling velvet flowers looked up and wondered—why was this official's face covered in tears?

Thousands of sails are competing at the dock.

Sheng Jingheng staggered through the crowd, not even noticing that his official boots had stepped into the dirty water.

Suddenly, he saw a green figure standing by the railing of a pleasure boat leaving the shore.

"Ruan Niang!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, and people on the shore looked at him sideways.

The figure trembled slightly.

Across the ten-foot river, Sheng Jingheng saw Ruan Niang turning around.

The morning breeze blew up the white veil of her hat, revealing her much thinner face.

Her lips moved, she choked and suddenly turned back into the cabin.

"Madam! Don't go!" Sheng Jingheng ran after the boat, not caring that his official robe was torn by the rope.

The boat went farther and farther, and finally turned into a small black dot in the middle of the river.

He knelt on the wet wooden board and suddenly slapped himself hard: "It's all my fault!"

Amid the sound of the river lapping against the shore, he finally understood - that was not a marriage arranged by parents or matchmakers at all.

It was her red, frozen fingers as she mended his clothes by lamplight on a snowy night, it was the inkstone she bought for him when they were poor, it was her tearful smile in the crowd on the day he won the top spot in the imperial examination.

He made up his mind.

The next morning at court, Xuan Ling sat upright on the dragon throne in the Golden Palace, with the pearl curtain hanging from his crown obscuring his deep gaze.

All the ministers stood in silence, and suddenly Sheng Jingheng stepped out, lifted the hem of his official robe, and knelt heavily on the ground.

"Your Majesty, I, Sheng Jingheng, beg for your permission to resign." His voice was low and firm, and it was particularly clear in the silent hall.

The whole court was in uproar.

The Minister of Rites could not help but step forward and ask: "Lord Sheng is in his prime and has a bright future. Why did you suddenly resign?"

Sheng Jingheng raised his eyes, his gaze filled with determination: "I feel ashamed of your grace. My family affairs are turbulent, and it is difficult for me to take care of state affairs."

He paused, then continued, "My wife has left the capital, and I... must go find her."

Xuan Ling's eyes flickered slightly, and his fingertips tapped twice on the armrests of the dragon throne before he finally spoke: "Permission granted."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Sheng Jingheng kowtowed heavily, and when his forehead touched the ground, a tear fell on the gold brick.

He stood up, took off his black hat, handed it to the eunuch beside him, turned around and strode away.

His back is as straight as a pine tree, yet reveals a sense of loneliness.

When leaving the palace and getting on the carriage, Sheng Jingxi glanced at the glazed tiles of the Golden Throne Hall.

This place used to be his dream, above all else, but when Ruan Niang left, he realized what was most important.

An hour later.

Inside the Sheng Mansion, Sheng's mother was discussing with Sheng Xitang how to find Ruan Niang when they suddenly heard a commotion in the outer courtyard.

"Madam! Something bad has happened!" The servant came running in in a panic, "Madam Su and Miss Su have rushed in!"

Mother Sheng's face darkened, and before she could say anything, Madam Su had already dragged Su Yunfu into the flower hall in a threatening manner.

Su Yunfu, dressed in a pink dress, with her golden hair jingling, said in a sweet voice, "Aunt Sheng, Fu'er is here to pay her respects to you."

Sheng Xitang sneered: "Who allowed you in?"

Mrs. Su said shamelessly: "Our two families are about to get married, so it's natural for us to visit each other more often."

She looked around, "Where's Jingheng? Why isn't he here?"

Outside the gate, the attendant came running in breathlessly, trembling with fear: "My lord... my lord has resigned from his post and left the capital to find his wife."

"What?!" Su Yunfu screamed, her face instantly pale, "He actually--"

She suddenly grabbed Mrs. Su's sleeve, "Mom! He ran away!"

Mrs. Su was also panicked, but she forced herself to remain calm and said, "It's okay, he will come back eventually."

She rolled her eyes and suddenly smiled, "In that case, Fu'er will stay at the Sheng Mansion temporarily and wait for Jingheng to come back to get married."

Mother Sheng was so angry that she was shaking all over: "Ridiculous! My Sheng family will never recognize this marriage!"

Su Yunfu, however, sat down on the armchair with her chin held high: "I won't leave! I'm pregnant with the Sheng family's child, how dare you chase me away?"

Sheng Xitang laughed in anger: "Okay, then you can stay. But my eldest brother said before he left that he would only recognize Ruan Niang as his wife in this life!"

She deliberately raised her voice, "Some people are shameless and insist on paying for it, then they can only wait to be widowed!"

Su Yunfu was so angry that she grabbed the teacup and was about to smash it, but was quickly stopped by Madam Su.

The mother and daughter looked at each other, and Mrs. Su gritted her teeth and said, "We've decided to stay here!"

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