How could she not hate?
She wished she could slice Luo Jingfeng into a thousand pieces, to make him return their beloved Highness to them.
But the Highness would never return.
Never again.
By the seventh day, Luo Jingfeng was dead.
The Prince of Southern Pacification rushed to the capital in rebellion, but it was already too late.
The military power had been reclaimed by the imperial court. Zong Zhao, credited with capturing Luo Jingfeng, was appointed General of the Western Garrison and soon led troops to quell the unrest in Yunnan.
In less than half a year, the Prince of Southern Pacification fell in battle, and the Luo brothers—who had threatened the court for over a decade—were wiped out one after another.
The people cheered, and the nation celebrated.
Zong Zhao returned the military authority to the Emperor. As he walked through the bustling streets, listening to the fireworks and festivities, the heaviness in his chest eased slightly.
Things are slowly getting better, he thought.
But as he strode forward, his steps faltered when he passed a narrow alley.
Inside, Xu Wan was chasing after a little boy: "Gao Zhongbang! Get back to the schoolhouse and recite your lessons! With your habit of slacking off every other day, what kind of scholar do you think you'll become?"
Zong Zhao froze.
Though her tone and smile were the same as before, her attire was no longer luxurious—not even as fine as what she had worn in the Minister's Mansion. Her face was bare of makeup, without a single hairpin, dressed only in coarse linen, destitute and worn.
She…
How had she ended up like this?
Unaware of what had happened to Xu Wan, Zong Zhao hurried after her. Running through the long alley, he saw her drag the boy named Gao Zhongbang into a dilapidated house.
Inside, six or seven ragged children sat together, two or three sharing a single book, reciting passages from the Book of Rites.
"Teacher, how do you pronounce this character?"
Xu Wan glanced at it. "That’s ‘wei.’ How come you still haven’t memorized it after I’ve taught you three times? Write it ten times as punishment—you must remember it today."
The young student protested, "Fine, but Teacher Xu, the ground’s almost covered in my writing. There’s no space left!"
Xu Wan chuckled. "Then wash the floor with water to rinse away the old markings. Once it dries, you can write again, can’t you?"
"That makes sense! Teacher, you’re so smart!"
"Of course she is! She knows the Four Books and Five Classics by heart, and she can even write policy essays. If she could take the imperial exams, she’d definitely be the top scholar!"
"Wow! That’s amazing!"
"…"
In that tiny, broken-down room, the children surrounded Xu Wan, seemingly oblivious to their poverty, wholly absorbed in her lessons.
Zong Zhao’s heart ached, but he didn’t disturb them. Instead, he quietly left and immediately sought answers.
Steward Liu told him, "Three months ago, the eldest son of the Duke of Jin… divorced her."
Zong Zhao slammed his palm onto the stone table, furious. "Divorced? How dare he? Xu Wan is still the daughter of Minister Xu—did the Minister just stand by and watch?"
Trembling, Steward Liu replied, "Rumors say… the Duke’s son had a courtesan mistress who bore him a child and was brought into the household. Miss Xu insisted on a separation, but the Duke’s son refused. In the end, he wrote a letter of divorce, citing her failure to bear children in over two years. Humiliated by his daughter’s disgrace, Minister Xu disowned her. After that, Miss Xu… vanished."
Cast out by her husband’s family, severed by her own.
She had no one to rely on, nowhere to go.
Zong Zhao rushed out. He had to find her, to tell her: He loved her. He would marry her. He would treat her well. He could be her shelter.
In the ramshackle schoolhouse, the orphaned children huddled around a fire after lessons.
One child asked, "Teacher Xu, they say you used to be a nobleman’s wife. After living so well, doesn’t this life make you sad?"
Xu Wan smiled. "Not at all. The grand mansions were full of pitfalls. I never liked that life. Teaching all of you is what’s truly meaningful—peaceful, pure, and happy."
"Really? Then Teacher Xu, if another noble family wanted to marry you, would you still refuse?" The children feared she might leave, leaving them orphaned once more.
Having cared for siblings in a welfare home in her past life, Xu Wan understood their worries.
She laughed. "No, no. A golden nest is no match for our own little home. I’ll never leave you. I’ll watch you grow up, pass the exams, start families—that’s what makes me happiest."
"Yay! Teacher Xu will never leave us!"
The children jumped up, dancing around her in joy.
Xu Wan gazed at them, her eyes bright and clear.
Outside, a light rain began to fall, dousing the flicker of newfound hope.
Those who love in secret are cowards.
Too afraid to step forward, to reach out, to confess.
Zong Zhao wondered: Would his presence be her salvation, or merely an intrusion?
He couldn’t decide.
He left a pouch of silver outside the hut.
Afterward, he often visited her—always unseen—chasing off thugs who tried to seize their space, leaving bags of coins.
Yet their lives never seemed to improve.
After another visit, the Emperor summoned him to discuss urgent matters. Zong Zhao planned to bring her books upon his return.
But… he never made it back.
The palace swarmed with hidden guards and imperial soldiers. They threatened his family, forcing him to surrender.
Before he knew it, he was imprisoned.
The cunning hare dead, the hunting dog cooked.
The Emperor feared him.
Feared he would become the next Luo Jingfeng. So before rebellion could even cross his mind, Zong Zhao was charged with treason—along with his family, his kin, the entire Yangyuan Marquis Manor.
In the dungeon, Jin Cheng came to see him.
The boy entrusted to him by the Crown Prince, raised as his own son for ten years, whose identity he had protected even during the fiercest battles against Luo Jingfeng.
Now, the child sobbed in his arms, choking on regret. "Father… how did this happen? Why must our whole family die? What do we do? I’m useless… I can’t save you… I can’t do anything…"
