Emerging from the village headman's dwelling, Li Yue Shu began to ponder how to write the divorce letter.
However, shortly after she stepped out, she spotted a figure in red leaning against a tree not far away, seemingly waiting for someone.
Li Yue Shu paused and then walked over, "Why are you here?"
Hong Dai turned her head, raising an eyebrow slightly, "I saw you sneaking out alone early this morning, so of course I had to follow and see."
Li Yue Shu tugged at the corner of her lips, "When was I sneaking around?"
"Wasn't I?" Hong Dai swayed her slender waist as she approached, "But it looked to me like you didn't want anyone to know what you were doing?"
Seeing the teasing glint in her eyes, Li Yue Shu instantly understood, "You heard?"
Hong Dai nodded frankly and placed her hands on Li Yue Shu's arms, "I have good writing skills. Do you want me to ghostwrite the divorce letter?"
Li Yue Shu felt the softness on her arm and glanced down at Hong Dai, "That's not necessary, it's too much trouble."
She pulled her arm away and headed home.
Hong Dai quickly followed, linking arms with her again, and smacked her lips, "What a shame. I thought I'd have the honor of ghostwriting a divorce letter for the renowned Regent!"
Li Yue Shu's steps faltered, and she suddenly turned to look at Hong Dai, "Regent? You mean Shen Wei?"
Hong Dai blinked, "Yes, didn't he admit it himself that day!"
Li Yue Shu looked confused, "He did admit he was a prince, but how do you know he's the Regent?"
This time, it was Hong Dai's turn to be stunned.
"You..." she hesitated, "There is only one prince in Chen Nan Kingdom, the current Emperor's own brother, the world-renowned Regent Qin Moyuan. Don't you know?"
Only one prince?
Regent?
Qin Moyuan?
Li Yue Shu's expression was bewildered.
Clearly, the original book mentioned numerous princes in Chen Nan Kingdom, but no Regent, and certainly no character named Qin Moyuan. How could this be...
Wait!
Her understanding of this world came entirely from the original book. In the book, the princes of Chen Nan Kingdom were mentioned as appearing years later, after Prince Qin Yexiu's position was abolished. To suppress the powerful royal relatives, the Emperor continuously enfeoffed them as kings and granted them territories.
Consequently, when Qin Yexiu returned, he not only had to face the imperial power struggle among his brothers but also the covetous eyes of the regional kings.
As for the Regent of Chen Nan Kingdom...
Li Yue Shu racked her brain and finally recalled the original book's description of the Regent of Chen Nan Kingdom.
"What are you thinking about?"
Hong Dai's voice suddenly pulled her thoughts back.
Li Yue Shu collected herself, "Nothing. I just didn't expect him to be the Regent."
"The title of Regent of Chen Nan Kingdom is known throughout the world. You haven't heard of it?" Hong Dai's eyes held undisguised suspicion. "Little Yue Shu, aren't you from this world?"
Li Yue Shu's lips twitched.
She was actually right!
She pouted, "Yes, I'm a ghost from another world. Aren't you scared?"
Hong Dai blinked, then smiled, "If all ghosts were as beautiful as Little Yue Shu, I might be curious to see."
Li Yue Shu rolled her eyes, "Alright, if I ever get a chance to go back, I'll definitely take you to see them."
The two walked home, chatting and laughing, and did not bring up the previous topic again. However, Li Yue Shu had something weighing on her mind.
The character of the Regent, in the original book, only appeared in a few brief lines of dialogue and was someone who had died long ago.
This was after Qin Yexiu returned to Chongzhou and heard about the Emperor enfeoffing so many princes. He complained to Li Xiangru that imperial power must be held in his own hands and that another Regent who could influence the Emperor's decisions should not appear.
And that Regent was Qin Yexiu's imperial uncle, the current Emperor of Chen Nan's own brother, who had fallen off a cliff while saving the Emperor years ago and whose body was never recovered.
How did the Regent, who didn't even have a name in the original book, become the father of the four little villains?
Li Yue Shu pondered, realizing that the biggest reason for all this might be herself.
If it weren't for her, the four children would still be struggling for food, and Shen Wei's condition would definitely not have been treatable in Tong Mu County.
A fool with four children could not have survived.
This was why Chai Yang Xinghe, as Shen Wei's hidden guard, became people of Awen and Ayun in the original book. It was because Shen Wei had died, and they needed protection.
As for Aiyi, with her exquisite poison skills and a world-renowned master, she naturally wouldn't need these two.
Thinking about it this way, it was she who saved Shen Wei's life, yet he suspected her and had been deceiving her for so long.
With this thought, Li Yue Shu suddenly felt angry. When she returned home and saw Shen Wei, she became even angrier.
Shen Wei naturally noticed her desire to rush up and bite him. Feeling inexplicably guilty, he wisely avoided her.
Li Yue Shu merely let out a cold snort and didn't say anything, busy with her own tasks.
According to her plan, she conducted a basic assessment for Shen Tingyi and then began preparing her future learning plan.
Watching her focused and meticulous profile, Shen Tingyi's hand, holding the pen, tightened involuntarily, her expression somewhat conflicted.
Perhaps it was because her gaze was too obvious, Li Yue Shu stopped her actions and looked up.
Seeing the girl's conflicted expression, Li Yue Shu spoke first, "Ayi, do you have something you want to say to Mother?"
Shen Tingyi's grip on the pen tightened, "Mother, are you... are you no longer angry with us?"
Li Yue Shu remained silent for a moment, then asked back, "What do you think?"
Shen Tingyi looked at her cautiously, trying to discern something from her expression.
After a long pause, she hesitated and said, "Mother must not be angry anymore! Mother has always been kind, generous, beautiful, and dignified, and treats us very well. She certainly wouldn't hold grudges against us."
Li Yue Shu could tell she was deliberately flattering her and felt quite helpless.
Of course, she was angry.
However, as a mother, she couldn't truly hold grudges against her children, so all her anger was directed towards Shen Wei.
Suddenly remembering something, Li Yue Shu put down what she was holding, "Ayi, Mother has a question for you. Answer honestly."
Shen Tingyi nodded firmly, "Mother, just ask. Ayi promises not to lie to you!"
She had felt guilty for a long time after lying to her mother last time. At that moment, she had vowed never to lie to her mother again.
Li Yue Shu could see the girl's thoughts at a glance and couldn't help but reach out and rub her head.
"Ayi, if one day... Father and Mother divorce, who would you want to follow?"
As soon as she said this, Shen Tingyi's face instantly turned pale. The pen in her hand clattered to the floor, but she paid no attention to it, grabbing Li Yue Shu's hand instead, "Mother, you... you don't want Ayi anymore?"
Seeing the girl's eyes instantly well up with tears, Li Yue Shu's heart ached. She quickly patted her back to comfort her, "How could Mother not want you? You are Mother's daughter, Mother's treasure. How could Mother bear to abandon you!"
This girl's disposition was the most stubborn among the four children. Seeing her suddenly look scared and wronged, Li Yue Shu almost couldn't handle it.