The temperamental white moonlight is back, and the entire Marquis's family obediently calls him

Before Chen Ziyi could react, he felt the hairs on the back of his head stand on end, and a familiar sense of fear swept over his entire body.

As soon as he turned his head, a fist the size of a sandbag came straight for his vital point.

When he came to his senses, he was already lying on the ground, having taken several punches.

Zhou Shixu pressed down on him, gripping his collar tightly.

"Didn't you say you were about to die? You've been faking illness and still dare to come out? What kind of slander are you going to make against my sister this time? Tell me!"

Chen Ziyi quickly covered his face, crying and shaking his head, "I didn't! I just came out to have some fun, I didn't mean to make fun of your sister!"

"You hit me last time, so I won't do it again, I really won't!"

"No, not at all! I'll let you off this time. But let me tell you, we just came from the Duke of Huguo's mansion, and my sister has already broken off her engagement with that liar Feng Liang."

"Tell Feng Liang that if he dares to speak rudely or spread rumors about my sister again, next time I won't just beat up his dog!"

Did you hear me clearly?

Chen Ziyi's vision blurred, and he could only nod haphazardly, "Understood! I heard you clearly!"

Zhou Shixu snorted coldly and let go of her hand.

The servants quickly surrounded him, some wiping his sweat, others helping him up.

Chen Ziyi scrambled to his feet and backed away.

This time, not only Chen Ziyi heard it clearly, but the onlookers also heard it clearly.

Zhou Shixu boarded the carriage and could still hear the chatter of the crowd outside.

He touched his still wildly beating heart, then looked up at the smiling Lu Mingzhao, feeling a strange sensation.

This trick... might actually work.

Today, in front of everyone, he declared that the two families broke off the engagement because Feng Liang had slandered the woman. In this way, he could clear An'an's name, eliminate the possibility that the Duke of Huguo's mansion would try to shift all the blame onto An'an in the future, and also explain why he took action last time.

Lu Mingzhao smiled and said, "How was it? I didn't harm you, did I?"

Zhou Shixu retorted defiantly, "But last night you said we shouldn't solve problems with violence, yet today you're telling me to hit someone. Isn't that a contradiction?"

"Force may not solve problems, but it can be useful if used skillfully."

"For example, just now, if you hadn't said those words and had only taken action, others would have just thought you were irritable and unreasonable."

"Now that you've said those things, even if the whole capital knows that our two families have broken off the engagement, everyone will just think that it's mostly the fault of the Duke of Huguo's mansion."

After hesitating for a long time, Zhou Shixu reluctantly nodded: "What you said... makes a little bit of sense, doesn't it?"

Lu Mingzhao nodded in satisfaction: "This is all from your mother's experience; you still have much to learn."

Zhou Shixu turned his head away, muttering, "Who wants to copy you!"

The carriage returned to the Marquis's residence. Liu Muqiu first escorted her mother-in-law back to the main courtyard before bidding farewell to her brother-in-law and heading to the east courtyard.

As soon as she entered, she saw Zhou Shili watering the flowers in the courtyard, and Liu Muqiu felt a warmth in her heart.

This marriage was actually satisfactory in every way, except for the mother-in-law's difficult behavior.

Her husband was devoted to her, and even when her mother-in-law put two concubines in the east courtyard, he only stayed in her room.

Whenever he finished his official duties, he would always come to keep her company, either tending to the flowers and plants or chatting about everyday things.

She had also subtly inquired and learned that her father-in-law had treated her mother-in-law in the same way back then, which is why her husband was able to follow suit.

I just don't know what happened in those years that caused my father-in-law and mother-in-law to become so estranged, and why he went to the Northwest for seven years.

"Why are you back so early today?" Liu Muqiu washed her hands and changed her clothes before gracefully taking the kettle from her husband's hands.

"With An'an's wedding on my mind, I couldn't concentrate on the case, so I took leave and came back early."

Of course, a large part of the reason is the mother.

Ever since he was certain that his mother had returned, he had been wanting to see her again and talk to her for a while.

Zhou Shili composed himself and asked, "Has the Duke of Protectorate's Mansion made things difficult for you?"

He had made up his mind. After all, he was the eldest son of the Marquis's mansion, and he couldn't let his mother bear these things alone.

Although my mother was intelligent, she had been missing for fourteen years, and the capital city was not as simple as the village.

He thought about it again and again today and felt extremely regretful that he hadn't gone with them.

What if my mother is bullied?

The thought of this possibility made him feel extremely distressed.

If the Duke of Huguo's mansion really refuses to annul the engagement, he will resort to some means... Feng Liang's marriage can't possibly be more important than the career prospects of the Feng family's descendants.

Liu Muqiu smiled and recounted in detail what had happened at the Duke of Huguo's mansion that day.

As Zhou Shili listened, his eyes gradually brightened.

She truly is a mother!

He underestimated his mother!

He was young when his mother left, and he doesn't remember many things.

But he will always remember that when he and his brother were bullied, their mother was always the first to stand in front of them.

The village children mocked them, saying that since their father wasn't around, he must have a family elsewhere and had abandoned them.

When the mother found out, she took them to look for them one by one.

If the other party didn't open the door, the mother would stand at the door and yell at them until they did.

In the end, the mother would always manage to get an apology from the other parents, and then triumphantly tell her two sons, "See? No one is allowed to bully you except your mother!"

That's why, even after so many years, he always feels safe and secure whenever he thinks of his mother.

Even though she's no longer in the village, my mother hasn't changed.

No matter where they go, their mother always protects them.

"On the way back, I remembered what my husband said yesterday. The old lady is indeed a little different." Liu Muqiu leaned gently on Zhou Shili's shoulder.

"It would be a good thing if the old lady could continue like this. However..." Liu Muqiu paused, "Second Master doesn't seem to be used to it. Whenever he opens his mouth, he still says something unpleasant."

Zhou Shili paused slightly.

My younger brother was only two years old when our mother left. He had received our mother's warmth and unconditional love, but he remembers almost nothing about it.

He believed that his mother would have her own way of getting closer to Xu'er and An'an.

However, as the eldest son and the only one in the household who knows the truth about his mother, he absolutely cannot sit idly by and leave the mess for his mother to handle alone.

He pondered for a moment, then said, "Let's have dinner together tonight. I'll talk to Xu'er, but as for An'an... I'll have to trouble you."

Although An'an is his sister, they are five years apart and there is a difference between boys and girls, so he often cannot communicate directly with his sister.

Before getting married, he could only rely on his mother to pass on messages, and he would only meet her occasionally to ask about his sister's recent situation, and they gradually drifted apart.

Even knowing that his sister was being bullied by that woman, he could only verbally warn the woman to stop and then compensate his sister with material things.

Fortunately, after getting married, his wife and sister got along quite well, and his wife took care of things he couldn't see.

Of the three siblings, An'an is the least familiar to her mother, but she is probably also the one her mother worries about the most.

An'an's resentment towards her mother is so strong now; I wonder how sad her mother must be.

Meanwhile, Lu Mingzhao in the main courtyard was gazing at the horizon, his face full of sorrow.

Zhao's mother stood not far behind her, looking up at the sky with her—but there was nothing in the sky except for clouds, and she had no idea what her mistress was looking at.

These past two days, the master's temperament has changed, and he's become more human. Zhao Mama can't help but put more effort into figuring out what the master means.

Is she troubled by the annulment of the engagement today? Or is she saddened by the estrangement between the young master and young lady?

Just as she was deep in thought, she heard Lu Mingzhao sigh.

"Aunt Zhao, is there any vacant space in the manor?"

Mrs. Zhao quickly replied, "Of course we do."

Lu Mingzhao breathed a sigh of relief: "That's great! Give me a plot of land to farm, I'm so bored I could die."

Zhao's mother: "..."