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

But the results are undeniable.

She did not betray her mistress, but her mistress betrayed her.

From that moment on, Chu Yuan'er was no longer the Chu Yuan'er who had been by her side for so many years.

Seeing the two remain silent, Lan'er's smile grew even more pathetic: "Madam and Miss will never understand. Since I was little, my world has only consisted of Chu Yuan'er. I live for her."

"If she told me that I should take the blame for anything that happened to me, I would do it willingly."

"But...she lied to me."

Lan'er couldn't accept that even the only person she cared about would deceive her.

She would do anything if the young lady asked.

The young lady refused to speak, simply because she was afraid that the woman would hate her and refuse to take the blame.

But they've been together for years, so why doesn't the young lady understand her?

Zhou Ming'an frowned: "So, you're going to completely betray us?"

"Not only that," Lan'er slowly lowered her head, "I've been hiding outside all this time."

"Until a few days ago, I discovered that it wasn't just soldiers looking for me, but also another group of people."

"And another group of people wanted me even more dead than the government troops."

"I'm lucky to have survived twice, but once is never enough. I'm not sure if there will be a third time. So I want to do the most important thing before I die."

After Lan'er finished speaking, she kowtowed again: "Please, Madam and Miss, give this servant a chance!"

"This servant is willing to tell Madam everything, and is willing to lend Madam a helping hand at crucial moments, even if... it means this servant's death!"

Lu Mingzhao stared at her for a while, then nodded slightly.

"Get up."

"Zhao Xianglan, take her out and settle her in. Have someone write down everything she says in detail, and don't let anyone else know about this."

"Also, send people to protect her secretly, and don't let Chu Yuan'er's people discover or approach her."

Zhao Xianglan responded and led Lan'er, who was repeatedly expressing her gratitude, out.

Lu Mingzhao then got up and prepared to return to his own courtyard.

Zhou Ming'an stopped his mother, unable to hide his worry: "Mother, do you really believe what Lan'er said? What if... this is also part of Chu Yuan'er's plan?"

Lu Mingzhao seemed surprised and pleased that his daughter would say such a thing.

Surprisingly, my innocent and carefree daughter has indeed grown up and can think of this.

She was happy that her daughter was thinking of her.

After a long pause, she finally smiled and said, "When Zhao Xianglan comes back later, you can ask her."

Zhou Ming'an suppressed his curiosity for the time being and headed back to the main courtyard.

As she reached the door, Zhao Xianglan returned.

Hearing Zhou Ming'an's question, Zhao Xianglan glanced at her master and smiled again.

"Don't worry, young lady, no one will be chasing after Lan'er anymore."

Why?

The question had barely left his mouth when Zhou Ming'an suddenly realized something and immediately looked at his mother: "Those people...were they sent out by you?"

Lu Mingzhao nodded.

In fact, she had already found Lan'er, but compared to sending Lan'er to the government, Lan'er was obviously more useful in this way.

However, she initially only added fuel to the fire with a try-it-out mentality.

Unexpectedly, Lan'er truly hated Chu Yuan'er to the core. When she discovered that someone was chasing her, she immediately assumed that Chu Yuan'er was responsible.

This saved Lu Mingzhao a lot of effort.

Zhou Ming'an opened his mouth in shock, but couldn't utter a word.

Lu Mingzhao smiled: "You think I won't take the initiative?"

That was before.

Now that she knows the time-traveling woman is Chu Yuan'er, she naturally wants to seize every opportunity and possibility.

She wanted to see with her own eyes how Chu Yuan'er was gradually dragged into the abyss.

Lu Mingzhao paused for a moment, then looked at her daughter, her tone softening considerably: "An'an, do you think your mother is heartless?"

Zhou Ming'an nodded, then shook her head, and answered earnestly, "Mother, I think you did the right thing."

What does it matter if she's heartless or not? What does it matter what she thinks?

These days, her mother has been telling her, in fits and starts, how she was possessed by someone who called herself a "time traveler," and how she regained control of her body.

Zhou Ming'an initially couldn't believe it, but gradually came to understand.

She finally understood why her father and older brother believed that "Mother had returned."

Because they had seen the real Lu Mingzhao, they were absolutely certain.

This made Zhou Ming'an realize even more the extent of the harm that time-traveling woman had done to his mother, father, and their entire family.

Now that her mother has learned that Chu Yuan'er is the enemy who has occupied her body for fourteen years, how could she not take action?

If it were her, she would have done the same.

At the same time, Zhou Ming'an knew that his mother asked this question because she was worried that this matter would make Zhou Ming'an feel unfamiliar with her.

In response, Zhou Ming'an squeezed his mother's hand.

"Mother, the you I know is the you I am now."

"A mother doesn't need to pretend in front of her child, and I want to see the real you too."

"Because no matter what, you are my mother, and no one can replace you."

Lu Mingzhao's eyes welled up with tears, but she forced a smile and said, "Okay."

It really was her An'an.

When she was pregnant with An'an, her pregnancy symptoms were much milder than when she was pregnant with her previous two children.

An'an stayed obediently in her belly, and even the delivery went exceptionally smoothly.

Now, An'an stands beside her, a grown woman, but there is an invisible umbilical cord connecting the two of them forever, sending love and support to each other.

Lu Mingzhao thought that perhaps this was the meaning of having children.

After a moment's thought, Zhou Ming'an asked, "Mother, is there anything I can do to help?"

She didn't want to just wait for her mother to protect her.

She's grown up now, and it's time for her to protect her mother.

Upon hearing this, Lu Mingzhao instinctively wanted to refuse, but when she met her daughter's eager gaze, she paused.

"Perhaps, there really is something."

"You know that Chu Yuan'er was taken away by He Ling, the head of the He family."

"These days have passed, and there has been no news."

Lu Mingzhao knew that Chu Yuan'er must still be alive, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to stay out of the public eye so quietly.

But Lu Mingzhao didn't want her to live forever—at least not to live a life of huddled in that dark corner.

On that day, Lu Mingzhao was unable to harm Chu Yuan'er.

Therefore, Lu Mingzhao had to find a way to get her out of that place.

"But I'm not familiar with the He family. They live a secluded life and I almost never run into them. The only member of the He family I've met these days is Lin Shuhui's mother, He Ning."

Strangely, He Ning was very secretive about the He family's affairs. Even when Lu Mingzhao occasionally brought it up, He Ning would immediately change the subject.

It was clear that He Ning was unwilling to mention any of her experiences in the He family.

This put Lu Mingzhao in a difficult position.

"If your father were still in the capital, things would be easier."

Zhou Ming'an blinked: "I heard from Shu Hui that her cousin He Ling often visits her."

"I might actually be able to help with this!"