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

The servants swarmed around to untie the ropes.

The two finally managed to break free in a flurry of activity. Cui, disregarding her disheveled hair, glared at him fiercely, gritting her teeth.

"Outrageous! Madam Lu is far too arrogant, daring to be so disrespectful in front of the Princess!"

Lu Mingzhao blinked innocently: "I really didn't mean it, why don't you all believe me?"

Cui's eyes seemed to be filled with venom: "I refuse to believe it. If it had been the princess who spoke just now, would you have dared to throw the rope over here?"

"That's definitely not the case."

Lu Mingzhao shook his head, "The princess's voice doesn't sound like a horse's neigh."

"you!"

Cui Shi could no longer hold back. She threw down the hairpin in her hand and rushed forward, wishing she could fight Lu Mingzhao to the death. A group of servants desperately tried to stop her.

"Madam Cui, please don't act impulsively..."

Wang, standing nearby, tried to stop him while glaring resentfully at Liu Muqiu.

"You unruly brat. Back when we were at home, I could never teach you properly. I thought you would be more sensible after you got married, but I didn't expect you to still be so useless."

"Aren't you going to take your old lady back home? Are you just going to let her continue her madness here?!"

Just as Liu Muqiu recovered from her mother-in-law's fierce behavior, she was berated by her stepmother, as if she had been transported back to the time before she was married.

In those years, whenever her mother took her out to a banquet, she would always look down on her and publicly criticize her for being petty, unruly, and unpresentable.

This is why she has a bad reputation in the capital and her marriage is very difficult.

If her father hadn't arranged for her to marry Zhou Shili, she might have really only been able to marry into the wealthy merchant family of the Wang family.

She has been married for a year now, but when her stepmother shows such an expression, she still can't help but feel a tightness in her chest, and the bitterness and unease buried deep in her heart begin to surge.

Until she looked up and met her mother-in-law's gaze.

Lu Mingzhao's eyes were clear and bright, his expression calm, as he stared at her intently.

That gaze was like an invisible force, supporting Liu Muqiu's slumped waist and inexplicably interrupting her thoughts of retreating.

"..."

Liu Muqiu took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and looked at Madam Wang: "Madam Wang, I don't understand what you mean."

"As a junior, I naturally respect my elders in everything. That's how I did it in the Liu family before, and it hasn't changed now. I still understand this rule."

"Besides... my lady has already apologized, so why is Madam Wang being so aggressive?"

Seemingly surprised that Liu Muqiu dared to talk back, Wang's eyes widened suddenly. When she came to her senses, she was about to speak again, but was interrupted by Princess Wenyu's voice: "Alright, it's just a misunderstanding."

"Since Madam Lu has already apologized, why should you two be so disheartened?"

Cui and Wang had no choice but to shut up.

After all, this was Princess Wenyu's homecoming banquet, and they came here to get closer to the princess. Since the princess had spoken, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and swallow their anger.

Princess Wenyu looked around at everyone present: "Is there anyone else who wants to try the lasso? Winning or losing doesn't matter, it's just for fun."

Cui glanced at Wang, who quickly reacted and stepped forward, saying, "Before I was married, I traveled all over the country with my father and played with lasso a few times."

"Then I will make a fool of myself first, as an apology to the princess."

Princess Wenyu then smiled.

Wang's movements were clean and efficient, with each scoop and throw clean and crisp, showing that she had indeed practiced before.

But in no time, her forehead was covered with beads of sweat.

The horses opposite were too cunning and wild; every time we tried to lasso them, they would turn their heads and run away.

After a long time of work, I only managed to catch one horse.

At the same time, Lu Mingzhao also tied his armbands, picked up a set of ropes, stood on the shore, swung the rope, and when the time was right, he flicked his wrist, and the rope flew out of his hand.

The rope landed steadily on the neck of a pony, which was about to jump off when Lu Mingzhao suddenly pulled it in another direction.

"I won!"

Liu Muqiu covered her mouth, both surprised and delighted.

Before she could react, Lu Mingzhao had already lassoed three more ponies.

Everyone immediately gathered around, staring at Lu Mingzhao with astonishment.

When half an incense stick's time was up, only Lu Mingzhao among those present had successfully lassoed five foals.

As the gong sounded, Lu Mingzhao, drenched in sweat, threw down the rope in his hand and reached out to his daughter-in-law.

Liu Muqiu, feeling dizzy, handed over a handkerchief.

Princess Wenyu looked on with admiration: "Madam Lu is truly capable."

Some of the other women looked on with envy, while many others wore mocking expressions and deliberately teased, "We've only ever heard that Old Madam Lu's words and actions are unpredictable; it turns out she looked down on us before. Only after seeing the Princess does she dare to show her true colors."

"That's right, this way you've outshone everyone else."

With a smirk, Madam Cui said provocatively, "Old Madam Lu is truly a woman of few words. I wonder if those crazy actions of hers in the past... were just a deliberate attempt to hide her true strength, waiting to play the fool and catch the wolf in the trap?"

Princess Wenyu paused upon hearing this, and her gaze toward Lu Mingzhao became somewhat inquisitive.

Liu Muqiu's heart tightened.

Princess Wenyu must have heard of her mother-in-law's terrible reputation in the capital.

Today, my mother-in-law suddenly stood out in front of Princess Wenyu, how could people not be suspicious?

To put it more seriously... it could even affect the careers of the Marquis and Zhou Shili.

"What kind of skill is that?"

Lu Mingzhao took the handkerchief, wiped his sweat, walked to the shade, and poured himself a full bowl of tea.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, she gulped down the drink in one go, wiped her mouth, and laughed heartily, "This is something I learned in the village."

A young woman tilted her head: "The village?"

"yes!"

"In the past, during Chinese New Year, everyone would call me to help with the pig-catching game. I was really good at it; I could catch a pig every time."

"These ponies are nowhere near as strong as the pigs that will be born for the New Year!"

Lu Mingzhao paused, then let out a long sigh, looking very regretful.

"It's a pity my health isn't as good as it used to be. After all this time, I only managed to put on five. In the village, people would laugh at me."

The scene was quiet.

"Pfft."

The young woman who had just asked the question couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The serious and tense situation was instantly broken, and the doubts and unease that had been weighing on everyone's minds vanished with that laugh.

Immediately afterwards, laughter erupted from the crowd, creating a continuous burst of sound.

Liu Muqiu subconsciously looked at the expressions of the crowd, but she soon realized that most of the laughter was not mockery, but rather genuine amusement.

Princess Wenyu's expression softened, and she personally picked up the box containing the Fragrance-Nourishing Pill and handed it to Lu Mingzhao.

"It's yours now."