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

"That's all for today."

Zhao's mother responded and silently took two steps back to her seat.

After a while, she couldn't help but carefully look up at the lady who was lost in thought.

Fourteen years after entering the household, she still couldn't understand this mistress.

This dignified Lady Zhongjing always had some inexplicable behaviors and words, such as talking to herself and saying strange things to the servants.

At first, Zhao Xianglan didn't think anything of it.

After all, the Marquis is a man of integrity who does not take concubines, and his wife has several young masters by her side, so there is nothing to worry about.

But as time went on, the lady's behavior became increasingly strange.

Jealousy is a minor matter; the lady will also use various means to force the Marquis to agree to her demands. If the Marquis does not agree, she will cry, make a scene, and threaten to hang herself.

—It was a real hanging.

Gradually, the Marquis exhausted all his strength and stopped paying attention to his wife.

Seven years ago, after a big fight, the Marquis left behind the words "We shall never see each other again, in life or in death," and went to the northwest border, preferring to stay in that wind-swept and sandy place rather than see his wife again.

Not to mention the children.

When Zhao Xianglan entered the mansion, the five-year-old eldest son, Zhou Shili, was still a well-behaved, sensible, and very filial boy.

For fourteen years, the young master has been hurt countless times by his biased wife.

This is what led to the current situation where the mother and child are estranged.

The young master was spoiled.

After the madam stopped interfering, the young master completely let himself go. A few days ago, he got into an argument with someone outside and almost beat the other person to death in the street...

Over the years, the lady was not allowed to go out, which made her even more repressed and twisted. Her temper became cunning and strange, and she even came up with many ways to torment the servants.

Zhao Xianglan no longer expected her mistress to return to normal; she only hoped that she would stop tormenting them further...

"You just said that Zhou Shili is coming over in a little while?" Lu Mingzhao suddenly turned around.

Zhao Xianglan quickly replied, "Yes, today is the fifteenth of August, and the master will come to pay his respects to the madam."

Lu Mingzhao nodded, a hint of joy finally appearing in his troubled eyes.

Then, something else occurred to her.

"You just said I was acting? Acting out what?"

Zhao Xianglan gave a bitter smile to herself.

Each question was like a thunderbolt, and she was terrified that if she didn't answer well, the lady would suddenly fly into a rage.

But she had to answer: "Madam has already tried this many times in front of the Marquis and the young masters, claiming that she remembers nothing after waking up, except that she is twenty-three years old."

"The first few times, the Marquis and his young masters believed it, but later..."

I was completely disappointed.

"I see."

Fourteen years have passed. The time-traveling woman used various methods to gain attention and trust, and then trampled on their trust without hesitation.

The family's patience and affection for "Lu Mingzhao" have probably been exhausted in the process.

She can no longer immediately gain her family's trust no matter what she says or does.

It seems everything needs to be done slowly.

But the thought of seeing her child soon fills her with joy, making even the greatest difficulties seem insignificant.

After all, for her, it was just a nap.

But for them, it had been a full fourteen years since they had seen Lu Mingzhao.

Lu Mingzhao is a person who can easily come to terms with things. He quickly came to terms with himself and stood up to admire his courtyard.

Zhao Xianglan followed behind her and saw the lady touching the pillars under the eaves, looking through all the jewelry in the dressing table, and opening the wardrobe to rummage through the clothes one by one.

After a long pause, the lady looked at the wardrobe and sighed deeply, "This kind of life..."

Zhao Xianglan hurriedly asked, "Madam, do you feel there's anything inappropriate, or anything that needs to be changed?"

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Mingzhao plunged into the wardrobe and rubbed his face against the clothes.

"This feels so good!"

The fabric of this dress was beyond her comprehension, but she knew it must be very expensive!

I don't know what kind of incense was burning in the room, but it smelled nice and must have been very expensive!

And this huge courtyard—judging from Zhao Xianglan's words, she lives there alone. Isn't that too extravagant? I wonder how big the entire Marquis's mansion is and how much silver it must have cost!

The well-informed Zhao Xianglan watched as her mistress swayed happily in the wardrobe, and her mind went blank for a moment.

lady……

Has he gone mad?

"Oh, right!"

"Today is the fifteenth of August...didn't Xu'er just celebrate her birthday?" Lu Mingzhao stopped what he was doing and looked at Zhao Xianglan.

Zhou Shixu's birthday is on the seventh day of the eighth lunar month.

"Yes, Second Master caused trouble on his birthday."

Lu Mingzhao paused, finding it hard to believe that Zhou Shixu, who was just a two-year-old baby before he left, would commit such a violent act as beating someone in the street.

"Can I let Xu'er come over?"

Zhao Xianglan said, "I'm afraid we'll have to wait for the master to speak first."

Lu Mingzhao understood that she no longer had much say in the family.

However, it is understandable.

Lu Mingzhao took a deep breath: "When I see Xu'er, I need to have a talk with him."

After finishing speaking, Lu Mingzhao began selecting tree branches in the courtyard, occasionally gesturing in the air to see if they were comfortable to handle.

Zhao Xianglan's heart, which hadn't yet settled, jumped again: "Madam, what's wrong?"

"This is just in case," Lu Mingzhao replied earnestly.

She had to prepare in advance, in case the boy didn't understand reasoning, she also knew a little bit of martial arts.

Zhao Xianglan was so frightened that she kept wiping her sweat. Then she heard the old lady ask, "What's my daughter's name? Can I go see her now?"

She longed to see her daughter with her own eyes.

Zhao Xianglan smiled awkwardly: "Miss's name is Ming'an, and she lives in Longcui Courtyard in the back. However... even if Madam goes there now, Miss may not see you."

Lu Mingzhao pursed her lips and asked, "Is she angry with me because she doesn't like the young master of the Duke's family?"

Zhao Xianglan gave an affirmative answer.

Lu Mingzhao waved his hand dismissively: "Isn't that easy to handle? Let's cancel the engagement."

Zhao Xianglan was startled, then knelt down again, her voice trembling, "Madam, this is no joke!"

"What do you mean by 'playing games'? I'm serious." Lu Mingzhao said earnestly.

But seeing Zhao Xianglan's expression that seemed to say, "Please stop talking," she stopped speaking.

Well, well, this is indeed no small matter, and I'm afraid Zhao Xianglan has no right to interfere.

Let's discuss it with Zhou Shili later.

Lu Mingzhao helped Zhao Xianglan up and then told her not to kneel down so easily, as it was troublesome.

Zhao Xianglan had no idea what her master was thinking, so she could only respond tremblingly.

Then, Lu Mingzhao asked about the current situation of several children intermittently.

Lu Mingzhao was very proud to learn that his eldest son was now a sixth-rank official in the Court of Judicial Review.

She said the child was smart even when he was young, and it's true.

The eldest son got married last year to the daughter of a fifth-rank civil official, named Liu Muqiu.

Lu Mingzhao's heart began to itch again.

"May I see my daughter-in-law?"

This time, Zhao Xianglan finally did not refuse.

Lu Mingzhao happily changed into his favorite clothes and went out with Zhao Xianglan and six or seven maids.

Lu Mingzhao's courtyard was already spacious and luxurious. After leaving the courtyard and passing through the hall, the back garden of the east courtyard presented an even more unique scene.

In the golden autumn of August, chrysanthemums of all colors bloomed all over the garden. Lu Mingzhao walked forward on the flat bluestone slabs. Every time he thought he was about to reach the end, he would pass through a hanging flower gate and find a wide-open road ahead.

Sunlight fell on Lu Mingzhao's shoulders, warm and comforting, and she stretched her body happily.

She hadn't felt the warmth of the sun in a long time.

Following a cobblestone path lined with low-lying wildflowers, past a standing rock, you'll find a pool of clear water.

Lu Mingzhao finally managed to shift his gaze away from the few red carp in the pond, only to be drawn to the small bridge not far away.

After crossing the bridge and walking for a while, we finally saw a moon gate hidden in a bamboo grove. Then we passed through a flower forest that was dazzling to the eye, and finally saw three steps. This was the Lanfang Pavilion, where the eldest mistress of the East Courtyard, Liu Muqiu, lived.

Lu Mingzhao sighed inwardly, "So beautiful, so elegant. Although I had caught a glimpse of it during my previous awakening, it was still not as breathtaking as experiencing it firsthand."

However, while the courtyard is nice, walking around in it is extremely tiring.

Normally, after walking for a short while, I should have reached the east entrance of the village.

Zhao Xianglan, standing behind her, kept her eyelids drooping and didn't dare ask her master why she wasn't riding in a sedan chair today.

My master is acting really strangely today; I'd better keep quiet.