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

When Zhou Shili and Liu Muqiu entered, they saw Lu Mingzhao lying unconscious on the couch.

Zhou Shili's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the bedside, crying out, "Mother... wake up!"

Zhao's mother quickly supported him: "Sir, the doctor has come to see you and said that the old lady is fine. She probably fainted because she was overworked these days."

Zhou Shili closed his eyes and slowly shook his head.

Others may not know, but he knows best.

Fourteen years ago, when my mother's body was possessed by that time-traveling woman, she looked just like this.

His brows were furrowed and his eyes were closed, as if he were having a nightmare.

At that time, he didn't know what had happened. He only thought that his mother was weak after childbirth, and he wiped her sweat over and over again.

After waiting for a day and a night, his mother woke up, but she was no longer his mother.

Now, the exact same thing is happening again, and he doesn't dare gamble on whether his mother will leave again like last time.

The past month has felt like a dream that was both too beautiful and too unreal.

He didn't want to wake up.

He could only call out to his mother again and again, trying to prolong the dream.

Liu Muqiu helped him up, her voice choked with emotion: "Master, the old lady is unwell. Right now, you are the pillar of the family, so you must not grieve too much."

"Shixu and An'an both rely on you."

Zhou Shili gradually calmed down, took his wife's hand, and slowly moved to the outer room.

After a brief discussion, Zhou Shili decided to handle matters within the household first, while Liu Muqiu sent someone to invite the imperial physician to examine Lu Mingzhao's pulse again.

When the imperial physician arrived, he still couldn't find anything wrong, only saying it was due to overwork.

But Zhou Shili knew that his mother knew martial arts.

Not to mention that my mother had been recuperating for a month, it was impossible for her to overexert herself by pulling weeds.

Zhou Shili could only think of that one possibility.

Fortunately, Zhao's mother soon exclaimed from inside, "The old lady is awake!"

The couple hurriedly went inside.

Lu Mingzhao had already sat up in bed.

She rubbed her head and smiled at the two of them, saying, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm fine."

"You believe me? I can stand up and perform a sword routine right now."

Zhou Shili forced a smile and asked the imperial physician to come in for a second examination, but there was still no problem.

Seeing that their mother spoke and acted as usual, the couple finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"See? I told you I was fine. Look how scared you two are... Oh, by the way, I just heard that someone from the palace came? What's the matter?"

Meeting her mother's concerned gaze, Liu Muqiu was speechless for a moment.

Zhou Shili smiled and said, "It is His Majesty's will to send his son out of the city to welcome his father back."

"We're setting off today."

Lu Mingzhao was secretly pleased, but still pouted and said, "Zhou Ningchuan is making quite a show of himself; you have to go pick him up."

"You're such a tired kid."

Zhou Shili laughed and said, "Isn't it only natural for a son to welcome his father? Mother, please rest well. We'll be back in less than three days."

Since it was the Emperor's will, Lu Mingzhao naturally couldn't interfere, so she could only nod and say, "Go ahead, don't worry about your mother, Muqiu is here."

As Liu Muqiu was seeing her husband off to the front yard, Zhou Shili slowly stopped.

"Could it be... that what the Imperial Astronomical Bureau said is true?"

Zhou Shili murmured softly.

The letter today contained a divination performed by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.

The couple couldn't understand the astrological interpretations, but they could understand the final summary.

In the past month, the constellations symbolizing peace and prosperity have changed. The Imperial Astronomical Bureau has deduced that this is due to a change in the household of a nobleman in the capital.

After much back and forth, the blame finally fell on Lu Mingzhao.

It just so happens that Lu Mingzhao's personality has changed drastically this month, and the entire circle of women in the capital knows about it.

Because of her, the Marquis of Zhongjing, who was originally stationed in the Northwest, also rushed back to the capital.

Furthermore, the brave, skilled, and experienced Marquis Zhongjing was injured by bandits, and all the blame was directed at Lu Mingzhao, whose fate led to the marital discord.

The Imperial Astronomical Bureau believed that she was responsible for the injury to Marquis Zhongjing, which in turn affected the stability of the Northwest.

If this continues, I fear the country will descend into turmoil.

However, Marquis Zhongjing always valued the bond he had shared with his wife through thick and thin. The emperor, being the Son of Heaven, could not interfere in the family affairs of his subjects and therefore could not issue an edict ordering Marquis Zhongjing to divorce his wife.

He only told the eldest son of the Marquis's mansion, Zhou Shili, about the matter, and provided a temporary solution.

—If the two meet, one of them will inevitably get hurt; it's better to separate them.

If the Imperial Astronomical Bureau had said that the mother had brought misfortune to the father, Zhou Shili would certainly not have believed such nonsense.

But now the Imperial Astronomical Bureau says that if the two meet, one of them will definitely get hurt, so he can't help but worry.

And soon after, news came that his mother had indeed fainted.

Although the imperial physician said his mother was fine, he worried that this was just the beginning.

Liu Muqiu frowned, "If that's really the case, once the Marquis returns safely, are we really not going to let him see the Old Madam?"

"It's easy to say about the Marquis, but how are we going to keep it from the Old Madam?"

She knew her mother-in-law's temper.

Because of Chu Yuan'er, the mother-in-law wanted a divorce.

Now another official from the Imperial Observatory has come and is spouting all this nonsense.

Zhou Shili shook his head.

"Don't tell Mother yet. Knowing her temper, she'll definitely rush straight to Father and see who can kill whom."

Liu Muqiu nodded: "I'll take care of Mother's side, but I'm afraid we should keep it from Xu'er and An'an as well."

Zhou Shili then told his younger siblings who had rushed over about their father, only mentioning that his father was unwell, and instructed them not to tell their mother.

Zhou Shixu was anxious and wanted to go with him, but his older brother stopped him.

"I'll go meet my father; I'll leave the mansion to you."

"Mother has been overworked lately and must not be overworked. You are sixteen years old now, it's time for you to take on responsibilities."

These words quickly calmed Zhou Shixu down. He nodded with a stiff face and said, "Brother, I understand."

"Leave the manor to me, you go and come back quickly."

Zhou Shili then looked at his younger sister, his voice softening: "An'an, we'll be there for you no matter what."

"If you're scared, go find your sister-in-law or your mother."

Zhou Ming'an nodded haphazardly, his mind a jumble of thoughts.

Over the next two days, Zhou Shixu took on the responsibilities of the eldest brother, but since he had never handled such matters before, he was quite flustered.

Because of the estrangement between him and his mother, he would not go to her when something happened, nor would he want to show weakness to his sister-in-law. Instead, he would just keep to himself and the housekeeper, and he was so busy that he was overwhelmed.

Liu Muqiu was worried that her sister-in-law would be frightened, so she went to Longcui Courtyard every day.

A small kitchen was set up in Longcui Courtyard, and Zhou Ming'an's condition seemed to have improved a lot.

As Liu Muqiu was looking at the account book, Zhou Ming'an twisted the handkerchief in his hand and hesitantly asked, "Sister-in-law, how is Mother...?"

Ever since she believed that her mother was trying to harm her, she had been living in constant fear.

But in the last two days, she has gradually calmed down a lot.

If her mother wanted to harm her, why make such a big fuss outside?

If we harm her in the mansion, wouldn't it be even more undetectable?

Hearing that her mother was ill again, she felt guilty, worried that the curse she had cast had worked.

This was her first time doing something like this, and she wasn't sure what the consequences would be.

What if her mother got sick because of her?

Although she and her mother were irreconcilable enemies, she did not want to kill her.

Seeing that Zhou Ming'an was concerned about his mother, Liu Muqiu smiled reassuringly and said softly, "There's nothing wrong right now, she just needs to rest."

"Why don't you go and see the old lady yourself, young lady? I'm sure she'll feel much better once she sees you."

Zhou Ming'an lowered his head and didn't say anything.

Madam Wan, standing at the door, frowned slightly: "Grandma, the two of them are here."

Mrs. Wan lowered her voice, but Zhou Ming'an still heard it.

Who are they?

Confused, she looked up and glanced out the door, where she saw two graceful young women standing.

Liu Muqiu's expression froze.