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

"My two-month pregnancy was still unstable. Fortunately, although I fell and bled, the baby was saved."

"From now on, you must be careful and rest quietly, and you must not make any more mistakes."

Everyone visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

Liu Muqiu slowly closed her eyes, leaving behind two lines of tears of joy.

Lu Mingzhao held her hand tightly: "Muqiu, you don't have to be afraid now."

Zhou Ming'an was even more relieved to cover his mouth and take a step back, almost falling over, but was caught by the maid Cuilan in time.

When Lu Mingzhao saw this scene, his gaze fell on Cuilan with a hint of inquiry.

With this incident, everyone lost interest in appreciating the snow and plum blossoms, and the banquet had to end there.

Zhou Ningchuan stayed behind to continue the investigation, while Lu Mingzhao took his daughter-in-law and daughter home.

On the way back, Lu Mingzhao accompanied Liu Muqiu in a carriage, walking at the back. In order to take care of Muqiu, the carriage moved as slowly as possible to reduce the bumps.

Liu Muqiu was relieved to know that the baby in her womb was fine and that she would need to rest in peace from now on.

Lu Mingzhao took her hand and said gently, "You should rest well. Leave the rest to me."

Liu Muqiu said softly, "Mother, I can still do some things."

Lu Mingzhao said in a serious tone, "You've taught me to recognize the account books and to write. If I don't understand anything in the future, I can just ask you."

"Besides, I haven't managed the household since I came back. You have to let me experience what it's like to manage a household, otherwise wouldn't I be doing this job as the mistress of the Marquis's mansion for nothing?"

Liu Muqiu couldn't help but laugh.

If her mother-in-law had said this more than two months ago, she would have been terrified, worried that her mother-in-law would take over and torment her.

But now, after spending these two months together, she has come to believe that the real Lu Mingzhao, as her husband had described, has returned.

The mother-in-law had no interest in managing the household and was happy to enjoy a relaxed and carefree life every day.

I'm just saying this to put my mind at ease.

"In that case, I'll visit my mother more often. If there's anything she doesn't understand, she can just ask me."

Seeing that Liu Muqiu had finally relented, Lu Mingzhao smiled and gently patted the back of her hand: "That's right."

Lu Mingzhao personally escorted Liu Muqiu back to the East Courtyard, and then headed to the West Courtyard, where she happened to run into Zhao Xianglan, who had come to greet her, on the passageway.

"How is An'an?"

"Reporting to Madam, I escorted the young lady back to her courtyard and sent someone to prepare a calming soup to soothe her nerves. The young lady seems to be fine now, but she keeps asking if the eldest mistress is alright."

Lu Mingzhao nodded slowly.

Arriving outside the Green Jade Pavilion, she stood at the entrance for a while, hesitated for a long time, and finally stepped inside.

At this moment, Zhou Ming'an sat at his desk in a daze, lost in thought.

She saw Lu Mingzhao and Zhao Xianglan enter the courtyard through the window, and she immediately stood up, clenching her fists nervously.

Before Lu Mingzhao could even approach, she took the initiative to ask, "How is your sister-in-law? Is she feeling unwell?"

Lu Mingzhao quickly and gently comforted her, "Don't be afraid, Mu Qiu is fine. When I came out of her courtyard just now, she asked me to tell you a few things to put your mind at ease and not to overthink it."

"Her stomach pain has stopped, and she hasn't said anything about feeling unwell."

Zhou Ming'an finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It took her a while to realize that her mother had been standing there ever since she came in.

She glanced at the maid at the door and somewhat hesitantly ordered, "Bring Mother a chair and some hot tea."

Lu Mingzhao waved his hand: "Never mind, I just came to see you."

"What happened today might just be an accident, so don't worry about it. In any case, your father and I are both here, and you won't have to bear the consequences."

Zhou Ming'an opened his mouth: "But if I hadn't been so clumsy today, my sister-in-law wouldn't have fallen. In the end, it was my fault for not paying attention to her."

Lu Mingzhao sighed: "But you didn't know that Mu Qiu was pregnant. Even she herself said that if you had known in advance, she would have protected her at all costs."

"She understands what you're thinking."

Zhou Ming'an had endured all the fear and anxiety along the way, but her mother's words brought tears to her eyes.

Although her sister-in-law had only been in the household for a year, she had treated her like a real older sister.

There were some things she only dared to tell her sister-in-law.

She dared not think about how she would face her sister-in-law if she hated or resented her, or how she would cope with her situation.

I'm afraid even she herself won't forgive herself.

"Alright, have some hot soup, take a nice hot bath, and rest early tonight. You don't need to come to my place to pay your respects."

Lu Mingzhao longed to hold his youngest daughter in his arms and comfort her.

But their current relationship only allows her to stand at a distance and speak to her daughter in as gentle a tone as possible.

The two didn't look like mother and daughter, but rather like strangers who had just met.

Even more tragically, if it weren't for what happened today, the two wouldn't even be as close as strangers.

Zhou Ming'an accepted his mother's kindness after a long time.

She nodded, and as her mother turned to leave, she softly said, "Thank you."

Lu Mingzhao heard this, but did not turn around; instead, a slight smile appeared on his lips.

As she walked to the courtyard gate, she ran into Cuilan, who was returning home.

Cuilan was carrying a food box. When she saw her, she lowered her head and stepped aside.

Lu Mingzhao should have walked straight past her, but he stopped in his tracks as he passed her.

Cuilan saw that the shoes in front of her were pointing towards her.

"Your name is Cuilan?"

Cuilan swallowed hard and replied softly, "Yes."

Lu Mingzhao then asked, "How long have you been serving the young lady?"

Cuilan replied, "I don't remember how long ago it was. I was bought in with Cuizhu and the others, and I've been with you since I was little."

Lu Mingzhao chuckled and praised, "You must be quite capable, as the young lady takes you everywhere she goes."

"I dare not accept such praise. Serving my mistress is my duty. I am only thinking what you think and doing what I am supposed to do."

"Okay." Lu Mingzhao nodded repeatedly, but then changed the subject, "You were with the young lady when she poured tea today, weren't you?"

Cuilan was startled, and the food box in her hand trembled slightly.

The next instant, she hurriedly knelt down on the ground: "This servant deserves to die! This servant knows her crime!"

"It's my fault for not taking good care of you, young lady!"

However, as soon as she knelt down, Zhao Xianglan grabbed her arm and pulled her up.

"What a reckless girl! Get up and speak! Madam hasn't even scolded you yet, why are you kneeling here?"

"If someone sees this, they'll think the lady is blaming the servants without knowing the facts."

Zhao Xianglan's actions were exactly what Lu Mingzhao wanted.

She raised an eyebrow and smiled, then continued, "Is this how you serve the young lady too?"

Cuilan paused, then half-raised her head, seemingly puzzled.

"This servant does not understand what Madam means..."

"I mean," Lu Mingzhao sighed, leaned down slightly, and reached out to lift her chin, "are you this suspicious and paranoid even when you're with the young lady?"

Cuilan met Lu Mingzhao's dark eyes. Although his phoenix eyes were filled with a hint of a smile, Cuilan felt for the first time that the old lady in front of her was exuding the imposing aura of the Marquis's mistress.