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

"This servant truly does not understand the old lady's meaning. If this servant has done anything wrong, the old lady is free to punish this servant."

Cuilan was unable to move because Lu Mingzhao was holding her chin up, so she could only keep her eyes down and avoid looking at her.

"Cuilan?"

Zhou Ming'an's anxious voice came from behind.

Lu Mingzhao tugged at the corner of his lips and released his grip.

Turning around again, Zhou Ming'an had already rushed over.

She reached out and shielded Cuilan behind her, then looked nervously at Lu Mingzhao, her voice tense: "Mother, I don't know what Cuilan did wrong?"

"If she has offended my mother in any way, I will apologize to her on her behalf. She has been with me for many years; even if she hasn't done anything particularly meritorious, she has certainly worked hard..."

"Don't be nervous," Lu Mingzhao smiled again, his eyes full of warmth. "I just asked her a few questions casually, I don't know why she was so scared."

"You two, master and servant, are so equally cautious. This is the Marquis's residence, and Longcui Pavilion is your courtyard. What is there to be afraid of? As long as you don't want to, no one can enter your courtyard and harm you."

"Even I haven't forced my way in these past two months unless you asked me to, have I?"

Zhou Ming'an nodded slightly.

That makes sense, but she still couldn't help feeling a little awkward and uncomfortable when facing her mother.

Lu Mingzhao took one last deep look at Cuilan before turning and leaving.

After she left, Zhou Ming'an turned around and asked Cuilan what had happened.

Cuilan's eyes glistened with tears of grievance: "The old lady blamed me for not protecting you, young lady, in the plum garden today, but she didn't punish me."

"It's all my fault. If I had caught you in time, Miss, you might not have fallen and almost miscarried."

Cuilan had been by Zhou Ming'an's side since she was a child. Zhou Ming'an rarely got angry with her, and he rarely even blamed her.

Seeing her like this, Zhou Ming'an felt bad too: "Alright, alright, this isn't your fault at all."

"Miss, my only worry is that the old lady has already grown tired of me. What will you do if she transfers me away from you in a few days?"

She didn't say "What should I do?" but rather "What should you do?"

These words instantly made Zhou Ming'an rethink his situation.

Yesterday, her father sent several maids and servants to her courtyard, saying it was to increase the number of people serving her.

But Cuilan secretly told her that the maids and servants had been secretly observing her every move while they were working.

She immediately realized that her father had sent them to spy on her.

Why would her father send someone to monitor her for no apparent reason? She couldn't help but guess that it was at her mother's behest.

Right now, the only person she trusts most is Cuilan.

She had been with him since she was a child, and he would only ask Cuilan to do anything important.

Cuilan was also extremely loyal to him.

In the past, when her mother scolded her, Cuilan would always bravely stand in front of her, defend her, and speak up for her.

Once, Cuilan angered her mother and was dragged away and whipped several times.

Zhou Ming'an will never forget that when Cuilan was brought back, he held her hand tightly and told her to relax and not worry about him.

She had nothing left to lose except Cuilan.

She would never allow her mother to hurt Cuilan.

"Don't worry, I'm here. No matter what, I will protect you."

"With your promise, Miss, I feel much more at ease." Cuilan's eyes were filled with gratitude.

An hour later, Zhou Ningchuan returned.

He eventually traced it back to the eldest mistress of the Duke of Huguo's mansion.

Although there is no direct evidence, the relationship between the Duke of Huguo's mansion and the Marquis of Zhongjing's mansion was the worst in the entire garden.

Even the maid said that when Liu Muqiu fell, the eldest mistress of the Duke of Huguo's family was passing by.

This time, the feud between the Duke of Protectorate and the Marquis of Loyalty has been completely established.

Lu Mingzhao asked Zhou Ningchuan what he planned to do.

"After all, he's the Duke of Protectorate. With that title, can we really touch them?"

"Today, Madam Dong told me that the Duke of Huguo's mansion and the He family have been getting very close lately. I don't know much about the He family, but I'm sure you do."

Zhou Ningchuan scoffed lightly.

"Even the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners, so how is the Duke of Huguo's mansion any different?"

"No matter how many scapegoats they try to find, I will pursue this matter to the end."

First it was his daughter, now it's his daughter-in-law, and then there's his unborn grandchildren.

If he were to put it down lightly, wouldn't that be telling the entire capital that the Marquis of Zhongjing's mansion could be bullied by anyone?

"As for the He family..."

The He family has a very unique style in both handling affairs and dealing with people.

The nicer way to put it is to be honest, upright, and cherish one's reputation, refusing to compromise one's integrity and conform to worldly ways.

To put it bluntly, they are only concerned with their own business and don't care about the lives of others.

Furthermore, because the He family is a century-old clan, it is self-sufficient in both officialdom and other aspects, and does not need to unite with other families, thus having no need for diplomacy.

Although the Duke of Huguo's mansion has a duke, the younger generation is unambitious and they have few connections in officialdom. Now, even the marriages of the younger generation have become a problem.

Under these circumstances, Zhou Ningchuan really couldn't think of anything the Duke of Huguo's mansion could offer in exchange to the He family.

Although Zhou Ningchuan was a favorite of the Emperor, he had been away from the capital for many years and was not very familiar with the current political climate in the capital.

While he dared to use his own power to convict the Duke of Huguo's mansion of a crime, he also had to plan for the future.

If the He family really gets involved, he should prepare in advance.

He's probably going to be busy in the days to come.

Upon hearing this, Lu Mingzhao looked at her husband with some concern: "Are you sure you can manage on your own?"

In her memory, Zhou Ningchuan had never liked socializing.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ningchuan couldn't help but embrace his wife, smiling gently: "It's what I should do."

"If I can't even do this little thing right, I'm not worthy of being your husband."

Zhao Zhao is willing to work hard to socialize for the sake of this family, and even learn to read and write accounts. Why should he complain?

Lu Mingzhao leaned against him, listening to his steady and powerful heartbeat, and her emotions gradually calmed down.

Then, remembering something, she slowly looked up at Zhou Ningchuan: "I still find today's events a bit strange."

"Even Mu Qiu herself didn't know she was pregnant. If someone was deliberately trying to harm Mu Qiu and An An, how did they know beforehand that Mu Qiu was pregnant?"

It's hard to say there aren't any traitors within the household.

The only thing Lu Mingzhao could think of was that someone had used the fact that Liu Muqiu's moonlit letter was not credible as evidence of her pregnancy and sold it to the Duke of Huguo's mansion as intelligence.

However, this also proves that the mole was not a trusted confidant of Liu Muqiu, since those who had served Liu Muqiu for a long time knew that her menstrual cycle was irregular.

But this makes the scope of suspicion even wider.

Lu Mingzhao suddenly missed the simple life of farming in the past. Although it was harder and more tiring, at least it didn't require him to use his wits and courage like he does now.

Hearing his wife sigh, Zhou Ningchuan felt guilty. He gently stroked her hair and comforted her softly, "The thing you worry about most is An'an."

"I have found a female master for An'an, and she will begin learning martial arts for self-defense tomorrow."

"That way, you can relax a bit."

Lu Mingzhao nodded, and the room fell silent again.

The room was warm and cozy with the floor heating on. She listened to her husband's heartbeat and slowly closed her eyes.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, she suddenly heard Zhou Ningchuan's soft voice from above her head:

"I met the legendary Prince Wei today. He... doesn't seem to be ugly?"