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

The deputy general in the army was appointed as the commander of Nishiemon. Although he still had real power, it was a demotion in all but name.

If he can't return to the army, he'll probably never have another chance to achieve anything in his life.

"My lord!"

Chu Yuan'er panicked and quickly blocked Zhou Ningchuan's path, shaking her head with red eyes: "Please, Lord Marquis, don't take your anger out on Lord Wu. Lord Wu and the others only spoke up because they pitied me. It was all because of me..."

"Taking the blame out on someone else?" Zhou Ningchuan lowered his eyes, his gaze towards Chu Yuan'er devoid of warmth, before slowly shifting to Wu Chenghao's face.

"Deputy General Wu, do you think my transfer of you was out of spite?"

Wu Chenghao closed his eyes briefly: "No, it was I who violated military regulations and acted willfully. I confess."

He slowly stood up and walked out, his body swaying slightly.

Chu Yuan'er turned around and glanced at Zhou Ningchuan anxiously. Seeing that he remained unmoved, she stamped her foot and hurriedly followed him.

"Master Wu..."

Chu Yuan'er hesitated, but Wu Chenghao simply raised his hand to interrupt her, shook his head slightly, and forced a pale smile.

"Miss Chu, in the end, it was my recklessness. Besides, you already warned me not to do this, but I didn't listen, so it has nothing to do with you. Don't blame yourself."

"Now that I know you can stay in the Marquis's residence, I feel much more at ease."

"Furthermore, it might not be a bad job for me to go to Xiweimen as a deputy clerk. I imagine there won't be as much work there as here, and I'll have a lot more free time."

Wu Chenghao feigned cheerfulness.

"Miss Chu, at least now we know that Madam Hou is not a jealous person, so your life will be much easier from now on."

With tears welling in her eyes, Chu Yuan'er said, "Lord Wu, but I know your heart isn't in this. You should be fighting bravely on the battlefield..."

Wu Chenghao smiled bitterly: "Since it's all for the sake of the country, what difference does it make where we are? Besides, this is what I deserve."

Wu Chenghao wanted her to stay, but Chu Yuan'er insisted on seeing him out.

As they reached the door, Lan'er, who was beside Chu Yuan'er, finally couldn't help but ask, "Miss, are you still not going to tell Lord Wu?"

Wu Chenghao was taken aback.

Chu Yuan'er quickly tugged at Lan'er's arm, looking as if she was blaming her for speaking up.

Lan'er, however, remained stubborn and insisted on saying, "Actually, you know perfectly well that the Lady Hou's actions are just a pretense of magnanimity. We've met the Lady Hou so many times, how could we not know her true nature? She's just trying to silence everyone."

"How did the Lady of the Marquis isolate you in public during dinner? Have you forgotten?"

"Lan'er, shut up! Why are you saying these things out of the blue? Now that Lord Wu is leaving, don't you want to put his mind at ease?"

Chu Yuan'er was disappointed in him and immediately looked at Wu Chenghao.

"Lord Wu, don't listen to her nonsense. I'm already content to stay in the Marquis's residence; how could I dare to ask for more?"

"Besides, she is the lady of the house, and I have no title or status. She is already very kind to me."

"But after Lord Wu left, I'm afraid there will be no one in this mansion willing to listen to my troubles anymore..."

Wu Chenghao opened his mouth, a trace of pity flashing in his eyes again.

He thought that by leaving, he could at least get information that Miss Chu was staying safely in the manor. But was it all just an illusion?

"Miss Chu, my residence is on Wutong Street in the southern part of the city. I'm afraid I won't be able to visit you often in the future. But if you need anything, please feel free to come to me. I will do my best to help if I can."

"I've been in the army for so many years, and you've always taken good care of us. At least give me a chance to repay your kindness."

Chu Yuan'er declined repeatedly, but in the end, she tearfully saw Wu Chenghao off.

Before the other person left, she gave Lan'er a wink.

Lan'er stepped forward and discreetly handed something to Wu Chenghao.

When Wu Chenghao opened it, he found a plum blossom-shaped net.

He paused slightly, a vague, inexplicable feeling spreading through him: "This is..."

Chu Yuan'er blushed and slowly lowered her head: "I am deeply grateful for your kindness, sir, and I really don't know how to repay you. This is just a knot I made on the spot, and I hope you won't find it offensive."

Wu Chenghao felt the net in his hand gradually becoming scalding hot.

He quickly looked around to make sure no one had noticed before swiftly tucking it into his sleeve.

When he looked at Chu Yuan'er again, the strange feeling in his heart intensified, and his heart pounded like a drum.

"Thank you, Miss Chu. This is the first time in my life I've received a tassel as a gift. This tassel... is very beautiful."

The two exchanged a glance.

Wu Chenghao quickly looked away, said goodbye, and strode away.

As Wu Chenghao's figure gradually disappeared into the distance, Chu Yuan'er's smile faded considerably.

But Lan'er, who was standing next to her, scoffed.

"Miss, do you think he really believes you made that knot yourself?"

"That's really stupid."

"Lan'er, don't say that," Chu Yuan'er's tone was still gentle, but her expression was indifferent. "At least Lord Wu had the intention to help us. For that, we should be grateful to him."

However, Wu Chenghao was simply not very clever; even though she had told him not to act rashly, he still…

Now that Wu Chenghao has been demoted to the West City Guard and is no longer by his side, there are even fewer people who can help him.

However, something is better than nothing.

"What Miss says is true. He may be stupid, but at least he's easy to manipulate. Miss tricked him with just a few words and a few glances." Lan'er curled her lips, looking disdainful. "It might be a good thing that someone like him isn't on the battlefield."

Chu Yuan'er remained noncommittal and then asked, "Is there any news from your side, Miss?"

Lan'er nodded, her expression somewhat complicated: "But the old woman at Longcui Pavilion said that the young lady was frightened today and has disappeared, not even going to the old lady's place."

"From what I've heard, she needs to rest quietly, and no outsiders are allowed to see her tonight."

Chu Yuan'er chuckled lightly: "You're keeping a close eye on things."

"Never mind, a day or two won't make a difference. Let's go see her tomorrow morning."

On the other side, Zhou Shili returned home and first went to Hesong Courtyard to visit his father. He originally intended to tell his father about letting Liu Muyuan stay in the mansion for a while, but unexpectedly heard that his wife was pregnant.

He was both surprised and delighted, and hurriedly went back to the east courtyard to find his wife.

When he saw his wife, she was talking to Liu Muyuan in the small garden of the east courtyard.

Zhou Shili quickly walked over, took his wife's hand, and repeatedly checked that she was not feeling unwell before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

"If I had known this would happen today, I should have asked for leave and come back much earlier."

Seeing this, Liu Muqiu smiled and said, "I didn't want anyone to tell you, because I was worried you would worry. Now that you're back, you know the news, don't you?"

Liu Muyuan, standing to the side, cupped his hands and said, "Congratulations to my sister and brother-in-law."

Zhou Shili was in a great mood and patted Liu Muyuan's shoulder with a smile: "I just came back from my father's place. I was originally planning to arrange a place for you in the west courtyard, but since Muqiu is pregnant, you two siblings must want to see each other more often, so why don't you stay in the east courtyard?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Muyuan paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Thank you, brother-in-law. Of course, I would like to spend more time with my sister, but I am an outsider, and it would be inconvenient for me to stay in the East Courtyard."

"Whether for my sister's and brother-in-law's reputation or for the sake of proper etiquette, I feel that the West Courtyard is better. Fortunately, the East and West Courtyards are not far apart, so I can come whenever I miss my sister."