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

Upstairs in Jiangyi, Chu Yuan'er, sitting by the window, watched Yu Shi and Zhou Shixu leave downstairs, then turned her gaze to the man who had just sat down across the table.

"You've arrived."

"..."

Chu Yuan'er laughed and said, "Why aren't you saying anything? You've at least gotten a beautiful maid, what's there to be unhappy about?"

Liu Muyuan suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with anger: "Do you think this is what I want?"

"Because of this useless maid, I had to move out of the Marquis's mansion, which made my sister worry for quite a while."

"Is this the kind of people you have under your command?"

"And what happened last time... I haven't even had a chance to settle the score with you yet. My sister is pregnant, why didn't you tell me beforehand?"

"If I had known you would risk my sister and her unborn child, I would never have agreed to your plan!"

This was the first time Liu Muyuan had spoken so forcefully in the more than six months of negotiations between the two.

Chu Yuan'er raised an eyebrow in surprise, but quickly regained her composure: "It was precisely because you knew you wouldn't agree that I didn't tell you."

"Unfortunately, despite taking such a huge risk, we still couldn't isolate Zhou Ming'an."

According to Chu Yuan'er's plan, Zhou Ming'an would become estranged from Liu Muqiu because of this, so that Zhou Ming'an would only be able to trust her in the entire Marquis's mansion.

With her subtle influence, Zhou Ming'an and Liu Muyuan will find it easier to get together.

Who knew that Duan Tianyin would suddenly appear out of nowhere, almost attracting the attention of Zhou Ming's security department.

For now, she can only retreat as a means of advancing, maintaining contact with Zhou Ming'an outside the mansion.

"Besides, this matter with Cuilan isn't my fault. I haven't even asked you yet how you managed to run into her so carelessly?"

"Besides, I told you to get close to Zhou Ming'an, but you ended up meeting with Cuilan instead."

Liu Muyuan sneered: "I could have taken things step by step with Zhou Ming'an, but wasn't it you who rushed things?"

"What's the rush? You've been by that person's side for so many years, what's another year or two?"

"Now that this has happened, your plans have all fallen through."

Chu Yuan'er's expression changed slightly. She gritted her teeth and still smiled, saying, "That's not necessarily true."

"As you said, I've persisted for so many years, how could I possibly give up like this?"

Liu Muyuan narrowed his eyes: "What else do you want to do?"

Chu Yuan'er took a sip of tea by herself.

"If there's really no other way, then we'll just have to pull off another hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress act..."

Last time, she finally managed to get the bandits and Old Madam Cui connected, which could have allowed Zhou Ming'an to lose his innocence and then be saved by Liu Muyuan.

In this way, the two could naturally be together, which would make it easier for her to obtain the position of Lady of the Marquis in the future.

But who could have imagined that those three bandits would die so suddenly and inexplicably!

How could she not know Zhou Shixu's abilities?

He thinks he can kill three bandits? Dream on!

"She got away with it last time, but this time... she won't be so lucky."

"Once it's done, she'll have no choice but to marry you, whether she wants to or not."

After Chu Yuan'er finished speaking, Liu Muyuan, who was opposite her, fell silent.

Chu Yuan'er realized something.

"You want to desert?"

Liu Muyuan frowned as he looked out at the river, took a deep breath, and remained silent.

"Young Master Liu, you wouldn't happen to... have fallen for Zhou Ming'an, would you?"

Chu Yuan'er suddenly found it amusing: "Didn't you agree to the plan to be a hero and save the damsel in distress back then?"

"Back then was back then," Liu Muyuan said coldly.

As time went by, he slowly realized that everything around him did not revolve around him.

While at the Liu family home, he hated heaven and earth, hated his father and stepmother, hated that his sister's in-laws treated her badly, and hated that he was powerless to protect his sister.

At that time, the only belief that sustained him was that one day he could pass the imperial examinations and protect his sister.

He was willing to pay any price and use any means necessary to achieve this goal.

But once he left the Liu family, he discovered that things weren't always as he hated them.

My sister's husband seems to really love her, and Old Madam Lu seems to have really changed.

When mentioning Madam Lu, my sister would even smile with a hint of admiration.

And the second young master of the Zhou family does not seem to be as despicable as the legends portray him, who bullies men and women.

And Zhou Ming'an...

He had assumed that the notoriously eccentric Old Madam Lu could have given birth to a daughter who would be just as vicious as her mother.

But after spending time with him, he discovered that Zhou Ming'an was not the person he had imagined.

She would even painfully utter resolute words so that he wouldn't wait in vain.

Liu Muyuan looked at them, then thought about his own plans, and suddenly realized that the truly despicable person was someone else.

Thinking about this, he felt that coming here today was a huge mistake.

He stood up, turned to leave, but was stopped by Chu Yuan'er.

"Is it too late to quit now?"

Liu Muyuan turned and glanced at her: "Are you threatening me?"

Chu Yuan'er smiled and said, "Of course you can withdraw, but my plan will not stop."

"A hero saves the beauty; even without Young Master Liu, there will be Young Master Zhang or Young Master Wang."

"If this works out, I'll be the son-in-law of Marquis Zhongjing, and I'll also get a beauty like Ming'an... With such tempting offers, do you think I'd have trouble finding help?"

"However, whether they will pity Zhou Ming'an as much as you do is another matter."

"..."

When Chu Yuan'er met Liu Muyuan's dangerous gaze, her tone became more relaxed: "If you want to tell your sister or Lu Mingzhao about the plan, you can do so."

"In the end, it will only be your most cherished sister who hates and despises you because of this."

Liu Muyuan clenched his fists, which trembled slightly.

He didn't speak, but Chu Yuan'er already knew his answer.

Chu Yuan'er slowly stood up: "Half a month later, I will invite her to a banquet outside the capital. Then, it will be up to you."

Watching Chu Yuan'er leave, Liu Muyuan closed his eyes.

really……

Did I choose the wrong option again?

Chu Yuan'er went downstairs, but instead of taking a carriage, she walked alone through the snow towards her own courtyard.

She remained expressionless throughout the journey.

Back in her own courtyard, a maid brought her warm water to wash her hands, saying, "Miss, why are you only home now? Are you cold?"

Chu Yuan'er waved her hand, signaling her to leave.

A woman stood by the window, recalling the maid's words. Suddenly, she laughed and then violently knocked the teacup off the table, smashing it to pieces.

Family?

This is not her home.

She wanted Zhou Ningchuan, she wanted to become the wife of the Marquis of Zhongjing, and she wanted to have her own child.

That mansion with the inscription "Zhongjing Mansion" was her home.

She's done so much and worked so hard for so many years, why doesn't Zhou Ningchuan understand her?

She had been with Zhou Ningchuan for almost the same number of years as Lu Mingzhao.

What is it about that vulgar, tasteless, and utterly immoral woman that she has that is better than her?

Even on the verge of death, Zhou Ningchuan couldn't forget Lu Mingzhao.

On what grounds?

Why should I?!

"Miss? Did something break?"

A maid's voice came from the doorway asking a question.

Chu Yuan'er suddenly came to her senses, her expression blank for a moment.

After a moment, she softly replied, "It's alright, you go and rest."

She crouched down and picked up the broken pieces of porcelain one by one.

Ignoring the blood streaming down her hands, she walked to the desk, picked up her pen, and wrote:

"I need your connections. Zhou Ming'an will be leaving Beijing in a few days..."