Listening to her daughter's heartfelt words, the pregnant Lady Hou went on a killing spree.

Butler Zhao survived, but he lost a leg and had to have it amputated, so he could never be a butler again.

Among the short, the best was chosen. Upon returning to his residence, Marquis Anshun promoted a junior steward who looked decent, from among a group of old, weak, sick, and disabled servants.

The steward never imagined that he would one day become the steward of the Marquis's mansion, but he was not happy at all.

Without the lady, the Marquis's mansion was a mess, and whoever took it on would be doomed. But when the Marquis gave the order, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and get on with it.

Heaven knows how a steward could lead his servants to dig for wild vegetables in the mansion; who can he complain to?

The grain in the manor was far from enough to eat. They never knew that the Marquis was so stingy, giving the manor a fixed amount of grain at every meal, with no more than enough.

The servants below were too hungry and could only find their own way to survive. In the dead of winter, the only wild vegetables available in the mansion's garden were old, withered plants.

Having something to eat is better than having nothing at all. They knew in their hearts that it was alright to dig in the mansion, as long as it didn't get out and ruin the reputation of the Marquis's mansion.

But if anyone dares to leave the manor to dig wild vegetables in the mountains, the Marquis will surely beat them until their skin is torn and their flesh is ripped open if he finds out.

Only then would the servants of the Marquis's mansion eagerly await the return of the lady.

The elderly, the infirm, and the disabled from the entire prefecture, upon hearing the news, all came to the door to wait.

The maid in the first position was holding a wailing child in her arms, and no matter how she tried to soothe him, she couldn't. This scene looked eerie no matter how you looked at it.

"Madam, we've arrived."

The first carriage stopped in front of the Marquis's mansion. Zhiyi got off the carriage first and turned around to help the madam down, while Shuyi followed behind, carrying An'an.

Ji Yueru looked up at the plaque of the Marquis of Anshun's residence. From now on, the Marquis's residence would belong to her and her mother.

Upon seeing the lady enter the mansion, all the servants of the Marquis's residence knelt down in a flurry.

"Welcome back to the manor, Madam."

The maid kneeling at the front didn't notice An'an, who was being held in Shuyi's arms behind her, and quickly got up to bring the child closer.

"Madam, Your Highness is being well taken care of, but perhaps she is too hungry and keeps crying."

Ji Yueru stopped walking inside and looked at the child in the maid's arms. It was Li Xifeng's child.

Zhiyi was annoyed.

"The princess has always been with the lady; where did this wild child come from that dares to impersonate Her Highness!"

The maidservant, holding the wailing baby, was somewhat flustered.

"But she was brought back to the Marquis's residence by him, how could she not be a princess?"

Zhiyi smiled at the maid.

"The boy you are holding is the son of the Marquis's concubine with another woman."

His mother wanted him to be a member of the royal bloodline, but the emperor ordered her to be beheaded.

"The child belongs to the Marquis, so naturally the Marquis will take him home. It has absolutely nothing to do with our mistress. Don't try to pull any strings."

The servants of the Marquis's mansion were truly dumbfounded; they had always thought that the child the Marquis had just brought back was Princess Zhaoyang.

The maidservant, unwilling to give up, disregarded the cold and opened the swaddling clothes. Only when she saw the baby's penis did she finally believe what Zhiyi had said.

An An voiced her protest.

[Hey, hey, hey, are these people blind? How come none of them can see me when I'm being held in their arms like this?]

Helpless, Ji Yueru turned around and took An'an from Shuyi's arms.

"Let's go back to Qinghe Courtyard."

The master and servants walked away, while the servants of the Marquis's mansion were still standing there, bewildered in the wind.

From afar, they could still hear Zhiyi's voice.

"Madam, we've only been gone for a little over a month, why do all the servants look so pale? Have they not been eating enough since you left?"

Then came Shuyi's voice, tinged with laughter.

"Judging from their complexion, they look even worse than the beggars outside."

At that moment, all the servants in the mansion felt ashamed to be working for the Marquis's household.

Who would have thought that being a servant in a marquis's mansion could lead to a life worse than that of a beggar?

The servants of the Marquis's mansion were all looking forward to the return of the madam. They might not have been as diligent in cleaning other places, but the servants of Qinghe Courtyard would come to clean it voluntarily every day, all in order to leave a good impression on the madam when she returned.

The master and servants returned to Qinghe Courtyard, and apart from the space being a bit empty, nothing had changed.

"Madam, please rest on the couch with the princess. We will get ready in a little while."

Several maids busied themselves arranging the frequently used items from a carriage that had been brought back from the back door in the room.

In less than half an hour, the entire Qinghe Courtyard had been completely transformed, with the furnishings arranged according to the preferences of the mother and daughter.

Meanwhile, Mo Wen and his men had already moved the contents of more than a dozen carriages into the empty storeroom of Qinghe Courtyard.

Servants would occasionally pass by the entrance of Qinghe Courtyard, watching as carriages were emptied one by one, wondering how many fine things the lady had brought back this time.

Previously, the servants of the Marquis's mansion had no other thoughts; they only hoped that the madam's return would improve the meals in the mansion, and that was their greatest wish now.

Lin Wanwan was a little flustered when she learned that Ji Yueru had returned to the manor. She had just hit her child and was worried that Ji Yueru might cause her trouble.

But after waiting for a long time without anyone showing up, my anxiety gradually subsided.

She thought to herself that the wicked woman didn't really love her own child that much; she beat the child and she acted as if nothing had happened.

Ji Yueru returned to the manor with the child. The Anshun Marquis's manor was a mix of joy and sorrow, but mostly filled with scheming.

After attending the palace banquet, Chief Minister Huang was about to leave the palace when he was stopped by Imperial Physician Hua.

Physician Hua didn't know why the Emperor had sent a eunuch to tell him to examine Chief Minister Huang's body, but he did as he was told.

His brows furrowed as soon as he took Huang's pulse. He had taken Huang's pulse before, and there was nothing wrong with his heart, but now...

The Huang family, including the Prime Minister, had quite a few people with them, including Madam Huang.

Upon seeing Physician Hua's appearance, Old Madam Huang immediately sensed something was wrong.

"Doctor Hua, is there something wrong with my master's health?"

"Your Excellency, the Grand Secretary has some heart problems, so it's best not to upset him."

The Imperial Medical Academy has a pill that can be used for emergency treatment. Please wait a moment, I'll have my apprentice fetch it.

If Chief Minister Huang feels any discomfort in his heart, he should take one pill. Once the discomfort subsides, he should immediately see a doctor. He must not delay.

The family never expected that the Prime Minister Huang actually had health problems.

"Sir, do you feel any discomfort in your heart?"

Chief Minister Huang raised his hand and covered his chest, carefully feeling the area.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with it; it's pretty much the same as before."

"Heart problems usually don't show up until they do, and if you don't get timely help, it can be life-threatening. Your Excellency should be careful."

Knowing of Physician Hua's medical skills, Chief Minister Huang did not refuse his kindness. After the young apprentice brought back a porcelain bottle of pills, Chief Minister Huang put it in his pocket, paid the consultation fee, and then his family was the last to leave the palace.

Back at his residence, Chief Minister Huang and his wife were about to rest when a maidservant rushed in to report something.

"It's terrible, sir and madam! Something's happened in Aunt Zhang's courtyard!"