“Second Aunt, there’s no need for such courtesy. I merely shared what I discovered.”

Liu Shi grasped Qiao Zhao’s hand: “Third Miss, Second Aunt will remember your kindness in her heart.”

After returning to Jinrong Courtyard, Liu Shi closed the door and laughed heartily with satisfaction.

“Mother, why are you still laughing?” Sixth Miss Li Chan didn’t understand and tugged at Liu Shi’s sleeve.

Liu Shi’s eyes sparkled with mirth: “Why shouldn’t Mother laugh?”

“That Concubine Bing did such disgusting things, yet Father still protects her. This shows that Father—” Fourth Miss Li Yan nudged Li Chan, who bit her lip and didn’t continue.

Liu Shi chuckled: “Shows that your father treasures her like his heart and liver, right? Yan’er, your sister thinks this way. Do you think the same?”

Li Yan lowered her eyes: “Your daughter also feels it’s unfair to you.”

The father who had seemed heavenly in their memories, who had stood like a towering mountain, why did he seem so strange now.

Liu Shi pressed her lips: “Silly girl, are you thinking that once Bing Niang leaves, your father will remain devoted to her until death? Hehe, for men, a beautiful woman thousands of miles away can’t compare to a piece of meat and bone right before their eyes. As long as we can get rid of that vixen, Mother will be at peace.”

After this ordeal, she no longer harbored any hopes for love from that man, but she still wanted to have sons to support her in old age and wanted her two daughters to marry safely and securely.

Regardless of whether Li Guangshu would think of Bing Niang for the rest of his life, she didn’t care, as long as that disaster didn’t remain in the Li family. She would thank heaven and earth for that.

“From now on, listen more to your Third Sister and spend more time with her, understand?”

This time, both Li Yan and Li Chan nodded seriously.

Liu Shi looked at the winter plum blossoms in the corner outside the window and smiled: “As long as you’re all well, that’s Mother’s blessing.”

Her hand quietly moved down to rest on her lower abdomen, her heart filled with longing: Would a son be growing here shortly, as Third Miss had said?

In the west side courtyard of Jinrong Courtyard, the same plum blossom fragrance drifted.

Li Guangshu closed the door, his expression darkening: “Bing Niang, when exactly did you place the gu on Hao Ge’er?”

Bing Niang bit her lip gently: “The night we first arrived.”

Li Guangshu closed his eyes: “I knew it!”

He wasn’t a fool. Although he had covered for Bing Niang in front of Old Madam and the others, how could he not have some understanding of the real situation?

Perhaps the only consolation was that Bing Niang had at least told him the truth.

“Master—” Bing Niang grasped Li Guangshu’s hand, tears streaming down: “I bought the Mother-Child Heart-Connection Gu from someone before leaving Lingnan. I was truly afraid. Life in the capital seemed so distant to me, simply unimaginable. Whether Old Madam and Madam would be kind, whether Hao Ge’er would adapt to the capital’s food, whether the young masters and misses would be easy to get along with…”

Bing Niang looked at Li Guangshu through her tears: “All of this kept me awake at night, tossing and turning. I was terrified something might happen to Hao Ge’er—”

“But this way, Old Madam cannot tolerate you.”

Bing Niang’s delicate body trembled as she threw herself into Li Guangshu’s embrace, raising her misty eyes to look into his: “Master, say no more. It’s my bad fate. Otherwise, how could a gu that only exists in Lingnan be discovered? Regardless, being able to accompany you for these years and bear Hao Ge’er has been the happiest time of my life.”

As she spoke, Bing Niang stood on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on Li Guangshu’s lips: “Forget me from now on. Take good care of Hao Ge’er, and I’ll pray for your blessings in Lingnan for the rest of my life.”

“Bing Niang—” Li Guangshu tightly embraced the delicate figure in his arms and bent down to return the kiss.

For a moment, the silk curtains were warm and the room filled with fragrance. The plum blossoms in the corner of the courtyard trembled in the wind, their cold fragrance silent.

In the west side courtyard of Yahe Courtyard, it was lively.

“Miss, you don’t know – when I kicked Second Master down, my heart jumped with fright!” Binglu patted her chest.

“You have moments of fear?” Qiao Zhao smiled with pressed lips.

“Of course, I was afraid! Second Master is a master, after all. What if this servant implicated Miss?”

Qiao Zhao smiled: “Second Master is a rational person. He won’t quibble with a little maid like you.”

If it were her father, he might teach a lesson to any little maid who angered him. But this Second Uncle, who had rushed to the East Residence to pay respects without even changing his clothes upon entering the house – how could he?

After all, she was now Marquis Guanjun’s fiancée.

“Go get the sewing basket. I want to do embroidery work.” Qiao Zhao instructed A’Zhu.

A’Zhu went to fetch the sewing basket without a word, but Binglu rested her chin in her hands, worried: “Miss, be careful not to prick your finger.”

Miss had never done this kind of work before. At first, she said she would embroider the duck’s eyes on the pouch herself, but after embroidering just one eye, she threw it to A’Zhu. Even she could see that it wasn’t a duck’s eye – even a dead fish’s eye would be more lively than what Miss embroidered.

Their miss was good in every way except needlework, which wasn’t even as good as hers.

Qiao Zhao had no idea she was being looked down upon by her little maid and seriously began selecting fabric. She chose a piece of bamboo-green material with cloud patterns, picked up scissors, and began cutting.

“Miss, be careful not to poke your hand.” A’Zhu cautiously reminded her.

Binglu was on high alert: “Miss, you’re cutting crooked, cutting crooked!”

Qiao Zhao helplessly put the scissors back in the basket and pointed toward the door: “Both of you, get out!”

Wouldn’t they let someone properly make a pouch for her fiancé?

The two maids were driven out by their miss and stood at the door looking at each other.

“The fabric Miss chose is bamboo-green. Is she making it for the young master?” Binglu asked in a low voice.

A’Zhu smiled with pressed lips: “Do you even need to ask?”

Except for the future young master, who could make their miss, who couldn’t even embroider duck eyes properly, pick up needle and thread?

Binglu sighed worriedly: “If that’s the case, you really can’t do it for her. After all, it’s something the young master will wear personally, so it’s better if Miss makes it herself.”

“Yes.”

“Sigh—” Binglu sighed again.

A’Zhu looked at her in confusion.

Binglu said with a troubled expression: “A’Zhu, what if the young master wants to break off the engagement after receiving the pouch Miss made?”

A’Zhu nodded gently: “That makes sense. I’ll make another pouch with the same material later. Perhaps Miss will need it for emergencies.”

Inside the room, Qiao Zhao’s mouth twitched.

Was her needlework despised to this extent?

Before they knew it, it was the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth month, and the Li residence became even busier.

Qiao Zhao finally finished and quietly had Chen Guang deliver a message to Shao Mingyuan.

Their meetings were convenient – still in the residence next to the Li family.

It snowed that day. Qiao Zhao arrived first and stood in the courtyard waiting.

Footsteps approached, and before she could turn around, Qiao Zhao was embraced from behind by large hands.

“Why didn’t you wait inside?”

“The snow isn’t heavy, and it’s brighter outside.”

They entered the house together. Shao Mingyuan caught Qiao Zhao’s hands and rubbed them: “I kept you waiting.”

Qiao Zhao withdrew her hands and pulled out a bamboo-green pouch from her sleeve: “Here, it’s finished.”

Shao Mingyuan quickly took it, feeling the pouch that still carried Miss Qiao’s body warmth, and smiled: “You even put it in a bag. Let me see what it looks like.”