As the sun set and Miss still hadn't returned, Qiuju grew increasingly anxious and decided to ask Gao Mu and Cangyun to sit in the gatehouse and wait.

Lan'er warmed the tea on the stove and then came out.

Shuanzi brought out a long bench from the side hall for everyone to sit and chat; the gatehouse had never been so lively before.

Gao Mu sat with Qiu Ju, while Cang Yun and Lan'er each sat alone on a long bench.

Shuanzi looked around and then sat down next to Lan'er.

When Lan'er saw everyone looking at her, she moved to the side, feeling embarrassed.

Gao Mu and Cang Yun pretended not to know anything, but Qiu Ju couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Sister Qiuju!" Lan'er blushed.

Then he nudged Shuanzi with his elbow, "Brother Cangyun is still alone."

Shuanzi grinned and chuckled, "Lan'er, don't be shy. Everyone knows about our relationship. After Miss's wedding, I will go and tell her about our marriage."

"Lan'er, that's not right of you. You're getting married soon and you're still keeping it a secret from everyone," Qiu Ju teased, raising an eyebrow.

"Sister Qiuju, don't listen to his nonsense. It's still early. Sister Mei'er isn't even married yet, so I'm not in a hurry."

At this moment, everyone's eyes turned to Cangyun.

Cangyun: "..." What did I do to deserve this?

Gao Muli was closest to Cangyun, so he patted Cangyun's shoulder and said, "If you're not in a hurry, after Miss gets married, she will bring Miss Mei'er into the palace to be a head maid. A maid can only leave the palace to get married at the age of twenty-five, do you know that?"

Cangyun, who had been calm and collected just moments before, sat up straight, a hint of panic flashing across his face.

He then said confidently, "No, Miss has gone to the palace, and this place needs someone to manage it."

"With so many servants in the manor, keeping just a dozen or so of them is enough." Qiuju's words were like adding fuel to the fire, making Cangyun's heart race with anxiety.

If Mei'er really goes to the palace, they will have to wait several years to get married.

Mei'er is only sixteen years old this year. If she really goes to the palace, I will have to wait for nine more years.

Nine years from now, Gao Mu's son will be old enough to run errands. No, he should have several sons by then.

Cangyun secretly made a plan in his heart. He had to go to his mistress before her wedding and ask her to approve his marriage to Mei'er ahead of time.

As the group was talking, the door creaked open, and Lin Miaoshou walked in with a beaming smile.

"Uncle Lin, please come in. Miss should be back soon." Cang Yun moved aside to make room for her.

Seeing that the key figures of the mansion were gathered in the gatehouse, Lin Miaoshou smiled and walked in.

He glanced at everyone. "None of you have had dinner?"

Qiuju shook her head, "No, it's not too late to eat when Miss gets home."

Lin Miaoshou glanced at Shuanzi and said, "Don't worry, we should be home before dark."

Shuanzi felt that everyone's expressions were different today. The atmosphere in the mansion had been strange ever since the female physician called Cangyun out that day.

In the past, when Miss went to the estate, Qiuju would go with her, and Lan'er never came to the gatehouse to wait for her. Today, it's as if the sun has risen in the west.

Lin Miaoshou sat for a moment, then stood up and looked at Qiuju, "Tell Yueya that Uncle Lin will come over for tea another day."

Qiuju stood up and saw Lin Miaoshou out of the Jiang residence.

"Uncle Lin, don't worry, Miss is fine. She was probably just frightened and will be fine after a few days of rest."

Lin Miaoshou asked, "Does the manor have any medicine to make a calming soup?"

"Yes, I will cook it myself in a little while, and give Miss a bowl before bed tonight."

Just as Lin Miaoshou said, Jiang Shuyue returned to the Jiang residence a quarter of an hour before dark.

When the maids and servants in the manor saw the Emperor return with several guards, they realized that the Emperor had gone to the estate with them, which explained why Gao Mu and Cang Yun had been sent back first.

Why not bring Qiuju? Everyone wondered, but no one dared to ask.

“Miss, it is all my fault for neglecting my duty and causing you distress. I hope you will punish me so that I will not be negligent in the future.”

"Yes, it was all my carelessness. Please punish me, Miss."

When Gao Mu and Cang Yun saw that only the Emperor and Jiang Shuyue were in the flower hall, they went in and knelt down to greet and apologize.

Jiang Shuyue quickly pulled the two of them up from the ground. "What did you two do wrong? The Sang people hired a foreign woman to come to the clinic. I only had a chance to attack her when I took her to the backyard for the examination. Even if you were sitting in the clinic, you couldn't have prevented it."

"But……"

Before Gao Mu could finish speaking, Jiang Shuyue interrupted him.

"No buts. I'm back safe and sound. Your young lady always carries poison with her. You saw it yourself. The thug collapsed quickly after inhaling the poison. Don't worry. I know you're all worried about me and haven't slept well these past few days. Go and get some rest."

Gao Mu and Cang Yun bowed to the two men and then withdrew.

After they left, the two did not actually go back to their rooms to sleep. Instead, they patrolled the courtyard and then sat in the garden, staring at the Star Moon Courtyard.

Both men were worried that the criminals would return.

Dinner was plentiful, including steamed pigeon, squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, roasted lamb skewers, and stir-fried white jade slices.

There were eight dishes in total, including both meat and vegetarian dishes, and a bowl of bird's nest porridge was also cooked for each of the two people.

The young lady wouldn't let Qiuju serve her meals, so Qiuju went back to her own courtyard to cook a calming soup.

Xiao Jingzhao tested the temperature of the bird's nest porridge and found it to be just right for consumption.

He handed it to Jiang Shuyue, saying, "Drink it while it's hot. We've been busy traveling all day and haven't had a proper rest or meal."

Jiang Shuyue took the bird's nest porridge and said, "Eat more. You've been working so hard these past few days without even realizing it. You haven't been sleeping well, and your beautiful eyes are almost turning into rabbit eyes."

"So the Moon Goddess likes my eyes. I'd better sleep well from now on and keep my eyes beautiful so I don't lose her favor."

Xiao Jingzhao was overjoyed to receive such praise from Jiang Shuyue.

After drinking the bird's nest porridge, the two of them were full after eating very little food. Jiang Shuyue asked Lan'er to take the food away and distribute it to everyone.

The Jiang family has a habit of using serving chopsticks when eating, and the food is always clean. Even if Jiang Shuyue doesn't give any instructions, the leftover dishes are taken back to the kitchen and shared by everyone.

"Moon Lady, let me take you back to your room to rest," Xiao Jingzhao said, putting down the handkerchief in his hand.

"You don't need to stay with me tonight. Go back to the palace to be with your son. Give him a day off tomorrow. I miss him."

Xiao Jingzhao walked over and took Jiang Shuyue's hand in his palm. "I'll listen to you. I'll take our son home tomorrow. There will be guards protecting us tonight, so you can sleep peacefully."

The two entered the bedroom hand in hand. Lan'er went into the room to help him wash up, and Xiao Jingzhao returned to the palace without lingering.

It wasn't until Lan'er took Jiang Shuyue's clothes out that Qiuju brought in a bowl of calming soup.

"Miss, did that wicked villain frighten you? Drink a bowl of calming soup and get a good night's sleep."

Qiuju had never had a chance to speak to her young mistress alone, and as soon as she uttered a greeting, tears involuntarily streamed down her face.

Jiang Shuyue took the bowl and put it aside, then pulled Qiuju's hand and patted it. "Silly girl, your young lady isn't afraid of bad people, but waking up to find herself surrounded by coffins really gave me goosebumps."