"Why did it take you so long to come and save me?" Rou Niang said with a hint of complaint.

Mo Bei touched his nose and said, "Actually, it's not that. It's just that you've been too busy these past few days. You held a flower-viewing banquet, but it was all women, and it wasn't convenient for me."

Then you entered the palace, and later I wanted to go, but you were then granted the title of princess. Brother Liu, oh no, General Liu had official business to attend to. Anyway, you should know that I've always wanted to see you as soon as possible.

Liu Rou Niang blushed: "You smooth talker!"

Mo Bei quickly grabbed Liu Rou Niang's hand and said, "Every word I said comes from the bottom of my heart."

Rou Niang's face flushed slightly. Seeing that no one was around, Mo Bei gently embraced Liu Rou Niang. Liu Rou Niang felt his rapid heartbeat, but her heart inexplicably calmed down.

Just then, Liu Yuyan outside shouted, "Mother, I heard Father is here?"

The shout startled the two, who immediately released their grip. At the same time, Liu Xuyan pushed the door open. Mingyue frowned even more upon seeing this, but she remained silent.

Yu Rong and Yu Jin followed them inside. Yu Rong quickly bowed and greeted them, and Yu Jin also acted obediently. Only Yu Yan was different.

But Liu Rou Niang didn't say anything. They were already used to the individual characteristics of their three children. Mo Bei smiled and said, "How have you been lately? Have you been wronged? If there's anything you're not used to, tell your father."

Yu Rong replied first, "Everything is fine," and Yu Jin nodded in agreement, knowing she would never suffer a loss.

Yu Yan said nonchalantly, "I'm not used to anything here, but don't worry, Dad, I'll get used to it."

Liu Rongniang instructed Chunhong to prepare a meal. The family had arrived in the capital and finally had a reunion dinner.

During the meal, Rou Niang dismissed the servants, just as she had done in Fucheng. Only the family members on the fifth floor sat together, sharing food, chatting and laughing, creating a lively and cheerful atmosphere.

That evening, it was inconvenient for Mo Bei to stay, but Mo Bei said that he would bring up the matter of marriage with His Majesty as soon as possible.

Liu Rou Niang nodded. After Mo Bei left, the three children also returned to their respective courtyards to rest.

Seeing that only Chunhong was left to serve her, Mingyue stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Princess, I have been taught etiquette and manners by Gu Mama in the palace since I was a child. Then I was assigned to the Princess's residence. However, what you did today was not in accordance with the rules. I know that it would be disrespectful of you to speak out, but if I do not speak out, I am afraid that you will be laughed at by others in the future."

Upon hearing that Mingyue was taught by Granny Gu, Liu Rou Niang felt a sense of closeness. She smiled and said, "It's alright. Granny Gu, who is now retired in Fucheng, is an old acquaintance of mine. She also taught the three princesses etiquette and manners. Please stand up and tell me. I am new here and there are indeed many rules in the capital that I do not know."

Hearing Rou Niang's words, Mingyue felt a little closer to her and said, "Princess Jin Mansion has not arranged any stewards, nor has the Princess checked her own treasury or whether the monthly allowance needs to be adjusted. The Princess has not mentioned any rules or regulations. Since the Princess Mansion's rules are not yet established, we servants can only follow the old ways and learn to serve the Princess as we go. Furthermore, it is against the principle of avoiding suspicion between men and women when the Princess is alone with General Mo. Perhaps the Princess and General Mo were once acquainted, but for the three princesses to call General Mo 'father' before they are engaged or married is extremely inappropriate. It is for the sake of the Princess and the three princesses that we dared to keep quiet."

Mingyue actually wanted to say that the second princess's behavior was too willful and she should be disciplined, but she thought that she had said so much today and was afraid that the princess would be very angry, so she didn't say anything more.

Liu Rou Niang pondered for a moment and realized that she should settle things properly in the Princess's residence. She figured that His Majesty had transferred Mingyue here so that she could learn first. So she nodded and said, "Mingyue, you're right. I come from the countryside and am not familiar with the rules and regulations for women in the palace. I hope you can guide me more in the future."

Mingyue quickly bowed and said, "It is my duty. Before I came here, I met with His Highness the Crown Prince. His Highness hoped that I could serve the Princess and the three princesses wholeheartedly."

Liu Rou Niang hadn't expected that Mo Xiao Jin was involved, but she thought the child was growing up quickly. Now that she was in the capital and planned to live a good life there, she really should learn from him.

So she said to Mingyue, "Tomorrow, we'll meet with the servants in the manor first, then check the accounts and such. After that, you can help me arrange for a governess to teach me the proper etiquette. I don't need her to be perfect, just roughly right is fine. But the three princesses' studies must be arranged. They are still young, and they can learn well now so that they won't be bullied by their husbands' families when they get married in the future."

Mingyue nodded and withdrew. Chunhong stepped forward and said, "Master, there's no need to rush. We'll take it slowly, learning little by little. Over time, these seemingly tedious things will become easier to master."

Rou Niang nodded. Chun Hong was specially transferred here by her maternal grandmother, so she was more considerate. He then asked, "Chun Hong, do you think what Ming Yue said makes sense?"

Chunhong nodded and said, "Although Mingyue was somewhat insubordinate, everything she said was truly from the heart. The master doesn't need that, which is why he harbors resentment towards Mingyue."

Liu Rou Niang nodded. She didn't necessarily trust Mingyue that much, but she did trust Mo Xiaojin. She believed that if the Crown Prince wanted to send Mingyue to his side, Mingyue must have some extraordinary qualities.

The next day, following Mingyue's suggestion, and also thinking that there was no need to differentiate too much, Liu Rou Niang initially appointed a steward to manage the front hall affairs, purchasing and cleaning, flower and plant maintenance, gatekeeping arrangements, carriage transportation, and other physical tasks that required men.

Then the head guard was in charge of the security of the princess's residence. Of course, there weren't many guards, but they were enough.

She entrusted the affairs of the inner quarters to Mingyue, including the allocation of personnel in the kitchen and embroidery room, as well as the rewards and punishments.

Next came the most important part: finance. She found three accountants: one to record the withdrawal of fixed assets from the warehouse, one to handle daily income and expenditure, and one to handle the accounts of relationships outside the princess's residence and the shops and estates.

You don't know until you check the accounts, and what you find is shocking. Rou Niang never expected that she had so many things, let alone that she spent so much money every month. If she had been selling pastries before, her monthly expenses would have been enough to cover her annual income. It made her heart ache and her liver hurt.

However, after discussing it with Mingyue, the steward, and the head guard, they couldn't reduce the number of servants any further. Mingyue even mentioned that the princess's residence would still need to purchase servants in the future, and it seemed they weren't quite enough. This left Li Rouniang utterly devastated.

Then she began to improve herself, learning some basic etiquette from the governess, mainly teaching the three maids, while she learned the basics from the side.