A messenger from the Jiang family said that the young mistress originally wanted to return to the Marquis's residence, but due to the sudden drop in temperature, she unfortunately contracted typhoid fever and will not be able to return for a while.

When the lady learned of this, she breathed a sigh of relief and offered a few words of comfort. She also had some tonics and medicinal herbs prepared for the sick young mistress to help her recover.

After seeing off the nanny from the Jiang family, Madam Ding finally spoke to Shen Mianmian.

Madam Ding sighed, "It's better that she's not coming back; it saves everyone from awkwardness." She paused, then sighed again, "Ah, what a fine young woman, once so talented and beautiful, renowned throughout the capital. How did she end up harming people in our family?"

Chen Mianmian remained silent, thinking to herself—what else could it be? Because she died with resentment.

A gust of autumn wind blew in through the open door. Chen Mianmian looked out the window—autumn was approaching, and she missed home so much. When could she go home?

...

Two months have passed in the blink of an eye.

This day marked the official end of the children's examination.

Chen Mianmian waited anxiously with his wife in the main hall.

Suddenly, a maid rushed in, "Madam, Aunt, the young master is back!"

"Qingzhou is back?" Ding was so happy that she stood up from her chair.

Granny Li was startled. "Madam, please order!"

Shen Mianmian was also very worried and instructed, "Madam, I have told you so many times before that pregnant women should avoid emotional fluctuations, especially in the early stages of pregnancy! You must keep a calm mood now!"

What she didn't say was that the lady's condition would be considered advanced maternal age even in modern times, not to mention that before the pregnancy, she was in critical condition due to mental illness, so how could she possibly make a mistake?

Ding didn't care about that. "Let's go, let's go greet them."

Granny Li stopped the madam and said, "You wait here, let the concubine go and greet her herself." As she spoke, she gave Chen Mianmian an ambiguous wink.

At first, Shen Mianmian didn't think anything of it, but when she was looked at by Li Mama with such an ambiguous gaze, her face turned red instantly. "Yes, this servant will go to greet her and will be right back."

Then, he took Liu Xiangning and fled as if his life depended on it.

She hadn't walked far from the main courtyard when she heard a commotion ahead. She looked up and saw a large group of people slowly approaching the main courtyard, with a young man in a light-colored robe being surrounded by them.

A young man in a light-colored robe...

Chen Mianmian stood there, stunned, looking over in astonishment.

Liu Xiangning asked in confusion, "Why isn't Master leaving? Is that the young master? The last time I saw him was at a gathering hosted by the Minister's wife. I only caught a glimpse of him then, but he seems different now. He's taller and more handsome. I didn't think he was this handsome before."

After quickly processing her shock, Shen Mianmian murmured, "If you remember correctly, the young master has indeed changed. How could he have suddenly grown taller? His appearance has also changed."

At the same time,

Surrounded by servants, Bai Qingzhou also saw that someone was waiting for him ahead.

He knew who was waiting for him. In fact, from the moment he left the examination hall, he was eager to see her. In order to maintain his image, he forced himself to calm down and even bid farewell to Mr. Ouyang. After sending Mr. Ouyang home, he couldn't wait to return to the Marquis's residence.

Who would have thought that as soon as he returned to the Marquis's residence, he was surrounded by a group of servants who offered their congratulations.

He had no choice but to suppress his urgency and keep a calm facade as he walked toward the main courtyard, intending to inform his mother before going to see her.

Unexpectedly... she came to greet him.

Upon seeing the person she had been longing for, Bai Qingzhou no longer cared about being calm or not. A smile bloomed on her face, and she rushed over in a few quick steps, saying, "Mianmian, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."