Fortunately, Shuiyun, Shuiling, and Dongmei were there to help out, and Zheng He and Zheng Feng were also diligent and clever, sharing a lot of the burden.

Ye Tong, following Li Lao Er, had enough to get around the city and its outskirts.

Grandma Li was afraid of disturbing her granddaughter, and also afraid that she might run to the construction site behind the house and accidentally bump into something.

So, after discussing it with her daughter-in-law, she put the matter of her granddaughter learning manners on the agenda.

Granny He, a former palace governess, finally had the opportunity to showcase her professional skills, and she was so excited that she was almost moved to tears...

Unfortunately, she had only been teaching the young master for half a day, and hadn't even mastered the basic curtsy, when the Marquis returned...

"Is learning manners tiring, Fu Niu'er?" The Marquis asked, taking Jia Yin's hand without even taking off his cloak.

He looked the girl up and down with concern, worried that she might have been wronged or suffered.

Jiayin rushed over, hugged her godfather's arm, and said with a grin, "No, godfather, Grandma told me stories, they were so much fun! I just learned some manners, squatted dozens of times, and then godfather came back!"

Dozens of times?

The Marquis frowned, turned around and called to Ye Shan, "Take the princess to the next room, and tell the old lady that I'll be having lunch at home."

"Yes, Lord Marquis." Ye Shan immediately stepped forward, squatted down, carried Jia Yin on his back, and walked out.

Jiayin looked at Granny He, who was about to follow, but the Marquis said, "Granny He, please stay here."

Granny He's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly bowed respectfully and stood to the side.

Sure enough, just as Ye Shan carried Jia Yin away from the doorway, the Marquis said, "The nanny knows that Fu Niu'er is still young and frail, and cannot be overworked... Therefore, the nanny must be mindful of the methods when teaching her manners."

"Don't make it too boring, don't make it too complicated, and don't bring the methods used to teach palace maids home. You need to think of a way to teach the princess manners in a way that is enjoyable and easy."

Granny He smiled wryly. It turned out that the Marquis had rushed back because he was afraid that the Princess would suffer, and he came specifically to support her!

But she was hoping to live with the princess in her old age, so she would never mistreat the princess.

That morning, the story was told for an hour, and the etiquette was only taught for a quarter of an hour, yet the Marquis already felt sorry for the Princess.

Thinking about all the rules she still had to learn, she felt completely lost and thought her future was bleak!

But she couldn’t refuse, so she could only say, “Don’t worry, my lord, this old servant will definitely teach the princess well and will never let her suffer.”

The Marquis then nodded, "Alright, you should teach the princess well, and I will not mistreat you."

After saying that, he took a silver ingot from his purse and handed it over.

Granny He quickly knelt down and accepted the gift with both hands, saying, "Thank you for the reward, Your Excellency."

"Go down now, and remember to pay close attention."

The Marquis gave another instruction, and Granny He bowed her head in agreement, then backed out the door.

She held the silver coin the Marquis had given her, feeling as if she were holding a burning coal, it was incredibly hot!

As soon as they arrived at the Li family's gate, they looked up and saw that the master's carriage had also returned.

Li Zhensheng got off the carriage and saw Granny He standing at the door. He smiled and said, "What a coincidence! I was just looking for Granny He. I didn't expect to run into her here."

As he spoke, he turned his head toward Zheng Feng, who was driving the carriage.

Zheng Feng quickly brought forward a piece of fabric and a box of pastries, saying, "Granny, the master said that you work too hard teaching the princess manners, so he specially bought you a piece of fabric and some pastries that you like."

Granny He quickly bowed and declined, "Master, it is my duty to teach the princess manners. I will do my best, but I do not deserve such a reward from you!"

"Take it, Granny." Li Zhensheng advised, "Fu Niu'er is a naughty child, and you'll have to put in a lot of effort to take care of her in the future... But after all, Fu Niu'er is still young. Granny, you can teach her slowly and patiently, right?"

Granny He could no longer manage a bitter smile; this was yet another one who was terrified that she would mistreat her master!

She wanted to say that she didn't dare, she wouldn't, and she couldn't bear to!

Unfortunately, nobody believed it...

She could only accept the gifts to put the old man in front of her at ease.

Sure enough, Li Zhensheng was even happier to see her holding the things in her arms.

As they were talking, the group entered the courtyard. Li Lao Er came out from behind, his long robe still covered in dust.

As he patted her, he asked He Mama curiously, "Isn't Mama teaching Fu Niu'er manners? I was just about to go and see!"

"How is Fu Niu'er learning? Is she tired? Granny, Fu Niu'er is still young, there's no rush to learn manners, we have to take it slowly..."

If it weren't for the fact that Granny He had survived in the palace for decades and possessed extraordinary endurance, she would have wanted to roar to the heavens right now!

She's innocent!

Is she usually perceived as stern, so why is everyone afraid she'll mistreat her master?!

She didn't dare, she didn't dare, she really didn't dare!

Fortunately, Old Lady Li appeared in time and rescued Granny He, who was almost suffocating.

She called to her eldest and second sons and asked, "What are you all doing around Granny He? Come and see how Fu Niu'er performs the squatting ceremony. It's only been a morning, and she's already doing it so well. It's all thanks to Granny He's excellent teaching!"

Li Zhensheng and Li Lao Er quickly went inside, and soon the sounds of laughter and conversation filled the room.

After thinking for a moment, Granny He returned the items to her side room.

Just then, Shui Ling accidentally got her clothes wet, so she came back to change.

Seeing that Granny He's expression was unusually rich, she covered her mouth and chuckled, then asked in a low voice, "Granny, teaching the princess manners must be difficult, right?"

Granny He glared at her reproachfully and asked, "How did you know?"

Shui Ling laughed even more happily and explained, "Because this morning, the old lady has been nagging me four or five times. Sometimes she wants to bring me some snacks, and sometimes she worries that I'm tired. But when I try to go next door to check on you, the old lady won't let me!"

Granny He had completely given up and simply lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed) and refused to get up.

That's it, she's completely hopeless.

I originally thought the old lady would be ruthless and make her strictly teach the princess, and support her as a backer.

Now it seems that this backer didn't exist at all...

Leaving aside Granny He's "despair," the lunch table at the Li family's house was still lively, though Li Laosi, who had gone to the military camp, and Tao Hongying, who had come to the city, were absent. However, with the addition of the Marquis and Li Zhensheng, the meal was still quite lively.

The group talked about the construction of the backyard, the digging of ditches in the other three villages, and the latest happenings in the city. Everyone ate half a bowl more rice than usual.

Jiayin didn't eat much in the morning, but now that she's a little hungry, she's eating with extra relish.

But to everyone else, it seemed that the child was tired from learning the rules and his appetite had increased.

So, one person helped peel shrimp, another removed ribs, and they kept putting food on the chubby girl's plate.

Jiayin smiled broadly, her belly round and full from eating.

After the table was cleared away, the Marquis carried her on his back for a stroll in the courtyard, ostensibly to help her digest her food...

As the sun began to set, the Marquis was about to return to the city for the grand court assembly the next day, and Li Lao Er went with him.

That night, Li Lao Er naturally stayed with Mr. Wen again, taking the opportunity to listen to Mr. Wen talk about politics.

The next day at court, several senior officials argued for an hour over a trivial matter, citing classical texts, which made Li Lao Er (Emperor Li) drowsy.

After finally enduring the court session, he followed behind Mr. Wen and Liu Zhiheng, secretly yawning as he walked out.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Wen and Liu Zhiheng suddenly stopped, causing him to almost bump into their backs.

After finally regaining his senses, he realized that there was "again" someone blocking his way...