Although it was not the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the mansion was bustling with lanterns and decorations.

Nanny Li walked into the kitchen and peeped in, shouting, "Is the bird's nest soup I cooked for Madam ready? If the Marquis can't wait to blame me, I won't bear the responsibility for you." Although she was complaining, her face was full of smiles. Nanny Zhang, who was in charge of the kitchen, quickly went to the stove to take a look and replied, "It's ready, it's ready. Oh, you are so happy when Madam comes back, your mouth is almost grinning to the corners of your eyes."

Nanny Li glared at her sideways, but her smile didn't fade. She said, "Of course I'm happy that Madam is back, but what's even more precious is the love that the Marquis has for Madam. Not only does he stay with her in the room every day, but he also thinks of ways to arrange food for her. I'm afraid that all the blood swallows and ginseng in this mansion will be eaten by Madam."

Nanny Zhang held up a handkerchief to cover her mouth and laughed, "Yes, yes, yes, everyone knows that the Marquis loves his wife the most, and you are the most influential person in his wife's room. You are so lucky, so lucky."

Nanny Li touched the pearl hairpin on her head with a proud look, chatted with Nanny Zhang for a few words, and then returned to her room with the stewed bird's nest soup. As soon as she pushed the door open, she saw the Marquis and his wife suddenly separated, and his wife's face was still a little red. Nanny Li felt a little embarrassed. She quickly pretended that she didn't see anything, put down the food box and said, "The blood bird's nest that the Marquis wanted to stew has just been stewed and brought to me. Please enjoy it slowly, Madam." After saying that, she walked out of the outer room like a flash.

Yuan Xi stared at the bowl of bird's nest soup with a blank look in her eyes. She raised her head and said pitifully, "Do you still want to eat it? Can you please not eat it..."

Xiao Du picked up the bowl, scooped a spoonful and put it to his lips to cool it down, then passed it to her mouth and said, "Of course you have to eat. Look how thin you have become. Now that you are back, I have to nourish you well."

Yuan Xi had no choice but to swallow it. She couldn't help but feel a little amused in her heart, muttering, "I'm going to the palace, not the prison. There, I have food and clothing to take care of. The emperor has arranged everything properly. Why are you afraid that I will suffer?"

Xiao Du snorted and said, "What's so great about the Imperial Palace? Nothing else is as good as our mansion."

Yuan Xi smiled and held onto his arm, then lowered her head and said softly, "Of course, because there is no you in the palace."

Seeing her fall into his arms shyly, Xiao Du felt his heart soften and was about to hug her tightly, but Yuan Xi sat up straight and asked seriously, "By the way, why did the emperor let us go so readily? I thought that even if the queen mother woke up, he would find other reasons to keep us."

Xiao Du put down the bird's nest soup and said with a smug smile, "That's because he was afraid that he would listen to the treacherous ministers and fall into my trap."

Yuan Xi asked curiously: "What treacherous minister? What plan?"

Xiao Du reacted at this time, lowered his head suddenly, and sealed his lips. Yuan Xi looked at his expression and suddenly understood something, so he asked tentatively: "Is it related to my father?"

Xiao Du sighed, knowing that he could not hide it from her, so he told her all the plans that Luo Yuan had brought back regarding Xia Mingyuan. Seeing Yuan Xi's expression getting more and more sad, he finally felt a little reluctant and said, "It's all in the past anyway, so don't ask any more questions."

Yuan Xi raised her eyes and said firmly: "No, I want to know. I can't just go into the palace confused and come out confused without knowing the truth."

Xiao Du then continued, "I guessed from the beginning that they held you and mother hostage in order to lure me in. So I deliberately arranged for some people to linger outside the city gate, and made some false reports to be sent back to the palace, and then arranged for Luo Yuan to meet your father and pretend to test you for him. After he met you, he made up a story using the notes we prepared in advance, so that Xia Mingyuan would think that all this was in my plan. Your father is such a cautious person. Although this matter is just a guess, as long as there is a possibility, he will risk everything he has now. Therefore, he would rather lose this opportunity than take the risk. It happened that the Queen Mother woke up again, and Your Majesty had no choice but to release you first."

Yuan Xi suddenly realized, "No wonder the young master deliberately let me walk next to him that day, just to make others believe that I secretly slipped the paper to him."

Xiao Du nodded, and suddenly asked again: "By the way, why did he learn your handwriting? He even fooled your father."

Yuan Xi said, "Because I used to ask him to copy books for me, he practiced my handwriting. After a while, he was able to learn to write 70% to 80% like me."

Xiao Du said "Oh", and then his expression became a little depressed. Seeing him like this, Yuan Xi smiled and asked, "What's wrong? Are you still jealous now?"

Xiao Du snorted and said, "Do I look like such a stingy person?" He held Yuan Xi in his arms and said, "When we have a daughter in the future, we must find a female tutor for her."

Yuan Xi buried her face in his arms and laughed quietly. After these days of separation, even his little quirks became so memorable.

The next day, Xiao Du reluctantly left the house because he had something to do. He repeatedly told Yuan Xi not to run around and to wait for her to come back, as if he was afraid that she would disappear again once he left.

Yuan Xi found it a little funny, but also felt warm in her heart. She opened the window and saw that the snow in the yard was slowly melting. After some time, the chrysanthemum that he planted specially for her should also sprout.

She couldn't help but curl her lips, thinking about the scene of flowers blooming in front of the window. At this time, Li Ma Ma pushed the door open and walked in, calling out, "Madam?"

Yuan Xi turned her head and suddenly remembered something very important, but she didn't want to ask about it in front of Xiao Du. So she closed the window again and asked Li Ma Ma: "Do you still remember, when I went to the palace to see the Queen Mother, did I apply orchid hair oil?"

Madam Li shook her head hastily and said, "No, Madam has never had a box of orchid hair oil."

Yuan Xi's heart suddenly sank, and he asked again: "Where did you find the hair oil I used that day?"

Nanny Li was somewhat frightened by her expression. She thought carefully for a while and said, "I was afraid that I would not have enough time to prepare on the day of entering the palace, so I prepared all the clothes and makeup items a day in advance. The hair oil... I don't even remember whether I took out the hair oil, but I just remember that when I was combing the lady's makeup, there happened to be a box of it on hand, so I used it."

Yuan Xi stood up suddenly and asked, "Can you still find that box of hair oil?"

Nanny Li felt something was wrong and quickly searched for the events of that day in her mind while searching the house for the box of hair oil. However, she found that she could not find the box of hair oil she had used that day.

Yuan Xi felt a chill down her spine, and she was unable to come back to her senses for a long time. It turned out that someone was really behind this matter. Who was that person... She suddenly found that she didn't dare to think about it anymore.

At this moment, An He called out at the door: "Madam, the third young lady is here."

Yuan Xi had not had time to visit Xiao Zhixuan after returning home. When she heard that she was coming, she immediately calmed down and said with a smile, "Let her in quickly."

Xiao Zhixuan walked in and excitedly called out, "Sister-in-law," but her face was full of worries. She looked at Nanny Li beside Yuan Xi and said hesitantly, "Sister-in-law, can you let Nanny Li go out first? I have something to tell you."

Yuan Xi knew what happened from her expression, and quickly asked Li Ma to go out and close the door. She held Xiao Zhixuan's hand and said softly, "What happened? Just tell your sister-in-law."

Xiao Zhixuan showed a frightened expression and trembled, "I know that my sister-in-law has just returned, and I shouldn't bother you with these things, but I accidentally discovered something, and I don't know who to tell. That thing is about..." She paused, raised her horrified eyes, and whispered, "It's about the princess!"