The purse being stolen is not a big problem.

Mingzhu received the report from the guards and only instructed them to protect the safety of Liu Xu and Xi Yu.

These two are both business partners and good friends of hers and Xie Yunzhen.

In all fairness and reason, their personal safety should be safeguarded.

After dismissing the guards, she also heard that Liu Xu and Xi Yu went to the charity hall and donated a large sum of silver.

Yanzhou experienced war, and although order has been restored, there are still many difficulties that require a lot of time and money to resolve.

This donation from Liu Xu can give the operation of the charity hall a breather.

Mingzhu brought them for business, not to make Liu Xu bleed money.

She secretly decided that once they decided on a business plan, she would invest more so Liu Xu could carry out her plans freely.

Zishan was sleeping, while Zimu, who wasn’t asleep, handed a cloth tiger to Mingzhu, insisting she play with her.

Which mother could refuse when looked at with those clear, watery eyes?

Mingzhu picked up the cloth tiger and growled playfully at Zimu, making the little one burst into laughter.

Zimu quickly crawled to another side, grabbed Zishan’s cloth tiger as well, and crawled back to Mingzhu.

With both hands holding cloth tigers, she wanted to make them fight with the one in Mingzhu’s hand.

Mingzhu cooperated and played with her daughter.

The little one babbled childishly while playing.

Mingzhu used the opportunity to teach her daughter how to speak.

"Say, ’Dad...’"

The little one watched Mingzhu’s lips, her own lips moving slightly, clearly making an effort to learn to speak.

Mingzhu, very patient, repeated again, "Dad..."

Zimu tried hard but finally only managed a sound, "Eeh~"

Mingzhu patted her head and urged her to keep trying.

She taught several times, yet Zimu remained at the stage of babbling.

Jade said with a smile, "When County Princess turns one, she will naturally speak. Ma’am, don’t worry."

Mingzhu wasn’t in a hurry, "I’ll keep teaching her. Who knows, she might suddenly surprise us."

Jade nodded in agreement.

But still puzzled, "Why teach County Princess to say ’Dad’ instead of ’Mom’?"

The real reason was that Xie Yunzhen wasn’t home often, and Mingzhu wanted the child to always feel his presence.

Even if it was just a name.

She said instead, "Once Zimu learns to call Dad, if she’s thirsty or hungry at night, he can handle it."

Jade couldn’t help but laugh.

"Ma’am, that’s a clever trick, but hasn’t the General always taken care of these things?"

Mingzhu and Xie Yunzhen didn’t like having people stay overnight in their room, usually leaving two at the door to await orders.

Even after having children, this habit didn’t change.

In the first few months, to let Mingzhu recuperate, Xie Yunzhen had the nanny sleep with the child.

Once the children became familiar, demanding Mingzhu to soothe them, they moved back into the room.

Although there were many maids and old women in the courtyard, every time the children woke up in the middle of the night, whether for feeding or diaper changing, Xie Yunzhen never let anyone else intervene.

At most, he ordered the maids to prepare hot water.

In Mingzhu’s words, he simply loved fussing around, as if he wasn’t tired enough during the day, he took on all the chores.

Xie Yunzhen thought that since he wasn’t home much during the day, only at night could he do things for the kids. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

If he simply handed everything off, the children might not like him.

Later, when it came to educating the children, he would feel lacking in confidence.

Getting up in the middle of the night to care for the children was certainly tiring, but Xie Yunzhen enjoyed it.

After all, these were the children Mingzhu bore for him.

Not to mention getting up at night for work, even staying up day and night would be fine for him.

Fortunately, the kids were getting bigger, sleeping more soundly at night.

Sometimes, they even slept through the night.

In a while, Mingzhu and Xie Yunzhen would be more at ease.

Mingzhu turned to look at Jade, raising an eyebrow, "You might not understand, but if Zimu and Zishan first call him, he’ll be very happy. When he’s happy, he works diligently and without complaint."

Jade silently gave Mingzhu a thumbs-up.

No wonder the General was so easily managed by the Lady.

The Lady knew when to be relaxed, when to reprimand and when to praise, occasionally giving the General a sweet moment.

Who wouldn’t be smitten?

"Ma’am, I need to learn from you."

Mingzhu teased her, "Have you taken a fancy to a young man? When you marry, I’ll teach you some husband-managing tricks."

Jade blushed deeply from her words.

Stomping her foot, "Ma’am, you’re teasing me again."

Mingzhu asked, "You really have no one you fancy?"

Jade swore to the heavens, "If I have such thoughts, let me be hit by a carriage when I go out."

Mingzhu had been hit by a carriage and knew the danger involved.

She reprimanded, "Why make such a serious vow? It’s normal to have feelings for someone; if you truly have someone you like, the General and I will make arrangements for you."

Jade believed this.

In other households, maids could only leave the premises when they reached a certain age.

But in their General Mansion, as long as the maids worked diligently without ulterior minds, the Lady would agree if they wanted to leave.

After the New Year, a maid in the courtyard married one of the guards.

Now both work in the residence, neither interfering with their duties nor their life, which is a great path.

Some of the guards in the residence were retired from the military and had a masculine charm.

Many secretly envied that maid.

After pondering for a moment, Jade said, "If I like someone, I’ll first tell you, Ma’am."

Mingzhu nodded with a smile, "When that time comes, the General and I will add to your dowry."

The maids in the courtyard were all well-behaved and didn’t add trouble for Mingzhu.

Moreover, as they performed their tasks well, she was willing to spend some silver to keep everyone happy.

Jade was indeed delighted as she knew this wasn’t just lip service; the Lady always delivered on her promises!

She went down on her knees and bowed to Mingzhu.

"This servant thanks you, Ma’am."

"Get up; when the promise is fulfilled, it’ll be the right time to thank me."

Zimu rolled her round eyes and was initially playing with the cloth tiger on a cushion. Suddenly, she struggled to kneel in front of Mingzhu.

Supporting herself with small hands on the cushion, she tried to bow like Jade.

As a result, her behind was lifted high, her forehead pressed on the cushion, making for a most comical appearance.

Mingzhu, amused and exasperated, pretended to smack her bottom.

"You’re such a mischievous troublemaker."

Zimu babbled away like a little calf, insistently pressing her forehead to the cushion, refusing to get up.

Jade pursed her lips, suddenly spoke softly, "Nanny Liu said that when her grandson suddenly did this action, her daughter-in-law got pregnant soon after."

Even though their two masters were tired from child-rearing, they always called for water at least once every night.

Jade was somewhat worried, "Ma’am, have you felt unwell in recent days?"

Mingzhu: "..."