To everyone's surprise, the Shen family was among the prominent households offering congratulations at Wang Youfu's residence this time. Although only a steward attended, it left the Wang family feeling immensely honored.

Upon hearing this, Wang Guifang specially paid a visit to her daughter. Discovering that Master Shen had been treating her daughter even better since Wang Qingchen passed the Juren examination filled Wang Guifang with joy. While her daughter now had a son, the boy was still young, after all. Her daughter's greatest reliance remained Master Shen.

"Mother, please don't worry. Master treats me very well now. Besides, isn't there Ge'er? Just for our son's sake, Master won't mistreat me," Liu Qian'er remarked.

Wang Guifang nodded. "That is true. Right now, you are the only one in the Shen residence to have borne Master Shen a son. Your life will certainly not be lacking in the future."

"That's exactly it, so Mother shouldn't worry about me. You should be paying more attention to the younger sibling in your belly," Liu Qian'er said, looking at Wang Guifang's pregnant belly.

Wang Guifang gently touched her large stomach after hearing her daughter's words. "This little one is making quite a fuss now, kicking and moving inside me every day. It's much naughtier than you were."

"Being so active, it must surely be a boy," Liu Qian'er chuckled.

"It doesn't matter if it’s a boy or a girl; his father won't dislike the child either way. Speaking of which, his father was actually quite unwilling for me to come over today, afraid I might jostle the baby." Wang Guifang said with a laugh.

"Mother, that's your second father caring for you! But he is right; with your belly this big, you should stay home more from now on," Liu Qian'er agreed.

"Fine, fine, you two are a team now. If I don't come downstairs, is that alright?" Wang Guifang said with some resignation.

Liu Qian'er looked at her mother, unsure whether to laugh or cry. In truth, she was genuinely pleased to see the change in her mother. It was far better than living out the latter half of her life alone and lonely, perhaps even suffering oppression from her eldest maternal aunt. Now that her mother had remarried, and her stepfather treated her well, her mother seemed so much more vibrant than before. Looking at it this way, she realized her reservations about her mother remarrying were unnecessary, as nothing was more important than her mother living a good life.

After returning from the Shen residence this time, Wang Guifang kept her word and did not venture out again before her confinement.

Meanwhile, back in the capital at the Fu residence, although Master Fu was somewhat displeased that his son ranked behind Xia Wentao in the provincial exams, matters still needed to proceed. They still had to visit the Xia residence to discuss the marriage arrangement between the two families.

Master Xia and Madam Xia were somewhat expecting the arrival of Madam Fu, as the two families had previously agreed to discuss the marriage after Fu Lan's provincial results. The only change was that the intended bride had switched from the second daughter to the eldest daughter.

Madam Xia had no intention of telling Xia Wanqing about the Fu family coming over to discuss the marriage, and she took great care to keep it confidential. This was to prevent Xia Wanqing from being upset, given that, according to the original plan between the two houses, the bride was supposed to be Xia Wanqing, not the current Xia Wanyu.

Since receiving instructions from Madam Xia, Dong'er had deliberately kept Xia Wanqing occupied indoors with embroidery or other tasks, ensuring she didn't leave her own courtyard.

Xia Wanqing was unaware of Dong'er's intentions. After all, Dong'er prattled on to her about all sorts of things daily. Initially, it was out of fear that she might be hit hard by the news and become despondent; later, it simply became a habit. Thus, Xia Wanqing suspected nothing of Dong'er's actions that day.

However, things changed when it came time for Xia Wanqing to pay her respects to Madam Xia each day. No matter what Dong'er said, Xia Wanqing insisted on going. Dong'er, realizing she couldn't hide things much longer, panicked and quickly fabricated a reason for Xia Wanqing not to go at that moment.

"Uh, Miss, you don't need to pay respects at this hour today. Xiao Ju from the Madam's courtyard just said that the Madam is feeling unwell and has already gone to sleep, so she asked you not to come over today." Dong'er thought quickly.

"What? Mother is sick?" Xia Wanqing exclaimed. "Such a big thing, and you didn't tell me? What should I do now? Has a doctor been called? No, I must go see her; I won't be at ease otherwise."

Xia Wanqing rushed toward Madam Xia's courtyard. Dong'er saw this and knew it wouldn't do. If the Miss went over, everything would be exposed! All her efforts this afternoon would be for naught! So, Dong'er tried persuading her again: "Miss, since the Madam is feeling unwell, she must have called a doctor; you don't need to worry about that. But the Madam has finally managed to sleep; if you go now, won't you wake her? In my humble opinion, you shouldn't go now. Let's go again in about an hour; perhaps the Madam will have woken up then."

Xia Wanqing hesitated because she knew Dong'er made sense; going now would only disturb her mother. Yet, if she didn't go, she couldn't settle her mind. Xia Wanqing was running around anxiously.

Ultimately, Xia Wanqing decided to go immediately. She just wanted to take one look at her mother's condition—just a glance.

With that thought, Xia Wanqing ignored Dong'er's pleas and strode toward Madam Xia's courtyard. Dong'er, unable to stop her, had no choice but to scurry after her, thinking she had done her best and hoping the Madam wouldn't blame her when she found out. But even setting aside whether the Madam would fault her for failing to stop the Miss, the mere fact that she lied about the Madam being sick was likely enough trouble for her. Thus, along the way, Dong'er grew increasingly distressed the more she thought about it.

Xia Wanqing and her maid hurried to Madam Xia's courtyard. As soon as they arrived, they saw Xiao Ju, the second-ranking maid attending Madam Xia, standing in the courtyard. The moment Xia Wanqing saw Xiao Ju, she desperately wanted to ask about her mother's health. Fortunately, she remembered in time that her mother was resting and shouldn't be spoken to loudly, so she managed to suppress the urge. After taking a few steps closer to Xiao Ju, Xia Wanqing finally couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Xiao Ju, is Madam feeling any better? What did the doctor say?"

Hearing Xia Wanqing's question, Xiao Ju looked utterly bewildered. Madam? Doctor? What was going on? How could she, who served the Madam closely, know nothing? Was this her dereliction of duty? Thinking this, Xiao Ju became frightened. If it truly was her negligence, could she keep her position as a second-ranking maid? Clearly not.

So, after Xia Wanqing asked her question, she saw Xiao Ju looking distressed, stammering, "This... this..."

Xiao Ju's hesitation was interpreted by Xia Wanqing as confirmation that Madam Xia was indeed very ill. Now, Xia Wanqing became even more anxious. How could her mother become this sick in just one day? It was all her fault as a daughter for not being attentive enough. If only she had come sooner! But now her mother was resting, and she couldn't possibly go in and disturb her, could she?

"Xiao Ju, please just tell me, what is wrong with the Madam? Is it serious?" Xia Wanqing asked, frowning.

"Uh..." Xiao Ju was pressed for an answer and didn't know what to say. Just as she looked up, ready to confess her negligence to Xia Wanqing, she saw Dong'er, standing behind Xia Wanqing, winking vigorously at her. Xiao Ju grew even more confused. Why was Dong'er signaling her like that? Did this matter involve something she didn't know? Thinking this, Xiao Ju stopped the words she was about to say and instead told Xia Wanqing, "Miss, the Madam is inside. Why don't you go in first?"

When Xia Wanqing heard Xiao Ju say she could enter, she was delighted. Without asking anything further, she quickly walked toward the inner room.

Seeing the crisis averted, Xiao Ju quickly shot a glance of gratitude toward Dong'er, only to see Dong'er anxiously following Xia Wanqing into the room, not even able to spare her a look. However, Xiao Ju wasn't angry, as Dong'er had just saved her, after all.

Meanwhile, after entering the room, Xia Wanqing and Dong'er found Madam Xia sitting on a couch, giving instructions to Wet Nurse Gu. Seeing Xia Wanqing arrive with her maid, she immediately said warmly, "Qing'er, you're here!"

Xia Wanqing quickly examined Madam Xia from head to toe. Finding no apparent issues, she finally let out a sigh of relief. "Mother, are you alright now?"

Madam Xia looked at her daughter's anxious expression, which was already somewhat odd, and now, hearing her daughter's question, she was even more perplexed. Fortunately, Dong'er, seeing the lie about to be exposed, grew anxious and quickly stepped forward. "Madam, the Miss heard you were unwell and became terribly worried, rushing straight over here. I was afraid the Miss might accidentally trip or fall, but no matter how much I tried to persuade her, she wouldn't listen, insisting she wouldn't be at ease until she saw you."

Hearing Dong'er’s words, and connecting them with what she had instructed Dong'er to do, Madam Xia suddenly understood. She didn't blame Dong'er for interrupting but smiled at her daughter, "I'm fine now, feeling much better. You don't need to worry. Also, what Dong'er said just now was right; why rush so much? What if you had been hurt?"

Xia Wanqing looked a little embarrassed. "Mother, your daughter was just worried about you."

Dong'er breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Madam Xia's tone; it seemed the Madam had no intention of blaming her.