Thrown out of the house, the wet nurse enters the noble household and becomes a person of high statu

"Found it!"

Liu Wenying took out the embroidery needle and showed it to Madam Pei and Wen Jingshu.

Once the culprit was removed, the young master stopped crying so much.

Wen Jingshu turned pale with fright, held her son in her arms, and cried with heartache.

"How did a needle end up here? Who's trying to harm my son!"

Madam Pei was also furious. "Investigate! Who handled this swaddling clothes?"

It was quickly discovered that the swaddling clothes were newly bought, and the embroidery needle on them had been dropped by the embroiderer from the embroidery shop.

The swaddling clothes were put on by the previous wet nurse, who was in a hurry and did not check them carefully, and did not find that there was a needle in them.

The embroidery shop was careless, and the manager has already gone to demand an explanation.

The wet nurse was also summoned. After learning what had happened, she was so frightened that she knelt down and begged for mercy.

In a fit of rage, Madam Pei ordered the careless wet nurse to be severely punished, with three months' wages deducted and her hands slapped ten times as a warning to others.

After dealing with the negligent wet nurse, Madam Pei turned her attention to Liu Wenying.

Madam Pei had witnessed how she found the needle and how she coaxed Ye Ge'er.

"Thanks to your meticulous attention to detail today, otherwise Ye-ge would have suffered a great deal."

The doctor came to check, and it was just a small needle prick on my back. Applying some medicine will prevent it from leaving a scar.

Madam Pei's tone softened slightly. "What's your name?"

"Lady of the Duke of Guoguo, my surname is Liu, and my name is Wenying."

Madam Pei nodded and instructed the nanny beside her, "Reward Madam Liu with ten taels of silver and two bolts of Hangzhou silk as a reward for her attentiveness and merit today."

"Thank you for your generous gift, Madam!"

Ten taels of silver is equivalent to more than three months' wages!

In the afternoon, Liu Wenying returned to Youyuxuan.

Not long after, the reward promised by the Duchess was delivered by two maids.

Ten taels of gleaming silver ingots, and two bolts of fine silk that felt smooth to the touch.

The other wet nurses looked at the rewards with varying expressions; some were envious, while others secretly clicked their tongues in amazement.

The wet nurse, surnamed Li, who had been fined a month's wages and had her hands slapped, was sitting on her bunk in the corner, holding her swollen, red palms.

The door to the room was open, and from her angle, she could see the reward Liu Wenying received.

The more she thought about it, the angrier and more frustrated she became.

In just a few minutes, why was she the one who suffered such bad luck, being beaten and punished, while she received a generous reward in front of her master?

A surge of anger rushed to her head, and Li the wet nurse abruptly stood up, pointing her finger at Liu Wenying's nose and yelling, "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

"You discovered that needle a long time ago, didn't you? You deliberately kept it to yourself, only to pretend to find it in front of the madam and all the masters."

"You're deliberately stepping on me to climb up the ranks and show off in front of your master. What a cunning scheme!"

Looking at her hysterical and irresponsible behavior, Liu Wenying was both angry and amused.

"Nanny Li, what you're saying is completely unreasonable! The young master is crying so hard, and as his nanny, I'm extremely anxious. I just want to find out the reason as soon as possible. How could I have the mind to scheme about how to behave?"

The needle was tucked inside the swaddling clothes. The little master was being carried around, and the needle moved around in the swaddling clothes, so it was inevitable that it would prick someone at any time.

The young master was stabbed and cried when Liu Wenying was on duty.

It's good that she found it; if she hadn't, and the doctor had found it, she would have been punished anyway.

"You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want! A wet nurse is supposed to be meticulous and ensure the young master's safety. It was my duty to discover the cause in time and prevent the young master from suffering further harm. How did you turn it into a mistake?"

Liu Wenying can endure hardship, but she cannot tolerate others labeling her.

Li, the wet nurse, was rendered speechless by her series of well-organized words, her face turning bright red.

Seeing that she couldn't win the argument, the anger and jealousy made her completely lose her mind, and she spoke recklessly.

"I'm talking nonsense? Who knows if you put that needle in there yourself?! Anyone can pull off a 'thief crying 'stop thief'' act!"

"You deliberately caused this mess to show off your competence and climb up the ladder by stepping on us!"

"You—" Liu Wenying trembled with anger.

Another wet nurse, Zhao, who had entered the mansion later than Liu Wenying and the others, grabbed Li's arm upon seeing this, seemingly to persuade her, but actually to stir up trouble.

"Sister Liu, Sister Li, please say less! Getting angry is bad for your health, why bother?"

She sighed, her voice neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the servants who had gathered outside Youyu Pavilion to hear.

"We, the newcomers to this prefecture, have shallow roots. How can we compare to those who arrived earlier and know how to handle things? Just bear with it, it will pass. We can't compete with them..."

These words escalated a personal conflict into a rift between the newcomers and the veterans.

As if finding an ally, Li, the wet nurse, shook Zhao, the wet nurse's hand back, and pointed at Liu Wenying.

Two against one, Liu Wenying might not necessarily be able to win.

Just then, Granny Tian was summoned.

"What are you all arguing about here? I can hear you shouting from far away. You have so much energy, why don't you go and have a good argument with your master?"

The servants who had been watching the spectacle immediately dispersed and went about their own business.

As if grasping at a lifeline, Li, the wet nurse, rushed to Granny Tian to complain.

"Granny! I suspect that the embroidery needle in the baby's swaddling clothes today was planted by Liu Wenying herself. She's crying 'stop thief' while pretending to be the thief!"

Granny Tian had already heard about what happened at Hechun Hall. Today, she came to Youyuxuan to give the wet nurses a serious talk on how to take good care of the young master.

Granny Tian narrowed her shrewd eyes. "Oh? Is that so?"

If Granny Tian continues to believe the other party, Liu Wenying will truly be left isolated and helpless.

Knowing that this moment is crucial, I must not show any weakness.

"This servant has not been in the household for long, but I know the weighty responsibilities of a wet nurse. The safety of the young master is paramount. If this servant harbors even the slightest intention to harm anyone, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"

Liu Wenying met Li Nanny's gaze with an open and honest look.

"I swear, do you? If you utter a single slanderous word against me, may your entire family die!"

The wet nurse's lips were tightly closed, and her arrogance subsided considerably.

Liu Wenying, however, had no intention of letting her off so easily.

"Today's events were entirely due to the negligence of Nurse Li during her duty. It was my duty to discover the potential danger in time, and I dare not bow in gratitude. What Nurse Li just said not only slandered me but also questioned the judgment of the Duchess and the First Madam."

"I implore you, Granny, to investigate thoroughly and clear my name!"

Granny Tian was no fool to have been able to become the head nanny in the Duke's mansion.

That wet nurse, Li, was clearly resentful after being punished, and then became blinded by the reward, which is why she made baseless accusations.

Moreover, the rewards and punishments were decided by the Duchess herself. To question Liu Wenying would be tantamount to questioning the Duchess's judgment.

Granny Tian said sternly to Nurse Li, "How to punish or reward is the master's decision. If you are not satisfied, come with me to the main courtyard and ask the First Madam to judge right and wrong."

…………