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

The days that followed were unusually peaceful, much to Liu Wenying's surprise.

She later learned the reason from the idle chatter of Granny Tian and other servants.

The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the birthday of Third Master Pei Yaojun, and also the coming-of-age ceremony for men, which is extremely important.

Everyone in the Duke's mansion, especially Pei Yaojun himself, was extremely busy preparing for the ceremony.

The Duke and Duchess attached great importance to this, and they spent a long time carefully considering the selection of the officiant, the guest list, and the arrangement of the ceremony.

As the protagonist, Pei Yaojun was confined to learning various etiquette rules and trying on complicated crowns and robes, so he naturally had no time to pay attention to anything else.

Before we knew it, it was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and the snow had cleared and the sky was clear.

The Duke's mansion was brightly decorated and filled with guests.

Not only did the family and relatives gather, but many of the court officials and noble families who were on good terms with the Pei family also sent people to deliver congratulatory gifts or personally attended the ceremony.

The coming-of-age ceremony was held in the front hall of the ancestral hall, the most spacious and solemn place in the mansion.

At the beginning of the Wei hour (1-3 PM), the ceremony officially began.

As Ye'er's wet nurse, Liu Wenying was fortunate enough to follow behind the First Madam and witness the grand ceremony from afar, on the periphery of the audience.

The hall was decorated in a solemn and simple style, with incense tables and ritual objects all in place.

Today's Master Pei is completely different from the past.

He took off his usual crimson brocade robe and put on a dark black robe, looking solemn and dignified.

Her once frivolous and carefree eyes had lost their sharpness, revealing a rare composure.

The one who sings the praises loudly begins the first step, symbolizing adulthood and establishing oneself, aspiring to become a sage.

Adding a leather cap symbolizes wielding weapons to defend the nation.

The addition of three noble titles signifies the ability to shoulder family responsibilities.

After the ceremony, he turned to face the guests and bowed in gratitude.

Liu Wenying was momentarily dazed.

The wind blew, and his clothes fluttered. Where was the Third Master who used to linger among flowers and be cynical?

The man before me wore a cap and a matching black ceremonial robe, with a wide belt around his waist and jade pendants jingling.

This is completely different from the Third Master Pei who previously pinned her down on the bed and sexually assaulted her.

Hopefully, he'll mature after coming of age and stop troubling himself...

With a loud "bang," the cannon shot into the sky, scattering red fragments like rain.

Pei Yaojun, now that he had come of age, looked through the crowd of onlookers and precisely spotted that pale blue figure.

The boy had come of age, and the man's sharpness was beginning to emerge, yet that familiar mischievousness still lingered in his eyes.

Liu Wenying hugged Ye'er tightly, lowering her eyes to hide her emotions.

Well, my hopes are probably dashed...

At the coming-of-age ceremony, all the masters of the household also came.

This included the eldest uncle, Pei Dingxuan, who stood slightly behind his father, focused on the ceremony and never once glanced in her direction.

It was as if her selfless rescue in the snow that day was just a delusion.

Liu Wenying = It's hard to say whether she felt fortunate or disappointed, but more than anything, she felt a sense of relief and ease.

For her, the best outcome is that he no longer pays attention to her.

At least there's no need to rush to leave the mansion.

The ceremony drew to a close amidst solemn music. After the ceremony, Liu Wenying followed Wen Jingshu back to Tinglan Courtyard.

Although the coming-of-age ceremony has ended, the festive atmosphere of the Lantern Festival has not yet dissipated.

Every year on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the capital city hosts a grand lantern festival and fireworks display.

Xiao Zhu, already itching to go, sneaked into Liu Wenying's room and invited her with sparkling eyes.

"Sister Liu, it's so lively outside! I heard that Zhuque Street is full of lanterns, there are acrobatic performances and magic shows, and the fireworks are absolutely spectacular. Shall we go out and take a look?"

By the grace of the Lord, during the Lunar New Year, if you have finished your own business, you may leave the house to go home or travel.

Luo Luo already has two teeth, and Liu Wenying was busy massaging her gums when she heard this, so she shook her head.

"Luo Luo is still too young, and it's windy at night, so I won't go."

Xiao Zhu pouted, then immediately thought of something, "Then I'll go shopping for Sister Liu and bring you back the prettiest lantern."

Granny Tian, ​​who was doing needlework nearby, smiled and sighed, "This girl still has the heart of a child."

Seeing that it was getting late, she rubbed her neck and back, saying, "My old bones can't take it anymore."

"Go back to sleep, godmother," Liu Wenying said with concern.

"well."

Liu Wenying saw Granny Tian out of the house and was about to go back when a firework bloomed in the dark sky.

Then, golden, silver, and pink fireworks burst forth one after another, painting the night sky with dazzling brilliance.

Luo Luo stared wide-eyed, her little fists clenched tightly, and she kept making "smoke, smoke, smoke" noises.

Liu Wenying then embraced her and watched the fireworks in the courtyard.

As the fireworks gradually faded, Liu Wenying prepared to carry Luoluo back to the house to rest when she suddenly heard footsteps behind her.

He turned around and saw Pei Yaojun, who was carrying the chill of the night dew. His brocade robe was still red, but it had darkened a bit.

"The lantern festival outside is in full swing, would you like me to take you for a stroll?"

Liu Wenying stepped back, putting distance between herself and him.

"Please forgive me, Third Master, but I need to take care of the child and cannot go out."

"What's so difficult about that?" Pei Yaojun called over his servants to help look after the child.

Liu Wenying still didn't want to. Couldn't he see that she just wanted to stay far away from him?

"If Third Master is interested, he can go by himself. Why drag me along?"

Pei Yaojun smiled, a hint of mischief in his eyes, his composed demeanor at the coming-of-age ceremony seeming like a dream.

"My birthday falls on the Lantern Festival. My father told me to stay in my room and study, but I refused and insisted on going to see the lantern festival."

If the Duke wouldn't allow it, then he would have to climb over the wall to leave the mansion; otherwise, news of him leaving through either the main gate or the side gate would reach his father through the gatekeeper.

Liu Wenying: "Third Master, rest assured, this servant will never tell anyone about this."

"I don't trust you with just words. I'll only be completely at ease if we both have something on each other and neither of us betrays the other."

As soon as he finished speaking, Pei Yaojun reached out to hug her.

Liu Wenying turned pale with fright, and the child in her arms was taken away by a servant.

Pei Yaojun, disregarding everything, carried her upside down on his shoulder.

"Let me go!"

She has always been afraid of heights, and if he were to lift her up like this, she might fall and get seriously injured if he let go.

"I'll go with you!"

Pei Yaojun raised an eyebrow, and as expected, withdrew his hand and placed her back on the ground.

"Wouldn't it have been better if you had listened to me earlier?"

I've never seen such a difficult ancestor...

Liu Wenying gritted her teeth and gave several instructions to the servant who was carrying Luo Luo before following Pei Yaojun to climb over the wall.

Pei Yaojun, familiar with the route, stepped over the debris at the base of the wall and quickly climbed up, then bent down and reached out to her.

"Come up."

Looking at the height of the wall, Liu Wenying's legs trembled slightly, but she had no choice but to grit her teeth and go up.

Halfway up the debris, Pei Yaojun reached out and put his arm around her waist, lifting her up with a little effort.

The two of them flipped down one after the other and landed on the ground.

Liu Wenying steadied herself and looked up. On the other side of the wall, there was a dazzling display of everyday life.

…………