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

"Wenying, do you want to rise to the top and become a phoenix?" Granny Tian asked.

Liu Wenying was taken aback, not expecting her godmother to have such a big leap in her thinking, she hadn't gone around in circles.

"Third Master has just come of age, and Madam Pei is probably about to choose a concubine for him."

"When it comes to teaching people, you always have to choose someone you know well and who is reliable. You are young, good-looking, and have a calm temperament. What's more, you already have this relationship with Third Master."

She squeezed Liu Wenying's hand tighter. "If you're willing, your godmother can help you."

Liu Wenying fell silent.

From being a wet nurse to becoming a woman in the Third Master's room, her status was lowly, but still much better than that of a servant.

If I can give birth to a son or daughter in the future, I might be able to become a concubine.

But so what?

For men and women who have no affection for each other, once is absurd, twice is a transaction, and three or four times is nothing but unbearable.

Climbing into someone's bed is not the path she wants to take.

"Godmother, I don't want to."

Granny Tian asked in bewilderment, "Why? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Although Third Master is absurd, he is still the legitimate son of the Duke's mansion. If you go with him, in the future..."

"Godmother," Liu Wenying interrupted her, raising her eyes with clear light, "I know you mean well, but you also said that one should be down-to-earth and honest."

"For a widow like me to be able to become a wet nurse in the Duke's mansion is already an immense blessing. To ask for anything more would be like greed, a snake trying to swallow an elephant."

Liu Wenying politely declined, speaking calmly, but it startled Granny Tian.

Her goddaughter was not yet twenty years old when her husband died young, leaving her without parents. She had been living in the household for a long time and was well-behaved, taking good care of the young master.

She never caused trouble, never complained, and was like a silent orchid, growing quietly in a corner, very resilient.

I thought she would seize this opportunity, but I didn't expect that she saw things more clearly and was more clear-headed than anyone else.

Granny Tian patted the back of her hand, "Good child, it's good that you think this way."

There were things she couldn't say. After years of living in the inner quarters of a wealthy family, she had seen so much. The high-class families looked glamorous, but who knew the bitterness inside?

It's good that she didn't get involved in this mess.

"Don't worry, since you've decided not to think about it, your godmother will take care of what happened last night. Just focus on taking care of the young master."

Liu Wenying nodded, "Thank you, godmother."

"It's almost time to go to Tinglan Courtyard, hurry up and go, don't think about anything else."

"Um."

Before leaving, Liu Wenying confirmed that Luo Luo was alright, then pushed open the door and went out first.

As dawn breaks, the frost and snow gradually melt.

The road ahead is clear; she is walking the path she has chosen.

……

Not long after returning from Tinglan Courtyard, Liu Wenying was feeding Luoluo apple puree and teaching her to speak when there was a knock on the door.

She opened the door, and a servant in blue robes presented her with a small red lacquered box. "Third Master ordered this to be delivered. Please check and confirm the quantity, Granny Liu?"

Liu Wenying took it, opened the box, and sure enough, there was a stack of brand-new silver notes with bright red seals.

After counting, it was indeed six hundred taels without a doubt, not a penny more or less.

Pei Yaojun may be a bit of a rogue, but he is also a man of his word.

"That's right."

After carefully putting away the brocade box, the servant showed no intention of leaving.

Liu Wenying looked at him. "Is there anything else?"

The servant scratched his head, finally unable to contain his curiosity: "If I may ask, how did Nurse Liu manage to get so much silver from Third Master?"

You should know that although their Third Master is generous, he rarely treats the servants in the mansion this generously, let alone an amount like six hundred taels.

Liu Wenying gave a faint smile, a slight twitch at the corner of her lips: "Want to know?"

The servant nodded repeatedly.

"Then go ask your Third Master. If he's willing to tell you, he will."

After saying that, she turned around and went back to her room, slamming the door shut.

The servant stood outside the door, feeling humiliated, and awkwardly touched his nose, which had almost been hit by the door.

How could he dare to actually ask Third Master?

When my master returned from outside this morning, his face was frighteningly gloomy, and the chill emanating from him could freeze a person to death.

Before long, the news that Third Master had not returned home all night reached Madam's ears through the gatekeeper.

Madam Pei was furious and didn't even let the Third Master eat breakfast, instead punishing him by making him face the wall in the ancestral hall to reflect on his mistakes.

They were only just released back to Zhaolin Courtyard.

He had just returned to Zhaolin Courtyard and hadn't even had a cup of tea or rested when he sent him over with the silver notes.

Going to provoke Third Master at this time would be asking for trouble.

The servant pursed his lips, suppressing his curiosity, and slunk away to report back.

Inside the room, Liu Wenying placed the box in a hidden compartment by the bedside, along with the silver notes and gold she had received earlier.

These gold and silver coins were the foundation for her and Luo Luo's future life.

Time flows by like water, and spring arrives in the blink of an eye.

As Liu Wenying wished, Pei Yaojun never contacted her again, and she was happy to have some peace and quiet.

She still takes care of the young master every day, does some handicrafts, and tends to the flowers and plants outside the house.

Occasionally, when the night is quiet, she will see that rabbit lantern and think of the lotus lanterns floating downstream along the river.

But they would quickly shake their heads and shake off these distracting thoughts.

The Duke of Yu's mansion, however, did not have a few days of peace.

The Duke's mansion should have prepared a Spring Festival banquet as usual, to entertain the nobles and dignitaries of the capital and maintain good relations.

But before the banquet, the old lady suddenly fell ill.

That morning, the old lady complained of a headache, and during lunch, she suddenly couldn't hold her chopsticks with her right hand.

The physician examined the patient and diagnosed it as a case of wind-cold entering the body, prescribing several doses of medicine to dispel wind and cold.

To everyone's surprise, by nightfall, half of the old lady's face was crooked, and her speech became slurred.

The physician panicked and diagnosed it as a stroke.

Despite the administration of herbal medicine and acupuncture, the old lady's condition did not improve.

In just two days, he went from facial paralysis to hemiplegia, his entire right leg was immobile, his right hand was curled up like a chicken claw, and he could barely speak.

The Duke was extremely anxious, ordering people to search for renowned doctors in the capital while also having the younger members of each branch of the family take turns caring for the patient.

This was a good opportunity to show filial piety, but Madam Pei was in a dilemma.

Born into a noble family, she had been married into the Duke's mansion for over twenty years and was used to a life of luxury. She was most averse to the smell of illness and medicine.

The old lady's room was filled with the bitter smell of medicine all day long. She also had to take care of the patient, turn him over, wash him, and feed him medicine. How could she possibly endure all this dirty and tiring work?

Thus, the responsibility of caring for the sick fell entirely on the shoulders of Wen Jingshu, the eldest grandson's wife who was in charge of the household chores.

Wen Jingshu was also troubled. The invitations for the Spring Festival banquet had already been prepared, but now that the old lady was ill, the banquet naturally had to be canceled.

That was fine, but what gave her the biggest headache was taking care of her when she was ill.

During the day, he had to handle the household affairs, and at night he had to keep watch in the old lady's room. After a few days, he lost a lot of weight.

Liu Wenying, holding her young master, often stayed by Wen Jingshu's side.

I saw her sitting by the old lady's bedside, feeding her medicine spoonful by spoonful.

The medicine often dripped from the old lady's crooked mouth, and Wen Jingshu would wipe it away patiently.

Her movements were gentle, her attitude respectful, but her eyes were so tired that it broke your heart.

That day, Liu Wenying took the young master downstairs to breastfeed. When she returned, she ran into the family physician who was coming out after taking the pulse. He shook his head and sighed.

"How is it?" Wen Jingshu chased after him from the main house and asked.

The physician bowed and said, "Madam, please forgive me. The old lady was confined to the temple for too long, and the cold penetrated her body, which caused her to suffer a sudden stroke. We have tried herbal medicine and acupuncture, but with little effect. I am truly powerless to help."

Wen Jingshu's face paled, but she forced him to leave.

After the physician left, she leaned against a pillar in the corridor, closed her eyes, and remained motionless for a long time.

Liu Wenying saw it all, and a soft spot in her heart was touched.

She thought for a moment, then pulled Zizhu aside to talk in the corner.

"Miss Zizhu, I have a folk remedy that might help the old lady's facial paralysis caused by the stroke."

…………