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

Liu Wenying didn't mention the entanglement with the Xu family mother and son, nor did she use her heatstroke to play the victim; she simply did her job and kept to her duties.

Her sensible and polite manners made the old lady cherish her even more.

The old lady smiled and beckoned her closer. "You're such an honest child. Health is your most precious asset. You can't wait until you get sick to regret it."

She instructed Granny Wu, "Go to the storeroom and fetch an old ginseng root. Take it back to her and make soup. She's suffered from heatstroke and her energy has been depleted; she needs to replenish it."

Liu Wenying was flattered and thanked him.

Granny Wu agreed, having thoroughly grasped the old lady's thoughts.

Even if she disliked Liu Wenying, she could tell that the old lady favored her from the bottom of her heart.

"Nanny Liu, go to the small kitchen and see how the medicinal soup for the old lady is coming along?"

Granny Wu ostensibly assigned her a task, but in reality, she deliberately used the excuse of checking the medicinal cuisine to find a shady spot in the small kitchen to rest.

"Yes." Liu Wenying was so perceptive that she instantly understood Wu Mama's good intentions.

When she passed by Xi Chunshi, she paid special attention to his expression.

With lowered eyes and a submissive demeanor, he was incredibly obedient; I wonder what kind of medicine he took.

Liu Wenying didn't think much of it and went straight to the small kitchen.

Before long, a servant brought over the warmed medicine for the old lady.

Pei Zeyu put down the book in his hand, took the medicine bowl handed to him by the maid, scooped it up with a special spoon, gently blew on it to cool it, and then put it to the old lady's lips.

The old lady drank the medicine from his hand, her brows furrowing from the bitterness.

The grandmother and granddaughter fed each other, and after the granddaughter had drunk about half a bowl, the old lady took a break.

"Tell me, Wenying looks perfectly healthy to me, not at all frail. How did she suddenly get heatstroke?"

Pei Zeyu hadn't expected his grandmother to ask such detailed questions. He lowered his eyes, blew on the medicine in the spoon, and honestly replied.

"When my grandson returned home today, he happened to see someone harassing her at the gate. The sun was scorching, and she may have been driven to a frenzy by the harassment, which led to the accident."

"Who dares to cause trouble in front of the Duke's mansion?" the old lady asked in a displeased tone.

"My grandson didn't ask any more questions. It seems that my sister-in-law had arranged a marriage for her, but she wasn't very willing. The other party wouldn't give up and came to the gate of the mansion to force her."

"Arranging marriages? Why is the eldest granddaughter-in-law suddenly meddling in the servants' marriages?"

Pei Zeyu did not respond.

The old lady asked thoughtfully, "Are you aware of that child's background?"

I've heard a little about it.

Pei Zeyu picked out the key point and said, "She fled famine with her parents when she was young and was sent to her previous husband's family to be a child bride. Not long after the marriage, her husband died unexpectedly."

Her in-laws disliked her, believing she was a jinx, and seeing she had an infant daughter, they kicked her out. Later, she ended up in the household of the Duke's son, where her sister-in-law took her in.

These few words fully conveyed Liu Wenying's hardships. After listening, the old lady sighed, her previous doubts gone, replaced by deep pity.

"What a pitiful child, all alone with a young child, yet so stubborn and unwilling to compromise, truly remarkable."

Pei Zeyu reminded her to finish her medicine first, as it wouldn't be good if it got cold.

After the old lady finished drinking the last sip of her medicine, the maid had already prepared a dish of candied fruit. She picked up a candied plum and put it in her mouth.

As the sweet and sour flavor spread, suppressing the bitterness of the herbal medicine, she spoke again.

"Your sister-in-law is too kind-hearted. She wants to help anyone who is pitiful, but this time she misjudged people and made a mess of things."

Pei Zeyu took the handkerchief handed to him by a servant and wiped his hands, lowering his eyes and speaking softly.

"If it weren't for my sister-in-law's kindness in taking her in, my grandmother wouldn't have had such a caring and reliable person by her side to serve her."

The old lady nodded in agreement, "You're right. When I saw her save Yue'er at the Great Xiangguo Temple, I thought it was a coincidence. But then she relieved my hiccups, and that's when I realized she was a truly capable person."

When the old lady spoke of the past, her connection with Liu Wenying became even stronger.

She suddenly had an idea, "Such a good child, but his life has been so hard, he's all alone and helpless. If he could find someone who cares for him and entrust his life to them, he would have a place to settle down in the future..."

It sounds like she wants to personally matchmake for Liu Wenying and find her a good marriage.

Pei Zeyu narrowed his eyes slightly and said gently, "Grandmother, everyone has their own karma, and matters of marriage cannot be forced."

"Moreover, she stated frankly in front of the mansion today that although she has no parents, she is not someone to be controlled by others, and she wants to decide her own marriage."

Thinking of what happened not long ago, Pei Zeyu's lips curved into a smile.

Faced with her mother's tantrums and harassment, she stood tall and refused to yield in the slightest, a spirit that even some sycophantic officials in the court might not be able to match.

The old lady remained silent, the flickering candlelight illuminating the deep and shallow wrinkles on her face.

She looked at Pei Zeyu, the grandson she had raised herself. He was a man of deep thoughts and few words, yet today he had spoken at length about a maid.

Suddenly, the old lady smiled.

"Alright, you're right. Everyone has their own karma, so I won't worry about it anymore."

Even so, the affection she held for Liu Wenying in her eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

The grandfather and grandson chatted for a while longer.

It was almost time for dinner when Ah Jin hurriedly came in from outside and whispered something in Pei Zeyu's ear.

Pei Zeyu frowned deeply.

The old lady knew he had something urgent to attend to, and waved her hand, saying, "If you have something to do, go ahead and do it. You don't need to stay here with me. Just be careful in everything you do."

"Yes, grandson has some things to take care of. Grandmother, please enjoy your meal."

Pei Zeyu said no more and turned to leave quickly.

Just then, Liu Wenying brought out some medicinal food from the small kitchen, preparing to serve the old lady her dinner.

As soon as they stepped into the corridor, they saw Pei Zeyu stride out, followed by A Jin, who also had a solemn expression.

Liu Wenying felt a strange unease; she rarely saw the Second Master with such an expression.

She handed the tray to the maid beside her and stepped aside to let Ah Jin pass. When Ah Jin passed by, she quickly called out to him.

"Ah Jin, has something happened?"

Ah Jin hesitated for a moment, but considering their acquaintance, he revealed, "Something happened on Third Master's side."

"Third Master? What happened to him?" Liu Wenying's heart sank.

"I don't know the specifics either, but Chuntang urgently summoned the eldest and second masters, so I won't go into details for now."

Hechun Hall is the Duke's courtyard. Unless it is a major event, it would never disturb the three male masters of the mansion at the same time.

Wasn't Third Master supposed to have a bright future after successfully completing that troublesome Ministry of Works task?

How could it have happened so quickly...?

Liu Wenying's mind was in turmoil, and she had to try several times to pull her wandering thoughts back during the subsequent service.

Fortunately, by using the excuse of heatstroke, others simply assumed that she was not fully recovered.

In the Hechun Hall.

The candlelight flickered, but the air was heavy.

The ice in the ice jar hadn't melted, and a chill wafted out, but it couldn't suppress the oppressive heat.

Duke Yu sat upright in the main seat, the tea beside him had gone cold, and the servants dared not approach to replace it without being instructed.

The old man, Pei Dingxuan, sat quietly on the right side, his eyes lowered, a black robe spread out on his back.

In the very center of the room, Pei Yaojun stood alone, still in his court robes, his face full of arrogance.

The curtain was gently lifted, and Pei Zeyu strode in, his calm demeanor replaced by a solemn expression.

He glanced around the room, said nothing, walked to the empty seat opposite Pei Dingxuan, and looked at the Duke of Yu in the main seat.

"Father, elder brother, what happened?"

…………