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

Duke Yu retorted, "A child? He's already of age, yet he still beats people in front of the emperor. If we don't teach him a lesson for his arrogant and ignorant temper, how will he establish himself in the court in the future?"

"But he's our son too!"

Madam Pei's tears fell, and she suddenly raised her voice.

"It's not flesh of your own flesh, of course you don't feel sorry for it!"

"Don't I feel sorry for you?"

Duke Yu was so angry that he laughed instead.

"Put your hand on your heart and tell me, Dingxuan, Zeyu, Yaojun, aren't they all my sons? I love them all! But as much as I love them, they still need to be taught the proper rules and endure the necessary hardships—none of them can be neglected!"

"Look at what Yaojun has become! Arrogant, impulsive, and willful, he resorts to violence at the slightest disagreement—it's all your fault for spoiling him!"

Madam Pei was stunned by the shout, and then cried even harder.

"I spoiled him? Yes, I spoiled him! Didn't you indulge him too? You gave him whatever he wanted, let him do whatever he wanted, and now that something's happened, you're blaming it all on me?"

"Then tell me, who should I blame? Both the second and third sons were born after you carried them for ten months; they are both sons of the Pei family. Why do you favor the third son?"

Madam Pei was speechless at his question, and the corner of the quilt crumpled in her hand.

"Back then, the third child was just born and didn't understand anything, but the second child already had memories. He saw all your favoritism and pampering."

"How has he treated you, his birth mother, all these years? How has he treated your mother? Don't you have any idea?"

Madam Pei was struck by Duke Yu's words, which touched a raw nerve. A surge of grievance and anger welled up inside her, and she abruptly sat up.

"Wasn't I doing it all for this family?"

"The month Yu'er was kidnapped, I was also heavily pregnant and searched day and night. I almost turned the entire capital upside down. I was so anxious that I almost went into premature labor and nearly lost my life."

She choked up, tears streaming down her face.

"How could I not feel heartbroken? How could I not be worried? It's been almost a month, and there's been no news at all. Everyone says the worst is likely, and they all advise me to give up. What can I do? I... I thought he really..."

She couldn't continue, covering her face, her shoulders trembling violently.

That was the deepest nightmare in her heart, and even after twenty years, it still stung her like needles every time she thought about it.

"The person was eventually found, but look at what he's become!"

"He neither cried nor laughed nor spoke, huddled in the corner like a wooden doll. Even the imperial physicians said he was so frightened he would never recover."

"My heart breaks when I see Yu'er like this, but what can I do? I also have to take care of Jun'er, who was just born. How can I have the energy to stay by his side day and night like my mother-in-law?"

As Madam Pei spoke, she became more and more agitated, letting out her pent-up bitterness and guilt from many years.

"Yes, I'm sorry to Yu'er, but is it all wrong of me to be good to Jun'er?"

"I've poured all the guilt and heartache I felt for Yu'er into Jun'er. Does that make me... a heinous crime?"

Because of the helplessness and regret of that year, I feel indebted to Pei Zeyu.

She poured all her attention and affection into Pei Yaojun.

She wanted to make up for the lack of love and care she had given to her children, who were growing up smoothly.

The Duke of Yuguo wept as he looked at his wife, his anger gradually subsiding.

"There were difficulties back then, but over the years..."

"I don't care!"

Madam Pei interrupted, propping herself up on the bed to get up.

"I can't bear to see Jun'er suffer. He's stubborn by nature. If you don't care for him, I will!"

After she finished speaking, she reached for the clothes on the clothes rack, her hands trembling as she dressed.

Even if her husband scolded her, she would never let Jun'er continue to ruin herself.

She had just put her outer robe on her shoulders and hadn't even lifted the curtain when the maid on duty stumbled in.

"Lord Duke, Madam! Something terrible has happened! Third Master has been kneeling in the rain for too long and suddenly collapsed. We can't wake him up no matter what we do. We've already sent someone to fetch the royal physician."

"What?!" Madam Pei exclaimed in shock.

Duke Yu suddenly got up, got out of bed and went outside.

Madam Pei also rushed out as if she were in a frenzy, throwing herself into the torrential rain outside the door.

"Jun'er—!"

……

The following morning, the thunder and rain that had lasted all night had stopped, and the sky was bright with sunshine.

The air was filled with the scent of grass and trees after the rain, and the courtyard was covered with broken branches and fallen leaves.

The maids of Mingxi Hall got up early, carrying brooms, dustpans, and buckets, and busied themselves cleaning up the mess.

Liu Wenying also rolled up her sleeves, picked up a bamboo broom, and helped sweep up the fallen leaves.

Ling'er came over carrying a bucket of water and saw her doing chores. She asked in surprise, "Sister Liu, what are you doing here? Doesn't the old lady need any servants in her room?"

"Dr. Ye was giving the old lady acupuncture, and Granny Wu was also inside. It was too stuffy with so many people, so I came out."

Since she had nothing better to do, she decided to lend a hand.

Ling'er nodded after hearing this, put down the bucket, and picked up a broom.

"Then, sister, sweep this side. I'll go drag those broken branches away; they're in the way."

"it is good."

The two had a clear division of labor, sweeping in the southwest corner of the courtyard. The bamboo brooms made a soft rustling sound as they swept across the blue bricks.

Liu Wenying swept very carefully, while two or three maids behind her huddled together and whispered among themselves as they worked.

The words drifted on the morning breeze and reached her ears.

"Have you heard? Something terrible happened at Hechun Hall last night."

"How come I didn't hear anything? When I was on night watch, I heard a commotion over there, people calling for a doctor and shouting for help."

"I told Chuntang's girls that Third Master had done something wrong and was punished by the Duke to kneel down. As a result, it rained so hard that night that he was soaked to the bone and passed out."

"Oh dear, the rain was pouring down like the sky was leaking, and the thunder was so loud it almost deafened me."

"Don't even mention people made of flesh; even branches as thick as an arm have fallen to the ground, haven't they?"

"That's right, the wind blew open all the windows in my house, and water flooded the floor..."

The maids got more and more excited as they talked, forgetting to lower their voices.

Ling'er's eyes lit up when she heard this. Seeing that Liu Wenying was still standing there sweeping the floor, she quickly waved to her.

"Sister Liu, come quickly and listen, they say something has happened to Third Master."

The maids were also generous in sharing.

Liu Wenying shook her head and did not go over.

"Third Master used to be naughty, and he was punished by the Duke more than once or twice."

Besides, he's always been healthy, and the household has a team of excellent doctors, including Doctor Ye, and never lacks precious medicinal herbs. With a few days of proper care, he should be fine."

Someone nodded in agreement: "That's right, Third Master is very lucky and will surely be fine."

Liu Wenying spoke words of comfort with certainty, but the tension in her heart gradually tightened.

Inside Zhaolin Courtyard, it must be crowded with doctors, maids, and nannies at this moment.

Doctor Ye has miraculous healing skills, the family physician is experienced and skilled, and there are so many servants who serve them wholeheartedly.

Where is she needed? Even if she went, what could she do? She would only cause trouble.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart.

She served the old lady with utmost care throughout the day.

Feeding her medicine, massaging her, talking to her, and even proactively going to the small kitchen to keep an eye on the cooking time of the medicinal dishes.

Liu Wenying kept herself busy, so busy that she had no time to overthink.

…………