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

One move? What other move could there be?

Xi Chun was bewildered.

Granny Sun reminded her, "Have you forgotten what I told you before I asked you to get the ice?"

Xi Chun's blank eyes gradually focused, and she realized what was happening.

"Aunt, you mean that ice crystal...?"

Granny Sun gave her a cold glance and nodded, saying, "She's not completely stupid."

Before the old lady suffered a stroke, she lived in a villa for a long time, and the ice mirror in Mingxi Hall was often left unused.

Although it is usually maintained by someone, after being unused for a long time, there are bound to be some small, invisible damage inside. Its heat insulation is not as good as before, but it is still usable.

It was only after discovering the problem with the ice detector that Granny Sun conceived the crooked idea of ​​keeping some of the ice for herself.

She had mentioned this the first time she asked Xi Chun to deliver ice.

If someone later discovers that the ice is being used too quickly and becomes suspicious...

Xi Chun then made an excuse, saying that the ice jar was old and damaged, which was why the ice melted so quickly.

Xi Chun felt slightly relieved, but then, as if remembering something, his brows furrowed again.

"But if we really reveal that the ice detector is broken, and the old lady blames me, wouldn't I, the person in charge of guarding it, also be in trouble?"

Granny Sun lifted her eyelids to look at her and laughed, "Oh no, just fix it, won't that solve the problem?"

"How can we fix it? The old lady rests in the house every day; how can we hide the clanging and rattling of such a big thing when we're fixing it?"

"Who told you you had to fix it in front of people?"

Granny Sun snorted.

"Why not just wait until the person isn't there?"

Seeing that her aunt was confident, Xi Chun realized what was going on and eagerly pressed for an answer.

"Aunt, do you know something? Is it related to the Old Madam? Could it be that the Old Madam is leaving the manor soon?"

Glancing at her, Granny Sun said, "What's the rush? Just do as I say."

Having said that, Xi Chun, despite being full of curiosity, dared not ask any further questions.

The anxiety I felt before coming was calmed down by my aunt's words.

"Then I will listen to my aunt and go back to change the ice as usual."

She hadn't been out for very long when Xi Chunfu was about to leave, but Granny Sun called out to her to stop her.

"etc."

Xi Chun turned around, and Granny Sun's eyes were fixed on her face.

It's so sharp it seems to peel away the skin and flesh, seeing right into a person's heart.

"Tell me honestly, you haven't done anything else besides what I asked you to do, have you?"

Xi Chun clenched her fists. Ever since Liu Wenying came to Mingxi Hall, she had hardly had a peaceful day, constantly causing trouble and getting into trouble.

Now that her misappropriation of ice cream was almost discovered, she couldn't afford to upset her aunt any further.

"no."

"That's good. Just don't make any more mistakes. If you get caught, I can't save you."

Granny Sun waved her hand, telling her to go back.

……

On an ordinary day, Pei Zeyu came to visit his grandmother as usual.

The windows inside were wide open, letting in a few wisps of cool breeze, which helped to dispel some of the summer heat.

The old lady sat leaning back, covered with a thin quilt.

Pei Zeyu sat in a round-backed chair beside the couch, speaking softly about interesting things he had heard outside, occasionally mentioning a few trivial developments in the court, choosing only the lighthearted topics.

"...Someone in the east of the city said that they had captured a mythical beast called a Qilin and came to sell it, which attracted the attention of the Prefect of the Capital."

My grandson saw it; it was a rare-colored unicorn donkey, somewhat deformed, yet it somehow managed to amaze people...

The old lady chuckled twice, finding it extremely amusing.

As Pei Zeyu got into the conversation, his throat became so dry that he picked up the teacup beside him to drink, only to find that it was already empty.

Just then, a pair of delicate hands handed over a sky-blue glazed teacup.

The cup contained brewed tea, its liquor a clear, bright green, steaming hot—the very same Bi Tan Piao Xue tea he often enjoyed.

"Second Master, please have some tea," Liu Wenying said softly.

Pei Zeyu didn't even look up, and simply reached out his hand naturally.

In the instant he received it, his fingers brushed against the bottom of her cup.

A warm, soft touch suddenly came and then quickly disappeared, like a dragonfly skimming the water.

Liu Wenying's hand trembled slightly. Fortunately, the object in her hand was no longer there, otherwise she would have definitely dropped it.

She hurriedly looked up and her gaze fell on the person in front of her.

But Pei Zeyu steadily took the teacup, his fingers long and slender, his movements composed.

He continued to speak to the old lady, his tone gentle and slow, his expression serene and refined.

It was as if the touch just now was nothing more than a wisp of wind, a fleeting shadow, leaving no trace.

Liu Wenying lowered her eyes, perhaps she was just overthinking things.

Suppressing the strange feeling in her heart, Liu Wenying took half a step back, looking down at her nose and inward.

Pei Zeyu took a sip of warm tea to soothe his throat, and the previous dryness disappeared instantly.

He put down his teacup and changed the subject.

"Grandmother, I'm afraid it will be some time before I can come and visit you every day."

"But there's important business at the yamen? If it's important, you go and do your own thing. I'm really bored here. Let Jingshu and Zhiyao take turns coming over; it'll be the same."

Pei Zeyu shook his head, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes.

"I'm afraid that won't work either. They've probably been gone for a while, so it's not convenient for them to disturb Grandmother's peace and quiet."

The old lady was very perceptive and realized that things were not simple, but she did not ask directly.

"How long will you be gone?"

"Ten days."

"Ten days?"

Considering the length of time and the current solar term, the old lady immediately thought of something.

"It's still a long way from autumn, isn't it? I remember in previous years, we would wait until mid-August, when the sky was clear and the air was crisp, before we would set off for the autumn hunt."

His grandmother saw right through him, and the smile on the Second Master's lips froze. He said admiringly, "Nothing can be hidden from Grandmother."

The old lady proudly raised her chin, "Since you know you can't hide it from me, then tell me what's going on."

"Your grandson dares not hide it, something has happened in the north..."

The world is now divided into three: the Northern Barbarians, the Western Barbarians, and the Great Wei. Friction between the three is constant, and none of them are willing to give in.

Last winter, the Northern Di royal court, under the guise of a marriage alliance, secretly instigated internal strife and this spring completely annexed most of the Western Rong.

Until recently, the Western Rong king died, and the Northern Di took advantage of the situation to rise up and swallow up the remaining lands of the Western Rong in one fell swoop.

This broke the tripartite balance of power and mutual checks and balances.

The Northern Barbarians are currently at the height of their power, and they have sent their crown prince as an envoy who will arrive in the capital soon to pay homage.

His Majesty of the Great Wei then moved the autumn hunting ceremony forward and held it at the hunting grounds in the Western Hills outside the capital.

This serves two purposes: firstly, to demonstrate the military strength of the Great Wei, and secondly, to deter the Northern Barbarians from taking any rash actions.

"The Northern Barbarians have annexed the Western Barbarians?!"

The old lady sat up straight, leaning against the soft cushions. "Such a big thing, and you've kept it from me until now?"

Upon seeing this, Pei Zeyu stood up and admitted his mistake.

"Grandson did not intend to hide it; it was Father's idea."

Grandmother is still not fully recovered and was afraid that hearing about this would upset her and disturb her rest, so she asked us not to mention it.

"Okay, what a thoughtful gesture!"

How could she not understand the filial piety of her children and grandchildren? But they forgot, or rather, they wished she had forgotten.

Where did her deceased husband, the former Duke of Yu, get all his injuries and illnesses?

Most of them perished in the long-standing tug-of-war between the northern border and the Di people.

Even after returning to Beijing to live out his remaining years, the deep-seated cold illness and the constant coughing up of blood became his death warrant, ultimately taking him away.

The old lady was furious and slammed her withered hand on the edge of the bed.

"Go! Summon the Duke of Yu to see me immediately! Now!"

…………