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

In just two cups of tea, the scene inside Mingxi Hall had completely changed.

The originally relaxed atmosphere became heavy and leaden, the silence almost oppressive.

A sandalwood screen inlaid with mica, depicting pine trees and cranes symbolizing longevity, divides the space into interior and exterior sections.

In front of the screen, the Duke, his eldest son, and his second son sat in round-backed chairs, all with solemn expressions.

Even before the Third Prince arrived, he was still confined to Zhaolin Courtyard because of the incident of assaulting someone in front of the Emperor.

The screen, with its cloud-patterned curtains, gently draped over the inner bed curtains, revealing the old lady's reclining figure indistinct yet still dignified.

"Duke Yu, tell me honestly, is there anything in your household that you're hiding from me?"

Duke Yu frowned. "Mother, you are too kind. All matters in the manor have been handled in accordance with regulations and there has been no concealment."

"Nothing was hidden?"

"It's just... some trivial matters at court might disturb my mother's rest."

The old lady's voice lacked any of its usual kindness and gentleness.

"Trivial matters of the court? Disturbing my peace and quiet?"

"The Northern Barbarians have annexed the Western Barbarians, the Northern Barbarian prince has come to court, and the autumn hunt has been brought forward—such a dramatic shift in the political landscape is described as mere trivial court affairs? Even I only heard bits and pieces of it from casual conversations?"

"Mother, this..."

"If you won't tell the truth, do you really think I'm senile and can't distinguish right from wrong?"

Pei Zeyu lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the solitary pine tree on the screen, his lips pressed tightly together.

Pei Dingxuan was also deep in thought when he caught a glimpse of a blue skirt out of the corner of his eye. His eyelashes fluttered, and he looked away.

The Duke of Yu, feeling helpless, carefully said, "Mother, there has indeed been a change in the situation in the Northern Barbarians, but His Majesty and the court officials have already devised a plan to deal with it. I do not want you to worry, Mother, you really do not need to be too concerned."

"You're starting to talk to me like an official now? You came from my womb, I can tell what you're going to say just by frowning."

The old lady's voice turned stern, "Are you keeping this from me because you truly care about me, or because you think I'm too old to handle things?"

She spoke with great emphasis, and the Duke of Yu was startled, rising to bow towards the screen.

"Mother, please calm down. Your son had no such intention."

The eldest and second eldest uncles also got up.

The inner room was silent, with the old lady's rapid breathing faintly audible.

Fearing she might faint, Liu Wenying stepped forward and gently patted her back to comfort her.

"Please don't get upset, Madam," she said gently, trying to comfort her.

Duke Yu and his entourage wanted to enter, but as soon as they entered Mingxi Hall, the old lady forbade them from entering.

After a while, the old lady patted Liu Wenying's hand, indicating that she had caught her breath.

When he spoke again, the harshness and anger from before were gone, replaced by weariness and insight.

"Speak, don't try to fob me off with empty words and lies. The Northern Barbarians have no good intentions. I'm not so old as to think they're here for sightseeing."

Duke Yu understood that there was no point in hiding it now; it would only hurt his mother's feelings more.

"The Northern Di are ambitious and treacherous. After annexing the Western Rong, their national strength and military power have greatly increased. Their ambitions have long since shifted away from the harsh and cold northern frontier."

The fact that the Crown Prince was sent to court this time, ostensibly to improve relations, is probably a pretext for spying.

What they want to see is whether the defense of Weijing City is lax, whether the royal family and noble sons are indulging in comfort and becoming rusty in archery and horsemanship, and whether the court is still united, among other things.

This is all for the purpose of considering whether and when to invade the south in the future. Therefore, this year's autumn hunt is not the usual ceremony in which the emperor and his subjects enjoy themselves together. That's why I wanted to... conceal it from my mother."

In previous years, my mother lived in the villa and did not necessarily participate in the autumn hunt, but things are different now.

His mother was ill in the Duke's mansion, and His Majesty ordered everyone in the mansion to participate, so he had no choice but to do so.

After a moment of silence behind the screen, the old lady said resolutely, "If it's as you say, then I have no choice but to go!"

As if cold water had been poured into boiling oil, Duke Yu was startled and looked up.

"Mother, you absolutely mustn't!"

He took two steps forward, getting closer to his mother, and his admonition became more earnest.

"You are getting on in years and your legs are weak. The journey to the Xishan hunting grounds is long and the travel by carriage is quite arduous. If something were to happen to you, your son..."

Duke Yu's throat tightened. "How can I, your son, answer to my father's spirit in heaven?"

Seeing the silence behind the screen, Duke Yu believed that his advice had worked.

"If the mother felt that all her children and grandchildren had gone to the hunting grounds, leaving the mansion empty and without anyone to keep her company."

The son then petitioned His Majesty to allow him to stay at home and serve his mother instead of going on the autumn hunt, ensuring she would not feel lonely or isolated.

"Foolish!"

The old lady's rebuke reignited her anger, which had just subsided.

"I am a former nobleman personally appointed by His Majesty. In this situation concerning the very nature of the state, where there are hidden tensions, what would it look like if I stayed in my residence? Besides, if you can bring up your father, you should remember what he said before he died!"

Duke Yu closed his eyes, his face filled with sorrow, and answered with difficulty, "My father's last words were: 'Without the destruction of the Northern Barbarians, the Great Wei will not be at peace...'"

How could he forget his father's grand ambition? It's just that the situation is constantly changing, and many members of the Pei family have already sacrificed their lives for the unification of the world.

His father was one of them, and he also wanted to take good care of his mother so that she could enjoy her old age in peace.

"Now that the wolf cub has delivered himself to my doorstep, if I cower in my mansion, how can I face your father?"

Duke Yu's expression changed drastically, and he wanted to persuade him again.

The old lady was no longer willing to listen.

"You are now the Duke of Yu, and you are thoughtful and meticulous, but sometimes you are too meticulous, and you forget your roots!"

Forget your roots!

Duke Yu never imagined that his filial piety—his desire to spare his mother the hardship of traveling—would be seen as forgetting his roots!

The situation was becoming increasingly out of control. Pei Dingxuan glanced at the screen and then said to his father, "Father, what Grandmother said makes sense."

Duke Yu glared at him and said in a low voice, "Dingxuan, why are you joining in this nonsense too..."

"Let him speak!" the old lady ordered.

Duke Yuguo shut his mouth.

Pei Dingxuan continued, "The Crown Prince of the Northern Barbarians intends to spy on us during this autumn hunt. If Grandmother attends, it will demonstrate that our noble family, even the older generation, is concerned about national affairs and remains calm and composed. In terms of the overall situation, this will have a deterrent effect."

As the eldest son, he might inherit the title in the future, so Pei Dingxuan was considering the overall interests of the family and the impact on the court.

Pei Zeyu also added in a timely manner.

"What Father is worried about is Grandmother's health, and this is not something that cannot be resolved."

"We can bring along the most capable maids and servants from Mingxi Hall, along with all the necessary medicines, utensils, and cushions. We can also have a doctor accompany us. If everything is arranged properly, it might not be impossible."

After such a long stalemate, I finally heard something that suited my taste.

The old lady finally felt a little better, as the tightness in her chest eased.

"Listen to this! My two grandsons, so young, yet so much more open-minded than you. I'm paralyzed in the legs, not the spine. As long as I can sit up, I have to go!"

Duke Yu's face turned pale, and seeing that neither of his two sons was on his side, he was both angry and annoyed.

He was about to turn his head to look at the two of them, his eyes filled with sternness, and rebuke them for not knowing their place, only caring about obeying their grandmother but not caring about her safety.

"Why are you looking at them like that?"

The old lady seemed to be able to see his movements through the screen, and immediately spoke up to defend him.

"They have a point. It was me who wanted to go, it was me who insisted. Why are you taking it out on the children?"

When his mother scolded him, the Duke of Yu felt a full bellyful of reprimands stuck in his throat.

Faced with his mother behind the screen and the defection of his two children, he ultimately had no choice but to compromise.

"If Mother insists, then I will obey. However, all arrangements must be made with utmost care to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

The old lady inside the bed curtains breathed a sigh of relief, loosened the calamus sachet she had been clutching tightly in her palm, and a smile appeared on her lips.

She wanted to see for herself what kind of wolf cub the Di people who had hurt her husband were!

…………

The autumn hunt has begun! Some characters who have already appeared will be joining the hunt. Can you guess who they are?