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

"Whoa—!"

The horse neighed loudly, its forelegs raised high, and finally came to a stop.

As the dust settled, Xiao Yiheng sat upright on his horse, his breathing steady.

His clothes were slightly disheveled, but his demeanor remained unchanged, as if the life-or-death moment just now was nothing more than a trivial matter.

"Thank you for your concern, brother, but it's not necessary."

Xiao Chenlin reined in his horse and stood frozen in place, reluctantly putting away the whip in his hand, his expression extremely embarrassed.

Before long, the princes returned from their hunt and came before the emperor in turn.

The emperor stepped down from his throne, went to the second prince's side, patted him heavily on the shoulder, and looked at him with admiration.

"I saw your performance just now. Good, very good!"

"Composed in the face of danger, agile and skillful, courageous and resourceful—this is the demeanor of a prince of my Great Wei! My son should be like this!"

Xiao Yiheng lowered his head, speaking humbly.

"Your Majesty flatters me. This was merely my instinctive reaction. I dare not accept such high praise."

The emperor laughed loudly: "This instinctive reaction is a thousand times stronger than those fancy but ineffective moves."

From beginning to end, his gaze was fixed on the Second Prince, and he didn't utter a single word of praise for the Crown Prince beside him, treating him as if he were completely ignored.

His horse was the fastest and the most stable, and he hunted the most prey!

But his father didn't even glance at him...

Xiao Chenlin forced a smile on his face, but his heart was as cold as frost and snow.

A moment later, in the Crown Prince's tent.

The table was overturned with a crash, and the celadon teacup shattered on the ground.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"

Upon returning from his father's residence, Xiao Chenlin could no longer maintain his composure.

Several personal attendants knelt on the ground, trembling, not daring to raise their heads.

"Xiao Yiheng's actions were impossible to perform without prior warning."

Xiao Chenlin paced back and forth, his boots crunching on the broken porcelain shards.

"The landmines I planted for him, he's using them as a springboard to show off in front of Father Emperor!"

How is this any different from slapping him across the face?

"Your Highness, please calm down. Perhaps it's just a coincidence, or maybe he was just lucky..."

The attendant mustered his courage and spoke up.

"Coincidence? Good luck?"

Xiao Chenlin stopped in his tracks, looking down at the man, and sneered, "Do you think I'm a three-year-old?"

The servant immediately prostrated himself on the ground, not daring to say another word.

Xiao Chenlin took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Today's matter could not end like this.

"Investigate! Investigate immediately! Who leaked the information to Xiao Yiheng? If you don't find out, none of you will live!"

The servants scrambled out of the room.

Before long, the curtain was lifted again.

A lean figure was tossed in by two servants like a chick.

The man fell to the ground, trembling like a leaf. He was the same stableman who had saddled the white horse in the stable yesterday.

"It was you? You told me to do something, and you immediately tipped off Xiao Yiheng?"

Ma Guan was terrified and kowtowed desperately, drawing blood from his forehead.

"Your Highness, spare my life! I'm innocent! I would never dare to reveal a single word!"

Xiao Chenlin kicked him half a meter away. "Innocent? How did Xiao Yiheng dodge that? Do you think I'm a fool?"

The official, clutching his aching chest from the kick, crawled back on his knees, his teeth chattering.

He knew that if he didn't give an explanation today, he wouldn't be able to leave the camp alive.

The official's mind raced, and suddenly he caught a detail.

"Your Highness! I remember now. Yesterday at the stable, when I made my move, I wasn't alone behind me. There was a maid in blue behind me; she must be from the Duke of Yu's mansion!"

"It must be her! She's discovered something! Tell the Second Prince!"

Xiao Chenlin frowned. "The Duke of Yu's Mansion?"

Duke Yu is a staunch supporter of the Emperor, and since I am the Crown Prince appointed by His Majesty, he naturally supports me. Why would he come here to cause trouble?

Could it be that maid's unauthorized decision?

Fearing that Xiao Chenlin wouldn't believe him, the official quickly described the situation.

"It must be her. She was wearing a blue dress, had almond-shaped eyes and willow-leaf eyebrows, and was easy to recognize. Perhaps she was the Second Prince's spy planted in the Duke of Yu's mansion, which is why..."

As the official spoke, his voice grew softer and softer, clearly realizing that he hadn't been careful enough and had been caught.

Xiao Chenlin scoffed, "A mere maid dares to interfere in my affairs?"

A murderous glint flashed in his eyes as he ordered his servant, "Go, find out her background and deal with her as quickly as possible."

The attendant accepted the order and then pointed to the stable boy on the ground, asking, "What should be done with him?"

"I will not keep useless people around me."

The official was shocked and was immediately dragged away with his mouth and nose covered.

……

The evening breeze, carrying the scent of grass, rustled softly through the tent curtains.

The old lady had to take her medicine on time at the Duke's mansion, and this was no exception when she came to the Xishan Hunting Ground.

Liu Wenying took the medicine bowl and was about to serve the old lady her medicine.

Unexpectedly, his hand trembled, the medicine bowl shook, and a few drops of medicine splashed out, landing on the old lady's hand.

"Please forgive me, Madam!"

Liu Wenying quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe her heart, which was beating inexplicably fast, thumping as if it were about to jump out of her chest.

Rarely seeing her make a mistake, the old lady didn't scold her. Instead, she asked gently, "What's wrong? Your hands are shaking so much."

Liu Wenying herself couldn't explain it.

Just a moment ago, she suddenly felt a pang in her chest, as if something was gripping her heart tightly, making her panic.

"This servant doesn't know either..."

"The conditions in the hunting grounds are not as good as those in the manor. Perhaps you didn't sleep well. You shouldn't force yourself to stay here and rest."

"Madam, I'm fine, it was just a moment ago..."

"What do you mean by 'for a while'?"

Granny Wu said irritably, "You're so clumsy. What if you make a mistake later and hurt the old lady? What would that be like?"

There are so many people watching here, we don't need you. Go down and rest well, and come back when you're refreshed.

Liu Wenying pursed her lips, wanting to say something, but unable to utter a word.

Granny Wu is right. Her hands were indeed trembling. If she made another mistake and hurt the old lady, it would be a really big mistake.

After expressing her gratitude, Liu Wenying returned to the small tent where the maids were resting and lay down fully clothed.

The tent curtains swayed in the wind, and a strange palpitation rose with them.

Liu Wenying pressed her chest and took a few deep breaths before she could barely suppress it.

"Sister Liu."

However, the sudden sound startled her.

Liu Wenying turned her head and saw a young maid peek in, smiling as she said, "The old lady has instructed that you come over."

She was taken aback and sat up. "The old lady called me? Didn't she just tell me to come back and rest?"

The maid's smile froze, then she raised it.

"I don't know about that. Anyway, Granny Wu asked me to call you. She said the old lady has something to tell you. Go quickly, Sister Liu, don't keep the old lady waiting."

Liu Wenying frowned, and a wave of palpitations surged up in her chest again.

I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong, but it just feels... a little strange.

But the old lady had given her instructions, and someone had summoned her, so she had no choice but to go.

Liu Wenying got up, straightened her clothes, and followed the maid out of the tent.

…………