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

Seeing her like this, Pei Dingxuan felt as if his heart had been violently clenched.

"No, you acted in self-defense. She attacked you first. Even if it goes to His Majesty, you are innocent and will not be held accountable."

A murder in Weichang is no small matter, but his reassurance was like a calming pill.

"Take me to see him first," Pei Dingxuan said calmly, steadying her.

Liu Wenying's legs were weak, but she still gritted her teeth and led the way back to the desolate place with weeds and rocks.

In the darkness of night, the maid was indeed lying motionless in the distance.

A dagger was stuck straight into his abdomen, and the grass beneath him was soaked in blood, a dark, murky mess.

Liu Wenying stood a few steps away, not daring to approach any closer.

Pei Dingxuan strode over, squatted down, and reached out to touch the maid's neck.

Liu Wenying looked at him nervously.

Pei Dingxuan lifted the maid's eyelids again to take a look before walking back to Liu Wenying's side and taking her hand.

"She's not dead."

"Wh...what?"

"She still has a pulse and her pupils are responding. Your stab missed and didn't hit any vital organs. She's just temporarily unconscious due to blood loss."

He didn't die.

She didn't kill anyone.

The thing that had been pressing on her chest suddenly disappeared, and Liu Wenying's legs went weak, almost causing her to sit on the ground, but Pei Dingxuan caught her.

"It's alright now."

Liu Wenying leaned against him, tears welling up in her eyes again.

But this time, the tears were for those who survived a catastrophe.

He's not dead...that's great.

She only wanted a peaceful life and never wanted to be involved in any killings, violence, or bloodshed.

If the other person didn't die, then she didn't commit murder.

"The most urgent task is to find someone to rescue her as soon as possible. Only if she survives can we find out who is behind this."

He wanted to see who had the audacity to try and take her life in the royal hunting grounds.

But Liu Wenying's heart, which had just settled down, was once again on edge because of one sentence from her.

Saving her would mean that he would no longer be able to hide the fact that he had hurt someone.

She was just a wet nurse in the Duke of Yu's mansion. Whether she acted in self-defense or not, she couldn't escape questioning if she hurt someone.

If that maid wakes up and turns around and accuses someone, or if the person behind it all orchestrates a scheme to destroy her...

She has no background or powerful connections. After such a major incident, who would believe her?

What should Luo Luo do now?

Pei Dingxuan saw through her concerns, and held her hand tightly. His large, warm hand seemed to be able to hold all her panic firmly.

"Don't be afraid, you did nothing wrong. With me here, no one can harm you. You will be perfectly fine."

Liu Wenying was stunned, and opened her mouth but no sound came out.

Too many words would only seem inadequate, so he tightened his grip on her hand.

It was as if she wanted to engrave that promise, along with its warmth, into her very bones.

What he didn't tell her was that if he had arrived a moment later, or if she had reacted even a fraction slower, she would be the one lying in a pool of blood right now.

The thought of that possibility filled him with lingering fear, which transformed into extreme rage.

He dared not think.

His grip tightened unconsciously, not only to reassure her, but also to reassure himself.

But now is not the time to dwell on it, Pei Dingxuan pondered.

"You go first, just pretend you were never here, and don't mention it to anyone. I'll handle the rest and make sure it won't involve you."

Liu Wenying looked at him, and it took her a long time to realize what he meant.

He wanted to help her keep it a secret.

He was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, a man of utmost fairness and impartiality.

Every case he handled was thoroughly investigated, and no one escaped punishment.

But now, he has to protect her.

"Sir, I..."

"Let's go, while no one notices us yet."

Liu Wenying no longer hesitated and was about to leave.

After taking a few steps, Pei Dingxuan reached out from behind and grasped her forearm.

Liu Wenying's heart tightened. Had he changed his mind?

Yes, he was always impartial and incorruptible, never showing favoritism.

But the next moment, Pei Dingxuan simply lowered his eyes and took out a brocade handkerchief from his sleeve.

He lifted her chin and used a handkerchief to wipe the blood from her face.

The silk handkerchief gently wiped her skin, taking away the dried blood and dirt.

He avoided the bloodstain, the handkerchief brushing against her face, warm from his fingertips, again and again.

She looked into his eyes.

So close, close enough to see the curve of his eyelashes and the seriousness in his eyes.

He wiped it carefully, as if trying to wipe away all the blood, tears, dust, fear, and embarrassment.

After finishing everything, Pei Dingxuan withdrew his hand, crumpled the blood-stained handkerchief into a ball, and held it in his palm.

He didn't let her see how much blood was on the handkerchief, afraid it would frighten her.

"Go back now, compose yourself, and don't let anyone notice anything amiss."

His handsome and serene features, coupled with his gentle words, brought a lump to Liu Wenying's throat, touching the softest corner of her heart.

She nodded emphatically and quickly disappeared into the night.

……

Leaving that place of trouble, Liu Wenying suppressed her lingering fear and hurried back to the camp along the way she had come.

The shadows were indistinct in the woods, and the sound of the wind was particularly eerie.

Suddenly, footsteps and hoarse whispers came from ahead, the tone stiff and clearly not from the Great Wei.

Like a startled bird, Liu Wenying darted behind a thick, ancient tree, clinging tightly to the trunk and holding her breath.

A group of people strode over, each wearing fur-trimmed collars, with curved knives at their waists, and tall and imposing figures.

Liu Wenying recognized them; they were the Northern Di people who had provoked her in the training ground during the day.

Six or seven of them worked together to lift an iron cage that was about half a person's height.

The cage was completely covered with a black cloth, making it impossible to see what was inside. Occasionally, extremely faint and muffled sounds could be heard.

The group hurried along, heading towards the hunting grounds, their movements furtive.

Instead of waiting at the camp for tomorrow's competition, they sneaked into the depths of the hunting grounds late at night, carrying such a mysterious cage; they must be hiding a conspiracy.

But whatever was in that cage, whatever these Northern Di people were going to do, it had nothing to do with her.

She's already had enough of a mess tonight.

Murder, escape, being rescued... she had no energy to care about anything else.

Moreover, those were Northern Di people, beings she couldn't afford to offend.

Liu Wenying huddled behind a tree, her heart pounding wildly, too afraid to move.

Only after the group of Northern Di people had completely disappeared into the darkness of the dense forest did she continue on her way with her back bent, not daring to have the slightest thought of investigation.

After a short while, Liu Wenying ran back to the area where the old lady's tent was located.

Seeing the warm yellow campfire and hearing the laughter of the servants, my heart, which had been in my throat, finally settled back down.

I'm back, I'm safe.

She held her knees, bent over, and it took her a while to catch her breath.

Liu Wenying straightened up, her steps unsteady as she turned into the inner camp area, when suddenly someone grabbed her arm.

"Sister Liu, you're finally back!"

Liu Wenying was so frightened that her soul almost left her body. When she turned her head, she realized that it was Ling'er.

Ling'er looked her up and down with a worried expression, her brows furrowed tightly.

"Sister, where did you go? I didn't see you at dinner. I searched the old lady's tent and our tent, but I couldn't find you."