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

"Second Master!"

A pair of hands reached out from the side and firmly supported his arm.

Liu Wenying happened to return to the cave and saw him almost fall.

"Second Master, why are you up?"

Sunlight streamed in slantingly from the cave entrance, and Pei Zeyu met eyes full of worry.

She had sweat on her forehead, and stray hairs clung messily to her cheeks. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was breathing slightly heavily.

Moving the gaze downwards, a piece was clearly missing from the hem of her blue dress, the edges jagged and showing signs of being torn.

A pile of things lay scattered at my feet: withered branches and sticks, wild fruits wrapped in broad leaves, vines and tendrils...

"How are you feeling? Are you dizzy?"

As she asked, she freed one hand to reach out and touch his forehead.

"Why hasn't the fever gone down yet...?"

A soft murmur crept into his not-so-clear mind.

People who are sick with a fever tend to have slower reactions.

Liu Wenying carefully helped him sit back down and let him lean against the mountain wall.

"Second Master, you still have a high fever and are very weak. Don't move around too much."

She picked up the broad leaf filled with wild fruits. The fruits were washed clean, and water droplets rolled on the leaf surface, making them glisten.

"Second Master, would you like to eat something? High fever depletes your energy, and it's harder to bring down the fever on an empty stomach."

Pei Zeyu glanced down at the few bright red wild fruits but did not reach out to take them.

Did you take off my clothes?

Liu Wenying paused.

"This servant knows that the Second Master does not like others to touch you, but your fever is really high, and covering you with wet clothes will only worsen your condition."

Faced with a life-or-death situation... this servant had no choice.

Pei Zeyu closed his eyes.

He was completely unaware at the time, but he could imagine those fragmented images.

Fingertips brush against skin, palms press against heart...

absurd.

He stopped talking and leaned against the mountain wall.

His pale face revealed no emotion, but his slightly furrowed brows betrayed a complex and unreadable mix of feelings.

Liu Wenying realized she had touched a nerve and stopped trying to get closer.

She stepped back a few paces, picked up a wild fruit from the pile, and silently began to eat it.

"Click—"

The fruit is crisp, and when you bite into it, juice bursts out, releasing a sweet and fragrant aroma that is especially clear in the quiet cave.

Pei Zeyu's mouth went dry from listening.

The high fever made every inch of my body feel like it was on fire.

But then there was the sound of biting into the fruit, and the soft splashing of juice.

The sensation seeped into his ears, burning his throat.

It's not much different from a dying person in the desert hearing the babbling of a spring.

He spoke, intending to divert attention.

"How long has it been since we fell off the cliff?"

The clicking sound stopped, and Liu Wenying replied, "It's been almost a day and a night."

Pei Zeyu frowned.

The troops stationed at Xishan Hunting Ground should be able to search the entire bottom of the cliff within half a day.

Even if the cliffs are deep and the roads are dangerous, with the power of the Duke's Mansion and the imperial court, they shouldn't still be completely silent.

Having grasped a thread of the mystery, Pei Zeyu suddenly asked her.

Did you accidentally fall?

Liu Wenying shook her head, stopped eating the fruit, and said seriously, "Second Master, I didn't slip; someone pushed me."

"Push you? Who?"

His voice suddenly turned cold, carrying the hoarseness characteristic of a patient with a high fever, but it couldn't hide the chill surging beneath.

Liu Wenying's brows furrowed as she recalled the events of yesterday's fall from the cliff.

"It happened so suddenly. The person was hiding behind me and attacked suddenly. I didn't even have time to see what was happening."

Pei Zeyu remembers clearly everyone who was present at the time.

They were nothing more than the Northern Barbarians, the Crown Prince's men, and the Second Prince's men.

The Northern Di people were focused on the snow leopard and had no motive or need to harm a maid.

The second prince was known for his gentle and refined manners and disdained to resort to underhanded tactics.

That leaves only...

But why would the Crown Prince target a mere maid?

Pei Zeyu clenched his left hand, which was wrapped in a strip of blue cloth, his thoughts becoming increasingly tangled, as if caught in a spider web.

"Second Master?"

A gentle call interrupted my thoughts.

Pei Zeyu looked up and met Liu Wenying's probing gaze.

She hugged her knees with both hands, rested her chin on her knees, and her almond-shaped eyes were filled with bright curiosity, like a cat tentatively extending its claws.

"Speak your mind."

Liu Wenying pursed her lips and said haltingly, "Yesterday... why did Second Master jump down to save me?"

Pei Zeyu's breath hitched.

Why? He himself couldn't explain it.

Seeing her figure fall off the cliff, my mind went completely blank.

By the time they came to their senses, they had already jumped down.

He turned his face away, his Adam's apple bobbing.

The high fever made her ears burn bright red, and now that redness spread to her neck, as if someone was choking her.

"...Grandma likes you."

After a long pause, he finally managed to squeeze out this sentence.

"She would be heartbroken if she knew you were in trouble."

Liu Wenying said "Oh," then realized something was wrong and nodded again, "This servant understands."

It turned out to be the case.

Grandmother held such a heavy place in Second Master's heart.

He was so devoted to the idea of ​​loving someone so much that he was willing to risk his own life to save a maidservant his grandmother liked.

She lowered her head, silently took a bite of fruit, and didn't ask any more questions.

The cave was quiet for a moment.

Pei Zeyu opened his mouth, but asked, "Are you hiding something from me?"

Liu Wenying looked up in surprise and her eyes met his.

"What you and your brother wanted to talk about last night wasn't just about Grandmother, was it?"

My heart skipped a beat.

Should we tell him?

Tell him about the maid? Tell him about the attack?

But if she tells him, won't that lead to more problems? Won't it drag him into it too?

Pei Zeyu did not urge him, but remained silent.

But silence was heavier than any question, like an invisible net, gradually suffocating her breath.

Liu Wenying felt a tightness in her chest from his gaze.

Second Master saved her.

If it weren't for the Second Master yesterday, even if she had fallen into the pool, the impact would have knocked her unconscious, and she would still have drowned.

Second Master helped her a lot.

What's more, he's currently ill...

After a struggle between her conscience and her conscience, Liu Wenying was no longer willing to lie to him.

She heard her own voice.

"The day before yesterday evening, someone lured me to the edge of the hunting grounds, intending to kill me."

"That woman tried to kill me, but I snatched her dagger and wounded her in return."

Pei Zeyu's chest heaved for a moment before he looked at the faint scar on her cheek.

No wonder the wound had clean edges; it was caused by a sharp blade.

"Where is that person?"

"She didn't die; the old man took her back for questioning."

Pei Zeyu's face showed relief; he understood.

No wonder her relationship with her older brother suddenly became less distant.

No wonder her older brother protected her so much the night before, and the fear she once had in her eyes when she looked at him was gone.

"So, you're not afraid of your older brother now because he helped you find the real culprit?"

Liu Wenying nodded gently, "The old man is a very good... prison officer."

She was stunned when she said it.

Not long ago, that man forced her into marriage; she had hated, resented, and feared him.

But the evening before last, it was he who gave her reassurance.

In terms of public opinion, he certainly deserves praise.

After Liu Wenying finished speaking, Pei Zeyu's lips curled up slightly.

The smile was faint, yet it subtly stirred the stagnant air inside the cave.

Liu Wenying didn't understand what she had said that made him suddenly happy.

She seems to have just praised the old man.

Ah... they really are brothers; when one is praised, the other is overjoyed.

Liu Wenying vaguely understood.

As she was thinking, Pei Zeyu suddenly started coughing violently.

…………