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

After settling her in and confirming that she was safe and sound, they made sure she was well.

With little time left to waste, Pei Dingxuan had to leave.

Before leaving, he stopped again and gave some instructions.

"Rest well and don't think too much. Although you can't come and go as you please for the time being, I have instructed the guards to keep a close watch on you."

It's safe here. No one will bother you, and you won't face any further danger.

His concerned tone reminded Liu Wenying of the dark circles under his eyes and the bloodshot veins in his eyes when she first met him.

"Grandpa, you should get some rest too."

My heart suddenly warmed, the warmth coming unexpectedly.

It's like suddenly pouring a mouthful of hot soup into your throat in the dead of winter, burning all the way down to your stomach and then spreading to every part of your body.

"Um."

He responded and went out.

Stepping out of the tent, a refreshing breeze greeted me, but it couldn't dispel the gloom in my heart.

He should go see his second brother. He wonders how badly his injuries are progressing and whether the imperial physicians have done their best.

"grown ups."

A figure rushed over; it was his trusted confidant in the Ministry of Justice.

The man walked up to him, lowered his voice, and whispered in his ear.

Pei Dingxuan's expression suddenly sharpened, and he turned and left in another direction.

The Western Hills Imperial Palace, the dungeon.

The cell was cold and damp, with water droplets condensing on the walls and dripping.

An oil lamp hung outside the iron railing, its dim light barely illuminating the small area.

A woman was curled up on the ground, her clothes tattered and her hair disheveled.

The physician packed his medicine chest and bowed to Pei Dingxuan as he entered: "Lord Pei, this man is no longer in mortal danger."

Pei Dingxuan nodded, the physician withdrew, and the prison door closed again.

He sat down on the only chair in the cell, his clothes tracing a cold, hard arc in the dim light.

"Still unwilling to tell the truth? Hoping your people will come to your rescue?"

The man trembled and struggled to raise his head; it was the maid who had attacked Liu Wenying that day.

"If my men hadn't discovered it in time, you would have already eaten that poisoned food and died."

"You were stabbed, and I saved you. Who do you think poisoned you?"

The maid's eyes widened, and she made a hoarse sound in her throat, extremely excited.

She struggled to get up, her voice hoarse and strained from the stomach acid that had corroded her throat after vomiting.

"I...I'll tell you everything I know, I don't want to die..."

……

Meanwhile, in another tent, candlelight flickered and the air was filled with the smell of medicine.

Pei Zeyu lay on the brocade couch, and after treatment by the imperial physician, his high fever showed signs of subsiding.

Beside the bed, Madam Pei held her son's intact hand, her eyes red-rimmed.

Second Madam Lin Zhiyao stood to the side, her eyebrows furrowed, her gaze fixed on his left hand.

The cloth strips there had been untied, revealing the wounds underneath.

It was red, swollen, and inflamed, with an abnormal yellowish-brown tinge at the edges, and had a faint putrid smell.

After probing the wound with a silver needle, the imperial physician washed his hands with warm water.

"How is it?" Madam Pei asked, clutching her handkerchief, her voice trembling.

The imperial physician bowed deeply. "Reporting to Madam Pei, Second Madam, the Second Master's injury has been delayed for too long."

"The bottom of the cliff is damp and cold, and the wound was soaked in mud and water. Although it was cleaned in time, no medicine was used, and now the rotten flesh has penetrated deep into the muscle."

The imperial physician sighed, "If it is not treated as soon as possible, the putrefactive poison will rise and may... affect the entire arm."

Madam Pei swayed, and Lin Zhiyao quickly supported her.

Tears welled in her eyes, and she raised her voice, "Then get it treated! What are we waiting for? You're an imperial physician, surely you can treat even this little injury?"

The imperial physician lowered his head: "It can be cured, but..."

"Just what?"

"It requires scraping away the rotten flesh with a knife and scraping the bone to treat the wound, which is extremely painful."

Furthermore, after the scraping wound heals, a deep scar will remain on the left hand, inevitably damaging the tendons and bones. This will significantly impair the ability to wield a pen or sword in the future, potentially leading to permanent disability.

Disability?!

Madam Pei staggered backward, and Lin Zhiyao couldn't support her alone, so she called a maid to help her to a chair.

"Mother, please take care of yourself," Lin Zhiyao called out urgently.

Madam Pei leaned back in her chair, her face as white as paper, her lips trembling as she finally managed to utter a sound after a long while.

"No, it's impossible! My son's hand, how could it..."

She suddenly pushed Lin Zhiyao away, rushed to the imperial physician, and grabbed his sleeve tightly.

"There are other ways, aren't there? You're the imperial physician! You're His Majesty's expert in treating external injuries! You must have a way to save his hand, right?"

The imperial physician's sleeves were wrinkled from her tugging, but he dared not break free.

"Madam Pei, the infection has progressed too far; if we delay any longer..."

"I won't listen!"

Madam Pei interrupted him, tears streaming down her face.

"Go ahead and think of something, look through medical books, use any rare and precious medicinal herbs you can, as long as you can save his hand..."

As she spoke, her voice choked with sobs, and she almost lost her balance.

Lin Zhiyao stepped forward to support her, "Mother, since the imperial physician said there is no other way, then there really is no other way. Every moment of delay increases the danger..."

"What do you know!"

Madam Pei turned her head, her eyes filled with tears and anger.

"That's Zeyu's hand. If it's really ruined, if it's really ruined..."

She couldn't continue speaking and covered her face, weeping bitterly.

The tent was in complete chaos.

The maids looked at each other, not daring to step forward, while the imperial physician stood still.

Lin Zhiyao supported her mother-in-law, her heart also churning with turmoil.

That's enough.

A low, husky voice came from the bed, not loud, but it suppressed all the noise.

On the bed, Pei Zeyu opened his eyes at some point, his face pale and translucent after the high fever subsided.

Only those eyes were deep black, as still as a deep pool.

"Zeyu! You're awake? How are you feeling? Does your hand hurt? The imperial physician said..."

Madam Pei rushed to the bedside, tears streaming down her face.

"I heard everything. If scraping flesh is the only treatment, then scraping flesh is the only treatment. The imperial physician also said that there are risks involved, but it doesn't necessarily mean the patient will be disabled."

"But……"

"Mother, you can go out now."

Madam Pei was stunned.

"Why aren't you taking your wife out to rest?"

Pei Zeyu gave instructions to the maid beside him. Although he was weak, he still carried the usual dignity of the second master of the Pei family.

The maids dared not disobey and stepped forward to help him up.

Madam Pei wanted to say something more, but saw that her son had already closed his eyes, looking as if he did not want to say anything more.

Eventually, she was helped out of the tent, looking back every few steps.

The curtains fell, and silence spread.

Pei Zeyu summoned the imperial physician. "Let's begin."

The imperial physician washed his hands and had someone bring him a new copper basin, strong liquor, and a scraper.

Lin Zhiyao stood there, watching the imperial physician pick up the thin, willow-leaf-like scraper.

"Second Madam, you..." The imperial physician hesitated.

Lin Zhiyao came to the bedside, made sure her position wouldn't obstruct the imperial physician's treatment, and said softly.

"I'll stay here to be with my husband."

The imperial physician said no more. He poured strong liquor over the scraper and then roasted it over a fire.

Before cutting, he poured strong liquor on the wound on Pei Zeyu's left hand.

While he was unconscious, the shock caused Pei Zeyu to shudder violently, his jaw clenched, and veins bulged on his forehead.

Lin Zhiyao wanted to hold his other hand tightly, to give him warmth and strength.

But before they could even touch, he pulled his hand away to avoid it.

Lin Zhiyao was stunned, and the scraper had already fallen.

…………