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

The tent was lit by a dim candlelight, and shadowy figures could be vaguely seen moving about; they were servants attending to the guests.

Lin Zhiyao knew she couldn't get in.

She composed herself and was about to leave when someone came looking for her.

"Yao'er, Mother has finally found you."

Lin Zhiyao was taken aback. "Mother?"

Madam Lin, Lin Zhiyao's birth mother, walked briskly from a distance. Her attire was not glamorous, but it was appropriate.

"Mother, what brings you here?"

"I heard that Second Master has been found, haven't I? How is he? Is he feeling alright?"

During the autumn hunting ceremony, all civil and military officials participated with their families.

Although her father was a fifth-rank official, which was considered a low rank among the nobles, he was still able to get in.

Lin Zhiyao briefly explained the situation: Second Master was seriously injured, but he was out of danger and had been treated by the imperial physician. He needed to rest.

Upon hearing this, Madam Lin breathed a long sigh of relief and patted her chest.

"Thank goodness, your life is not in danger... Yao'er, did you mention what I told you before to Second Master?"

Again.

Lin Zhiyao's heart sank, and she said helplessly, "Mother, Second Master has just returned, and he's still recovering from his injuries. He can barely speak a few words. How can you be in such a hurry?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Lin's face flashed with shame.

"Wasn't I just focused on saving your cousin?"

She held her daughter's hand tightly, refusing to let go.

"Your cousin is still in jail. Every day that drags on, he will suffer more."

What kind of place is that prison? It's damp and humid, and the food is like pig swill. How could his body withstand it?

Lin Zhiyao was found by her mother as soon as she arrived in Xishan and learned about her cousin's situation.

He secured a sinecure through his father's influence, but inadvertently became embroiled in a case and is currently being held in jail.

My aunt went to great lengths to persuade my mother to come to her.

But her father, a fifth-rank official, was neither the best nor the worst off.

How could they possibly have any influence with the Ministry of Justice? They could only rely on her, the daughter who had married into the Duke's mansion.

But what could she do?

She can't even touch her husband's hand now, so how can she have the face to ask him for help?

The grievances and difficulties she had received from Pei Zeyu erupted under her mother's repeated urging.

Lin Zhiyao withdrew her hand, her soft, low voice rising abruptly.

"Cousin, cousin again! Didn't I tell Mother not to mention him in front of me?"

Madam Lin was taken aback by her sudden anger, and then frowned.

"Yao'er, what are you saying? He's still your cousin."

"Besides, I really don't understand. You two were so close when you were little, and you even insisted on marrying your cousin, so why now..."

"That was when I was a kid!"

Lin Zhiyao interrupted her, her breathing rapid and her voice trembling.

"Children speak without thinking; how can you take what children say seriously?"

"Is Mother going to use a childhood joke to pressure me for the rest of my life?"

The atmosphere suddenly froze.

Mrs. Lin stared blankly at her daughter, as if she were seeing her for the first time.

Lin Zhiyao, who was always gentle and compliant, and spoke in a soft voice, seemed to have been touched on a sensitive spot, and her voice was surprisingly sharp.

But she didn't care about that, her tone solemn.

"Yao'er, even though you've married into the Pei family and become their second wife, you still have the blood of the Lin family in your veins. How can you stand by and watch your family suffer when they're in trouble?"

The harsh words just now were like a ball that had been inflated to its limit; when it suddenly burst, nothing was left.

My mother is right; she has the blood of the Lin family flowing in her veins, and that's an undeniable fact.

She can distance herself from her cousin and refuse to talk about the past.

But when her family was in trouble, she couldn't stand idly by.

"I see……"

Lin Zhiyao's attitude softened.

"I will mention it to Second Master as soon as possible."

She reluctantly agreed to her mother's request, the night wind chilling her to the bone.

After saying that, Lin Zhiyao wanted to leave and didn't want to stay any longer.

But Madam Lin grabbed his wrist.

"Is there anything else, Mother?"

Madam Lin looked around and pulled her to a quiet corner, telling the maids to stand at a distance.

"Yao'er, tell your mother honestly, what exactly happened between you and Second Master?"

Lin Zhiyao's heart skipped a beat: "Why do you say that, Mother?"

"Why do you say that?"

Mrs. Lin stared at her.

"You've been married into the Pei family for quite some time now, and the children on the eldest branch of the family are already over a year old. Why haven't you had any plans to have children?"

"When you return to your parents' home every month, I ask about your children, and you always say that Second Master is busy with official duties or that you need to take care of your health. But it's been like this for three years now."

Madam Lin was also a perceptive woman. She guessed that Lin Zhiyao's loss of composure just now was because she had a grudge against the Second Master, which was why she kept delaying her request.

"I……"

Lin Zhiyao bit her lip, looking uneasy, and hesitated to speak.

Seeing her like this, Madam Lin had an even more shocking guess forming in her mind.

"Could it be... that you've been married for three years and haven't consummated your marriage yet!?"

"No!"

Why does my mother keep bringing this up outside...?

Lin Zhiyao's ears turned bright red, and she quickly shook her head: "No, that's not it."

Mrs. Lin breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."

"Did you know that there are couples who don't consummate their marriage after marriage?"

"Take the family across from your aunt's house, for example. The son of the Vice Minister has been married for two years but hasn't consummated the marriage. Later, we found out that he didn't like the woman at all."

The marriage ultimately fell through, and the two families had a very ugly falling out, even becoming sworn enemies...

As her mother continued her rambling, Lin Zhiyao became somewhat lost in thought, and the blush on her ears did not fade but instead spread and widened.

She didn't share a room with the Second Master often, but each time she was completely absorbed and experienced the ultimate pleasure.

"Mother, it's not what you think. Second Master... he's very capable."

Madam Lin fell silent.

The daughter's cheeks flushed, but she continued talking.

"He's always been very, very good to me, and our marriage won't fall through."

She spoke vaguely, but Madam Lin, being so astute, immediately understood.

While I felt gratified, I was also puzzled.

If the couple's relationship is harmonious, why have they been childless for three years?

"According to you, why are you still childless?"

She took her daughter's hand again, her tone urgent, with a hint of calculation in her voice.

"Yao'er, don't think your mother is being blunt, but when it comes to having offspring, we can't be careless."

"Don't be fooled by the fact that your husband is the second son; the successor to the title of Duke of Yu has not yet been decided."

There are precedents from previous dynasties; the selection wasn't always based on primogeniture. You need to be aware of this.

Madam Lin's gaze was intense, and her tone was resolute.

"If you can have more children and raise them well, it is not impossible for the title of Duke of Yu to fall into your hands in the future."

"By then, you will be the Duchess of Yu!"

Duchess of the State...

Lin Zhiyao couldn't help but let her imagination run wild, following her mother's words.

If she really had the Second Master's child, and if the Second Master really could inherit the title.

Then she would be the rightful wife of the Duke of Yu, no longer needing to be beholden to others, and the Lin family would benefit from her, even regarding her as the pride of the entire clan.

The moment the thought crossed my mind, the unease in my heart was replaced by a strong sense of excitement and anticipation, and my eyes lit up.

…………