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

Lin Zhiyao took the ribbon and twirled it between her fingertips.

Then she went to the candlestick and held the ribbon up to the fire.

The flames gradually devoured the silk threads, turning them into ashes.

She didn't take the fan pendant; it was too sturdy to be burned, and if it broke, it would leave behind powder.

"Keep this for now, and find an opportunity to throw it away, the farther the better."

Before dawn, when the night still lingered.

The dew in the courtyard bent the branches and leaves, and the autumn chill seeped into the bones.

Liu Wenying did not return home all night, and her biggest worry was her daughter Luoluo.

She rushed back to her residence, where Xiaozhu was sleeping in bed, sharing a bed with Luoluo.

Hearing the noise, Xiaozhu woke up and asked, "Where did you go last night, sister?"

On her way back, Liu Wenying had already prepared her explanation: "I was on night watch and was so busy that I forgot to send someone to inform you. I have to rush back now."

Although Xiaozhu had some doubts, she thought again that it was the old lady's birthday, and Liu Wenying, as the head maid, would naturally be extremely busy.

"Then don't worry, sister, I'll take care of things here."

"Um."

Liu Wenying glanced at her sleeping daughter's face, then turned and went out.

Inside Mingxi Hall, she arrived just in time. The old lady was getting up and letting Granny Wu wash and do her hair.

When Liu Wenying went in, the old lady saw her in the bronze mirror and asked with a smile.

"You're here so early? How's your sprained ankle?"

Remembering what Third Master had sent last night, Liu Wenying bowed and replied, "Thank you for your concern, Madam. It's nothing serious."

The old lady nodded, "That's good."

The first day of the celebration for his 60th birthday was the most grand.

Today's guests are mostly officials of the third rank or below, exchanging congratulatory gifts, so it's relatively quiet.

Moreover, the banquet only started in the afternoon. In the early morning and forenoon, the old lady still took her medicine, had her legs massaged, and did rehabilitation exercises with the help of a walker.

The room still smelled of the slightly bitter herbal medicine. In the morning, the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, and the weather was fine. The group helped the old lady into her wheelchair and pushed her out into the yard for some fresh air.

Footsteps rustled outside the courtyard gate, and servants passed by from time to time, their expressions hurried.

The old lady peeked out and asked, "What's going on outside?"

The maidservant guarding the door was called up to give a reply.

"Reporting to the Old Madam, I heard that the Second Master accidentally left something behind yesterday and suspects that one of the servants in the manor is dishonest. He is sending someone over to be questioned."

Liu Wenying was massaging the old lady's shoulders and neck when she heard this, and paused in her actions.

"Yu'er is always sensible. For her to cause such a commotion, the item she lost must not be an ordinary one."

She waved her hand, "Never mind, let him investigate. There's no need for us in the compound to get involved."

Liu Wenying secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The maids and nannies around the old lady were all her personal attendants.

I stayed by the old lady's side the entire time of yesterday's birthday banquet and never left her side, so naturally I didn't need to be questioned.

And she could use the excuse of serving him to conveniently avoid being questioned by the Second Master.

But before they could breathe a sigh of relief, someone rushed in in a panic. Upon seeing the old lady, he first knelt down, and then looked at Liu Wenying.

"Manager Liu, it's...it's a problem with the warehouse."

The old lady frowned: "What's wrong?"

"When we checked the gifts from yesterday's guests this morning according to the gift list, one piece of official kiln porcelain was missing."

Liu Wenying's expression changed slightly. The warehouse key was in her hands, and if something went wrong, she would be held responsible.

She consulted the old lady, "Perhaps there are too many congratulatory gifts, piled up like a mountain, and the smaller items have been overlooked. I would like to check."

The old lady naturally agreed.

Liu Wenying and the servant who delivered the message walked out of Mingxi Hall.

As the daylight shone brightly, a pear wood armchair was placed under the eaves, and Pei Zeyu sat upright in it.

The smooth fabric of the brocade robe made his upright figure appear even thinner.

However, his complexion was not gentle; it was unusually somber, like frost.

Lin Zhiyao sat not far away, several feet away from him, as if they were two completely unrelated people.

In the center of the courtyard, rows of servants stood in neat rows, heads bowed, not daring to utter a sound.

Afu, with bandages wrapped around his head, forced himself to take attendance and check the roll call.

"Next."

"Walk."

"Next one."

……

One by one, those whose names were called stepped forward, were checked, and then left through the side door.

The number of people in the courtyard dwindled until only a handful remained.

The last few people also dispersed.

Afu walked up to Pei Zeyu and bowed to report.

"Second Master, apart from a few of the master's personal servants, all the other three hundred-plus people in the manor have been checked."

"From the gatekeeper to the kitchen helpers and the servants who swept the courtyard, no one was overlooked."

Pei Zeyu remained silent.

Last night, he personally inspected the east wing room, searching every possible place where traces might be left, from the bed to the corners, from the coffee table to the window frame.

There was nothing there; it was tidied up so clean it looked like it was done on purpose.

But he didn't believe it; he was determined to find that person.

Losing things was just an excuse for questioning; his target never changed.

"Aren't there still people we haven't checked? Let's continue."

Afu hesitated and said, "Second Master, if we continue, we will have to alert the masters of each household."

Lin Zhiyao was about to speak and persuade Pei Zeyu to give up.

Suddenly remembering something, Ah Jin stepped forward and said, "Second Master, this servant has just remembered something."

"Speak." Pei Zeyu's temples throbbed, and he pressed them with his fingertips, closing his eyes to listen.

"After you left yesterday, you were feeling unwell and were resting in the side room when I met Liu Wenying and asked her to take care of you."

Pei Zeyu suddenly stood up, his movement so abrupt that the chair beneath him made a screeching sound.

"Why didn't you say so sooner?"

Ah Jin was so frightened that he knelt down with a thud and begged for mercy repeatedly.

"Second Master, please forgive me! Yesterday's events were too serious, and my mind isn't as clear as Brother Fu's. I didn't recall them for a moment! Besides..."

He swallowed hard. "And when the servant brought the doctor back, she was already gone. At that time, there was only..."

Ah Jin looked at the figure sitting not far away.

Lin Zhiyao sat there, holding a teacup in her hands.

"When I arrived, I didn't see anyone. I'm afraid they had something to do and never actually came."

A single, seemingly innocuous sentence led the conflict toward Liu Wenying.

After all, in her view, if Liu Wenying really went, it would be dereliction of duty and failure to fulfill her responsibilities to the old lady.

If she didn't go, it would be considered a disobedience to the Second Master's orders.

Either way, it's enough to give her a hard time.

She appeared calm on the surface, but she was actually starting to get nervous.

If the person who had an affair with the Second Master really was Liu Wenying...

Then she's just doing all the work for someone else.

She hated it, but she couldn't say it.

Pei Zeyu didn't even glance at her, as if her words were nothing more than a passing breeze.

"Afu, go find Liu Wenying."

At this moment, Liu Wenying was still busy in the warehouse.

Just as she suspected, the storeroom was piled high with so many gifts that it was impossible to tell them apart, which is why she hadn't checked them. In reality, nothing was missing.

After finishing her business in the warehouse, she rushed back, even taking a detour to avoid the courtyard where the Second Master was checking people.

The path is lined with lush green bamboo.

The moon gate of Mingxi Hall was right in front of us, with two maids guarding the entrance.

Liu Wenying felt relieved and was about to step into the moon gate when she was stopped by a familiar person.

"Sister Liu, please wait."

…………