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

After nightfall, Liu Wenying sorted out the New Year's money she had received and stuffed it under her pillow.

Luo Luo was already asleep, her little face buried in the blankets, her lips glistening with tears, sleeping soundly.

Liu Wenying blew out the candles and lay down inside as well.

Tomorrow is the first day of the lunar new year. As the head maid, I have to get up early and be busy all day.

I don't know how much time passed, but drowsiness crept in.

In a half-dream, half-awake state, I seemed to hear a very faint creaking sound as the door hinges turned.

She frowned, but before she could think further, she sank back into a daze.

"You didn't even lock the door, how can you trust me so much..."

The visitor sighed softly.

Pei Yaojun walked quietly to the bedside and, using the dim light coming in from the window, gazed at her sleeping face.

Her brows gradually relaxed, and the corners of her lips curved into a smile; she must be having a sweet dream.

I wonder if I dreamed about him.

Pei Yaojun tucked her hand, which was sticking out of the blanket, back inside.

Then he took out a jade pendant from his bosom; it was white jade with a light blue ribbon attached.

He then pulled out a bulging red purse from his sleeve, which was stuffed full of silver notes.

He placed the jade pendant and purse beside his pillow.

Pei Yaojun leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead.

The moment the kiss landed, the reluctance in his eyes almost overflowed.

Wishing you a peaceful and healthy new year.

Let's wait for him a little longer, Yingying.

The moonlight slanted in, casting dappled shadows, and after a moment, the vibrant color disappeared from the room.

Liu Wenying turned over, wrapped the quilt around Luo Luo more tightly, and knew nothing more.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, as soon as it was light, Mingxi Hall became lively.

The Duke and his wife arrived first, followed by the eldest son and his wife, while the second son arrived alone.

Everyone offered New Year's greetings to the old lady, said auspicious words, and then sat in the hall drinking tea and chatting, waiting for the Third Master to arrive.

Duke Yu Guo secretly harbored a sense of reproach.

The old lady took a sip of tea and smiled, "Young people love to sleep. He drank some wine while staying up late last night, so it's fine to let him sleep a little longer."

He placed the blue-and-white porcelain teacup on the table and said, "Last night at the banquet, he spoke eloquently, but only a few hours have passed? He's even forgotten the proper etiquette of paying respects to his ancestors at dawn and dusk on the first day of the month! I think he's becoming more and more outrageous!"

Madam Pei quickly smoothed things over: "Your Excellency, please calm down. Perhaps you are truly fast asleep. I will send someone to Zhaolin Courtyard to urge you to wake up."

After saying that, he gestured to his capable maidservant to go and invite her personally.

The atmosphere inside the room became slightly stagnant due to this incident.

About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the old woman who had just invited the servants came running back, followed by Third Master's personal attendant, Ah Cai.

Ah Cai usually stays by Third Master's side all the time, but now he only sees him and not Pei Yaojun.

"My Lord! Something terrible has happened! Third Master, he... he..."

Madam Pei's heart skipped a beat. "Jun'er, what's wrong? What happened?"

As soon as Ah Cai entered, he knelt down with a thud, holding the letter high above his head with both hands.

"Third Master left before dawn, leaving a letter saying he was going to join the army in the north!"

"What?!"

Duke Yu suddenly stood up, not even noticing that his chair had fallen over.

He snatched the letter, unfolded it, and glanced at it.

Father, Mother, your son is unfilial.

Thank you for your nurturing and care; I will always remember it.

A father paves a smooth road for his son, and the son is not unaware of his good intentions.

But the ups and downs of official life and the toil of paperwork are not what I truly desire.

Oranges born in Huainan are oranges, while those born in Huaibei are oranges.

The capital is a land of splendor, but not a battlefield for children; even the highest court cannot bring peace to a child's soul.

Hearing that the northern border was in turmoil, the Northern Barbarians were secretly testing the waters.

A man born between heaven and earth should carry a Wu hook and conquer the passes and mountains.

The snow and wind at the border are where a young man's blood can be spilled.

This journey is not out of disobedience, but rather to find a way to establish myself and serve my country.

I earnestly hope that my parents will support my aspirations and not worry about me.

When I achieve success in the future, I will return to my parents' side to fulfill my filial duties.

After the Duke of Yu finished reading, the letter fell from his hand. His chest heaved, and he laughed in extreme anger.

"Outrageous! Utterly outrageous! With the current status of my Pei family, how could I allow him to risk his life in that desolate place! He's... he's trying to infuriate me!"

Liu Wenying stood beside the old lady, her hand covering her heart.

When she woke up this morning, she saw the familiar jade pendant and purse on her pillow and guessed that Third Master had come by.

It was rare that he came without waking her up.

Little did she expect that he had come to say goodbye.

The saying "Oranges grown south of the Huai River are sweet oranges, but those grown north of the Huai River are bitter oranges" was something she once said to him.

I never imagined that he would actually take it to heart and use it as an excuse to go to the border.

"The border is dangerous, and swords have no eyes. How can Jun'er be so stubborn!"

Madam Pei was also overwhelmed with emotion, clutching her handkerchief and weeping.

"Father, please calm down; Mother, please take care of yourself."

Pei Dingxuan stepped forward to stabilize the situation, "Third brother is young and impetuous, and he probably hasn't left the city yet. I will take men to chase after him and bring him back."

Pei Zeyu also spoke up, "Big brother is right, I'll go too, more people means more help."

Duke Yu took a deep breath. "Go, go and bring him back. If he refuses, tie him up and bring him back!"

The two bowed hastily and took their leave.

The room was silent, save for Madam Pei's soft sobs, her face hidden behind a handkerchief.

The old lady beckoned to Liu Wenying, and Liu Wenying stepped forward.

"Yu'er has just recovered and he's dressed lightly. Take a cloak to him."

"Yes."

Liu Wenying took the heavy, luxurious silver-white cloak, held it in her arms, and ran to the gate of the mansion.

A biting wind was blowing outside, and the carriage was about to set off.

Pei Zeyu stood beside the car, about to get in.

"Second Master, wait! The Old Madam was worried you would catch a cold on the way, so she specially sent me to bring you some clothes."

Her eyes and the tip of her nose were red, whether from the wind or from her emotions, it was hard to tell.

Pei Zeyu took it and reached out to her, "Come on up, let's go together."

Liu Wenying wanted to refuse, but when she thought about how much she still had to say to Pei Yaojun, she finally gave in and was pulled into the carriage by him.

Inside the carriage, Pei Dingxuan sat upright to one side, his expression somber.

The three reunited, but the sharp confrontation they had shown during their last autumn hunt was gone.

"He left at night. There were plenty of horses in the stables, so he couldn't have gone too fast. The closest and easiest place to leave the city was the west gate."

"You can go to the Northern Territory; the nearest one is the North Gate."

After analyzing the situation, the best plan was to split into two groups, but due to the urgency of the situation, there was only one carriage when they came out.

Pei Dingxuan instructed Atai to lead his men to the west gate, while his group went to the north gate.

Before long, the carriage arrived, and the three of them got off.

Pei Dingxuan revealed his identity as a member of the Ministry of Justice and asked the city guards, "Not a single young man in red has left the city."

The news came from Artest's side a little later, and there was still nothing there.

There are still two city gates to check, and Pei Dingxuan plans to go to them one by one.

"Never mind, Third Brother probably knew we would arrest him, so he disguised himself and deliberately concealed his identity."

Pei Dingxuan frowned, unsure of what to do.

The two turned around at the same time and looked at the green figure not far away.

Liu Wenying gazed at the vast wilderness outside the city gate, where the cold wind swirled and carried snow further and further away.

She thought she would be the first to leave the mansion and say goodbye.

Unexpectedly, he left without saying goodbye.

Those unspoken words could no longer be uttered.

A cold wind blew against her face, chilling her to the bone. Liu Wenying's eyes welled up with tears, and she cursed inwardly:

Pei Yaojun, you're so annoying.

…………