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

Before leaving, An'an ran to say goodbye to her friends at the nursing home.

The children surrounded him, asking all at once, "An'an, are you really leaving?"

"Your mother looks amazing..."

An'an puffed out her little chest, beaming with pride.

"I'm going home! But don't worry, my mother said she'll send money every month from now on."

"You can eat more meat and wear warmer clothes, but remember, it's all thanks to my mother!"

The little girl tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Will you come to see us again?"

An'an was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at her mother.

Lady Hou nodded with a smile, and he grinned.

"Of course we'll come! I'll have my mom bring you some delicious food!"

As the carriage drove out of the village, An'an leaned against the window and waved vigorously into the courtyard.

The children chased after the carriage to the fence, waving their little hands, until the carriage became a small black dot in the snow and gradually disappeared.

After that day, the almshouse indeed received its first payment from the Marquis of Pingyang's residence, along with two carts of rice and three boxes of winter clothing.

Granny Wang led the people to take inventory, beaming from ear to ear.

"Oh dear, now the almshouse's expenses are covered, and the headman won't have to put in any more money!"

Liu Wenying smiled and nodded.

As the cold fades and the frost melts, the seasons gradually change.

Lady Hou sent people to deliver money and grain without fail.

An'an came back a few more times, each time bringing a big bag of candy, which she distributed to the children in the yard.

Xiao Ya and Luo Luo already know quite a few characters, taught by Xue Bi, and they write each stroke neatly and correctly.

Life at Zhiyun Manor went smoothly.

With clear accounts and stable income, and the farmers each fulfilling their duties, Liu Wenying didn't need to worry too much.

Sometimes when she had free time, she would sit on the porch and watch Luo Luo and the little wolf cub Shan Qing roll around in the yard, and she would become lost in thought as she watched.

An indescribable emptiness in my heart, like a thin thread, is tied to a very, very far place.

Is there any news from the North? Has the Second Prince arrived yet? Has the Third Prince received the letter?

She didn't know, and had nowhere to ask.

Liu Wenying thought that winter would pass peacefully, and the New Year would arrive.

In the afternoon, a group of couriers arrived outside the village, their horses puffing out white steam and clattering rapidly.

Granny Wang went out to greet her, and soon returned with a pale face, clutching a crumpled notice in her hand.

"Manager! Manager!"

She didn't care about rules or regulations and started shouting loudly.

"Your Majesty...His Majesty has passed away!"

Liu Wenying was embroidering a hand warmer for Luoluo when she heard this, and the needle tip veered off course, pricking her fingertip.

Blood seeped out, spreading a red stain on the pink silk cloth.

"What?" She thought she had misheard.

"His Majesty has passed away."

Granny Wang handed over the notice, her hands still trembling.

"The edict announcing the new emperor's ascension to the throne and the change of the reign title has been issued."

Liu Wenying took the notice; the ink was still wet, it had just been posted.

The few words from above were of great importance.

Liu Wenying only caught the key words: His Majesty has passed away, a new emperor has ascended the throne, and the reign title has been changed to Yongchang.

She stared at those lines of text, her mind buzzing.

She had met the Emperor of Great Wei, and they had even exchanged words in the Princess Huiyin Palace.

He was in the prime of his life, with a powerful stride and a booming voice, how could he suddenly...

"How did His Majesty pass away?"

Granny Wang couldn't explain it clearly, so she brought in the messenger who had brought the message.

"I don't know the specifics either. I only know that His Majesty had been working tirelessly on state affairs for days on end, which led to his illness and death. The incident was sudden, and the capital was in chaos. Fortunately, the new emperor stabilized the situation..."

Who is the new emperor?

When Liu Wenying asked the question, she already had the answer in her heart.

The Crown Prince resides in the Eastern Palace, which is the proper place for him to inherit the throne.

The Second Prince has left the capital and is heading north. He is probably still on his way, and distant water cannot quench immediate thirst.

Therefore, the only one in the capital who can ascend the throne is—

"Who else could it be? It's His Highness the Crown Prince, of course. It's only natural for the heir apparent to ascend the throne."

really.

"Even if the Crown Prince isn't the heir apparent, it wouldn't be the Second Prince's turn. Hasn't the Second Prince gone missing?"

Liu Wenying was stunned.

She watched as the courier's mouth opened and closed, each word escaping his lips.

But she suddenly seemed unable to understand.

Missing? What's missing? Who's missing?

"What did you say?" The voice didn't sound like his own; it seemed to be drifting from a great distance.

"Your Highness."

The courier didn't notice her odd behavior and continued talking.

"On the way to the North, we encountered bandits. I heard that after a battle, they disappeared without a trace, neither alive nor dead."

"The more chaotic the world becomes, the more ruthless the bandits grow. How could His Highness, a princess of noble birth, possibly know anything about those unsavory methods? He's likely fallen into an ambush..."

Liu Wenying did not listen to the whole thing.

She turned around, walked back step by step, and sat down at the table.

The Xuan paper was still spread out, and the ink stains had already dried.

She reached for the pen, her fingers trembling violently. The pen wobbled a couple of times on her fingertips before she put it down.

What was she supposed to do again?

Write the words in Luo Luo's picture book.

Yes, just one page left.

She picked up the brush again, dipped it in ink, and looked down at it.

The pictures jumped around in front of me, but I couldn't make out any of them clearly.

She blinked hard, then looked again, but still couldn't see clearly.

A buzzing sound filled my ears, like ten thousand cicadas chirping, or like the courier's voice repeating itself over and over in my mind.

Xiao Yiheng... has disappeared.

They were nowhere to be found, neither alive nor dead.

She gripped the pen tightly, recalling the image of Xiao Yiheng standing in the winter morning light.

Her silver armor gleamed, and her smile was faint.

He said, "You should think carefully about how you will thank me when I return."

She said she would prepare the best welcome banquet for him.

She hasn't prepared a welcome banquet yet.

The brush slipped from between his fingers, leaving a long trail of ink on the rice paper.

Liu Wenying stood up and took a step forward.

My legs went weak, and in an instant, the world spun around me.

When I woke up again, the first thing I saw was the tent ceiling, which was dimly lit by candlelight.

A group of people surrounded the bed.

Granny Wang was about to wipe her face with a damp handkerchief when she saw that she had woken up, so she quickly bent down and asked.

"Is the head of the household awake? Is there anything still bothering him?"

Xue Bi stood at the foot of the bed, his face calm, but his eyes held an unconcealable worry.

Lu Ye stood beside him, his brows furrowed, his worry almost overflowing from his heterochromatic eyes.

Luo Luo lay beside Liu Wenying, fast asleep, but tears still clung to the corners of her eyes.

Liu Wenying tried to sit up, propping herself up on her arms. Granny Wang helped her and put a pillow behind her back.

She leaned back, looked around, and saw that everyone looked like they were facing a formidable enemy. Her heart softened, and she smiled slightly.

"I'm fine, I'm just tired these days, it's nothing serious, you all go and rest, don't keep watch over me."

No one moved.

Granny Wang opened her mouth, but hesitated to speak.

Xue Bi and Lu Ye exchanged a glance, their expressions complex.

Liu Wenying sensed something was wrong and glanced at the three of them: "What's going on?"

Granny Wang looked at Xue Bi, then at Lu Ye.

Xue Bi bent down and gently picked up the sleeping Luo Luo. "You two talk first, I'll take Luo Luo to sleep next door."

Lu Ye also turned around: "I'll go check on the medicine that's being warmed on the stove."

The two left the room one after the other, and the door closed gently behind them.

Only Liu Wenying and Granny Wang remained in the room.

Granny Wang sat down on the edge of the bed and took Liu Wenying's hand.

The old man's palms were rough and warm, and trembled violently.

Liu Wenying's unease grew stronger. "Granny?"

"The village doctor came to see you, and he said...you're pregnant."

…………