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

"I am pregnant?"

Liu Wenying repeated, staring blankly at Granny Wang, her eyes filled with confusion.

Granny Wang gripped her hand tightly. "The village doctor took her pulse; he shouldn't be wrong."

"Master Zhuang, you've been working too hard lately. You're weak and emotionally agitated, which is why you fainted."

"The medicine to prevent miscarriage is still warming on the stove. You'll drink it in a bit, don't overthink it..."

"Granny, could there be a mistake?"

Liu Wenying lowered her eyes, her thoughts a jumbled mess.

Since arriving at Zhiyun Manor, perhaps due to the repeated changes in location, her menstrual flow has become irregular.

When she's busy with farm work, she might even forget about it.

When was the last time you came? It seems like it was before Second Master came...

It's impossible to calculate.

Even so, it was still too sudden.

She didn't experience any of the symptoms typical of early pregnancy, such as nausea, drowsiness, or changes in taste.

If she hadn't fainted today, she would have felt even more energetic than usual, able to work late into the night without feeling tired.

Liu Wenying thought for a while, then shook her head and looked up at Granny Wang.

"Grandma, it's not that I don't trust you and the village doctor, it's just that a life is at stake, and I want to confirm it again."

She paused for a moment, then said, "Tomorrow, I will go to the medical clinic in the capital."

By the way... I also need to take care of some other things.

Granny Wang paused for a moment, then nodded: "Alright, doctors in the capital are always more reliable. This old servant will accompany you tomorrow."

Granny Wang tucked the blanket around her, gave her a few more instructions, and then left the room, turning back to look at her every few steps.

Outside the door, Xue Bi and Lu Ye were still standing under the eaves.

Night had fallen, and the lanterns hanging under the eaves swayed in the wind, casting long shadows of the two people.

Xue Bi stood with his hands behind his back, while Lu Ye leaned against the wall, both with calm expressions.

"How is Wenying?" Xue Bi asked softly.

Granny Wang nodded and then shook her head: "She said she's going to the capital's medical clinic tomorrow for another check-up, and I'll go with her."

She pursed her lips and said, "Don't make a fuss about what happened today."

Both of them were taken aback.

Xue Bi nodded: "I understand."

"Me too," Lu Ye said.

"It's getting late, you should all go and rest."

Granny Wang waved her hand and walked towards the kitchen.

Inside the room, Liu Wenying stared in disbelief at the embroidery on the ceiling.

The medicine to prevent miscarriage was still on the table. When Wang Mama brought it over, she only took a sip and put it down.

It's too unrealistic.

Rumor has it that Second Master was childless? Even if he recovered, it was... too fast, wasn't it?

But if it really happened, if we count the days, it was indeed the day he stayed overnight at Zhiyun Manor.

But what if she's just weak and her pulse is wrong?

Liu Wenying raised her hand and gently pressed it on her lower abdomen.

It was still flat, and I couldn't feel anything.

Whether it was psychological or not, she felt a very subtle, unusual temperature under her palm.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

We'll know tomorrow.

During the period of national mourning, all citizens are required to wear mourning clothes.

Although the teahouses and taverns were still open, they were less noisy than before, and the storytellers' voices were very low.

After leaving the clinic, Liu Wenying and Granny Wang went to a teahouse.

The storyteller is recounting the recent state of affairs in the world.

"...Speaking of Yelü Yuanjia, the crown prince of the Northern Barbarians, he personally led his troops south, capturing three cities in succession, displaying great arrogance!"

"Fortunately, our Great Wei had General Shentu in command, leading the Burning Wind Army to defend the pass to the death, which is how we repelled them..."

Someone in the audience asked curiously, "The Burning Wind Army? What kind of army is that?"

"That's a good question, sir. The Burning Wind Army is a fierce and bloodthirsty army in the North! It is said that the soldiers in the army have all crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and each one of them is fearless in the face of death."

"The general leading the army, Shentu, is even more remarkable..."

"How does that compare to the cavalry of the Northern Barbarians?"

"They are evenly matched, it's hard to tell who's better!" The storyteller's voice boomed.

"The two armies are currently locked in a stalemate in the north, with neither side able to gain the upper hand."

There was much discussion among the people below. Some were worried about the supply of provisions, while others said that the imperial court should send more troops to support the area.

Several young people were banging on the table and shouting that Wei would definitely win, making a ruckus like a pot of boiling porridge.

Liu Wenying put down her teacup, the porcelain bottom hitting the table with a soft sound.

"Let's go, Granny."

The reign title changed, and a new person sat on the dragon throne.

The capital city seemed to be the same as before, with bustling streets and crowds in the East and West markets.

Upon closer inspection, however, there are differences everywhere.

The shop signs along the street were changed to plain colors, and the storytellers no longer told romantic tales, but instead talked about the military situation in the north and the benevolence of the new emperor.

A bright yellow notice was posted at the city gate, announcing a general amnesty and the opening of granaries to relieve the people.

Outside the city, rows of soup kitchens were set up, steaming hot, attracting countless refugees to queue up.

After ascending the throne, Emperor Xiao Chenlin set the reign title as Yongchang.

At the very last soup kitchen, the yamen runners distributing the soup were preparing to pack up and leave.

There was still some thin millet porridge left in the wooden bucket, with a few vegetable leaves floating on the thick rice soup.

A constable caught sight of a figure huddled in the corner, hesitated for a moment, then scooped up a bowl and went over.

He was a beggar, disheveled and dressed in rags.

Beneath the dust cover, there was a faint dark brown color, like the color of dried blood.

He sat against the wall, his legs limp and stretched out in the snow, his bare ankles frozen purple.

Hearing footsteps, he slowly raised his head, revealing a pair of eyes beneath his disheveled hair.

The whites of his eyes were bloodshot, but his pupils were unusually dark, as if he hadn't closed his eyes for a long time.

Here, eat.

The bailiff handed over the bowl.

"You're lucky you caught the last bite."

The "beggar" took it; his outstretched hand had distinct knuckles, and his fingernails were filled with grime.

But the slender shape of the fingers hints at something unusual.

"Aren't you going to thank the new emperor? If it weren't for His Majesty's benevolence in opening the granaries and distributing food, you refugees wouldn't be able to enter the city and wouldn't even have a bowl of hot porridge."

The "beggar" looked as if he had been struck by lightning.

"Bang!"

He smashed the rough porcelain bowl on the ground, shattering it into pieces, and spilled porridge all over the floor.

The constable was startled and turned around to glare at him: "If you don't want to eat, then don't eat. Why did you have to throw it around?"

He spat, "Madman! Ungrateful!"

He left, grumbling and cursing.

Xiao Yiheng is now no different from a refugee.

He leaned against the wall, his chest heaving violently.

Every breath brought excruciating pain to my ribs, as if countless needles were churning inside my chest.

As soon as I close my eyes, the scene of flames soaring into the sky that night appears before my eyes.

He led his personal guards away from the capital, and when they reached Luoyan Gorge on the northern border, they were ambushed.

The other party was disguised as a bandit, but he saw through the deception as soon as they started fighting.

Those men's swordsmanship and formation were clearly those of the elite cavalry of the Northern Barbarians.

Within the territory of the Great Wei, the Northern Di army moved in as if it were empty!

What does this mean?

This means that someone in the court is colluding with the Northern Barbarians, and that there are loopholes in the border defenses.

Even his entire career was orchestrated and designed from the very beginning.

His guards fought desperately to protect him as he broke through the encirclement. He was hit by several arrows, three of his ribs were broken, his right leg was crushed by a horse, and he was covered in countless wounds, but he survived by clinging to his last breath.

On his way back to the capital, he received news of his father's death.

…………