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

At noon, Liu Wenying came to deliver lunch.

"Today's meal is just congee and side dishes. Your Highness is seriously injured, so it's best to eat something light."

"This is yam porridge, this is stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and there's also a dish of pickled cucumbers—it's refreshing and appetizing."

Xiao Yiheng smiled slightly, "I know our current situation; it's good enough that we have something to eat."

As he spoke, he tried to sit up, but the movement aggravated his wound, and he let out a muffled groan.

"Your Highness, please slow down."

Liu Wenying stepped forward to help him up, supporting his back with one arm and steadying his arm with the other.

He was thinner than she had imagined; she could feel his bony shoulder blades through his thin undershirt.

After settling down, she picked up the bowl of porridge, scooped up a spoonful, and gently blew on it to cool it down.

Xiao Yiheng naturally opened his mouth to catch it.

The porridge was cooked until soft and smooth, the yam was sweet and refreshing, and it was warm and comforting to swallow.

She treated him like someone who needed care, rather than the Second Prince whom everyone revered.

Indeed, his current disheveled appearance hardly belies the princely elegance and majesty he once possessed.

When the porridge was served again, he twitched his nose slightly and sniffed it.

The scent of soapberry on Liu Wenying's body also carried a very faint medicinal smell.

It wasn't the herbal poultice he used on his wound, nor was it the yam porridge in this bowl; it had a different flavor altogether.

Slightly bitter, with a hint of sweetness, mixed with a few familiar medicinal herbs.

He had smelled it countless times in his aunt's palace.

"What's wrong?" Liu Wenying asked softly when she saw that he didn't move.

Xiao Yiheng did not answer, but slowly swallowed the porridge.

The meal was finished in silence.

Liu Wenying was clearing away the dishes and chopsticks, about to take them away.

"Are you pregnant?"

"Clang—"

The porcelain spoon was startled and fell back into the bowl, making a crisp sound.

Liu Wenying stood frozen in place.

Even though all he could see was darkness, Xiao Yiheng could still picture her astonished expression.

He gave a wry smile. "My aunt went through a lot to protect her pregnancy. She had to drink medicine to prevent miscarriage every day. I remember the taste of that medicine."

After a moment, Liu Wenying finally found her voice: "Your Highness, I can't hide it from you."

Xiao Yiheng's Adam's apple bobbed, and he asked again, "Who is my father?"

Before she could answer, he began to analyze the situation on his own.

"If Pei Yaojun isn't in the capital, then it must be Pei Zeyu's?"

His emotions fluctuated inexplicably, and he spoke directly without the usual roundabout way of speaking.

Liu Wenying looked up in surprise.

She knew the Second Prince was meticulous, but she never expected him to guess such a private matter so accurately.

But more than being surprised, she thought, "It doesn't matter who the father is, Your Highness just needs to know that I am the mother of the child."

Xiao Yiheng realized the misunderstanding in her words and quickly said, "That's not what I meant."

He leaned forward in his haste, ignoring the pain from his torn wound.

"Don't be angry, it's...it's not good for the child..."

Liu Wenying said gently, "I'm not angry."

Xiao Yiheng leaned back against the headboard; he should have guessed it sooner.

If the child is Pei Zeyu's, he would never leave Liu Wenying in the countryside.

He couldn't see, but he could hear. The house was clean and simple, but also crude.

Besides, Pei Zeyu isn't here. Although he's weak, he can still give it a shot, can't he?

A thousand thoughts swirled in my mind, but they all vanished in an instant.

Xiao Yiheng asked, "Liu Wenying, do you want to keep the child?"

"Yes, I've prepared for the worst."

"What decision?"

"At worst, I'll find a man to marry into my family, we'll be husband and wife in name only, and then we'll get a divorce after the child is born."

She spoke frankly, saying that for a pregnant woman to protect her child amidst gossip and rumors, this was already the best course of action.

"So what do you think of me?"

Liu Wenying almost dropped the bowl.

"You?" She couldn't believe what she had just heard.

Xiao Yiheng carefully chose his words, saying, "Well, I don't lack gold, silver, or jade; it will make things much easier when we divorce in the future. Besides, you brought me back so abruptly; how am I supposed to explain my identity without arousing suspicion?"

Liu Wenying frowned. It wasn't that she hadn't thought of this, but saving lives was the priority, and her identity wasn't something to worry about right now.

"You can easily say that I'm a husband you picked up."

Xiao Yiheng spoke calmly, as if analyzing a chess game, but if you listened carefully, you could hear the lightheartedness hidden beneath his calm tone.

Liu Wenying also realized that he was right.

Xiao Yiheng's identity is too sensitive. He is seriously injured and blind, and his appearance in a rural village will inevitably cause trouble sooner or later if there is no reasonable explanation.

A destitute man who was taken in and had no one to rely on became her husband. This identity could both hide him and relieve her from her predicament.

It would be perfect, but...

Liu Wenying stated frankly, "I have already exchanged letters with Pei... in the capital. If I do not receive a reply by New Year's Eve, I will then consider finding a husband to marry into my family."

It really was Pei Er.

Xiao Yiheng's suspicions were confirmed.

He could deduce that Liu Wenying must have tried to contact Pei Zeyu about the pregnancy.

Given his current state, it's unlikely he can be contacted; he must be held back by his good brother, Xiao Chenlin.

That's fine, he needs time to recover from his injury anyway.

Being in a favorable position doesn't mean you're without a chance of success.

Xiao Yiheng smiled and said, "It's alright, I'll wait for you."

"Can't!"

The door was pushed open with a bang, and Lu Ye stood in the doorway, his eyes shining brightly.

"No." The rough voice sounded like sand grinding against the ground.

Xiao Yiheng turned his head slightly and looked toward the doorway.

He couldn't see him, but he could tell from the strong voice and steady, powerful footsteps that the person was young, tall, and had an unfamiliar voice; he didn't know him.

"Why? Wenying didn't refuse, so who are you?" Xiao Yiheng's tone remained calm, even with a hint of a smile.

"I am nobody, but Wenying wants someone without parents, and you don't fit that description."

"No father or mother?" Xiao Yiheng repeated softly, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Wen Ying knows best what happened to my parents."

Consort Yu died in the Cold Palace when he was young.

The late emperor also passed away not long ago, and his body is currently lying in state in the palace, and the national mourning period has not yet ended.

Xiao Yiheng was indeed an orphan.

Lu Ye was clearly caught off guard by this, and a hint of panic flashed in his heterochromatic eyes.

But he quickly realized what was happening and his voice became even deeper: "You have a dangerous background and will implicate Wen Ying."

Having dealt with wild animals for many years, his hunter's keen intuition allowed him to sense danger from the moment he first saw this wounded man.

After a moment of silence, just when Lu Ye thought Xiao Yiheng had nothing to say, he sighed and said, "Then take me far away and abandon me, the farther the better."

"Letting Wenying live or die in the wilderness is the safest way."

"No way," Liu Wenying blurted out.

Lu Ye looked at her, his eyes filled with confusion and hurt.

Liu Wenying walked up to Lu Ye and looked up at him.

He was so tall, and she only reached his chest.

"Lu Ye, I know you care about me, but I have reasons why I have to save him."

Lu Ye's throat tightened, as if it were blocked by a wet cotton ball.

The light in his heterochromatic eyes was like charcoal embers dampened by rain, completely dimmed.

Yes, who is he? A hunter whom the villagers consider an omen of bad luck, what right does he have to interfere in her affairs?

Feelings of inferiority clung to him like a tight net, suffocating him.

Unexpectedly, Liu Wenying suddenly stepped forward and gently hugged him.

…………