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

The room was simply furnished with a square table and four long benches, and the windows were open, letting in the scorching sunlight.

The four men each occupied a corner, while the sounds of children chasing and playing outside the window made the air inside the room feel stagnant and sticky.

In the past, Pei Yaojun would have slammed his fist on the table and stood up long ago; he has never been a patient person.

But at this moment he just sat with his eyes down, tapping his knees with his knuckles.

The northern winds and sands dulled his impatience.

Xue Bi slowly and methodically poured the tea. The purple clay teapot was steady in his hands, and the emerald green tea was poured into the bowl with a soft, gentle sound, without a single drop splashing.

His movements were effortless, as if he were entertaining guests in his own home.

Lu Ye sat at the table, his gaze fixed on the knife at Pei Yaojun's waist.

Xiao Yiheng picked up his teacup and took a sip. "You want Wenying? She's definitely not here."

His blank eyes looked in Pei Yaojun's direction, his voice filled with worry.

Three days ago, Xiao Chenlin issued an imperial decree summoning her to the palace to serve the prince, and she has not returned since.

Pei Yaojun's fingers, which were tapping his knee, stopped. "Are you just going to watch her enter the palace alone?"

Xue Bi pushed the teacup towards him again.

"It's better than some people who don't even understand the cause and effect, and just stand here questioning others and talking nonsense."

They are not sitting idly by, but they need to consider the long-term implications for now.

A word to each other is too much when you don't see eye to eye; the long bench scrapes against the ground with a sharp sound.

Pei Yaojun stood up and turned to walk out the door.

"Young Master Pei, please wait."

Xiao Yiheng reached out and stopped him.

"If you want to see her, I have a way to let you see her."

Pei Yaojun turned around. "You? What methods could a down-on-his-luck prince, constantly on the run, possibly have?"

When Xiao Yiheng recognized him, he also remembered him.

Xiao Yiheng was not annoyed. He withdrew his hand and said, "I know a secret passage that leads directly to the inner palace. Would that count as a 'method'?"

"Aren't you afraid I'll turn around and tell Xiao Chenlin, thus surrendering to him?"

"Young Master Pei has the heart of a child; he is a discerning person who will not abandon the light for darkness."

He paused, then added, "Besides, the entire Pei family is still in the Ministry of Justice prison, waiting for you to rescue them."

"It's precisely because I want to save the Pei family."

Pei Yaojun took a step closer, casting a shadow over Xiao Yiheng.

"Wouldn't it be easier if I just revealed your whereabouts?"

Lu Ye, who had been silent all along, spoke up, "No! That would implicate Wen Ying, who is now Wen Ying's live-in husband."

Live-in husband...

It was so jarring; the children's laughter outside the window suddenly seemed incredibly distant, and all that remained in my ears was the roar of my own blood rushing through my veins.

Pei Yaojun was so angry he wanted to bite his teeth.

Xiao Yiheng stood quietly in place, unable to discern the turbulent emotions surging in Pei Yaojun's eyes.

But he could hear the other person's suddenly disordered breathing.

Instead of going to the Ministry of Justice prison to rescue his family members upon returning to the capital, this Third Master Pei went straight to the almshouse in the suburbs to look for people.

He then realized that Liu Wenying held a significant place in his heart.

How could a man who values ​​past relationships more than anything do something that could endanger the woman's life?

If he were to fall into trouble, Liu Wenying would be considered to be harboring a wanted criminal, a crime akin to treason. He was not unaware of this.

Pei Yaojun's cheeks tightened, and his teeth clenched so tightly they made a grinding sound.

After a long while, he slammed his fist on the door frame, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

"Tell me, where is the secret passage?"

Xiao Yiheng didn't keep them in suspense and told them directly.

"The entrance to the secret passage is three miles outside the Xihua Gate of the Imperial City, where there is an abandoned Xuanzhen Temple."

"Under the statues of the Three Pure Ones enshrined in the rear hall, there is a movable stone slab. Go down from there, and the tunnel leads directly to the back wall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, where Xiao Chenlin currently resides."

Pei Yaojun's brows furrowed sharply. "Since you knew, why didn't you rescue her?"

A bitter smile appeared on Xiao Yiheng's lips.

"My eye condition has not yet healed, and besides, it is better to remain unchanged in the face of all changes; making a rash move would easily lead to mistakes."

Pei Yaojun stared at him and then laughed out loud.

"What a brilliant strategy of responding to all changes with constancy."

He leaned against the door with his arms crossed. "You're trying to force me onto your ship. You've got a good plan."

Xiao Yiheng's fingers, hanging at his sides, curled slightly.

This Third Master Pei is indeed different from before.

At that time, Pei Yaojun of the Duke of Yu's mansion was extremely arrogant, like an unsharpened knife, reckless but lacking in cunning.

Now, weathered by time, he has gained considerable sharpness, and can now see through schemes at a glance.

Simply put, it means having a brain. Using it for your own benefit is a blessing, but using it to harm yourself is a curse.

With a click, Xue Bi put down his teacup.

"In the end, we are all doing this for Wenying's own good. If you don't want the door to be right behind you, then please do so."

The attempt to provoke him failed, but Pei Yaojun wouldn't have fallen for it.

He was about to leave when Xue Bi spoke again, her voice chasing after him like an invisible thread gently binding his steps.

"Every brick and tile of the nursing home was built by Wenying herself, and she took in and cared for the elderly and children inside. Everyone loved and respected her."

"There are also Zhiyun Manor and Yinian Manor, which are the fruits of her painstaking efforts. They are the places she desperately tried to protect in the chaos of the world."

"You can leave today, but if Xiao Chenlin finds out and takes her anger out on the estate and the innocent elderly and weak, what do you think she will do when she finds out?"

Pei Yaojun stopped upon hearing this. The sun was shining brightly outside the window, children were playing, and the elderly were basking in the sun.

This peaceful scene was created by her own hands.

If he didn't understand before, he can now feel it firsthand.

Just like the comrades he met in the Northern Army camp, speaking with accents from all over the country, they would fight over a cup of hot wine.

But when the enemy forces are pressing in, they will not hesitate to entrust their backs to each other.

He defended the pass for so long, but it was ultimately lost not because the enemy was fierce, but because someone in the court sold the defense map to the enemy country.

He had experienced that excruciating pain, and he didn't want her to experience it either.

"Young Master Pei, I have no intention of plotting against you. Don't we share a common enemy?"

Xiao Yiheng spoke in a solemn and sincere tone.

Pei Yaojun remained silent as the sunlight shifted, then he gritted his teeth and said, "For the sake of the Duke of Yu's mansion, I'll tentatively agree with you."

Xiao Yiheng smiled and nodded.

"From now on, we are allies. Naturally, we must rescue the Duke of Yu's mansion and protect Wenying as she leaves the palace safely."

The oppressive atmosphere in the room dissipated in an instant.

Four men with different intentions finally put aside their differences for the time being because of the same obsession.

After leaving the orphanage, Pei Yaojun went straight to the capital and went to the palace.

Inside the Golden Palace, Xiao Chenlin, dressed in a dragon robe, was bending over to review memorials.

Suddenly, a palace maid stepped forward, bowed, and knelt down.

"Your Majesty, an urgent report has arrived from the northern border. Someone requests an audience, saying they have confidential military intelligence to report."

People from the North?

A hint of suspicion flashed in Xiao Chenlin's eyes, but he also knew that the matter of the Northern Border was of great importance, so he said in a deep voice, "Let him in."

Before long, the person was brought in, but Xiao Chenlin waited for a long time without hearing the person bow.

He frowned and looked up, only to see the sunlight streaming in through the palace gates, and a dark red figure standing below the jade steps, exuding an imposing and awe-inspiring aura.

…………