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

With the others present, Pei Yaojun naturally failed.

Liu Wenying blushed and raised her hand to stop him: "Stop fooling around."

Pei Yaojun glanced at the two men who were eyeing him menacingly, and then at Liu Wenying's embarrassed and annoyed expression, and finally reluctantly let go.

But he was still not satisfied, so he quickly pecked her cheek and whispered in her ear:

"The night after tomorrow, please send everyone out of your room, okay?"

Liu Wenying's cheeks flushed.

"What did he say?" Pei Zeyu noticed and asked her.

"It's nothing, just that I should get some rest." Liu Wenying felt guilty, afraid that if she continued, even she wouldn't believe herself.

Pei Zeyu refused to believe it, his eyes filled with even more scrutiny, determined to get to the bottom of it.

Liu Wenying, however, was too shy to speak and swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

He always cherished her and didn't want to force her to do things she didn't want to do.

"It's late, let us take you home first."

"Um."

The next day, Pei Zeyu indeed kept a close eye on things.

Whether she was visiting Wen Jingshu, busy with affairs at the estate, or taking care of Jichuan and Luoluo, Pei Zeyu stayed by her side every step of the way.

I was afraid that if I didn't keep a close eye on them for even a moment, they would snatch it away from me by those red-haired wolfhounds.

Fortunately, Pei Yaojun did not come over all day.

The next day, Pei Zeyu relaxed a little and focused his energy back on Jichuan.

When Liu Wenying had some free time, she thought of Pei Yaojun's words from that day, feeling both uneasy and secretly expectant.

Strangely, Pei Yaojun has not shown up for the past two days.

Given his past behavior, he should have already found various excuses to pester her.

Perhaps he was held up by other matters.

She knew that Pei Yaojun had a house in the capital, although he spent most of his time at the estate.

Although Xiao Chenlin appointed him as the Loyal and Martial General, he only gave him the honorary title and no real power. He didn't have any duties to perform on a daily basis.

But as an official, he still had his busy moments.

Before they knew it, the agreed-upon night arrived. Ji Chuan was taken away by Xiao Zhu to be cared for, while Luo Luo and Xiao Ya went to the orphanage.

Liu Wenying was the only one in the room. The water clock dripped softly, and the candlelight occasionally flickered and burst into a single flame.

Liu Wenying sat on a small couch by the window, holding a book in her hand, but she couldn't read a single word.

She changed into a nightgown, covered with a soft gauze, her smooth black hair draped over her shoulders, and adorned only with a white magnolia hairpin, all in his favorite style.

But even after midnight, Pei Yaojun still hadn't appeared.

The moonlight outside the window was cool and clear, illuminating the courtyard in a silvery white.

The night wind rustled through the bamboo forest, like the sound of footsteps, but when Liu Wenying looked out the window, she saw only an empty corridor.

A sense of unease gradually crept into her heart.

Pei Yaojun was sometimes impulsive, but he almost never broke his promise to her.

If something had really delayed him, he should have sent someone to deliver a message, but now he hasn't even seen a trace of him.

Liu Wenying got up and paced around the room, walking to the door several times before hesitating and stopping.

In the dead of night, where could she possibly look for him?

The lights in his house were off; he wasn't at the estate, and it was too late for him to get to the capital.

Liu Wenying sat back on the couch, no longer annoyed by being stood up, but her unease grew stronger.

Could it be... that something happened?

Once the thought arose, it could no longer be suppressed.

No, he promised he would come.

Liu Wenying forced herself to calm down, blew out the candle, and lay down on the bed.

It was just a broken promise, being stood up. How could she overthink it?

If he doesn't come by tomorrow, I'll just go to the capital and ask him myself.

Liu Wenying closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep. Her conscious mind gradually blurred, and she sank into a dream.

In his dream, it was a gloomy dungeon where Pei Yaojun was chained to a rack, covered in blood.

The jailer picked up a red-hot branding iron and pressed it hard against his chest.

"No!" Liu Wenying exclaimed, suddenly sitting up.

My pajamas were soaked with cold sweat, and my heart was pounding wildly.

The sky outside the window was still dark, and it was still a long way from dawn. Thankfully, it was just a dream.

She clutched her chest, repeatedly telling herself it was a dream, not real.

But that feeling of palpitation couldn't be dispelled in a short time.

With her heart pounding, Liu Wenying couldn't fall asleep anymore.

She got up, put on her coat, and sat by the window until dawn before getting up to tidy herself up and welcome the new day.

"Master! Master!" Xiao Zhu knocked on the door repeatedly.

Liu Wenying opened the door. "What's wrong? Why are you so restless?"

"This morning, news came from the capital that Third Master was taken away by government troops yesterday and thrown into the Ministry of Justice prison on suspicion of treason."

"What?" Liu Wenying's vision went black for a moment, and she barely managed to stand up by holding onto the door frame.

……

The front hall of Zhuangzi.

The dim morning light cast a somber shadow on the blue brick floor through the carved windows.

The hall was full of people.

Pei Dingxuan sat in the hall, dressed in plain clothes and looking solemn.

Pei Zeyu sat at the lower left.

Xue Bi sat on the right.

Lu Ye sat in the armchair with his back straight, showing no signs of having suffered serious injuries.

Although it was early autumn, Wen Jingshu was already wrapped in a thick cloak, supported by Zizhu, with a worried look between her brows.

At the head of the table, Liu Wenying gave the main seat to the oldest lady, Madam Pei.

Madam Pei closed her eyes and twirled the sandalwood beads, letting them slide by one.

Since escaping death in prison, she has devoted herself to vegetarianism and Buddhist chanting, and no longer cares about worldly affairs.

Duke Yu and Lady Pei were also present, with Fourth Lady Pei Rongyue sitting beside her mother.

"How did my third brother end up in jail?"

Fourth Sister Pei Rongyue's eyes were filled with tears.

Duke Yu slammed his hand on the armrest. "You still call him Third Brother? He has long since severed ties with us and is no longer a member of the Pei family!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Pei burst into tears, choking back sobs, "Master... Jun'er... he after all..."

After all, he was the child she raised herself; though not her biological child, he was better than her own.

But now...

Madam Pei shook her head, unable to continue. "Did the messenger say what mistake Jun'er made?"

Pei Dingxuan said, "The crime is colluding with foreign enemies."

"Colluding with the enemy?!"

Pei Rongyue exclaimed, "Third brother is a general! He fought against the Northern Di people, how could he possibly be a traitor?!"

She covered her lips as soon as she finished speaking, looking at her father, Duke Yu, with fear.

The others were also in an uproar, and even Madam Pei paused in her hand as she turned the prayer beads.

"When the officers and soldiers searched his residence in the capital, they found secret letters between him and the Northern Barbarians. The handwriting and private seal matched, and the evidence was conclusive."

Pei Zeyu frowned. "After he returned to the capital, he didn't stay at that mansion for more than a few days. Most of the time, he stayed at the estate."

The imperial residence was a cover; Pei Yaojun would not have come to the capital unless absolutely necessary. Those letters must have been deliberately planted by someone.

Liu Wenying's heart was in turmoil. There were some truths that Third Master had told her she couldn't tell, but now, in this critical moment of life and death, she had no choice but to speak.

"When Third Master returned to the capital and saved everyone, it was through a power struggle with Xiao Chenlin. Xiao Chenlin had long harbored murderous intent towards him."

Pei Rongyue said in a trembling voice, "So, Third Brother severed ties with us because he was afraid... afraid of implicating us?"

…………