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

"Cuihua?" Liu Wenying repeated, her brows furrowing.

Her mind was blank; she had no recollection of the name.

Seeing her awkward reaction, Cuihua's face dimmed.

"We were wet nurses together at the Duke of Yu's mansion. Have you forgotten? Back then, Qiuyue didn't take good care of the young master and even accused you of it..."

Cuihua spoke in great detail, even down to the smallest details.

But Liu Wenying remained bewildered.

Cuihua looked at her empty eyes and gave a bitter smile.

She took half a step back and pulled her daughter behind her.

"Indeed, you are no longer an ordinary person. You are the Imperial Lady of Bu Ning. It is common for noble people to forget things."

Bu Ning Niangzi? Another unfamiliar term.

Liu Wenying had no memory of it, but Cuihua's disappointed and sad expression still made her feel bad.

The woman before him was perhaps a very close person in the original owner's life.

We can't let her misunderstand like this.

"No, I was injured before, and I can't remember many things."

Cuihua's disappointment and distress were replaced by worry. She stepped forward and, no longer caring about hierarchy, touched Liu Wenying's arm.

"How badly were you injured? Are you all healed? Does it still hurt?"

A series of questions, urgent and sincere.

Liu Wenying suddenly felt a lump in her throat. She shook her head and spread her arms to show her.

"I'm much better now. I can walk and jump. It's nothing serious."

"That's good, that's good," Cuihua said thankfully.

After saying that, she took a small cloth bag out of her bosom and stuffed it into Liu Wenying's hand.

"These are osmanthus flowers that I dried myself. They smell wonderful. Take them home and use them to make tea."

"Thank you, Sister Cuihua."

The two were about to speak again when Niu Niu tugged at her mother's clothes and kept yawning.

"Niu Niu is sleepy, I have to go."

Cuihua picked up her daughter.

"By the way, my family has moved to the third house in Zhangmu Lane in the east of the city. You must come and visit sometime when you have time."

"Okay, I'll remember that, and I'll definitely come back to it in the future."

The two agreed, and Cuihua left with her daughter, quickly disappearing into the bustling crowd.

After Cuihua left, Liu Wenying stood on the arched bridge for a while longer.

A night breeze blew by, carrying with it the faint smell of gunpowder left after the fireworks had burned out.

Perhaps because she had been waiting in the same spot for a long time, Liu Wenying was drawn to the stalls at the bridgehead.

Clay figurines, masks, paper cuttings, sachets... all kinds of items, a dazzling array.

Liu Wenying saw a small stall selling bracelets. The stall was very simple, with only a square wooden table covered with a dark blue coarse cloth.

Dozens of hand ropes, each a different color and intricately woven, were neatly arranged on the cloth.

She walked up to the stall and bent down to examine it closely.

"Madam has excellent taste. This is no ordinary bracelet. The beads and silk threads have been soaked in medicinal herbs. Wearing it for a long time will be good for your health."

The stall owner was a woman in her forties with a friendly smile.

"Soaked in medicinal herbs?"

Liu Wenying picked up a bluish-green one and brought it close to her nose; it did indeed have a medicinal smell.

"Yes, it actually originated from the Duke of Yu's mansion."

It is said that there was a clever head maid in the Duke's mansion who, seeing the abundance of mosquitoes in the summer, soaked silk threads in insect-repelling herbs and braided them into bracelets for everyone to wear, which were both mosquito-repelling and beautiful.

It's the Duke of Yu's mansion again.

Liu Wenying held the bracelet in her hand, as if she had made something like it a long time ago.

But if you think about it carefully, it's all a foggy, blank space.

"What's the name of that head maid?"

The stall owner laughed and said, "How would I know about things in the government office? I just heard someone say that, thought it was a good method, so I learned how to make some and started selling them."

Unable to get a definite answer, the flutter in her heart lingered. Liu Wenying clutched the bracelet, liking it more and more as she looked at it.

"I'll take this one." He said, reaching for his purse.

He reached into his sleeve pocket, but it was empty.

She then remembered that all her money had been with Pei Dingxuan when she went out today.

She rarely goes out and never carries any money with her; she had forgotten all about it in a moment of inspiration.

Liu Wenying's cheeks flushed slightly. She put the bracelet back and said shyly, "I didn't bring enough money. I'll come again next time."

The stall owner wasn't annoyed and smiled, "Alright, madam, take care."

Liu Wenying turned and left.

She had barely walked away when two men approached her stall.

One wore white, the other a scarlet robe; both possessed an elegant and refined air.

The one in white had a cool and aloof demeanor, with delicate features.

The one in the scarlet robe had a pair of captivating eyes, and smiled before even speaking.

It was Pei Zeyu and Pei Yaojun.

Pei Zeyu, who had been keeping his eyes straight ahead, suddenly stopped in his tracks when his peripheral vision caught sight of the bracelets on the stall.

When the stall owner saw him stop, he immediately started promoting his product.

"Young master has a discerning eye. This bracelet is a rare find, crafted with the skills of the Duke of Yu's mansion. You can't buy it anywhere else, and wearing it is truly beneficial to one's health!"

Pei Yaojun showed little interest. "We're here to see Yingying today, and you have the leisure to look at this?"

He raised his hand seemingly unintentionally, and his sleeve slipped down, revealing the light green bracelet on his wrist.

The bracelet was so faded that it was unrecognizable, the silk thread was worn and frayed, and a section of it had broken in the middle. It was clumsily pieced together with a thinner thread, and there was a small bump at the knot.

"Besides, that thing isn't even a tenth as good as the one Yingying made for me."

Pei Zeyu didn't turn around, but said indifferently, "It's all tattered and broken, yet you treat it like a treasure."

Even if it's dilapidated, it's better than some people having nothing at all.

Pei Yaojun shook his wrist, making a pointed gesture.

Pei Zeyu was too lazy to reply to him, so he took out a small piece of silver from his sleeve and placed it on the stall.

"I'll take this one."

The stall owner was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly. He quickly wrapped the bracelet in oil paper and handed it over with both hands.

As she collected the money, she grumbled, "Young master is such a generous man. Just now, a lady also took a liking to this one, but she didn't have enough money. It was just a missed opportunity."

Pei Yaojun had already turned to leave, but Pei Zeyu suddenly stopped.

"What did that lady look like?"

The stall owner was taken aback and recalled, "Almond-shaped eyes, fair skin, very beautiful, wearing a light white dress, the fabric of which looked expensive, and a kingfisher feather hairpin in her hair. She was no ordinary lady. It was just that I didn't see any maids or servants with her, which I found strange."

Almond-shaped eyes? Fair skin? Could it be her?

"Anything else?"

The stall owner felt nervous under his cold gaze and tried hard to recall.

"When she heard me say that this bracelet was originally made by a maid in charge of the Duke of Yu's mansion, she specifically asked what that maid's name was. I said I didn't know, and she didn't ask any further."

Pei Yaojun turned back. "You don't think that person is Yingying, do you?"

Pei Zeyu did not answer.

Pei Yaojun denied it first.

"Impossible. How could Yingying not know the bracelet she made for me? She knows better than anyone how the bracelet was braided and what herbs were used to soak it."

"But Wenying wouldn't disappear for several days without contacting us."

Pei Yaojun's expression changed. "You mean..."

"There are many strange drugs in the world. It is not impossible for someone to use drugs to control her, erase her memory, or make her delirious."

…………