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

It started to rain in the afternoon, a few drops falling gently, tapping on the tiles like jade beads falling onto a plate.

By the time of Shen Shi (3-5 PM), the rain not only failed to decrease but instead intensified into a torrential downpour.

Liu Wenying sat by the window, holding a book in her hands, but it took her a long time to turn a page.

She had arranged to have dinner with Pei Dingxuan today, and specially asked the kitchen to prepare several of his favorite dishes.

Steamed sea bass, crab roe tofu, and braised Dongpo pork until tender.

At three-quarters past the hour of You (5:45 PM), the rain had not stopped. He should have arrived by now, no matter what.

Liu Wenying sat at the table waiting. Time passed slowly, and the rain lessened a little, but still showed no sign of stopping.

Liu Wenying got up and walked to the door. A deep puddle had accumulated under the eaves, and raindrops splashed into it, creating ripples.

"Master, the food will get cold if we don't eat it soon," Ling'er reminded softly.

Liu Wenying snapped out of her daze, closed the door, glanced at the dishes on the table that were no longer steaming, and said, "Take them away and reheat them."

Ling'er responded and was about to start when hurried footsteps came from outside.

The door was pushed open, bringing in a gust of damp, cold wind.

Pei Dingxuan stood at the door.

He was soaked to the bone, his official robes clinging to his body, outlining his slender figure. His hair was mostly disheveled, with wet strands sticking to his cheeks and dripping water.

His shoes and socks were covered in mud, and the hem of his robe was splattered with mud, making him look extremely disheveled.

Pei Dingxuan, slightly out of breath, stopped him: "Yingniang, don't retreat."

Liu Wenying hurried over, not caring that he was soaked in the rain, and reached out to touch his sleeve.

"How did it get like this?"

"The carriage got stuck in the mud on the road. I couldn't wait for the driver to get it out, so I walked back myself with an umbrella, but I was still too late."

It's at least several miles from the capital to the village, and he actually walked there.

Liu Wenying's nose tingled with emotion. "Don't do that again next time. Your health is the most important thing."

She turned and told Ling'er to prepare hot water so that Pei Dingxuan could take a bath first, lest he catch a cold.

Pei Dingxuan seemed reluctant and wanted to finish his meal with her first.

Liu Wenying glared at him, feigning anger. "Wait until you've taken a bath before eating. I don't want to sit across from you soaking wet."

Pei Dingxuan had no choice but to obediently go to the bathhouse.

Before long, the dishes were reheated and placed back on the table, and Pei Dingxuan also came out after bathing and changing clothes.

He changed into a clean navy blue casual outfit, his hair loosely tied up with a wooden hairpin, the ends still damp.

After washing away the mud and grime, his brows furrowed, and his upright nose revealed his unparalleled dignity in silent mourning.

However, there were some faint bluish shadows under his eyes, which he must have been tired lately.

Liu Wenying pulled him to sit down, poured him a bowl of hot soup, and pushed it towards him, saying, "Have some to warm yourself up first."

Pei Dingxuan took it, lowered his head and took a sip. He looked up at her, a smile in his eyes: "Delicious."

Liu Wenying placed another piece of fish on his plate. "If you like it, drink more. You must be starving!"

"Okay, don't just keep putting food on my plate, you should eat more too."

The two of them shared food, and soon the food in their bowls piled up into a small mountain.

They ate slowly, and the meal lasted until very late.

After clearing away the dishes, Pei Dingxuan went behind his desk and began reading the documents by candlelight.

The case file was a thick stack, wrapped in yellow silk, with secret markings in vermilion ink on the cover, and the Ministry of War's sealing wax stamp in the lower right corner, suggesting it was an important case related to military equipment.

Liu Wenying brewed some tea and brought it over. Seeing his furrowed brows, she didn't disturb him and quietly sat down to read a book.

But after reading only a few pages, she couldn't help but look up at him again.

"Cough..." Pei Dingxuan suddenly coughed lightly and rubbed his temples.

Liu Wenying snapped out of her daze, got up, went to the kitchen, and boiled a bowl of ginger soup, bringing it over: "Drink some of this to warm yourself up."

Pei Dingxuan took the bowl; the rim was warm, and the spicy aroma of ginger soup greeted him.

He finished drinking and put down the bowl, his brows still furrowed, as if troubled by some problem.

"Have you encountered any difficulties?" Liu Wenying asked softly, sitting down beside him.

"An old case. Three years ago, when the war in the North was intense, a batch of crossbows from the Ministry of War's Ordnance Bureau malfunctioned."

"Since it's an old case, shouldn't it have been closed long ago?"

Moreover, given that it concerns the war in the North, it would not have been delayed until now.

"The matter was settled at the time, but recently the Ministry of War inventoried the old warehouses and found that the number of the problematic crossbows from that year did not match the records in the case files."

"The dossier stated that all three thousand crossbows were recalled and destroyed, but in reality, only the remains of two thousand four hundred were found in the warehouse, and six hundred had disappeared."

Liu Wenying also realized the seriousness of the matter.

If the six hundred crossbows were to fall into the wrong hands, they would pose a significant threat.

Not to mention it's an old case; investigating it now would be even more difficult.

But there's something even more troublesome: Lord Liu, who was in charge of the case back then, has passed away.

If we were to investigate again, it would not only be difficult, but it would also involve a wide range of issues.

Pei Dingxuan rubbed his temples, looking exhausted: "The records of the crossbows entering and leaving the warehouse are incomplete. The craftsmen who handled them back then are either dead or scattered in various places."

I've been investigating for half a month, but something just doesn't feel right; it's like walking into a dead end and not being able to find a way out.

After thinking for a moment, Liu Wenying said softly, "You said the crossbow serial numbers are mixed up... When they were recalled back then, were the serial numbers checked?"

Pei Dingxuan was taken aback.

Liu Wenying continued, "All military equipment must have serial numbers. Six hundred is not a small number. For them to disappear into thin air, either the serial number records are wrong, or... those crossbows were never put into storage at all."

"During the urgent war in the North, the crossbows were probably transported to the front lines in batches, right? Are there any batch transport records that don't match the recall records?"

As if a key had unlocked a mechanism, Pei Dingxuan murmured, "Transported in batches... That's right, back then the war was urgent, and the crossbows were transported to the northern border in three batches: the first batch of one thousand, the second batch of one thousand five hundred, and the third batch of five hundred..."

"Yingniang, I've figured it out."

Pei Dingxuan leaned back in his chair, a hint of relaxation finally appearing in his eyes.

He immediately bent down, dipped his brush in ink, and carefully organized and considered the details of the case.

The flickering candlelight fell all over him.

He was always dignified and solemn, and when he was working at his desk, he was completely focused.

In particular, the fingers holding the wolf-hair brush are clean and slender, the strokes are steady, and the brush tip is vigorous.

Pei Dingxuan was extremely focused, completely immersed in the deduction of the case, shutting out everything around him, with only the case file in his eyes.

Liu Wenying watched silently, her heart stirred slightly.

At this moment, Pei Dingxuan was engrossed in his work, meticulous and attentive, which was truly captivating.

Liu Wenying was so engrossed in reading that she didn't even notice when he stopped writing and looked up at her.

"cough!"

Liu Wenying suddenly came to her senses and met his smiling eyes.

"Have you seen enough, Yingniang?"

Liu Wenying's face flushed, and she looked away. "Who's looking at you?"

"Oh?"

He cupped her face in his hands, turning her to face him. "Who is Yingniang looking at?"

His palms were broad and warm, carrying the scent of ink. Liu Wenying, held so tightly, couldn't escape. She simply glared at him, saying, "So what if I look at you?"

"Not good."

Pei Dingxuan laughed and said, "Look if you want, look openly and honestly."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "If looking isn't enough, you can touch it too."

…………