Nong Nu Jiao

Upon hearing this, Cen Lingyi's dark pupils suddenly contracted, and she subconsciously looked up at him.

Yan Chenghui also lowered his eyes and stared at her, his eyes filled with a thick, dark color, making it difficult to tell whether he was happy or angry.

Cen Lingyi knew that he meant what he said.

If she still insists on not eating the lychee, he really will have Lu Huaiyou come and feed it to her.

The situation will only become more awkward then.

Yan Chenghui held the lychee between his fingers, pursed his lips, and stared at her intently, motionless.

At this moment, Yan Huaijiao, who was in Cen Lingyi's arms, saw the lychee in his hand.

His dark eyes lit up, and from afar he opened his little mouth and took a bite of the lychee.

He's at the age where he's teething, and he wants to chew on everything he sees.

Yan Chenghui extended his hand forward, pressing the lychee against Cen Lingyi's lips, squeezing out cool, sweet juice.

Cen Lingyi finally opened her mouth.

Under the watchful eyes of Lu Huaiyou and the other two, he put the lychee in his mouth, his teeth cutting through the flesh, and the sweet juice filled his mouth.

What should have been an extremely rare delicacy tasted bitter to her.

"Well……"

Yan Huaijiao was a step too late and missed biting into the lychee. She grumbled in dissatisfaction and opened her little mouth to try and nibble on her lips.

Cen Lingyi dodged away, reached out and took a lychee, peeled it, and put it to his lips.

Yan Huaijiao can already eat some lychee juice.

Yan Huaijiao put her little mouth to the lychee and sucked on it. When she tasted a little sweetness, her dark eyes lit up and she sucked even more vigorously.

Cen Lingyi felt that the little guy had relieved a lot of her embarrassment.

At least, Lu Huaiyou and the other two won't just be watching her.

After finishing the lychee flesh, she held the lychee pit in her mouth, looked around, and wondered where to spit it out.

Yan Chenghui suddenly reached out to take it.

Cen Lingyi pursed her lips in fright and stared at him in astonishment.

He used to take care of her like this, but now she wouldn't dare spit lychee pits into his hand.

Yan Chenghui withdrew his hand, his ears turning red, a hint of embarrassment and annoyance flashing in his eyes: "Let's see if you have the guts."

"This servant wouldn't dare."

Cen Lingyi lowered her head, her posture respectful.

Yan Chenghui remained silent and peeled a few more lychees to feed her.

Cen Lingyi lowered her long eyelashes and obediently opened her mouth to eat it all.

Resistance was futile; she was no match for Yan Chenghui in terms of either physical strength or social status. If she did not comply, she would only become a laughingstock.

"Click—"

As Lu Huaiyou watched this scene, he unconsciously broke the bamboo chopsticks in his hand, making a soft cracking sound.

He didn't realize it.

Before her eyes, only Cen Lingyi was held in Yan Chenghui's arms with an absolute possessive posture, as he fed her one crystal-clear lychee after another.

They were very affectionate, like a married couple, and even held a happy child in their arms.

If you didn't know, who wouldn't think they were a family of three?

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he wanted to rush forward and pull Cen Lingyi out of Yan Chenghui's arms, but he couldn't.

In the end, he could only lower his head and silently swallow the bitterness and blood in his mouth.

Cen Lingyi felt that time was extremely long, and the sweet and refreshing lychee tasted like chewing wax when she put it in her mouth.

But she ate it all.

After eating most of the lychees, Yan Chenghui finally stopped.

Yun Que brought forward a copper basin filled with clean water.

Yan Chenghui washed his hands, wiped his fingertips with a fine white handkerchief, and looked down at Lu Huaiyou's face.

"Does Lord Lu seem to have a poor appetite?"

His cool gaze fell on Lu Huaiyou's face, and he spoke in a low voice.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. It's too hot, and I'm not very hungry."

Lu Huaiyou forced a stiff smile, only to realize when he looked down that the chopsticks in his hand had already broken.

Yan Chenghui picked up his jade chopsticks again and gestured to Chaoyunque.

Yun Que stretched out her hands and brought a plate of dishes closer.

Cen Lingyi glanced at it and saw that it was a plate of steamed shad.

Shad was a tribute item from Jiangnan, and it's only available during this season each year.

The imperial kitchen was very particular about cooking, and the dishes were beautifully presented.

The fish is steamed with tender bamboo shoots and ham as a base, seasoned with Shaoxing wine and a little salt, and the scales are still attached. The fat on the scales will seep into the fish meat as the temperature rises, making it tender and sweet.

She had eaten it at home before; it was a gift from His Majesty when he trusted her father.

Yan Chenghui used the tip of his chopsticks to part the fish scales, revealing the slightly translucent milky white fish skin, and the tender, white, and delicate fish meat, as smooth as solidified fat.

He picked up the plump fish belly and fed it to Cen Lingyi's lips.

Cen Lingyi stepped back, her long, dark eyelashes trembling slightly. "Your Highness, fresh shad is a tribute from Jiangnan. This servant is of lowly status and is not worthy to receive it."

Given her current status, how could she possibly deserve to eat this?

"You're naturally unworthy." Yan Chenghui scoffed. "Open your mouth. How can you feed such an orphan if you don't eat?"

"It's the same whether I eat something else or not."

Cen Lingyi still instinctively resisted.

Those chopsticks, Yan Chenghui used them, and now he's feeding them to her again, how can that be justified?

Princess Anshun and Consort Gu are on good terms, so Princess Anshun will definitely tell Consort Gu what happened today, which will probably cause her more trouble.

"Lord Lu, you feed him."

Yan Chenghui put down the fish on his chopsticks, his gaze indifferent as he looked at Lu Huaiyou across from him.

"Your Highness..."

Lu Huaiyou's voice was hoarse, his eyes were fixed on the table, and his expression was troubled and somewhat embarrassed.

"What, you don't want to?"

Yan Chenghui stared at him, his dark eyes unreadable, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Since Cen Lingyi has become the young prince's wet nurse and is serving in the Eastern Palace, she will naturally fulfill her duties. Please do not make things difficult for her, Your Highness."

Lu Huaiyou kept his tone calm, but his hand under the table was already tightly gripping the hem of his clothes, his knuckles pale.

Yan Chenghui was being so intimate with Cen Lingyi right in front of her, yet he could only humbly offer kind words of advice.

Damn it!

Once the Second Prince succeeds, he will definitely trample Yan Chenghui underfoot and humiliate him thoroughly.

"I'm too busy doting on her to make things difficult for her," Yan Chenghui said, his gaze cold as he looked at Cen Lingyi. He then fed her another piece of fish with his chopsticks. "Nanny Cen, don't you think so?"

This time, Cen Lingyi did not resist and ate it.

He's not like he used to be; he can't just do what he says anymore.

Even if she wasn't afraid of embarrassment, she still had to consider Lu Huaiyou's feelings.

Oh well, on the bright side, it's just about feeding her, nothing else, so she should just eat.

The fish meat was tender yet firm, fresh, sweet, and refreshing—a delicacy she hadn't tasted in a very long time.

Ignoring the gazes of Lu Huaiyou and the other two wasn't a bad thing for her.

She told herself that she just needed to be a little thick-skinned.

In this way, under everyone's watchful eyes, Yan Chenghui fed her most of the meat from a shad.

"Hmm..."

Yan Huaijiao watched as the pieces of fish on the tip of his chopsticks went into her mouth one by one. He opened his mouth for a long time but couldn't get a bite, and he couldn't help but get a little anxious.

"Your Highness, you are too young to eat yet."

Cen Lingyi patted him gently to comfort him.

Yan Chenghui put down his chopsticks and stood up.

Yun Que quickly waved his hand and ordered, "Pack up."

The things brought out from the Crown Prince's Palace must naturally be brought back exactly as they were.

Cen Lingyi also stood up, holding Yan Huaijiao, and stood to one side.

As she watched Yan Chenghui walk out, Yun Que and the others packed their things and followed him out.

"Your Highness."

She chased after him.

"What's up?"

Yan Chenghui glanced at her coldly.

"My leave hasn't come yet, please take the young prince back first."

As Cen Lingyi spoke, she stepped forward and was about to hand Yan Huaijiao over to him.

The reason he was given to Yan Huaijiao instead of Yun Que and the others was because Yan Huaijiao was shy around strangers, and he would only stop crying when Yan Chenghui held him.

"He'll cry if he leaves you."

Yan Chenghui coldly uttered a sentence and then mounted his horse.

"But Your Highness, it is not yet time for me to return to the East Palace."

Cen Lingyi frowned as she looked at him.

She had other things to do, and it wasn't convenient to have a baby with her.

Moreover, Yan Huaijiao is Yan Chenghui's only child and the current emperor's grandson.

She was out with Yan Huaijiao; if anything happened to her, she couldn't afford to pay for it even if she had ten lives.

"I didn't tell you to go back."

Yan Chenghui sat upright on his tall horse, glanced at her with an air of noble indifference, pulled on the reins, and rode away.

"Hmm..."

Yan Huaijiao didn't understand anything, and even pointed in the direction Yan Chenghui left, signaling Cen Lingyi to follow.

"Your father is deliberately trying to keep me from having any peace."

Cen Lingyi lifted him up a little, and gently pinched his little face with a hint of helplessness.

Yan Huaijiao didn't understand anything and opened his mouth to chase her hand.

Cen Lingyi sighed.

She rarely had a peaceful day, and Yan Chenghui even brought Yan Huaijiao out and left her with it.

It was intentional; he just didn't want her to be out there unharmed.

She stepped outside.

"Orderly ceremony."

Lu Huaiyou's voice came from behind.

Cen Lingyi turned to look at him.

Princess Anshun and Lu's mother stood side by side behind him.

"I'm leaving now."

Cen Lingyi smiled at Lu Huaiyou.

The Lu Huaiyou in front of her felt like a stranger.

His attitude towards Princess Anshun, and his behavior today, aroused her suspicion.

Lu Huaiyou doesn't seem to have been forced to marry Princess Anshun.

So, is Lu Huaiyou really helping her?

She needs to calm down and think things through.

"Wait a minute, didn't you say you wanted to..."

Lu Huaiyou looked at her with a complicated expression, and took a step forward to catch up.

She said she wanted to borrow five taels of gold.

He planned to give it to her, but he couldn't say it out loud so that his mother and Princess Anshun behind him could hear.

"No."

Cen Lingyi resolutely refused.

It wasn't that she was suspicious of Lu Huaiyou, but now that he had Princess Anshun, it would be inconvenient for her to help him.

She carried Yan Huaijiao and left without looking back.

"You vixen, you deserved to be humiliated like that by His Highness the Crown Prince."

Princess Anshun cursed when she saw Lu Huaiyou staring intently in the direction Cen Lingyi had left.

Lu Huaiyou snapped out of his daze, glanced at her, and said nothing.

"Princess, it's not worth getting angry with such a servant."

Lu's mother stepped forward and comforted Princess Anshun with a smile.

"Look at my skirt."

Princess Anshun looked down at her disheveled skirt and felt even angrier.

When His Highness the Crown Prince arrived, not only did she fail to punish Cen Lingyi, but she also spent half the day wearing these wet and dirty clothes.

When has she ever been treated like this?

"Isn't it just a coincidence today? The young prince is crying and begging for her, she's lucky." Madam Lu took her arm and lowered her voice, "She's already homeless, and she'll have to come to our residence on her days off. If the princess wants to vent her anger, she'll have plenty of opportunities."

Princess Anshun's expression softened after hearing her say that.

Cen Lingyi carried Yan Huaijiao out of the Lu residence, across the intersection, and along the main road toward the East Palace.

She dared not take the little one outside the East Palace, fearing something might happen.

Fine, let's go back early.

At that moment, a luxurious carriage approached, and the aroma of incense filled the air from afar.

The carriage was driven by a well-dressed maid.

Upon seeing this from afar, Cen Lingyi immediately retreated to the side of the road, hugged Yan Huaijiao tightly in her arms, and turned her back to the carriage.

She's fallen on hard times and has no face to see her old friends.

Even her old friends probably wouldn't recognize her.

Contrary to her wishes, the carriage stopped behind her.

Princess Taihe's clear and crisp voice rang out behind her.

"Sixth grade?"

Cen Lingyi froze, neither responding nor moving, but a bitter feeling welled up inside her.

She was Princess Taihe, Yan Chengzhen, and her best friend since childhood.

She was the youngest child in the family, the sixth in line, and Princess Taihe was used to calling her "Little Six".

After the incident at the Cen family residence, she never saw Princess Taihe again.

"Xiao Liu, I know it's you."

Princess Taihe climbed out of the carriage, jumped down, and walked behind her.

"This servant greets Your Highness."

Cen Lingyi turned around, her long eyelashes drooping, and did not look at her, but simply curtsied.

"What are you doing? Do you expect me to use you as a form of greeting?"

Princess Taihe supported her, her eyes instantly reddening.

Xiao Liu has lost weight and is no longer as bright and flamboyant as before. She looks so humble, it breaks her heart.

"Your Highness, there is a distinction between superiors and inferiors, this servant..."

Cen Lingyi finally looked up at her, her words tinged with sadness, but also with a sense of relief.

After the incident at home, she went through so much that she was often unmoved.

Princess Taihe looks the same as before.

She had almond-shaped eyes, unlike the usual gentle and delicate women; she was tall and had a rather heroic air about her.

"Don't refer to yourself like that, I can't stand it. How could you go to the East Palace as a wet nurse without sending anyone to me? It would be better for me to bring you into the palace as my maid than for you to stay with Fifth Brother, wouldn't it?"

She raised her hand to tidy up the stray hairs at Cen Lingyi's temples, feeling heartbroken.

"His Highness the Crown Prince has been good to me."

Cen Lingyi raised her eyebrows and smiled at her.

"Don't try to fool me. Song Mingchi told me everything. Fifth Brother treats you very badly."

Princess Taihe felt increasingly saddened as she looked at her.

Xiao Liu abandoned her fifth brother, so how could her fifth brother possibly treat her well?

"Did Jingxiao send you to find me?"

Cen Lingyi began to understand.

"Yes." Princess Taihe nodded. "He said you'd be coming to the Lu residence during your day off, and it would be inconvenient for him, a man, to come, so he asked me to come and fetch you. Is this Fifth Brother's child?"

She tilted her head and curiously looked at Yan Huaijiao.

When Yan Huaijiao saw her approaching, he immediately hugged Cen Lingyi's neck tightly, hid in Cen Lingyi's arms, and timidly looked at Princess Taihe.

He was shy and refused to be touched by anyone other than Cen Lingyi and Yan Chenghui.

Every time Lingzhi held him, he would cry and fuss incessantly if he was awake.

"Um."

Cen Lingyi nodded and gently patted the little one's back reassuringly.

"He looks quite like Fifth Brother." Princess Taihe glanced at him again, then reached out to touch the little boy's face. "Hmm, why do his eyebrows and eyes look so much like yours?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Cen Lingyi took it as a joke and found it somewhat amusing.

"Little thing, why aren't you majestic and imposing at all? You're not like your father at all!"

Princess Taihe saw the little guy dodging, so she deliberately pinched his cheek.

"He's still young, you can't pinch his cheeks, or he'll drool."

Cen Lingyi protected the little one and warned her.

"All right."

Princess Taihe withdrew her hand.

"Since you're here, lend me five taels of gold."

Cen Lingyi raised her eyebrows and smiled as she extended a hand towards her.

They were very close, even closer than sisters, and even after a long time apart, they didn't feel any awkwardness.

"What do you mean by 'borrow'?" Princess Taihe changed her answer to "broken jade."

The maid, Suiyu, immediately took the purse and stepped forward.

"Take it."

Princess Taihe took the purse and placed it in Cen Lingyi's hand.

"You don't need that much..."

The purse felt heavy in her hand, probably worth more than ten taels of gold, and Cen Lingyi quickly declined.

"Take it." Princess Taihe pushed her hand back: "When your family was in trouble, my mother locked me in my bedchamber and had people watch over me day and night. I couldn't get out and couldn't help you..."

As she said this, she lowered her eyes, looking sad and heartbroken.

"Don't say that, those are things you can't control."

Cen Lingyi patted her arm to comfort her.

His Majesty was furious about the Cen family's affair.

If Princess Taihe gets involved, not only will she lose her title as princess, but she may also lose her mother's position as a concubine.

Her mother was right.

"Don't just stand here, come on, I'll take you to a nice place."

Princess Taihe tugged at her sleeve and turned to lead her into the carriage.

"I can't go. His Highness is here. I have to take him back to the East Palace."

Cen Lingyi stood still and explained to her.

"Aren't you off today? Why did you bring him along?"

Princess Taihe frowned, looking puzzled.

"His Highness the Crown Prince sent this." Cen Lingyi looked at the little one in her arms. "He said he cried a lot in the Eastern Palace."

"Then take him with you."

Princess Taihe continued to pull her into the carriage.

"This is not good. After all, he is the young prince of the Eastern Palace. I cannot bear the responsibility if anything goes wrong."

Cen Lingyi hesitated and refused to step forward.

"What are you afraid of? I've brought so many men, can't we protect you and this little guy? Let's go."

Princess Taihe dragged and pleaded with her relentlessly.

"Where to?"

Cen Lingyi had no choice but to get into the carriage.

Just then, she had something to ask Princess Taihe.

Originally, she wanted to find an opportunity to ask Song Mingchi for help in the future, but asking Princess Taihe now is the same.

"It's an absolutely wonderful place. Your fifth brother wouldn't let you go before, but now that no one can stop you, I'm determined to take you there to experience it."

Princess Taihe's eyes sparkled, and she held up one finger, looking mysterious.

"Could it be some kind of brothel?"

Cen Lingyi nudged her with her shoulder and asked with a smile.

She still understood Yan Chengzhen.

Yan Chengzhen had been sneaking out of the palace since he was a child and loved to play in brothels, theaters, and other similar places.

She went with them a few times.

Later, Yan Chenghui had a falling out with her and wouldn't let her go.

She never went there again.

"You'll see when we get there. I'll let you vent your anger today."

Princess Taihe still didn't say where she was going to take her.

Yan Huaijiao in her arms whimpered and snuggled closer to her.

Cen Lingyi reached out to loosen her belt, and when she saw Princess Taihe looking over, she explained with a smile.

"He's hungry and wants to nurse."

Princess Taihe remained silent, watching Yan Huaijiao drink milk voraciously.

Xiao Liu used to be so bright and flamboyant? In just over a year, she's fallen to this state.

She felt uneasy.

Yan Huaijiao drank milk heartily, her eyes slowly narrowing, her eyelashes growing long.

He was woken up by his father, and having not slept all morning, he was feeling sleepy and was about to fall asleep while nursing.

"Xiao Liu, where is your child?"

Princess Taihe remembered to ask Cen Lingyi.

She knew that Xiao Liu had abandoned her fifth brother to marry Lu Huaiyou, and she also knew that Xiao Liu had given birth to a child.

But I don't know how she suddenly went from being Lu Huaiyou's wife to a maid, and then to the East Palace's wet nurse.

Cen Lingyi sighed, her eyes dimming, and remained silent for a moment.

Seeing her like this, Princess Taihe knew that the child was probably not well, and fearing that she would be sad, she dared not ask any further questions.

"Zhenzhen, Jing Xiao should have some people he can use, right?"

After a while, Cen Lingyi suddenly asked a question.

"You need men?" Princess Taihe said, "I have some under my command. How many do you need? I can give you all of them."

"No need, you can help me look into some things."

Cen Lingyi paused for a moment before speaking.

"Investigate what? Tell me."

Princess Taihe couldn't help but look at her.

"First, help me find out where my child is."

Cen Lingyi lowered her long eyelashes and spoke slowly.

"Your child is missing?"

Princess Taihe frowned; she had never heard of this matter.

"Yes, she was taken away by the Second Prince at birth, and there are no clues."

Cen Lingyi frowned and shook her head.

"What does Second Brother want to do? I'll talk to Song Mingchi later. Don't worry too much, Second Brother probably wouldn't lay a hand on a child."

Princess Taihe agreed, feeling even more sorry for her.

"There's one more thing. Have someone secretly collect the accounts of the materials my father bought from prefectures, counties, canal wharves, and shops along the way when he was working on flood control. I need them."

Before today, she had never doubted Lu Huaiyou.

My father was framed for embezzling 400,000 taels of silver from the imperial court for river works and tens of thousands of bushels of grain for disaster relief during the flood control efforts.

Furthermore, within the Cen residence, a small doll engraved with the emperor's birth date and time was unearthed, leading to accusations of using witchcraft and regicide.

The Cen family ended up with the men being beheaded and the women being sold into the brothel.

She had always wanted to clear her father's name, and she thought that Lu Huaiyou was the one doing these things, so she was too embarrassed to urge him.

Seeing Lu Huaiyou's attitude towards Princess Anshun today, she suddenly became suspicious.

The fact that the child couldn't be found could be attributed to the Second Prince's reluctance to admit anything, which is understandable.

How come there's still no result after more than a year of investigating the materials provided by the purchasing agents along the route?

The most likely scenario is that Lu Huaiyou wasn't investigating these matters for her at all.

"Leave it to me."

Princess Taihe patted her heart and agreed.

"Your Highness, Miss Cen, we've arrived."

The sound of shattering jade came from behind.

Princess Taihe lifted the curtain, glanced back, and said with some annoyance, "Go and tell them to find a place to hide, so they don't show up in front of me."

When she goes out to play, she hates being followed by a bunch of subordinates.

"Yes."

Suiyu responded and raised her voice to give the order.

Behind the carriage, the large entourage immediately scattered and hid in various places.

"Zhenzhen, where is this...?"

Cen Lingyi, holding the already sleeping Yan Huaijiao, looked up and saw the three characters "Xizhou Pavilion" written on the shop's plaque.

"What is it?"

Princess Taihe put her arm around her shoulder and asked with a smile.

"A brothel?"

Cen Lingyi guessed.

"It's a brothel," Princess Taihe whispered in her ear, "but it's a brothel where women like us have fun."

She laughed as she spoke.

"What do you mean?"

Cen Lingyi was puzzled.

"They're all handsome young men inside," Princess Taihe said, pulling her along. "Come on, let's go in. I'll give you a big surprise."

"No, I have His Highness with me..."

Cen Lingyi shook her head like a rattle-drum.

She had heard before that there were places in the capital for women to have fun.

But aside from being the wet nurse of the Crown Prince's palace, she is also a mother. How could she act recklessly in such a place?

"Isn't he asleep? Let Suiyu hold him." Princess Taihe pulled her inside. "It's just a place for drinking and merrymaking, what do you think? Come on, you don't have a husband now, who can control you?"

Cen Lingyi was dragged along by her and had no choice but to follow her inside.

Upon entering, one discovers that while the Xizhou Pavilion appears ordinary from the outside, its interior is a hidden gem.

Enclosed by high walls and surrounded by bamboo and trees, it is very quiet.

The attic was covered with light blue gauze, isolating it from the outside world and making it very private.

"Sit here."

Princess Taihe pulled Cen Lingyi to sit down in front of the seats.

Cen Lingyi turned to look at Yan Huaijiao.

The little one was nestled in Suiyu's arms, his head moving back and forth, sleeping restlessly.

"Suiyu, if you wear my clothes, he won't be able to sleep peacefully without me."

Cen Lingyi took off her outer garment and handed it to her; this was a method she and Lingzhi often used when they were in the Eastern Palace.

Suiyu laughed: "Miss Cen's trick really works."

Cen Lingyi smiled and lifted the wine pot to pour fruit wine for herself and Princess Taihe.

"Here it comes, here it comes."

Princess Taihe nudged Cen Lingyi.

Cen Lingyi looked up and saw a tall and upright figure outside the gauze window coming into the pavilion.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she nearly dropped the wine jug from her hand.

Why is Yan Chenghui here?