Nong Nu Jiao

Yan Chenghui stared at her, his gaze sharp.

Cen Lingyi felt that his gaze was sharp as a knife, as if it were gouging out her face, making her unable to lift her head.

At this moment, the pink and tender little one in my arms had run out of patience.

He grew increasingly anxious, his eyes closed, his little face contorted in a grimace as he whimpered and groaned, his mouth agape as he haphazardly touched her clothes in search of comfort.

Cen Lingyi looked down at him, her breast milk swelling in waves.

Compared to other babies who are also a month old, he was thinner. For the two weeks before she came, he didn't really want to drink other people's breast milk, but he was extremely handsome.

This tiny baby has jet-black hair, and especially his eyebrows and eyes. Even with his eyes closed, you can see that his eyelashes are long and distinct, just like his.

"Do I have to say it again?"

Yan Chenghui's dark eyes were icy cold.

Granny Wang, Nanny Liu, and the others knelt on the ground with their heads bowed like quails, not daring to utter a sound.

Who doesn't know that Cen Lingyi offended His Highness the Crown Prince in the past?

Don't drag them down with you.

Cen Lingyi stood frozen for a moment, then slowly moved.

She turned her back, took out a silk handkerchief from her sleeve, and draped it in front of her, covering the little one's face as well.

In this way, even if someone comes to the front, they won't be able to see anything.

Even so, with her back to him, her two small ears were still bright red.

"Your Highness, eat quickly."

She bent down and soothed the little one in her arms.

The little one in my arms was clearly uncomfortable, turning her little face away and pouting, letting out soft sobs, looking pitiful.

"Your Highness, come here."

Cen Lingyi coaxed him gently, and her breast milk flowed out due to maternal instinct, but he refused to drink it.

She hurriedly raised her hand to press it down, so as not to wet the little prince's swaddling clothes.

She tried to coax and coax him, but the little guy just wouldn't eat. He just frowned uncomfortably and whimpered, looking very aggrieved.

Seeing that she couldn't soothe the child either, Liu, the wet nurse, was secretly delighted. She lowered her head and mustered her courage to speak, "Your Highness, today, wet nurse Cen had an affair with a man in the flower bushes by the polo field, and this afternoon she breastfed the little prince. The foul air on her body has offended the little prince, which is why he is crying so much."

She carefully spoke her mind, and Cen Lingyi seemed to know something. She thought it best to strike first and confirm Cen Lingyi's "licentious behavior" to prevent her affairs from being exposed.

After she finished speaking, the room fell silent, as if a heavy stone was pressing down on it, creating an extremely oppressive atmosphere.

Liu, the wet nurse, dared not raise her head, feeling uneasy and puzzled.

Isn't His Highness the Crown Prince the one who hates Cen Lingyi the most? Why hasn't he ordered her to be thrown out yet?

Steady footsteps echoed inside the hall.

Cen Lingyi's body involuntarily straightened.

His steps were slow, each one seemingly treading on her heart.

She was embarrassed and anxious, holding the child in her arms, her clothes already sticking to her body.

"Can't even soothe a child."

Yan Chenghui stopped in front of her, his gaze falling on her with a hint of disdain.

Cen Lingyi hunched her chest, trying her best to cover the wet stain with her arms. Her cheeks were burning hot, and she was so embarrassed that she wished she could squat under the table next to her and disappear from his sight.

Yan Chenghui suddenly raised his hand.

He held a fine sky-blue handkerchief between two fingers and extended it in front of her.

Cen Lingyi tried to take it, but he held on tightly. Her face flushed with embarrassment, and she gripped the baby's swaddling clothes tightly in her arms.

He raised his chin, his long eyelashes drooping as he stared indifferently at the handkerchief, his entire demeanor exuding natural majesty.

"Or are you really dirty?"

His movements were slow and deliberate, but his words were sharper than the sword at his waist.

Cen Lingyi suddenly looked up at him with her reddened eyes. The burning heat spread from her cheeks to her jaw. She bit her lip tightly, and embarrassment filled her chest.

Others may not know what's going on in the flower garden, but surely he does?

He said it on purpose to embarrass her in public and to vent his resentment at being abandoned by her.

Yan Chenghui didn't even look at her and put the handkerchief away.

Cen Lingyi's gaze unconsciously fell on his hands.

His hands were clean and slender, with a cool white hue, and his fingers had distinct knuckles with faint veins visible beneath the skin.

She loved his hands; in the past, when nothing was going on, she always liked to hold his fingers together.

If he was busy with official duties, she would stand by his side and watch him, admiring his beautiful hands, never getting enough of looking at them.

Before my eyes, there was still that hand from my memory, pulling out a handkerchief, its cold, bony features stained with an inappropriate white.

Cen Lingyi's breath hitched.

"Does it look good? Didn't you used to cry and say it was too long?"

Yan Chenghui slowly opened his lips.

Cen Lingyi suddenly realized what was happening, and a wave of shame washed over her.

She felt both ashamed and embarrassed, as if her internal organs were being gripped tightly, and her whole body trembled slightly uncontrollably.

How could he have become like this? To say their private words in bed in front of so many people?

"Wow--"

The little one in her arms, who had been whimpering softly, seemed to sense her embarrassment and suddenly opened her little mouth and burst into tears.

Everyone in the side hall breathed a sigh of relief, as if they had heard celestial music.

"Your Highness, be good, don't cry." Cen Lingyi tied the knot and gently rocked the child in her arms. "Your Highness, in order to frame me, the wet nurse Liu secretly fed Your Highness honey water. Please send someone to fetch the imperial physician to treat Your Highness immediately."

She spoke quickly, rapidly reporting what she had seen.

Seeing the little guy cry, she felt heartbroken, as if her own child was crying, and for a moment she forgot to be afraid of him.

The baby is only a month old and has a delicate digestive system. Honey water can cause abdominal bloating and pain, which is why the baby cries incessantly.

"You, you're spouting nonsense, slandering an innocent person!" Upon hearing this, Liu, the wet nurse, was shocked. Her body trembled uncontrollably, and her face turned deathly pale. "Cen Lingyi, I have no grudge against you, why are you spouting such blatant lies..."

Her body went limp with fear.

Good heavens, how did Cen Lingyi find out?

She shouldn't have been so reluctant to part with that bottle of honey. If she had used it and thrown it away, there would have been no evidence. If she had acted a little later, she wouldn't have been discovered...

Her mind was a jumble of thoughts, a flood of ideas rushing through her head.

"Your Highness can send people to search her room. On the way back to the East Palace from the polo field, I personally saw her coming out of the honey shop." Cen Lingyi's words were firm and resolute. "Your Highness can also see that the little prince's swaddling clothes are covered in honey water and have a sweet honey fragrance."

She could smell the honey as soon as she took the child.

Her voice was like a newly harvested water chestnut from Jiangnan, crisp and sweet, with clear enunciation. Her aura as a legitimate daughter was naturally revealed, making people unconsciously believe in her.

Upon hearing this, Wang Mama and the remaining wet nurses all changed their gaze towards Liu Wet Nurse.

Go search.

Yan Chenghui gave the order indifferently.

A moment later, a bottle of honey and the bowl and spoon that Liu the wet nurse used to feed the young prince were placed on the table in the side hall.

"Your Highness, please spare me! This servant...this servant didn't mean to harm the young prince, it's just...it was just that Nurse Cen's words were too harsh, and this servant couldn't stand it, so I wanted to give her a little punishment as a warning..."

Liu, the wet nurse, knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly and kowtowing repeatedly.

"You dare to punish her?"

Yan Chenghui glanced at her sideways, a hint of malice flashing in his dark eyes.

A short sentence, yet every word is chilling.

"It was Madam Sun, Madam Sun instructed me to do this..."

"That's what Liu the wet nurse blurted out."

She was Madam Sun's person. If it weren't for Madam Sun's support, she, a mere wet nurse, wouldn't dare to bully Cen Lingyi, who was also a wet nurse.

Logically speaking, she shouldn't have betrayed Madam Sun.

But if she doesn't speak up, she'll only face death!

Upon hearing this, Cen Lingyi's heart stirred slightly.

She had known Madam Sun before; her father was a valiant cavalry general, and she had grown up on the frontier before returning to the capital.

When she was still the legitimate daughter of the Grand Tutor's family, she only met Madam Sun a few times at banquets and never offended her.

Why is Madam Sun targeting her like this?

Yan Chenghui stared coldly at Liu the wet nurse: "Do you have any evidence?"

"This servant...this servant did not..."

When Liu, the wet nurse, heard him ask that question, she trembled like a leaf.

Madam Sun instructed her in private; what evidence did she have?

"Those who plotted to murder the imperial grandson and framed Lady Sun should be dragged out and beaten to death with sticks."

Yan Chenghui gave the order in a calm voice, his face cold and hard.

Cen Lingyi lowered her long eyelashes, gently rocked the little prince in her arms, her lips slightly pursed, her heart aching.

When Liu, the wet nurse, implicated Madam Sun, he accused her of framing her without even asking any questions, clearly intending to protect Madam Sun.

However, this is quite common, given that Lady Sun was beautiful and charming, and had a good father who was his beloved concubine.

How could he seek justice for someone as lowly as her who had betrayed him?

*

The courtyard of the side hall is paved with bluestone, and a few wispy grasses sprout in front of the stone steps. A few steps away, the vegetation is lush, and the sky is getting dark.

Beside the pillars, Cen Lingyi's profile was bathed in soft light, her features gentle, as she held little Yan Huaijiao in her arms, basking in the warmth of the sun.

She lowered her long eyelashes and looked down at the little one in her arms.

The little one, with a face as pink and white as Yan Chenghui's, was fast asleep with his little mouth pursed and his little fists clenched in his swaddling clothes. He was soft and sleeping soundly, very cute and adorable.

A smile involuntarily crept onto her lips, tinged with a hint of melancholy.

Her child, who knows where he has gone, has anyone taken good care of him?

The day before yesterday, the imperial physician came to diagnose her and prescribed medicine. He told her to take the decoction and let the medicine dissolve in her breast milk for the baby to drink. Judging from the situation, she should have recovered.

"Girl, let me carry you."

Lingzhi stepped forward, her eyes filled with heartache as she looked at her, and spoke softly.

Originally, the young lady was only responsible for breastfeeding the young prince; the rest of the time, they should have been the ones taking care of him.

But the young prince only wanted the girl, especially after that wet nurse Liu secretly fed him honey water, he clung to her even more, and would cry incessantly if she was separated from him for even a moment.

The girl hadn't slept well for the past two nights.

"Don't call me that."

Cen Lingyi carefully handed the child over.

Lingzhi was her former maid. When the incident happened in the mansion, she happened to be delivering something to Yan Chenghui and thus escaped the disaster.

I don't know what Yan Chenghui was thinking, but he kept her in the East Palace and now assigned her as the head maid to serve the young prince.

On par with Lingzhi, there was also Banxia, ​​who was from the Eastern Palace.

"I feel sorry for you," Lingzhi said, her eyes reddening. "Why don't you leave?"

Her daughter was the most dazzling pearl in the capital, how did she end up in such a state?

"Where to?"

Cen Lingyi shook her head slightly; she was already homeless.

Now, she cannot leave the Eastern Palace either.

"Lord Lu has already demoted you to the rank of maid; you are no longer husband and wife. Do you still believe him?"

Lingzhi disliked Lu Huaiyou intensely.

"He has his difficulties."

There was a hint of helplessness in Cen Lingyi's eyes.

When the Grand Tutor's mansion was still in existence, she was showered with love and affection; now she couldn't be too selfish.

Lu Huaiyou saved her family, and she also needed him to find out where her child was. He had also saved her from dire straits, so he owed her a great debt of gratitude.

Even if it were just demoting her from wife to maid and sending her to the Eastern Palace to spy, she would not hesitate to go through fire and water for her.

As soon as Lingzhi hugged Yan Huaijiao, the little guy seemed to sense it and started whimpering with a wrinkled face without opening his eyes.

"I'll do it."

Cen Lingyi reached out and took the little one back.

As soon as the little one was in her arms, she calmed down, stopped crying and whimpering, and fell asleep peacefully again.

"How can he be so clever at such a young age? He didn't even open his eyes, how did he discover that someone had switched people?"

Lingzhi was both annoyed and amused.

Cen Lingyi smiled and gently rocked the little one in her arms.

Yan Huaijiao's intelligence probably came from Yan Chenghui.

Several figures walked in through the courtyard gate.

Cen Lingyi and Lingzhi looked up at the same time and saw Madam Sun leading a group of maids into the room.

Lady Sun was tall and slender, wearing a light red silk skirt with dark patterns in the style of the Lady of the Eastern Palace.

She inherited the physical features of a military family, with sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, fair skin, and red lips, making her a top-tier beauty. However, she was shallow-minded and wore her emotions on her sleeve.

"I have met Madam Sun."

Cen Lingyi and Lingzhi bowed together.

With the child in her arms, Cen Lingyi could only perform a half-bow, a posture that was even more tiring.

Madam Sun smiled coldly, and without telling them to get up, she slowly walked up to Cen Lingyi.

"As expected of the most outstanding girl in the capital, even as a wet nurse, you have to be the best in the Eastern Palace, making the young prince cling to you. You are truly exceptional."

She spoke in a sarcastic tone, a hint of jealousy flashing in her eyes.

In the past, Cen Lingyi was the center of attention, and she was not even allowed to carry shoes. Yan Chenghui at that time wished he could protect her with utmost care.

Now, Cen Lingyi has become the lowest-ranking wet nurse in the Eastern Palace, yet she still flirts with Yan Huaijiao, trying to seduce him.

She felt uncomfortable whenever she saw Cen Lingyi's face.

Adding to her anger, Liu's family went to her parents' home to cause trouble, and her father wrote a letter reprimanding her, which made her even angrier.

"Madam Sun, I can't stand up anymore, I'm afraid the young prince will fall and hurt himself."

Unable to support herself any longer, Cen Lingyi straightened up and spoke in a composed yet respectful manner.

The reason Madam Sun targeted her was simply because she had been engaged to Yan Chenghui, and because she had exposed that the wet nurse Liu was feeding the young prince honey, which probably caused Madam Sun some trouble.

"Who told you to get up?"

Madam Sun was furious and slapped Cen Lingyi across the face.

She was just looking for an excuse to attack Cen Lingyi when Cen Lingyi herself delivered the excuse to her.

With a sharp "smack," a clear finger mark appeared on Cen Lingyi's face.

Startled, Yan Huaijiao in her arms burst into loud sobs.

"girl……"

"Your Highness..."

Lingzhi was busy protecting Cen Lingyi, but Cen Lingyi couldn't care less about the burning pain on her face and was busy comforting Yan Huaijiao.

The other servants were alerted and came out one after another, causing some chaos in the side hall courtyard.

"What's going on?"

Yan Chenghui's clear, cool voice rang out, and the room fell silent instantly.