Only then did Lady Nian come to her senses. Although killing one or two servants was not unusual, this was the time for Lady Nian to vie for the emperor's favor. She did not want outsiders to think of her as a ruthless master, nor did she want to displease the Fourth Prince over such a trivial matter.

So she had her maid give the imperial physician some bribes, telling him to keep his mouth shut and tell the outside world that the wet nurse had died suddenly from a relapse of her old illness.

They silenced the outsiders, but they couldn't keep it from the people of Yikun Palace. Ever since the wet nurse was beaten to death, no one in Yikun Palace dared to anger Nian Shi, fearing that they would be the ones to suffer the consequences. Everyone was silent and dared not make the slightest mistake!

One night, a young palace maid kept watch over Hongfu, who had just recovered somewhat. Hongfu slept soundly, so Lady Nian didn't pay any attention to it.

The young palace maid, half asleep, suddenly noticed a noise outside the window. Thinking it was just the shadow of a leaf, she got up to close the window.

But when the young palace maid went to the window, she found that everything outside was calm, and then said in confusion, "That's strange, I clearly saw something just now..."

Just then, a white figure flashed past the little palace maid. Before she could react, she screamed in fright, covered her ears, and ran out like a madwoman.

Everyone in Yikun Palace was awakened. The young palace maid, still shaken, kept repeating, "It's the wet nurse, the wet nurse's ghost has returned..."

For a moment, everyone became uneasy. The news spread like wildfire, and people firmly believed in the existence of the wet nurse's spirit. Hongfu was also startled awake and began to cry incessantly again.

The maid noticed that Hongfu's body temperature was abnormal and hurriedly went to wake up Madam Nian. When Madam Nian heard that Hongfu had developed a high fever again, she was furious and came to Hongfu's room wearing her clothes.

The imperial physician arrived shortly after and examined Hongfu carefully, but all his efforts were in vain. After a whole night of trying, Hongfu's high fever still wouldn't subside by the next morning.

Only then did Madam Nian become frightened. The people in the room began to whisper among themselves, saying that the wet nurse whom Madam Nian had beaten to death the night before had returned to seek revenge. Madam Nian angrily rebuked them, "What nonsense are you all talking about?"

The young palace maid trembled, knelt on the ground crying, and pleaded, "Your Majesty, I really saw a ghost last night... It must be that wet nurse coming back to find the young prince..."

Pretending to remain calm, Ms. Nian asked, "What did you see?"

The young palace maid sobbed uncontrollably, "Last night, I was watching over the young prince as he slept soundly, and he didn't have a fever. Suddenly, there was a noise outside the window, so I got up to close it. Just then... I saw a shadow, and it looked very much like that wet nurse..."

Lady Nian felt a chill run down her spine. The maid continued, "I heard that people return after seven days. That wet nurse has been taking care of the young prince. Maybe...maybe it was when she came to see the young prince that he developed a high fever..."

The imperial physician, who hadn't believed in ghosts or spirits, was frustrated by his fruitless night and feared Lady Nian's wrath. He had no choice but to kneel and say, "Your Majesty, I can cure most common illnesses and fevers, but this time the young prince's fever is very strange, and I am truly at a loss..."

The imperial physician's words further corroborated the little palace maid's account, and the wet nurse's ghost became even more convincing. Lady Nian also began to panic, realizing the seriousness of the situation and her inability to bear the consequences. She immediately sent someone to fetch the Fourth Prince...