"This is what Madam ordered. Madam had something to do today and was unable to see Miss, so she instructed the kitchen to send a plate of snacks over to Miss. Miss should not disappoint Madam's kindness." The nanny was Li Wenruo's wet nurse. Li Wenruo's mother had passed away long ago, so this wet nurse was naturally also Madam Chengyi's person.

As for Hongluo, who had only been there for two or three days, she was not even noticed by the other party. She was just bought by the second young master to be a playmate for the girl. Moreover, judging from her grand demeanor, she was probably not really there to be a maid. Perhaps the second young master was keeping her outside, afraid that the master would find out.

The person who stopped her at this moment was probably trying to save face in front of the girl, to seize her right to speak in front of her, and to make the girl listen to them in the future.

"If you don't eat, I'm afraid I won't be able to explain it to Madam tomorrow."

This is a threat.

Li Wenruo lived under the care of the Lady of Chengyi, so naturally he dared not offend her.

But now that she knows there's something wrong with that plate of pastries, how could she possibly still eat them?

"Put it down for now, Granny. I'll eat later. I just finished dinner and my stomach is a bit full. I think I'll be hungry before bed, so I'll eat then."

Li Wenruo's voice was soft and gentle, and she was always very obedient, so the old woman didn't think that this was just a way for her to stall for time.

The old woman really wanted Li Wenruo to eat right away, so that she could complete her task and take the food with her to report back. However, she also knew that if she urged Li Wenruo any further, Li Wenruo might notice something was wrong, so she suppressed her impatience.

The lady has already told her that when the young lady passes away, her daughter, who is the same age as the young lady, will take her place and become the third young lady of the household.

Thinking of this, the old woman's heart burned with excitement.

As for Li Wenruo, whom he had watched grow up, there was nothing he could do about it since she was just an illegitimate daughter. After all, the mistress of the house was the lady of the house, and if the mistress and master wanted her dead, how could she resist? The fact that they were only sending her a plate of snacks instead of forcing her to drink medicine was already a sign of the master and mistress's mercy, and they wanted her to leave peacefully.

"Granny, you go and rest first. I'll read for a while longer before eating. I understand a mother's loving heart."

The old woman was planning to come back to check later, so upon hearing this, she went to rest.

She was used to acting like a tyrant in Li Wenruo's courtyard; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so easily fooled by Li Wenruo.

Once only she and Hongluo were left in the room, Li Wenruo's face showed a hint of sorrow. "Sister Hongluo, thank you."

"This is what I should do. My duty is to protect you. Tonight, I will take you away from the Marquis of Chengyi’s mansion and to my young lady’s dowry shop."

"I must thank the Crown Princess and my sister, but this means I'm going to cause my brother trouble." Li Wenruo was young, but she had many worries in her heart.

Some were hers, and some were Li Wenfeng's.

Li Wenfeng is not yet engaged, has no concubine, and the household doesn't care about him and his sister. Now, Li Wenfeng wants to take her away from the Earl's Mansion.

Li Wenruo didn't know what would happen after leaving the Earl's Mansion, but she felt that it would be best for her brother to stay. He was only preparing to leave the mansion for her sake.

“Please don’t say that, young lady. To your brother, you are the most important person. If you weren’t here, then there would truly be no one who cares about him. With you here, at least your brother isn’t all alone.” Hongluo saw Li Wenruo’s sorrow, and although she held back, she couldn’t help but pat her head.

This girl is really well-behaved and considerate, but she's just too well-behaved.

He's only eight years old now.

That evening, before the nanny came to check, Hongluo carried Li Wenruo and left the courtyard, avoiding everyone.

She was agile and had excellent martial arts skills; otherwise, Jiang Xuelin wouldn't have sent her to protect Li Wenruo. She could easily evade the guards and servants on night duty in the mansion.

Little Li Wenruo nestled in her arms, watching Hongluo move like an agile leopard, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

That evening, Hongluo took Li Wenruo to stay at Jiang Xuelin's dowry shop. The next morning, she quietly led people back to the Prince Ping's mansion, never leaving Li Wenruo's side.

Meanwhile, the Chengyi Earl's residence was in complete chaos.

When the old woman went in, she saw the plate of poisoned pastries lying there untouched, and Li Wenruo and Hongluo, who should have been in the room, had disappeared. She immediately realized that she had messed up the task assigned to her by Madam Chengyi.

Realizing the seriousness of the matter, the old woman scrambled and stumbled towards the main courtyard.

Upon hearing the news of Li Wenruo's disappearance, Lady Chengyi's heart skipped a beat, and she hurried to find Lord Chengyi, who was resting at his concubine's place.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yibo flew into a rage, shouting, "Useless! All of you are useless!"

If others find out what they are planning to do and report it to the Emperor, their household will be finished!

The Empress Dowager had just issued an edict expressing concern for the daughters of ministers, and they, feeling guilty, wanted to kill Li Wenruo. What is this if not disobeying the imperial decree? Was their deliberate defiance of the decree a sign of dissatisfaction with the Empress Dowager, or simply a guilty conscience?

Most importantly, Li Wenruo's whereabouts are currently unknown. If he is found, in addition to disobeying the imperial decree, there will also be accusations that the Chengyi Earl's Mansion flattered and fawned on the powerful by having their daughters' feet bound!

Realizing what was about to happen to the Chengyi Earl's mansion, the Chengyi Earl had no mind to play around with his concubine and ordered someone to go to Li Wenfeng's place to summon him.

When the topic of Li Wenruo's disappearance came up, Cheng Yibo and his wife stared at Li Wenfeng, trying to read something from his face.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!