"Why?" Ye Yunniang asked, puzzled.
Chunyao explained that Zhuang Meixue's family, the Zhuang family, was not particularly prominent before. However, eight years ago, her cousin made a correct bet in the imperial court, and the prince he supported became emperor.
That uncle was promoted to Minister of War within eight years, wielding great power.
Zhuang Meixue's youngest sister entered the palace as a concubine through her uncle's influence.
The dealer's momentum is very strong, and the Lin family has to temporarily avoid their sharp edge.
If Ma Xiangu's pregnancy goes wrong, Zhuang Meixue will definitely not let her off the hook.
"Ma Xiangu is finished." Chunyao was hoping that something would happen to Ma Xiangu.
Ye Yunniang listened without saying much. It wasn't a matter she could easily discuss.
Deep down, Ye Yunniang hoped that Zhuang Meixue could give birth to the child. That way, she would have breast milk, and Jiang Mingzhe would stop bothering her.
Ye Yunniang kept these thoughts to herself and no one.
Ye Yunniang feeds Jiang Tingjun complementary food.
As Jiang Tingjun grew up, he no longer relied solely on breast milk for food.
The kitchen prepared steamed egg custard, minced meat, and other dishes.
With food to eat, Jiang Tingjun's craving for breast milk gradually decreased.
Eat it once in the morning, once before bed, and once when you wake up in the middle of the night.
During the daytime, Zi Yuan usually plays with others.
Ye Yunniang could sense that Ziyuan and the others were slowly distancing themselves from Jiang Tingjun.
Ye Yunniang felt a moment of disappointment, but it quickly subsided. She had come to the Jiang family to be a wet nurse; her mother and Pan'er were still waiting for her.
***
The 28th day of the first lunar month was the day Jiang Mingyue got engaged.
The Jiang residence was brightly decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and everyone was dressed in new clothes.
Ye Yunniang, wearing the newly distributed red cotton-padded coat from the mansion, helped Jiang Tingjun put on his new clothes.
Jiang Tingjun had just finished dressing when he wanted to run outside.
Jiang Tingjun couldn't stay indoors for a moment; except for sleeping time, he wanted to play outside.
Today is a joyous occasion, and fearing that Jiang Tingjun might be startled or offend the distinguished guests while outside, Madam Jiang instructed that Jiang Tingjun should stay in Fanghua Courtyard as much as possible and not go out.
The sounds of string and wind instruments and voices coming from outside the courtyard... Jiang Tingjun could hear them clearly. He repeatedly dodged the adults, trying to rush out.
The lively atmosphere outside was too attractive to him.
Ye Yunniang and the few maids who stayed behind coaxed him, not wanting him to go out.
Jiang Tingjun cried and made a fuss.
Ye Yunniang felt sorry for her, but she couldn't disobey her mistress. She tried her best to coax her, and the maids and servants tried all sorts of tricks, but nothing worked.
Finally, Ziyuan returned and conveyed Madam Jiang's message that Jiang Tingjun could take her to the garden for a while.
To avoid disturbing the guests, Zi Yuan asked Ye Yunniang to take Jiang Tingjun to a quiet spot in the garden to play.
When they arrived at the destination, Jiang Tingjun was still unwilling, his gaze fixed on the source of the noise; he wanted to go there.
"Young master, look at the fish." Ye Yunniang forcibly turned Jiang Tingjun's head so that he could look at the pond beside him.
There are several ornamental koi carp in the pond.
Koi fish come in yellow, red, white, and black, making them very eye-catching.
Sure enough, Jiang Tingjun was drawn to the koi fish and stopped arguing to watch the spectacle.
An old woman next to him took out a pancake from her bosom and handed it to him.
Ye Yunniang took the cake, tore off a piece, and gave it to Jiang Tingjun, instructing him to throw it into the water to feed the fish.
The fish gathered around because there was food.
Jiang Tingjun happily reached out to grab it.
Ye Yunniang couldn't let him do it, so she stopped him.
Jiang Tingjun disagreed and leaned forward, wanting to enter the water.
"The water is cold, it'll freeze your hands." Jiang Tingjun ignored Ye Yunniang's words.
"Ah...fish..." Jiang Tingjun cried out in his anxiety.
"Sister Ye, the young master can speak now." Hongcai, who was protecting him from the side, heard the voice.
Ye Yunniang hadn't expected that the first word Jiang Tingjun uttered would be "fish".
Just as she was about to teach Jiang Tingjun to say "Father, Mother," Zi Yuan arrived. She was ordered to carry Jiang Tingjun to the front yard.
Madam Jiang's family has arrived and wants to see the child.
"Nanny Ye, you go back to Zhiyu Pavilion first," Ziyuan instructed Ye Yunniang while holding Jiang Tingjun.
Ye Yunniang didn't ask any further questions and simply replied, "Yes."
Zi Yuan carried Jiang Tingjun to the front yard, and Hong Cai and the others followed.
In a secluded place, only Ye Yunniang remained.
Ye Yunniang broke up the cakes in her hand to feed the fish, then got up and walked towards Zhiyuxuan.
Afraid of bumping into someone important, Ye Yunniang carefully chose to walk along the side paths. As she was walking, she heard voices.
"Are you really going to marry that playboy from the Lin family?" A clear male voice asked.
"My parents agreed to this marriage, so I have no choice but to marry." The woman's voice was clear and melodious, like that of a nightingale, and sounded somewhat familiar.
"You're really willing to abandon me?"
"I can't bear to. But is there any other way? Will you marry me?"
"You know I already have a wife. I've said it before, I can,"
"My aunt made me swear a solemn oath before she died: I would never be anyone's concubine in this life."
"Mingyue, are you willing to give up our relationship?"
"Bai Lang, don't force me."
"Mingyue, I can't bear to part with you. Please don't marry me, okay? I'll find a way to marry you."
What are your thoughts? Divorce?
"Impossible. If I dare to mention divorce, my parents will beat me to death."
"There's no other way."
"No, there's a way. We can," the voice trailed off, too soft for Ye Yunniang to hear. But what she heard was enough to send shivers down her spine.
In the Jiang family, only the fifth daughter is named Mingyue. On the auspicious day of her engagement, she secretly meets with her lover and even plots to harm his first wife.
Should we tell anyone about this?
Who are you talking to?
Ye Yunniang was anxious. No matter how naive she was as a young wife, she knew that if this got out, the Jiang family would be finished. Although she had suffered some grievances as a wet nurse in the Jiang family, Madam Jiang the Fourth treated her fairly well.
I slapped her twice before, but later found out I had wronged her. I even gave her a lot of compensation.
But how can I put it? This is a matter of life and death.
Ye Yunniang returned to Zhiyuxuan, and after much thought, she still didn't know what to do.
Should I tell or not?
She thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a solution until Pear reminded her that she should go to Fanghua Courtyard to take care of the young master.
Ye Yunniang only then noticed that it was already dark outside.
After changing my clothes, I hurriedly went to Fanghua Courtyard.
Jiang Tingjun was fast asleep at the moment.
Hongcai also had an old woman looking after her.
Seeing Ye Yunniang walk in, Hongcai and the old woman stood up.
"Sister Ye, please look after the young master for now. Grandma Green and I will go have dinner."
“Alright, you all go ahead. I’ll look after things here,” Ye Yunniang said, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
Hongcai and Green Granny left the inner room.
Ye Yunniang reached out and touched Jiang Tingjun's hand; it was warm. She then tucked the blanket around him.
"Young master, it's really good that there's no trouble. I wish I hadn't taken that shortcut. If I hadn't heard those scheming people, I wouldn't be bothered now."
"Young master, why do you think your fifth aunt would be so foolish as to have an affair with a married man? Those two even plotted to harm the original wife. How unlucky that wife is to have fallen for such a heartless man!"
Ye Yunniang didn't dare tell anyone else, so she spoke to the sleeping Jiang Tingjun.
But unbeknownst to them, someone in the shadows overheard them.
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