Chapter 180
Lu Jiaxue led his men away from Jinling the next day. He might have been prepared, as the next day, a judge named Ye Yan came to his residence.
The judge was a civil servant in the Five Military Commandery. Luo Yining had met this man in the Ningyuan Marquis Mansion. He was Lu Jiaxue's confidant.
Ye Yan was a chubby fellow, wearing a floral gown. He was very affable. He had a good temper and a constant smile. When she met him, she would see him through the screen. If she needed anything, she could just ask him. Yining didn't usually have anything to ask him for.
During the month of confinement, she couldn't bathe or get any fresh air. She lay in bed all day. She could only cuddle and play with her little Tuanzi. Tuanzi was still tender and soft, and after eating, he'd fall asleep in Yining's arms, spending most of the day asleep. When she woke from a nap, she'd feel a warm little body leaning against her, and she'd always lean over to kiss his face.
Xuezhi watched from the side and said with a smile: "Young lady, you were not so well-behaved when you were little. You would wake up the lady three or four times every night. As long as the lady coaxed you, the nurse would not hold you. Although the lady said that you were dependent on her, she loved you very much. She got up personally every night to take care of you..."
After listening to this, Yining seemed to be thinking about something and looked up at Xuezhi.
"You have to give the young master a nickname so that he can hear you calling him." Xuezhi said softly.
Yi Ning also wanted to give him a nickname. Nicknames are more casual, as long as they are easy to pronounce and sound good. She squeezed his soft little fist and said, "I'll call you Bao Ge'er!"
From then on, she called him Baoge'er Baoge'er.
Fortunately, they had a wet nurse, as Yining's milk supply was insufficient. Sometimes the child would wake up in the middle of the night, his little head nuzzling against her chest, but he could only eat a little. Yining would have no choice but to ask the nurse to carry him out to sleep.
After carrying him out, she was still worried about whether he would cry or not. She listened carefully to the movements in the east warm room next to her and fell asleep after a long time.
Yining sometimes played with him with his little hands and feet and called him "Bao Ge'er". He would tilt his head as if to see who she was.
On the day of the full moon, Yining was finally able to take a bath and wash her head, and took Baoger, who was wrapped in a small blanket, for a walk in the backyard. Baoger seemed to feel sleepy and hid his head in the small blanket to sleep.
Yi Ning sat in the pavilion for a while before returning. The next day, she discovered her gold hairpin was missing. Ye Yan, who was with her, heard what had happened and said, "Madam left it in the grass by the pavilion while she was out in the garden with the wife of the prefect. I've had someone return it to her dressing gown."
Luo Yining said, "Mr. Ye Yan's observations are very subtle. I really admire him."
Ye Yan is indeed a powerful person.
"My lady, you are so kind." Ye Yan said with a smile, "Those who can work for the Marquis are not ordinary people. This is all I can offer."
Holding the lost and recovered golden hairpin, Yi Ning pondered slowly. She had indeed left it in the pavilion. Just how thorough Ye Yan's surveillance could be. This man was truly formidable. Moreover, the child was so young. How could she possibly travel thousands of miles with a toddler? She might as well figure out a solution once she reached Xinzhou.
Perhaps everyone in the capital thought she was dead. There had been no news for over a year. She wondered what Luo Shenyuan would think when he saw his child, a tiny Luo San. His personality was somewhat similar to his. Yi Ning thought how wonderful it would be if he could hold his sons, one big and one small.
*
They did not leave immediately after Yining was one month old, fearing that the child could not bear it. They waited until October, when the child was already three months old.
The carriage, surrounded by guards, marched along the road in a mighty procession, accompanied by maids and servants. It was obvious that a wealthy family was traveling, and other carriages traveling the same route would give it a wide berth. The journey from Jinling to Xinzhou involved passing through Anhui and Henan provinces, switching from water to carriage, and it had already taken half a month before Yining and the others reached the Shanxi border.
Yining didn't mind, but she was worried that Bao Ge'er might feel uncomfortable. Fortunately, the weather wasn't too cold.
Three-month-old Bao Ge'er, cradle in his nurse's arms, was a delicate, delicate creature. His round eyes, like longan kernels, followed Ye Yan's movements, fixated on his quivering mustache, completely absorbed. Ye Yan was always cheerful, and Bao Ge'er loved looking at his mustache.
Yining held Baoger in her arms and prepared to take him to take a nap.
Xuezhi had already made the bed, and the nurse had dressed Baoger in a small red brocade jacket. He lay in bed, sucking his fingers. Yining placed a rattle in front of him, and Baoger stretched out his little hands to clap it, making a crackling sound. Then he looked up at her curiously. Yining thought he was adorable and kissed him on the cheek.
The baby was three months old and could already recognize people. He always clung to Yi Ning and needed her to hold him. At night, he would be fed by the nurse before being put back to her. Sometimes, Yi Ning would feed him, and he would lower his head and rub his little nose against her chest, clinging to her for a while, and he would fall asleep after a while.
When Yining was about to get up, she saw him leaning against her, with soft and fine hair on his head and long eyelashes, so handsome.
When the carriage passed through Wutai County, Yining stopped. Mount Wutai in Wutai County is the most sacred mountain in Buddhism, and she wanted to ask for a talisman for her child.
Ye Yan naturally wouldn't agree to go up the mountain. He cupped his hands and said, "If my madam wants it, I can get it for you."
Yi Ning half-opened the curtain and said calmly, "They say sincerity is the key to success. I haven't prayed in person, so how can I expect it to work?"
Ye Yan simply smiled. "If Madam is truly sincere, even the Buddha knows whether you will go or not. I also need to send the newly made map to the Governor, and I'm afraid that going there will delay your journey."
As expected of a confidant, his words were so watertight. Yi Ning couldn't say anything more.
Ye Yan stopped the carriage at the post station to rest, and then sent two people on horseback to Mount Wutai.
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