Chapter 11 If He Were the Daughter's Father, Shen Yunrong Suspected She Was...
Shen Yunrong suspected that she was hallucinating from being so cold, and wondered why the person she saw looked so much like Zhao Linzhang.
"Come up quickly!" Zhao Linzhang waited for her to move, and seeing that she was dressed thinly and her lips were pale from the cold, his eyes darkened: "Siliang is still crying and waiting for you to come back."
She was determined to go back because she was worried that the young master would cry. Hearing this, she grabbed Zhao Linzhang's frozen hands, but she couldn't muster any strength to push him up.
Seeing this, Zhao Linzhang wrapped his long arm around her waist. In a dizzying moment, Shen Yunrong was already leaning against a warm chest. Before she could even catch her breath, the man above her said, "Hold on tight! Giddy up!"
The weightlessness she felt as the horse galloped away frightened her, and she turned to the side, clinging tightly to the man.
"The carriage ahead has broken down, Liu Hu, go check it out! Let's head back to the manor first!" Zhao Linzhang shouted loudly in the howling cold wind without stopping, and then sped away.
She didn't know how long they had been running, but the warmth from the man's body warmed her icy hands and feet, and the air was filled with the cool, refreshing scent of Zhao Linzhang.
Not only her hands and feet regained sensation, but also her brain. Under Shen Yunrong's palm was Zhao Linzhang's lean waist. Apart from that unfamiliar man, this was the first time she had been so close to a man, and she didn't know where to put her hands and feet.
As she tried to let go, the horse jolted, and the man above her breathed hot air into her ear: "Don't move, hold on tight to me!"
Shen Yunrong dared not move. Under her black cloak, she was protected from the wind and snow, and she could clearly hear Zhao Linzhang's strong and powerful heartbeat.
Lost in a daze, she felt safe and secure in his warm embrace, as if he had shielded her from all the storms outside.
It was as if only the two of them remained in the world. Zhao Linzhang held the reins in one hand and wrapped the other arm around the small body under the cloak. Even through the deerskin gloves, he could feel the softness that was different from his own body.
The guards followed at a distance, and he couldn't help but slow down. Noticing that the person in his arms didn't dare to move, he chuckled and said, "You dare to take a knife, but you don't dare to ride a horse?"
Shen Yunrong wasn't afraid to ride the horse; she was afraid to move around in his arms. Her hands and feet, which had just warmed up, were slightly itchy, and she was struggling to resist the urge.
"This servant dares not move rashly, for fear that Your Highness will have difficulty controlling the reins."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Linzhang lowered his head and met Shen Yunrong's small face, which had just peeked out. In her bright, star-like eyes, he could clearly see his reflection.
Zhao Linzhang stared intently at the tiny pink lip color that had just appeared, his hand around her waist gently sliding behind her head. He suddenly wanted to taste whether those lips were as delicate as they looked.
Shen Yunrong met Zhao Linzhang's deep eyes, and as his face drew closer, she hurriedly buried her face in Zhao Linzhang's chest again: "Your Highness, how much longer until we arrive?"
Zhao Linzhang immediately came to his senses and said dejectedly, "We're almost there, hold on tight to me!"
"We're here. Are you feeling unwell?" Zhao Linzhang's voice rang out, pulling Shen Yunrong back from her reverie. She peeked out, and a gust of cold wind made her shiver.
Zhao Linzhang dismounted first, then carried her down. Noticing she was cold, he took off his cloak and draped it over her shoulders.
Shen Yunrong hurriedly declined, saying that she couldn't afford this cloak even with a year's worth of monthly salary.
"No, Your Highness, I'm not cold!"
"Just wear it as I tell you to. If you catch a cold, where will Siliang find another wet nurse?" Zhao Linzhang ignored her retreating and draped his slightly short cloak over her, which was still dragging on the ground.
Yes, the young master needs to drink milk every night and he can recognize people. If someone else comes to him, the young master might not want to.
Shen Yunrong wrapped the cloak tighter around herself; her body, which had just been warm, now felt cold again.
Seeing that she was keeping her head down and not speaking, Zhao Linzhang took off his deerskin gloves and said to her, "Siliang is waiting for you!"
He clearly wanted to ask her if she was cold and if she had eaten dinner, but instead he asked this question. Zhao Linzhang watched her curtsy and leave, stood there for a while, and then left as well.
The young master's face was flushed from crying, and when Li Mama and the maids saw her, they felt as if they had seen a savior.
Seeing her wearing Zhao Linzhang's cloak, Granny Li's expression changed: "It's so cold, quickly go and boil a bowl of ginger soup for Granny Chen to warm her up."
I was in such a hurry to feed the young master that I forgot to take off the prince's clothes.
No wonder Granny Li and the maid looked at her strangely earlier. You can tell the difference just by looking at the prince's clothes, let alone this cloak worth thousands of gold pieces.
She quickly and carefully took off her clothes, then picked up the child, unbuttoned her shirt, and soon the little boy drank his milk and fell asleep. He was still sobbing in his sleep. If it weren't for meeting the prince today, the little guy would have cried for who knows how long.
The maid brought over ginger soup, and Shen Yunrong, afraid of catching a cold from walking in the snow for so long, gulped it down. She couldn't afford to get sick now; she'd heard that her previous wet nurse had suddenly fallen ill, which was why she'd been given this job in the Prince's mansion.
Looking at the sleeping young master, Shen Yunrong thought of getting up to change her clothes. When she saw the cloak she had just placed on the table, she was in a dilemma. This cloak couldn't be washed, and she wondered if the prince would dislike it if she wore it.
However, she dared not keep such an expensive garment without permission. After thinking for a moment, she wiped it again and again with a damp cotton cloth. Then she placed the cloak near the stove to dry it slowly.
Having barely slept all night, Shen Yunrong saw that her cloak was clean and dry. She had just gotten into bed and dozed off for a while when the little boy started whimpering and was about to wake up. She had no choice but to fight off her sleepiness, get up, and breastfeed him.
Just as she was wondering how to return the coat to Zhao Linzhang, she heard the sound of maids bowing at the door.
It was Zhao Linzhang who had come. He rarely came this early. Without thinking, Shen Yunrong, holding the child, hurriedly stepped forward to greet him.
"Get up. How was Siliang last night?" Zhao Linzhang, carrying the chill of the wind and snow, wondered where he had gone so early.
Shen Yunrong lowered her head and replied, "Young Master drank his milk and went to sleep last night."
Zhao Linzhang nodded and reached out to shake Xiao Siliang's little hand: "Your godfather is going out for a while, be a good boy!"
Shen Yunrong felt that these words were spoken to her. She didn't know if Zhao Linzhang was looking at the child or at her, and she didn't dare to look up.
After playing with the child for a while, Zhao Linzhang was about to leave when Shen Yunrong remembered his cloak.
"Your Highness, wait a moment!" She hurriedly carried the child into the inner room and took out her cloak.
Zhao Linzhang looked at his coat, which was neatly folded.
"Your Highness, I have dried it. You can wear it when you go out."
Zhao Linzhang nodded, and Xiao Siliang stretched out her arms for him to hold her, so he took the child in his arms.
Shen Yunrong was momentarily at a loss, her hands holding the cloak blankly, unsure of what to do.
"Hmm? Help me put it on!" Zhao Linzhang noticed her confusion and sighed inwardly.
"Yes!" Shen Yunrong unfolded the cloak, tiptoed and draped it over Zhao Linzhang, carefully avoiding the child's little hands that wanted to grab it. She then tied the cloak's straps around Zhao Linzhang's neck.
She could feel the intense gazes above her, and her heart pounded as she helped Zhao Linzhang get dressed. She took a step back before daring to thank him, "Thank you so much, Your Highness, for everything yesterday!"
Again, so distant and formal. Zhao Linzhang smiled wryly. She wanted to remain chaste for her deceased husband; he couldn't even defeat a dead man. Oh well, a woman—what kind of woman couldn't he, Zhao Linzhang, have? Why dwell on a widow determined to remain chaste?
After returning the child to Shen Yunrong, Zhao Linzhang, wearing a cloak, nodded and left without saying anything more.
Shen Yunrong held the child and watched his departing figure, feeling a bitter taste in her mouth. She always remembered her identity.
No sooner had Zhao Linzhang left the mansion than Xue Mingxin entered.
Upon entering the mansion, they went straight to the young master's courtyard. Shen Yunrong was coaxing the young master to sleep when two old women came in. Without saying a word, one took the child from her arms, and the other pushed her to the corner of the wall.
"You dishonest wet nurse, how dare you steal from your master!" an old woman shouted as she pushed her.
Faced with this sudden turn of events, Shen Yunrong shook her head in denial. How could she possibly steal anything!
"What else is there to say? The evidence is irrefutable. Take him away and lock him up. He'll be sold tomorrow!"
Xue Mingxin walked in and looked at Shen Yunrong with disgust.
The word "sold off" enraged Shen Yunrong, who pushed away the two old women's hands: "This servant is not selling herself to the Prince's Mansion, Miss Xue has no right to sell this servant!"
Upon hearing this, Xue Mingxin was furious: "Whether or not I'm sold is my decision, how dare you, a lowly wet nurse, shout about it!"
"This servant did not steal anything!" Upon seeing Xue Mingxin, Shen Yunrong felt that she was probably not going to escape today. She didn't know why this girl disliked her so much.
"If you didn't steal it, then what is this? This was found in your bundle!" Xue Mingxin threw out a baby's gold bracelet.
Shen Yunrong recognized it as belonging to the young master. He would always bite it when he wore it, so she had just taken it off and put it away. How did it end up in her bag?
"This belongs to the young master. I put it in his chest and cabinet. How could it be in my bag?"
"My cousin isn't in the manor. Let's see how you try to deny it. Guards, lock this slut up and sell her off tomorrow. Don't break the rules of the Prince's manor!" Xue Mingxin sneered. This face was meant to seduce her cousin. She wished she could poke her face to pieces right then and there.
Shen Yunrong shouted again, and an old woman stuffed a rag into her mouth. The disgusting smell made her almost faint.
She can't confess like that; she didn't steal the things.
Her desperate struggles only resulted in the two old women twisting and hitting her.
Pushed out, she ran into Granny Li. Shen Yunrong was overjoyed and sobbed for help, but Granny Li turned around and acted as if she didn't recognize her.
Even after being locked in the stable, Shen Yunrong still couldn't believe that she had suddenly become a thief.
She slammed her head against the simple wooden door of the stable, making a loud clanging sound, until she was completely exhausted, but no one came to look at her.
She dared not think about what would happen to her daughter and mother if she were sold off tomorrow.
Snowflakes kept falling from the sky. She barely slept a wink last night, and this unexpected turn of events this morning left her with almost nothing to eat.
Only her longing for her daughter and mother kept her from closing her eyes and falling asleep.
She even thought that if the man on the mountain was King Zhuang, at least her daughter would have someone to rely on for the rest of her life, and she could die in peace tonight.
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