Chapter 13 Embarrassing "You just woke up, don't move around, the rest..."
"You've just woken up, so don't move around too much. Don't worry about anything else, just focus on getting better."
After Zhao Linzhang finished speaking, the doctor rushed over and, after taking Shen Yunrong's pulse, reported: "Your Highness, the young lady's high fever has subsided. She should eat some easily digestible porridge for the next two days and rest for a few more days, and she will be fine."
After saying this, he bowed and went to write a prescription. Zhao Linzhang saw that she had woken up and was still weak, so he left her with the words "take good rest" before leaving.
Shen Yunrong was indeed listless this time; despite sleeping for so long, her eyelids were still heavy.
Confirming that she was still alive and had not left the palace, she closed her eyes again and fell asleep peacefully.
When she woke up again, her maid woke her up and she ate half a bowl of porridge and half a bowl of dark brown medicine.
After the warm porridge went down her throat, she regained some energy and realized that she was in an unfamiliar room, and she didn't recognize any of the maids.
"What's your name? Where is this place?" Shen Yunrong asked anxiously as she watched the maid tidying up the empty bowls and heading out.
"Replying to Miss, my name is Xiao Qiu. I just entered the manor. The Prince sent me to serve you." After saying this, Xiao Qiu curtsied and left.
No wonder Shen Yunrong had never seen her. Judging from the furnishings in the room, it must be in a courtyard somewhere in the Prince's mansion. She can't go to the young master's courtyard like this, for fear of passing on her illness to the child.
Zhao Linzhang came over in the evening. Shen Yunrong was already able to get out of bed. When she saw him enter the house, she knelt down and performed a grand ceremony. He had saved her, as well as her mother and daughter.
"You're still sick, get up!"
"This servant thanks Your Highness for saving my life," Shen Yunrong said, bowing in gratitude before rising.
"You have suffered because of me. Granny Li has been sent back to live out her old age, and all the others have been expelled from the manor. You can rest and recuperate in Qingfeng Courtyard."
Upon arriving at Qingfeng Courtyard, Shen Yunrong was shocked. Wasn't this the courtyard where the Prince resided?
She thought she was in some secluded courtyard, but she never expected that the prince would take her into his Qingfeng Courtyard.
“This servant…”
Seemingly noticing her unease, Zhao Linzhang explained, "In the heat of the moment that day, you stayed in my courtyard first. Siliang already has a new wet nurse to take care of him, so don't worry."
With the new wet nurse, my heart, which had just been at ease, is now on edge again. What about her? Will she be abandoned?
Zhao Linzhang watched as her pale face changed color again and again, her emotions truly written all over her face. He smiled and said, "Siliang still misses you. She searches for you in the house every day, and only when she can't find you does she whine and cry herself to sleep."
Children have the purest hearts; she cherishes and loves them, and the child depends on her.
"This servant will take good care of myself." She also longed for the little master's soft little body, his contented sleeping face nestled against her chest.
"Hmm!" Zhao Linzhang nodded and went out after seeing that she was indeed much more energetic.
No wonder his elder brother always wanted him to get married. There wasn't a single mistress in the palace, and these unruly servants had turned his backyard into a complete mess.
It is said that one should marry a virtuous wife. Even a noblewoman like Xue Mingxin would rather marry a woman from a humble family. When he mentioned humble families, he frowned.
After Li Mama left the manor, Zhao Linzhang brought back the young eunuch who had served him in the palace to serve as the head eunuch of the manor. He dared not use women again, not even the older ones.
The new head steward's surname was Tan and his given name was Zhongxin. True to his name, he was extremely loyal to Zhao Linzhang. If it weren't for reassuring Granny Li, Zhao Linzhang would have wanted to ask him to leave the palace long ago.
Shen Yunrong's illness was caused by the release of her pent-up anger; once it returned, her illness healed quickly.
By the second day, she felt much better, but fearing she might still be sick, she didn't dare to see the young master. On the third day, she specifically asked the doctor if she was alright, and now she was just waiting to meet the prince to ask him for instructions.
She was suffering terribly from the waiting; her breasts had been engorged with milk for the past two days. She would secretly squeeze out some milk while changing clothes, but it would soon become painfully engorged again.
If she didn't let the little boy drink milk, she was afraid her milk would dry up, and she would really lose her job.
Never before had Shen Yunrong so desperately hoped to see Zhao Linzhang. She looked towards the door more than ten times in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, but she never saw that figure.
When it was already dark, Zhao Linzhang finally appeared. Shen Yunrong hurriedly stepped forward to greet him, but before she could speak, Zhao Linzhang spoke first: "Siliang has been crying a lot these past two days. The doctor said that there is something growing in his mouth and he can't eat well."
Upon hearing that the young master was ill, Shen Yunrong immediately said anxiously, "I am well, Your Highness, please allow me to take care of the young master."
Zhao Linzhang had the same idea. The little one grew up on her breast milk and was closest to her. A couple of days ago, she was not feeling well and could not let anyone see the child while she was sick. She had recovered, and the child missed her very much.
Having received Zhao Linzhang's approval, Shen Yunrong quickly curtsied and left Qingfeng Courtyard, heading towards Wangyue Tower, where the young master resided, with Xiao Qiu following behind her.
As he passed the doorway, Tan Zhongxin bowed slightly to her and said, "Miss Chen."
Shen Yunrong quickly curtsied. This Steward Tan was being too polite to her; she was just a lowly wet nurse.
Upon seeing the young master, Shen Yunrong noticed that even though it had only been three days, his once chubby face had become noticeably thinner. She picked up the child, who burst into tears the moment he saw her.
The two newly arrived wet nurses stood awkwardly to one side. One of them, who looked older, said, "The young master won't drink milk, and no matter how we try to coax him, it won't work."
Shen Yunrong didn't have time to get to know the two new wet nurses. She gently coaxed the young master, "Wet Nurse Shen is here, young master. Wet Nurse knows your mouth hurts. Just sleep for a while and you'll feel better."
The young master fell asleep wearily to the sound of her gentle voice. His arms, which used to be as thin as lotus roots, felt much thinner to the touch even through his thick clothes.
Shen Yunrong then asked the two new wet nurses, "Has the little boy taken any medicine because his mouth hurts and he can't drink milk?"
The same elderly wet nurse replied with a worried expression, "I tried to feed him, but the young master won't eat anything. The medicine is bitter, and he vomits it up as soon as he takes it."
They can't force-feed a child that isn't their own. This is a precious gem; they wouldn't dare do that even if they had a hundred lives.
Shen Yunrong carried the sleeping child into the inner room, her brows furrowed. She herself couldn't bear not eating or drinking for the past few days, let alone such a small child.
Let the two wet nurses go back to rest, and tell Xiao Qiu to brew another bowl of the young master's medicine. Since the young master doesn't want to take the medicine, let her take it and then breastfeed him.
The little one, who had only been asleep for a short while, started whimpering and waving his arms and legs. He was hungry. Shen Yunrong quickly unbuttoned his clothes, and Xiao Siliang sucked hard into his mouth, immediately crying loudly in pain.
Feeling both distressed and anxious, Shen Yunrong suddenly noticed the small bowls and spoons on the octagonal table and had an idea.
She squeezed out a small bowl of milk, which the little boy drank in just a few gulps, clearly because he was extremely hungry.
After drinking the medicine that Xiao Qiu brought, Shen Yun squeezed out another bowl and fed it to the young master.
The little guy drank until he was half full, then looked at Shen Yunrong with curiosity, occasionally giggling, which made Shen Yunrong both love and laugh!
Xiao Qiu was sent to rest. She really wasn't used to having outsiders present when she was expressing milk; even a young master made her blush.
After drinking three small bowls, the young master was still not full and stared longingly at Shen Yunrong.
After finishing his official duties, Zhao Linzhang remembered that Xiao Siliang was feeling unwell, so he left his study and went straight to Wangyue Tower.
The maidservant at the door bowed to Si Liang. Even before he entered, he could hear children laughing inside. These past few days, every time he came to see her, he heard crying. It seemed that Si Liang truly loved this wet nurse. So he stepped inside.
The sound was coming from the inner room. After accidentally seeing Xiao Siliang drinking milk last time, he rarely went into the inner room. But the child's laughter attracted him and made him unable to resist going in to see what he was laughing about.
Shen Yunrong was facing away from him, her body trembling slightly, while she was talking to Xiao Siliang on the bed.
The sound of Zhao Linzhang's approaching footsteps startled Shen Yunrong from her reverie. She turned around abruptly, her hands still moving, and stared in surprise at Zhao Linzhang outside the screen.
Even more surprised than her was Zhao Linzhang, who saw her holding a ripe, dewy peach in one hand, her small face filled with astonishment. The sight of the ripe, red, and delicate fruit on her fair skin was so striking that he forgot to turn around for a moment.
Shen Yunrong thought the person who came was Xiao Qiu. When she was suddenly seen seeing the prince, she was so frightened that she lost her composure. She immediately tore off her clothes. She didn't know if Zhao Linzhang saw it, but she had to explain: "Your Highness, the young master's mouth hurts and he can't drink milk. I thought I would express some to feed him."
Zhao Linzhang couldn't hear what she was saying at all; the image of a peach dripping with dew kept replaying in his mind.
The last time he saw her was in the dim light of night, unlike today when the sunlight streamed through the window and fell on her, and he could see her clearly.
"Take good care of Siliang!" Zhao Linzhang said with difficulty, then quickly turned and fled.
He strode to Qingfeng Courtyard and washed his face with the cold water in the basin inside the room.
His wildly beating chest gradually calmed down. He had been busy all day, worrying about Si Liang's illness, and he didn't mind letting him see such a sensual scene.
"Xiao Liu, prepare the horses, I'm going on a long trip!" Zhao Linzhang dared not see that wet nurse again; a strange fire was stirring within him.
Xiao Liu glanced at Zhao Linzhang. In the dead of winter, water droplets kept dripping from his face, staining his clothes with a dark color.
"Your Highness, it's cold. Please change your clothes. I'll go prepare the horse right away!"
Zhao Linzhang looked down at his chest, feeling a chill, but he couldn't extinguish the evil fire within him.
He had been celibate for so many years, and if he didn't know about love between men and women, he could still restrain himself. But this young wet nurse looked so much like the girl in his dreams that he couldn't help but take a few more glances.
He looked again, afraid that he might actually be the kind of person who forces others to do things against their will.
Shen Yunrong hadn't seen Zhao Linzhang for several days. The young master's mouth had healed, and she no longer needed to express milk to feed him.
It would be best not to see him. Whenever she thought of that day, she wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground. She wondered how many people the prince had seen.
The children's laughter drowned out his footsteps. He should have had Xiao Qiu stand guard at the door.
Being a wet nurse inevitably meant that her master would see her breastfeeding, but being so exposed like that was incredibly embarrassing. If it weren't for the need to make a living, she would have wanted to go home immediately.
This is even more embarrassing than being completely naked in front of him!
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