Chapter 096
Chapter 96: The Shadow Guard Will Call the Wet Nurse
[Wasn’t Madam Zhang always kept in the dark about everything?]
[Years later, her adopted son grew up, discovered his origins, reunited with his widowed birth mother, and conspired to drive Madam Zhang out of the house.]
[She had toiled her whole life, managing the household for that scoundrel, raising his illegitimate child—only to end up cast out and starved to death with nowhere to go.]
[But what’s going on now?]
[Lord Zhang’s affair with a boy courtesan had been kept under wraps so tightly, how did it get exposed?]
[Which good-hearted soul spilled the truth?]
Mo Yun Han subconsciously turned to look at Madam Yun after hearing her inner thoughts.
In this world, whenever someone’s fate or life story was altered, there was no need to guess—it must have something to do with her family. Surely, it had been mentioned by her in passing, and one of her family members remembered.
Sure enough, once prompted, Madam Yun finally recalled that Little Fourth had indeed mentioned these things through heart voice listening during the full-month banquet. No wonder it all felt so familiar.
At the time, she had felt a mix of sympathy for Madam Zhang and disgust toward the Zhang family’s filth. She’d told her husband about it and then promptly forgot. Apparently, her husband remembered and waited for the right moment to leak it all.
“To think something like that really happened. This Lord Zhang is truly despicable and revolting. I wonder how Old Madam Zhang is reacting now that the scandal has come to light.”
Madam Yun commented lightly. Princess Consort Jing nodded in agreement.
“Exactly. That Zhang man isn’t just despicable—he’s selfish and shameless.”
“He committed such disgraceful acts, yet had the audacity to make Madam Zhang bear the blame, allowing her and her entire maternal clan to be ridiculed.”
“And that old hag, sharp-tongued and vicious, knowing full well it was her son who committed such shameless acts, still pushed all the blame onto Madam Zhang. For years, she’s tormented the poor woman—she’s utterly devoid of conscience.”
“Now the truth’s out and Madam Zhang wants a divorce, but the old hag refuses, wailing that if she insists on separating, she’ll kill herself.”
“Elder sister, just listen to the nonsense coming out of that crone’s mouth!”
“Madam Zhang is still young—why should she bury her whole life in that wretched household? Why should she endure humiliation, raise someone else’s bastard child, live like a widow, and keep the home in order?”
“If you ask me, if that old woman really doesn’t want to live, she should just go drown herself or hang herself—good riddance. The world would be better off without such a pest. Madam Zhang absolutely shouldn’t indulge her any longer.”
Madam Yun nodded. “Indeed. Other than Madam Zhang, there isn’t a single decent soul in the whole Zhang family.”
“Their disgrace is exposed and they still refuse the divorce? Shameless beyond belief.”
“Exactly.”
The two women chatted all the way into the afternoon.
As the sun dipped lower, Princess Consort Jing finally held the young prince’s hand and reluctantly took her leave.
“Sister Ye, I’ve intruded long enough today. I should go. If you’re ever free, you’re always welcome to visit me.”
“I will.”
After sending off Princess Consort Jing and her son, Madam Yun resumed feeding Yun Wan Ning and changing her swaddling.
Full and clean, Yun Wan Ning lay on the bed, her mind wandering between thoughts of Princess Consort Jing and Madam Zhang.
[Ugh, the plot in this world really is a complete mess. Whether main characters or nameless extras, no one’s storyline is intact. No wonder a system had to be summoned to fix it.]
[But with the story this broken, can a single system really turn things around?]
[Honestly, at this point, destroying the world seems more plausible than restoring the plot.]
Suddenly, she thought again of Su Qian Xue and the system.
[Ever since Su Qian Xue changed the communication mode, I haven’t heard any more of their conversations. I wonder how they’re doing.]
[What kind of task did she draw this time?]
[Ugh, whatever. I’m not going to figure anything out just by guessing. Might as well settle down and cultivate.]
Just as she was about to begin cultivation, her thoughts turned to the bracelet on her wrist.
She raised her hand and gently caressed the jade bangle, closing her eyes to let her consciousness slip into the space within.
The spatial ability wasn’t large, and inside it was empty and barren. The only formation present was a very basic spiritual array.
But that didn’t matter. What mattered was—how could this world have a spirit array master?
Who?
Just who was it?
Night fell.
After coaxing Yun Wan Ning to sleep, Madam Yun turned to the man reading beside the bed and said, “Husband, come with me for a moment. I need to ask you something.”
Yun Zheng’s brows twitched slightly. He closed the book and followed her to the outer room.
“What does my wife wish to ask?”
He sat down in a chair, poured a cup of tea, and took a slow sip. Then, without warning, he pulled Madam Yun onto his lap.
She didn’t resist. Once she fell into his solid embrace, she naturally wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Tell me, was it you who leaked the matter about Lord Zhang of the Court of Imperial Supplies?”
Yun Zheng raised a brow. One hand held her slender waist while the other gripped the teacup, his expression lazy and indifferent.
“Yes. Didn’t you, my dear wife, specifically tell me about it because you felt sorry for Young Madam Zhang and wanted me to secretly spread the word?”
“Whatever my wife wishes, as long as it doesn’t harm heaven or humanity, I will always carry it out.”
His honeyed words filled her heart with joy. She lifted her head and planted a loud kiss on his cheek.
“I knew it! The moment I heard about that filthy Zhang scandal being exposed, I figured it had to be you. Well done, husband.”
“Oh, right, husband, about Prince Jing—have you heard… mm?”
Before she could finish, her lips were captured in a kiss.
What began as a simple peck quickly turned into something far more intense. Yun Zheng’s eyes darkened with hunger as he pressed her head closer, devouring her lips.
It wasn’t entirely his fault. She had provoked him first, knowing full well he couldn’t resist her, and still she dared to tease.
After a long while, he finally let her go. Before she could catch her breath, he swept her into his arms.
She clung to his neck, anxiety flashing in her eyes as she met his burning gaze. “Don’t be reckless. Little Fourth is just inside.”
“We’re not staying here. We’re going to the next room.”
“…”
“But what about Little Fourth…”
She still needed supervision at night.
“It’s fine. The shadow guard will call the wet nurse.”
“…”
When Little Fourth woke up tomorrow and found the wet nurse in her room, she wouldn’t stop teasing. How could Madam Yun show her face after that?
And yet, the arrow was already drawn; there was no turning back. She no longer had room to refuse.
Without another word, Yun Zheng carried her into the adjacent room, while the shadow guard stationed in the shadows wisely went to fetch the wet nurse.
They indulged in each other all night.
By the time morning court approached, Yun Zheng—who had not slept a wink—finally let her go, albeit reluctantly.
He gently stroked her cheek and gave her one last kiss. His voice, hoarse and satisfied, dripped with lingering heat.
“Madam, you’ve worked hard. It’s getting late. I’ll change and head to court. You should go back to sleep.”
Madam Yun grabbed his hand and grumbled, “You still haven’t told me about Prince Jing.”
Yun Zheng: “…”
His lady was still thinking about that matter—it seemed he hadn’t worked hard enough in the first half of the night.
“Didn’t Princess Consort Jing come to the manor looking for you? You should already know about it.”
“Prince Jing is in trouble now. From now on, no one will be able to harm the princess consort. The entire Prince Jing Manor will be under her control. What else does Madam wish to ask?”
“It’s not that,” Madam Yun shook her head, looping her arms around his neck to draw him down, then whispered softly by his ear, “Tell me, did something happen to Prince Jing because of the princess consort?”
Yun Zheng raised an eyebrow, surprised: “Madam actually guessed it?”
[When did she become so clever?]
“So it really was the princess consort? Oh, right, I didn’t guess it myself. It was Little Fourth who told me. I just couldn’t quite believe it, so I thought I’d ask my husband.”
Yun Zheng: “…”
So it was Little Fourth. That made more sense. How could his madam possibly suspect Princess Consort Jing on her own?
“Also, husband,” Madam Yun frowned slightly, her voice tinged with concern, “Plotting against the royal family is no small matter. Do you think the princess consort will be alright?”
Yun Zheng answered in a low voice, “Don’t worry. No one will trace it back to her.”
“The Jiang family got involved and forged some evidence. Once the Capital Prefecture Office took over the case, they followed the trail that the Jiang family deliberately left behind. It led straight to Yin Meng Lan.”
“As soon as Prince Jing fell, Yin Meng Lan completely lost her backing. She holds no power, no influence—she’s the perfect scapegoat. The Capital Prefecture Office is eager to close the case. They won’t dig any deeper.”
“Why?” Madam Yun still didn’t understand. “Prince Jing is royalty. Why would his case be handled so hastily?”
Yun Zheng chuckled softly, gently brushing her hair aside as he explained.
“Madam, what difference does it make if he’s royalty? As things stand, Prince Jing has no hope of recovering. Whether he even survives is uncertain.”
“No matter what happens, the royal manor will inevitably fall into the hands of the princess consort. Besides, Master Jiang is a senior statesman of our court. Though he doesn’t form factions, his disciples are everywhere. His status is no lower than Grand Commandant Su or Chancellor Han.”
“The Jiang family also has marriage ties with half the noble families. So why would the Capital Prefecture Office offend both the Jiang family and the princess consort over a prince whose fate is already sealed?”
“So, even if the investigation uncovers any hint of the princess consort’s involvement, they’ll still pin everything on Yin Meng Lan.”
“Yin Meng Lan has no allies and has long been a thorn in the princess consort’s side. As long as the officials aren’t fools, they’ll know exactly what to do.”
“Politics is always a dark place, madam. Don’t imagine the Capital Prefecture Office to be some holy place.”
Madam Yun said nothing.
[Good. That’s a relief.]
After changing his clothes, Yun Zheng left for morning court.
Madam Yun, however, didn’t lie down to sleep right away. After a simple wash, she changed into a fresh set of garments and returned to the bedroom.
Inside, the nanny was keeping careful watch over Yun Wan Ning, leaning by the bed.
Seeing her enter, the nanny nervously rose and bowed.
Madam Yun smiled faintly, pulled out a hairpin from her vanity box, and pressed it into the nanny’s palm with a look of sincere apology. “I’m truly sorry for calling you over in the middle of the night. Here—this is for you, to make up for it.”
The nanny lowered her head, and when she saw the hairpin was made of gold, her face changed in alarm. She quickly waved her hands in refusal.
“Just take it. I’ll feel bad otherwise. I’ll still need your help watching Little Fourth in the second half of the night.”
Madam Yun’s tone was firm. The nanny, unable to decline any further, finally accepted the gift and thanked her.
Grand Commandant Manor.
Su Qian Xue awoke the next day.
It wasn’t until then that she found out Su Jian had also fallen unconscious.
“System, what happened? Why is my father in a coma? And how did his injuries get so serious?”
She already knew her father had been framed by Yun Zheng for trying to assassinate the chancellor’s faction, and was punished by the emperor with a court suspension.
During that time, he hadn’t been able to attend court, and his frustration was clear.
Just two nights ago, Mo Yuan Hao had stirred up trouble at Su Manor. So her father seized the chance to stage a self-injury scheme, hoping to use it against the chancellor’s men and return to court.
Since it was a ruse, he shouldn’t have been seriously hurt.
So what went wrong?
[Oh, Su Jian successfully used the self-injury trick to neutralize the trouble Yun Zheng brought and earned his return to court. But in doing so, he enraged the chancellor’s faction.]
[There were too many officials from that side who had been dragged down by him. Of course they wouldn’t take it lying down. So when Su Jian left the palace after his plan succeeded, those officials ambushed him.]
[After all, with so many people, the law can’t punish everyone. Acting under the chancellor’s orders, they ganged up and beat Su Jian.]
[And that’s why he looks the way he does now.]
Su Qian Xue fell silent.
[Those officials are too bold. Her father was the Grand Commandant. How dare they lay hands on him? Do they not fear the law at all?]
“System, is there any way to teach that chancellor faction a lesson? I want revenge for my father.”
[Host, don’t forget that your priority is still the task.]
[Su Jian won’t die. If you really have energy to spare, you should be focusing on how to get close to Mo Yuan Hao and finish the mission.]
[If you fail this time, not only will you be punished, but the next mission might be even harder. Are you sure that’s what you want?]
Su Qian Xue gritted her teeth.
[Mission, mission. It’s always about the damned mission.]
“Fine. Don’t worry about it. I’ve already made up my mind. Even if the king of heaven comes down, he won’t stop me from doing my task.”
[Alright then, host. Since you’re confident, why don’t you tell me how you plan to complete the mission?]
“No way. I’m not telling you. What if the new heroine hears about it? Just wait and see.”
[Fine, fine.]
After checking in on Su Jian, Su Qian Xue returned to her courtyard and began preparing for her task.
Duke Ning Manor.
When Yun Wan Ning woke up, she found her mother wasn’t sleeping beside her, but lying on the beauty couch by the window.
The nanny was by her side. As soon as she saw the baby wake, she began tending to her with care.
“Shh, young miss, don’t cry now that you’re awake. Madam didn’t sleep well last night. Don’t wake her. I’ll change your diaper and feed you.”
[Huh? Why didn’t Mother sleep well? I didn’t even fuss last night.]
A flicker of doubt passed through Yun Wan Ning’s dark eyes.
But then her gaze brightened with sudden realization.
[I get it now. I get it.]
[Nanny, don’t worry. I’ll be good, I promise. I won’t cry or make noise. I absolutely won’t wake Mother.]