Mentioning Yun Niang, Xiao Du’s grip on her hand tightened suddenly. He paused for a moment, then asked with a hint of suspicion, “Why do you suddenly want to ask about this?”
Feeling guilty, Yuan Ye lowered her head, her gaze showing signs of panic. “It’s nothing, just suddenly curious about some things from your childhood.”
Xiao Du stared at her for a while, gently reaching out to stroke her hair. “Ye’er, is something bothering you? We’re husband and wife, we should face any issues together.”
Yuan Ye’s heart raced faster. She almost wanted to blurt out all her suspicions and anxieties to him, but quickly suppressed the thought. Without any evidence, she didn’t want to let him know that her mother might have a problem. So she put on a nonchalant expression and said, “Really, it’s nothing. If you don’t want to talk about it, then forget it.”
Xiao Du looked at her with a slightly disappointed expression, but still smiled and said, “Alright, if you say there’s nothing wrong, I won’t ask anymore.”
His words were gentle, but they made Yuan Ye feel a pang of guilt. She knew he must have noticed something, yet he still decided to trust her and not pry into what she didn’t want to talk about. That was the greatest tolerance and respect he could offer.
Just as she sighed inwardly, Xiao Du began to speak slowly, “When I was young, there wasn’t anyone particularly close to me. It seems that since I can remember, the maids around me have been constantly changing. The only one who accompanied me was Yun Niang.” Thinking back, Xiao Du’s eyes also showed some confusion. It was then that he realized that there hadn’t been a fixed servant by his side since childhood. He heard Yuan Ye whisper again, “Is there anyone you remember particularly clearly?”
Lowering his head, he saw her eager face and suddenly remembered something from a long time ago. So he said, “There seems to have been a nanny, who was already quite old. I remember seeing her in Yun Niang’s room once. She held me and said she had held me since I was born, but Yun Niang said she couldn’t see and her mind wasn’t very clear, so she only stayed with me for two years before leaving the mansion.”
“Do you know where she is now?” Yuan Ye couldn’t help blurting out. Xiao Du looked at her with a more probing gaze, but just shook his head and said, “That time she came back to the mansion to get something. I was very young at the time and felt she was a bit strange, so I didn’t dare to get close to her. She left that day, and I didn’t ask much.”
Yuan Ye knew he must be very puzzled, so she took his hand and said, “Actually, I just suddenly wanted to know more about your childhood. Now that Yun Niang isn’t here, I don’t know who else to ask.” She smiled sweetly and said, “As a reward, I’ll tell you about my childhood in return.”
Xiao Du embraced her, resting his chin gently on her head, and said, “Whatever it is, as long as you’re happy, but remember, if there’s anything difficult, you must tell me. Don’t do it alone!”
Yuan Ye nodded quickly, putting on an obedient expression. Then she felt it wasn’t enough, so she tiptoed and lightly pecked his lips. When Xiao Du couldn’t help but want to hold her and kiss her, she blushed and evaded, saying with a smile, “No more, Li Ma is still waiting outside to serve dinner.” Xiao Du felt reluctant and held her in his arms, lowering his head to nibble at her ear, saying resentfully, “Nowadays, you’re getting more and more torturous.”
However, by the evening, he settled the score completely, making her beg for mercy before stopping. The next morning, as An He helped Yuan Ye dress, she blushed and couldn’t help teasing, “Madam, I think it would be better for you to wear that stand-up satin jacket today. Otherwise, I’m afraid the whole mansion will be staring at you.”
Yuan Ye then remembered the deliberate marks left on her neck by someone last night, so she blushed and turned to playfully grab her mouth. An He covered her mouth to suppress her laughter and quickly helped her get dressed. While Yuan Ye smoothed her freshly tied hair, she said, “I want to go out and play with Miss San today. You don’t need to follow us, understand?”
An He hesitated a bit, saying, “But what if…”
Yuan Ye knew she was worried about her, so she smiled reassuringly and said, “Your young miss is already grown up, can’t she go out on her own? Besides, I still have Xuan’er with me, nothing will happen.”
Seeing her determination, An He could only nod in agreement. Thinking of talking to Li Ma properly later, Yuan Ye had just turned her mind, when she quickly got up and walked briskly out of the room. An He watched her hurriedly leaving figure, unable to return to her senses for a while.
The tea leaves slowly unfurled in the pale yellow tea soup, gently swirling with the shaking of the teacup. Zhou Jingyuan’s gaze moved away from the teacup in Yuan Ye’s hand, feeling somewhat embarrassed, and said, “Madam, why did you suddenly think of asking about this?”
Yuan Ye showed an embarrassed expression, lowering her head. “Because I thought there would come a day when I would need to, and I wanted to find some suitable candidates in advance, so I wouldn’t be at a loss when the time came.”
Zhou Jingyuan finally understood, quickly saying, “Madam, rest assured, the nanny in our marquis mansion is always available, and will never neglect you and the future little master.”
“Although that’s the case, but since she was able to be Xiao Du’s nanny at the time, she must have had some exceptional qualities. I thought it would be good to go and ask her for advice. And since Xiao Du had nursed her for a few years, as his wife, I also want to see how this nanny is doing now.” Yuan Ye looked up, staring at Zhou Jingyuan with a smile, “I heard that after this nanny left the mansion, she was settled in a house given by the mansion. Uncle Zhou must know where she lives, right?”
Zhou Jingyuan’s expression became embarrassed again, trying to say a few words. Seeing that he couldn’t avoid it, he had to take out a booklet and check for a while before saying, “The nanny’s surname is Fang, and she now lives in the West Fourth Alley of Chongren Lane. That’s the address.”
Yuan Ye hurriedly went over to jot it down, then smiled at Zhou Jingyuan, “Thank you, Uncle Zhou.”
Zhou Jingyuan still couldn’t help but remind her worriedly, “This nanny is visually impaired, and now she’s old and her mind isn’t very clear. Madam, it’s better not to go.”
Yuan Ye was feeling quite good at the moment and stood up relaxedly, saying, “I understand everything, Uncle Zhou, you don’t need to worry.”
Zhou Jingyuan saw Yuan Ye off and couldn’t shake off the feeling that something might happen. But when he remembered the condition of that nanny, he shook his head, chiding himself for being overly worried. Even if Madam found that nanny, she probably wouldn’t be able to find out much.
The West Fourth Alley was inhabited by the lowest class of common people, so it was full of the atmosphere of the marketplace. Therefore, when a luxurious carriage passed through, it naturally attracted a few more glances.
The carriage slowly stopped in front of a small courtyard. Two elegant and noble ladies got down from the carriage. The older one walked to the side of the coachman and whispered a few words to him. The coachman nodded and drove the carriage to the end of the alley to wait.
The lady was naturally Yuan Ye, accompanied by Xiao Zixuan. They stood in front of the door and exchanged glances before approaching to knock on the wooden door. A somewhat simple-looking man poked his head out from inside. Seeing two women with such beautiful faces standing at his doorstep, his eyes widened a bit, and he stuttered, “You… who are you looking for?”
Xiao Zixuan had never seen such a rustic man before and couldn’t help taking a step back. Yuan Ye gently squeezed her hand and smiled at the man, saying, “Excuse me, is there a Mrs. Fang here? She used to be a nanny at the Marquis of Xuan Yuan’s mansion.”
The man suddenly realized and exclaimed, “You’re looking for my mother!” His eyes lit up suddenly. “Is the Marquis’s mansion thinking of my mother? Although my mother can’t see, she’s still in good health. Of course, as for nursing… that’s not possible anymore, but she’s good at everything else.”
Yuan Ye was a bit dumbfounded, impatient to hear him go on. She quickly took out some silver from her pocket and said, “We are indeed sent by the Marquis’s mansion. We just want to ask Mrs. Fang about some old matters. Please, brother, could you help us?”
As soon as the man saw the silver in her hand, his eyes widened even more, and he quickly reached out to snatch it, his face breaking into a big smile. Then he called out a chubby woman from inside and whispered a few words to her. The woman immediately smiled broadly and led Yuan Ye and Xiao Zixuan into a small room.
The room smelled musty and was so dark that not a single ray of light could be seen. The woman felt a bit embarrassed and said, “My mother can’t see, so the room is a bit dark. Shall I go and get a lamp for you?”
Yuan Ye waved her hand, saying, “No need to bother. Please, sister, go and prepare some food for us. Of course, we’ll pay for the meal later.”
The woman heard that there was more silver to be had, and she suppressed the grin that threatened to split her face, repeatedly praising herself for cooking delicious food and saying something about them treating her nicely before leaving the room.
Of course, Yuan Ye didn’t want to eat. She just wanted to find an excuse to send the woman away. Now that the room was finally quiet, she and Xiao Zixuan both breathed a sigh of relief and tentatively approached the figure in the corner.
But the figure suddenly moved, and a pair of black, lifeless eyes turned in their direction. “Who’s there?” the figure demanded.
Yuan Ye hurriedly smiled and said, “Is this Mrs. Fang? We are from the Marquis of Xuan Yuan’s mansion.” After a moment’s thought, she added, “It’s Yun Niang who sent us.”
Mrs. Fang was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed with joy, “Yun Niang! She still remembers me!”
Yuan Ye sighed inwardly but continued to smile. “She often mentions you to us, saying that you helped a lot when the young marquis was born. Thanks to you, the young marquis is where he is today.”
Mrs. Fang’s aged face immediately lit up, making her look much younger. She gently tapped her stiff knees and said with a smile, “Of course, when the young marquis was born, he was placed in my arms. He grew up drinking my milk.”
Yuan Ye keenly caught the strangeness in her words and quickly asked, “The young marquis was placed in your arms as soon as he was born? What about the princess? When did she take the young marquis back?”
Mrs. Fang remained immersed in her memories and said, “The princess took him back when she returned to the mansion, but as for nursing… only I did that.”
Yuan Ye listened to Mrs. Fang’s disjointed words and continued patiently, “Why do you say ‘return to the mansion’? Wasn’t the young Marquis born in the mansion?”
Mrs. Fang was bewildered by her questions and furrowed her brows, pondering for a long while. Suddenly, she shook her head and said, “I can’t remember. Can’t remember. It was a red house, with lanterns hanging there.”
Then she seemed agitated, starting to pace around the room, muttering incessantly, “The princess hates cherry blossoms and wants to cut them all down! Young Master, don’t cry when the cherry blossoms are gone… The Young Master cried for a long time. Yun Niang, go call the princess… So many people crying, so noisy!” She suddenly covered her ears and screamed, startling Yuan Ye and Xiao Zixuan. They quickly tried to calm her down. At this moment, the man rushed in, supporting Mrs. Fang, and asked, “Mother, what’s wrong? Feeling unwell again?”
But Mrs. Fang continued to sway her body, chanting incoherently. Yuan Ye and Xiao Zixuan understood that they wouldn’t get anything more from her, so they sighed and left, leaving some silver behind as they bid farewell.
The two of them remained silent back to the Marquis’s mansion. After dismissing the maids in the room, Xiao Zixuan sighed with disappointment. “It turns out that the nanny couldn’t remember anything. Looks like this trip was in vain.”
Yuan Ye’s expression darkened, and she whispered, “No, she told us a lot.” She squeezed her slightly pale fingers and took a deep breath before continuing, “Adou told me he was born in May. But Mrs. Fang just said Young Master wanted to see cherry blossoms. How could there be cherry blossoms in May?”
Xiao Zixuan thought for a moment, also taking a sharp breath. “So, you mean, my brother’s actual birthday should be before May.”
“That’s right.” Yuan Ye nodded. “So when Adou was born, they must have left the mansion. That way, no one in the mansion would know his real birthday. And if we follow this reasoning, they must have stayed outside for more than a month. Why did the princess only want to hold Adou when she returned to the mansion? And why did Young Master cry for so long, and the princess didn’t want to go to him…”
The rest of her words choked in her throat, pausing for a long time. She finally raised her trembling voice, “Xuan’er, I suspect that your brother… may not be the princess’s biological child.”