Chapter 4

Chapter 4

After being screened, I became the wet nurse for the Second Young Master of the General’s Mansion.

The General’s Wife was over forty, but she had taken such good care of herself that she looked barely past thirty. She was gentle and approachable.

Unlike most masters, who were harsh and difficult, she was deeply sympathetic to what I had suffered.

“Poor child. Forced to become a wet nurse at such a young age.”

“Steward, see that she is not mistreated.”

Not only did she reward me with clothes and jewelry, she also had nourishing soups prepared for me. In less than half a month, I had been fed until I was fair and plump.

At the General’s Mansion, I ate well, slept well, and no longer felt swollen or in pain. I did not want to go home at all.

Only when I occasionally thought of my daughter, who had died when she was only a month old, would I still grieve and shed tears.

But most days, I stayed in the Second Young Master’s courtyard and had no one to talk to.

Of the people in the residence, I had only seen the general once on the day I entered the household. The madam came every day to visit the Second Young Master, but aside from them, I had not seen many others.

That day, as usual, I was in the room nursing the Second Young Master when a tall figure suddenly strode in.

He was a man of about twenty, dressed in close-fitting black martial attire. His brows were sharp as swords, his eyes bright as stars, and he was handsome and heroic. Yet in the corners of his eyes and brows, there was none of the coarseness of an ordinary soldier; instead, he carried an air of noble restraint.

For a moment, I froze.

Following his gaze, my eyes fell to the front of my loosened bodice. With a cry of alarm, I quickly turned my back.

“Ah!”

The old maid in the courtyard was the first to speak.

“The Eldest Young Master has returned!”

“This is the Second Young Master’s wet nurse, Lady Chu. She is nursing the Second Young Master right now!”

The Eldest Young Master stood there, but he did not avert his gaze. Over my shoulder, his eyes landed directly on me.

“Wet nurse… is she?”

My heart gave a heavy thud.

That voice… Could he be the Bloodied Man from that night?

Heavens, are you telling me that after nursing the elder brother, I am now nursing the younger brother too?

No, no, no. The light was dim that night, and that man was injured. He definitely did not remember what had happened.

Then I heard the Eldest Young Master step closer behind me and murmur leisurely by my ear, “Have we… met somewhere before?”

My spine went rigid in an instant.

Ha… Forget I said anything.

Chapter 6

The Eldest Young Master was Ji Chengyan.

He was the Heir Apparent of Zhenguo General’s Mansion and had originally been an only son.

When he was twenty, the general and his wife gave him a younger brother.

It was said that he was a trusted confidant of the Crown Prince, and despite his youth, he already had a rather fearsome reputation.

He had once served as Commandant of the Right Jinwu Guard. Some time ago, in order to suppress bandits, he ventured deep into a bandit stronghold and spent half a year undercover. In one sweep, he pacified three massive bandit dens in the capital region. If not for His Majesty considering him too young, he likely would have been granted a marquisate.

Now, he had been promoted three ranks and served as General of the Right Jinwu Guard as well as Military Commissioner of the Five Capital Garrisons.

He still commanded the five garrisons’ palace guards and was a key military confidant of His Highness the Crown Prince. Everyone in the capital feared his formidable reputation.

It could be said that he was unmatched in prestige, famous throughout the capital, and envied by all.

Unfortunately, although the Eldest Young Master was already past twenty and had achieved success while still young, he was not yet married.

It was said that he had no interest in women.

Because he spent all day in the company of the Crown Prince and the various imperial princes, there were even rumors that he favored men.

The general and his wife must have had concerns in that regard as well. Otherwise, they would not have had another son after they were already over forty.

All of this was what I heard from the other servants in the residence.

Whether he favored men or not, I did not know. I only knew that ever since I saw him that day, my chest had been unbearably swollen.

Even after nursing the Second Young Master, it was of no use.

At night, I clutched my damp chest, tears gathering at the corners of my eyes, tossing and turning.

“It hurts… It hurts…”

The brocade quilt beside me sank, and in my daze, I seemed to see someone.

Under the moonlight, the Eldest Young Master’s handsome face hovered above me, his eyes burning as he looked at me.

“Eldest Young Master? Why are you here?”

I spoke in a low voice.

But I heard the Eldest Young Master’s Adam’s apple bob. His voice was bewitching as he lowered his eyes to my chest.

“I’m thirsty…”

The next moment, he pulled me into his arms, and warm lips and tongue pressed down upon me.

I was terrified, yet my heart trembled and my body burned.

It felt as if even my soul was about to be drawn away.

Only when the Second Young Master’s cries rang out did I startle awake on the bed and realize it had been a dream.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead. My chest was cold and damp.

I patted my chest to comfort myself.

“Thank goodness, thank goodness. It was only a dream.”

I got up and picked up the Second Young Master.

“Be good, Second Young Master. Don’t cry, don’t cry. I’ll feed you now.”

But then I saw that, at some unknown point, a smooth, warm jade pendant had appeared on the bed.