“Mmm…” Yun Suiwu slightly raised his chin and gently shook the empty wine cup in his hand, signaling Lianxiang to pour him another cup.
Lianxiang quickly lowered her head and took the cup with both hands. Even her nimble fingertips were trembling. After turning around and pouring another cup, she respectfully brought it back to the prince with her head still lowered.
She never dared to look up.
Who knew what she was afraid of? He had not blamed her for anything.
“You really understand Shi’an well. Just one look from him, and you already know what he wants.” Yun Suiwu took a sip of osmanthus wine and looked at her lowered eyes.
Even now, the corners of her eyes were still red, and her eyelashes were still damp.
As they blinked, they looked like shining stars in the sky, bright and lively.
Even the osmanthus wine in his hand seemed sweeter and more pleasant than usual.
“This servant is only doing what a servant should do. As long as one carefully takes care of the little prince, anyone can understand his thoughts,” Lianxiang replied cautiously, her heart still uneasy.
But she also knew that the prince adored the little prince deeply and would naturally enjoy hearing praise about him.
So she continued, “Besides, the little prince is very smart. Although he still cannot speak, he can understand what adults mean.
Whenever I change his diaper, I make a ‘da-da’ sound to amuse him. Later, one day when I was on duty, the little prince seemed uncomfortable and kept making sounds similar to ‘da-da’ toward me.
I opened his diaper and discovered a tiny strand of hair hidden inside. That was what was making him uncomfortable. After I changed the diaper again, he immediately smiled once more…”
When she told the wet nurse about it, she was praised, while Nurse Qian, who had changed the diaper earlier, was scolded.
“This little fellow is quite clever.” Ever since Shi’an was born, the Emperor had examined his bones and declared that he had exceptional talent and the potential to become a great martial artist. Now, at only seven months old, he could already understand adults, showing that he was not only gifted but also unusually intelligent.
At the same time, Yun Suiwu found this young widow rather interesting.
He had always thought that a beautiful woman like her, especially after her husband’s death, would not be content to simply work as a wet nurse. He expected her to be like her cousin, always looking for an opportunity to rise in status.
Especially after what happened that summer afternoon, she could easily have used this chance to throw herself into his arms.
In fact, he had been waiting for her to do so…
Not because he hoped she would, but because, in his experience, what woman would not want to share the bed of a royal prince?
Yet she had done nothing of the sort.
Instead, all her attention was focused on the little prince. She eagerly showed how well she cared for him. Her thoughts were simple and devoted.
She only wanted to be a good wet nurse to the little prince. Nothing else seemed to matter to her.
As for what happened that summer afternoon, she seemed to have completely forgotten it.
Had she truly forgotten?
Lianxiang continued telling stories about the little prince’s intelligence, cuteness, and good behavior. As his wet nurse, she could talk endlessly about him.
Yun Suiwu quietly listened while sipping his wine. It was obvious that he enjoyed hearing these stories.
Most importantly, the young widow had a lovely voice. It was like the gentle rain of the southern regions—soft and smooth, yet clear and sweet.
The moonlight was enchanting, and the fragrance of wine was rich. It seemed as though the scent of osmanthus flowers filled the air.
Seeing how absorbed the prince was, Lianxiang became even more detailed in her stories. She even shared some of the little prince’s embarrassing moments and mischievous behavior.
As she spoke, she could not help laughing softly.
Her dimples were sweet and charming.
There was no wine in those dimples, but Yun Suiwu felt as though he had become a little drunk just by looking at them.
At that moment, however, Lianxiang suddenly stopped speaking. The smile on her face disappeared and was replaced by caution and nervousness.
“Your Highness, the little prince seems sleepy.”
Only then did Yun Suiwu look down at the little prince sitting in his lap. The child was opening his mouth in a yawn, his eyes slowly drooping.
“Your Highness, this servant should take the little prince back to sleep.”
Out of habit, Yun Suiwu reached for the white jade thumb ring on his finger but touched nothing. Only then did he remember that the ring was still in the little prince’s hand.
When he tried to take it back, the little prince immediately tightened his grip on it.
Then he lowered his head and continued playing with it.
Remembering that the prince’s sachet was still hanging from her hair, Lianxiang reached up and tried to remove it again.
Yun Suiwu could clearly see that strands of her hair had become tangled in the gold chain. It would not be easy to untangle.
To be honest, the delicate sachet looked quite beautiful hanging against her dark hair. The gold chain sparkled brilliantly under the moonlight.
“Please wait a moment, Your Highness. This servant… This servant will think of a way to remove it,” Lianxiang said as she looked around for something that might help.
“It’s yours now…” Yun Suiwu said in a low, husky voice.
Lianxiang was greatly surprised.
Although she did not know what was inside the sachet, the gold chain alone had to be very valuable.
“This servant… This servant does not dare accept…” The reward felt strange and unexpected, making her very uneasy.
She became even more eager to remove the sachet. Suddenly, she thought of something and removed the sachet itself, leaving only the gold chain tangled in her hair.
“Your Highness…” she said, holding the sachet in both hands and presenting it to him. She thought she could wait until Taorui and the others arrived before asking them to help remove the chain from her hair.
But the little prince became interested in the sachet.
He reached out and grabbed it. Somehow, he pulled it open.
Golden beads the size of pearls spilled out everywhere.
They rolled off the couch and scattered across the polished floor.
Several rolled past Lianxiang, but she did not try to catch them.
Instead, all her attention was on the little prince. She immediately stepped forward and held his hands, afraid that he might pick one up and put it into his mouth.
Only afterward did she begin gathering the golden beads scattered around him.
The beads were round and full, even larger than the ones the wet nurse had once rewarded her with.
As she picked them up, sweat covered her forehead. She barely dared breathe, as if she feared a bead might roll away and be lost.
At that moment, Aunt Pei returned.
When she saw the golden beads scattered across the floor, she was first confused. Then she noticed the little prince sitting in the prince’s lap, whining and trying to play with them.
“Nurse Shen, how could you let the little prince play with the prince’s reward beads? What if he accidentally swallowed one? ”Aunt Pei bent down and started helping pick up the beads.
But as she lowered her head, she noticed a gold chain hanging from Lianxiang’s hair.
It was the very chain used to attach the sachet containing the golden beads.
Aunt Pei froze for a moment.
How had the gold chain that normally hung from the prince’s waist ended up tangled in Nurse Shen’s hair?
“It is this servant’s fault. I failed to watch the little prince properly,” Lianxiang said.
After collecting all the beads, she placed them back into the embroidered sachet and respectfully held it above her head, offering it to the prince.
The little prince still tried to reach for it, but it was out of his grasp. He could only make unhappy sounds.
Normally, Aunt Pei would have taken the sachet from Lianxiang.
But after seeing the gold chain tangled in Lianxiang’s slightly messy hair, she instead turned and looked toward the prince, who was reclining on the couch with one knee bent.