Chapter 31.1

Hearing the door open, Fucheng who was sitting on the stone platform under the veranda instantly woke up from his absentmindedness.

Maybe because he had squatted for a long time, his legs felt numb and wobbly, making him almost fall over when he stood up. Seeing this, Jin Wang reached out to hold him, enabling Fucheng to stand firm.

"Your Highness." Fucheng smiled with embarrassment.

Jin Wang nodded, and they left the small courtyard quietly through the same path they came last night.

Looking at his master’s stretched eyebrows and high spirits, Fucheng knew that Nanny Su must have served him very well last night, otherwise His Highness would not be like this.

Fucheng discerned that as a servant, he must be considerate, so he then asked, "Your Highness, will you arrange a new place for Nanny Su?" After all, she couldn't serve the little princess while serving Jin Wang.

Hearing this, Jin Wang hesitated for a moment before he said, "No."

Fucheng was a little bit surprised at Jin Wang's response, didn't His Highness want to be responsible for her? He stared at Jin Wang's back with a nonplussed look, until an air of irritation gripped Jin Wang.

His rare good mood was suddenly destroyed as Jin Wang remembered the little nanny that served him with a look of unwillingness last night.

Jin Wang couldn't understand the grievances of Yaoniang. To not get intimate with him, she would rather serve him in a different way than let him touch her body.

Was she preserving her chastity after the death of her husband? Did she do it for her dead man?

Jin Wang was unhappy when he thought of this, so he became even angrier with Fucheng.

However, since he had always shown an indifferent face, and Fucheng was in an unheeding state, the old eunuch didn't find anything wrong. Taking advantage of the faint morning light, the pair of master and servant returned to Zhaohui Hall quietly.

***

Yaoniang sat on the bed for a while after Jin Wang left.

She replaced all the bedding and quietly took them to the well for washing when it was almost dawn.

There was no one here in the Back Room. It was still early and everyone seemed to have not awoken yet.

Yaoniang fetched water from the well, put the quilt and also her inner clothes that Jin Wang used to wipe her body into the water. Once everything was soaked in the water, the unspeakable smell haunting her nose finally faded away.

There was no one around, but Yaoniang still flushed with shame. She drenched the stained areas with water and strenuously rubbed them with soap. Some people came over while she was washing.

They were Mommy Wang and Mommy Zhao.

People in the small kitchen get up early every day because they have to prepare breakfast for people in advance.

Seeing Yaoniang squatting by the well to wash clothes at this time, they were very surprised.

"Nanny Su, why are you here so early?"

Yaoniang got up so early and washed these things in the basin which naturally made questions pop into their head. No one would wash their bedding as early as daybreak.

Yaoniang blushed and could not find an excuse.

They thought Yaoniang would speak but she said nothing. It was normal for women to have monthly bleeding and they understood that sometimes the bedding would be dirty.

Mommy Zhao said with a smile, "You can wash them at any time, but why do you choose to wash them so early in the morning."

Mommy Wang interrupted, "You can't wash them clean with cold water. I'll fetch some hot water for you when the water boils.”

They opened the kitchen door and soon got busy working inside. After a while, Xiangcao and Xiangxiang also got up. They both were surprised to see Yaoniang washing the bedding at dawn.

Yaoniang realized that she shouldn’t have washed the bedding at this time, such a poor lie could reveal the truth. But it was too late, she could only crouch down and continue washing the bedding under their curious gaze. Xiangcao and other little girls said that they would help her, but she rejected.

Maybe others didn't know, however, as long as she thought about others helping wash that kind of thing, a sense of embarrassment would sprout within her.

When she was done with the washing, Mommy Zhao came out to help her wring the bedding. It was too big and she couldn't wring it out on her own.

"It's sunny today, and it will dry when the sun is high."

Yaoniang thanked Mommy Zhao and returned to her room.

At this time, everyone already got up and started their day. The small courtyard was bustling with activity.

Yaoniang was completely immersed in her own world all morning until Xiangcao came to find her.

Because Xiangcao had something to say to Yaoniang, Yaoniang talked to Yucui to give her some time and took Xiangcao to her room.

"Nanny Su, I've helped you find it out. The brother of my little sister works as a carriage and horse keeper in the Mansion. He is from Hongyuan County and goes home every two months. He usually passes through Linyun County and it's not a big deal to help you take things back."

Yaoniang was a little surprised, "Thank you, Xiangcao. But will it be too troublesome for him?"

Xiangcao waved her hand lightly, "It's not troublesome, just a handy favour. Besides, you are the nanny of the little princess, many people are willing to run errands for you."

Xiangcao wasn’t even concerned, but Yaoniang couldn't get used to it.

Because in her previous life, when she wanted to take some things back home from the Mansion, she couldn't find anyone willing to help her. This was because of her unfamiliarity with the situation of the Mansion and her poor popularity. Everyone avoided her as if seeing a viper, and naturally, no one wanted to make contact with her. Only after she became a concubine of Jin Wang and Consort Jin supported her, were the servants willing to fawn on her.

Unexpectedly, only becoming the nanny of the little princess in this life, there were so many people rushing to run errands for her. It made Yaoniang lament that everything in the world was momentary.