Ye Yunniang froze—this was how the wealthy played their games?
She opened her mouth to speak but found it obstructed, her words muffled and unclear as she struggled with her tongue.
Jiang Mingzhe took the opportunity to withdraw his fingers, letting them glide lightly over Ye Yunniang’s chin before applying slight pressure.
Forced to tilt her head back, Ye Yunniang became like a delicacy offered up willingly, ready to be savored.
An unprecedented sensation surged through her body, leaving her both terrified and faintly expectant. Her legs weakened, her balance faltering as she leaned entirely against Jiang Mingzhe, surrendering to his demands.
Her mind grew hazy, her breath coming in short gasps.
"Breathe." The low, husky voice exploded beside her ear.
Snapping back to awareness, she wanted to pull away from Jiang Mingzhe’s embrace but remembered where they were.
She could only plead silently for him to release her.
But Ye Yunniang didn’t realize—her forced posture exposed the slender, vulnerable curve of her neck, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, making her look like a helpless lamb awaiting slaughter.
It ignited the primal hunger in the man before her.
Jiang Mingzhe tightened his grip, lifting her to meet his gaze.
"Ye Yunniang," he declared, "you are mine."
Once again, she was dragged into the whirlpool of desire, unaware of when the people outside the room had left.
By the time she regained her senses, she was already back in Zhiyu Pavilion.
After washing herself clean, Ye Yunniang lay on the bed, tears silently streaming down her face.
She had betrayed Li Jun.
Though there had been moments like this before, they had been in dreams—something she could dismiss as unconscious.
But this time… this time she had succumbed willingly, even if they hadn’t gone all the way.
The impact of it overwhelmed her.
Covering her eyes, she didn’t know how to face Cai Damei.
She had only upheld widowhood for a year and a half before straying.
Guilt and regret weighed heavily on her, but she dared not cry aloud, afraid someone might hear.
Ye Yunniang withdrew into silence, her days reduced to tending to Jiang Tingjun and practicing her reading and writing.
Her subdued demeanor didn’t go unnoticed by those in Zhiyu Pavilion and the side courtyard.
They assumed she was upset because Taohong had earned Fourth Madam Jiang’s praise—even being promised the role of Jiang Tingjun’s future wet nurse.
Ye Yunniang knew the real reason, but it was unspeakable, so she let them believe what they wanted.
Even Fourth Madam Jiang heard the whispers and permitted her a brief visit home to see her family.
Ye Yunniang dreaded going back, but she couldn’t refuse her mistress’s order.
With Li'er called away by Taohong, Ye Yunniang returned alone to Sunset Lane, clutching a bundle of belongings.
The moment Cai Damei opened the door, she knew something was wrong.
Handing Pan'er to a neighbor to watch, Cai Damei pulled Ye Yunniang into the bedroom. "What happened?"
Ye Yunniang bit her lip, unsure how to explain.
"Speak! You’ll worry me to death!" Cai Damei pressed.
With a thud, Ye Yunniang dropped to her knees. "Mother… I’ve failed you."
Cai Damei paled. "Who hurt you? I’ll make them pay!" She turned to leave, but Ye Yunniang clung to her leg, stopping her.
"Then tell me what happened!" Cai Damei helped her up.
Between sobs, Ye Yunniang confessed everything.
After listening, Cai Damei said firmly, "Resign and come home. We’re done with the Jiang household."
"No," Ye Yunniang refused. "Mother, just a few more months. Once the young master no longer needs a wet nurse, I’ll leave. At least then I’ll have another ten taels of silver. Fourth Madam is generous—she’ll likely give more."
She laid out her plans.
"The money and jewelry you’ve brought back, I’ve saved it all. It’s enough to last us years. I can also make shoe insoles to sell at your aunt’s shop—maybe thirty or fifty coins a month."
"Mother, taking care of Pan'er is already exhausting. Don’t strain yourself sewing at night." Ye Yunniang’s heart ached, reinforcing her resolve to stay at the Jiang residence until her term ended.
Cai Damei gripped her shoulders, forcing eye contact.
"Tell me the truth—do you have feelings for Jiang Mingzhe?"
Ye Yunniang shook her head vehemently. She felt nothing but fear toward him.
"Are you clinging to the luxury of the Jiang household?" Cai Damei pressed.
"No. I just want to bring home more silver." Leaving now meant forfeiting dozens of taels.
"Mother, to me, home is wherever you and Pan'er are."
Cai Damei exhaled in relief. "Yunniang, remember what I told you? Women have desires too."
Ye Yunniang flushed at the memory.
"Listen to me—treat Jiang Mingzhe as a means to satisfy those desires."
"Mother!" Ye Yunniang was stunned. She never expected such advice.
"Li Jun has been gone for a year and a half. You’ve mourned long enough." Since Ye Yunniang became a wet nurse, Cai Damei had discreetly gathered information about the Jiang family.
She’d even seen Jiang Mingzhe twice by chance—a handsome man with a notorious reputation.
If a man like that wanted Ye Yunniang, resistance was futile. Better to yield gracefully and ease her own suffering.
Cai Damei fixed her with a piercing gaze. "But one condition—you must promise me."
"What?"
"No children."
"Mother, I—" Ye Yunniang faltered.
"Remember, Yunniang. A child would trap you in the Jiang household forever. Remarrying would become impossible."
Ye Yunniang was still young—a lifetime of widowhood was too cruel. Cai Damei wanted her to remarry well.
A few lovers before remarriage meant nothing.
Cai Damei then taught her contraceptive methods—knowledge Ye Yunniang had never encountered.
Blushing, Ye Yunniang listened intently.
"Life is short," Cai Damei soothed. "Don’t torment yourself over unnecessary guilt."
"Mother… would you do the same?" Ye Yunniang couldn’t help asking.
"Maybe not." Cai Damei’s answer was vague.
Her bond with Pan'er’s grandfather was different—nineteen years of shared life, a love too deep to replace.
Ye Yunniang and Li Jun, though childhood acquaintances, had barely spent two days together as husband and wife. There was no real attachment.
With her heart unburdened, Ye Yunniang finally relaxed. She opened her bundle, retrieving two hundred taels of silver.
Before Cai Damei could ask, she explained how she’d gotten it.
Cai Damei immediately fetched a charm. "I had this blessed at White Cloud Temple for you. Keep it close."
Ye Yunniang tucked it into her clothes.
"Mother, use this silver to buy a house. Then we can truly settle in Jiangcheng."
Cai Damei traced the silver ingots and nodded. "Yes. A home of our own will bring peace."
"Yunniang… what do you think of this rented place?"
