The carriage slowly arrived at a small courtyard.
Jiang Mingzhe carried Ye Yunniang out of the carriage and entered the residence.
"I can wash myself," Ye Yunniang said, pushing Jiang Mingzhe away as he tried to personally attend to her.
"Do you even have the strength?" Jiang Mingzhe’s retort earned him a glare from her.
And whose fault was it that she had no strength left?
Jiang Mingzhe wasn’t angered by her glare—instead, he was pleased. He sensed a shift in Ye Yunniang’s attitude toward him.
"I won’t misbehave," he said, though the more he insisted, the less she believed him.
"I can manage on my own," Ye Yunniang repeated firmly.
Knock, knock, knock… The sound of urgent rapping interrupted them.
Outside, Jiang Chuan had no desire to disturb his master’s private moment, but the matter was too pressing.
"Master, something serious has happened."
"Go and see what’s wrong," Ye Yunniang urged, hearing the anxiety in the voice outside.
Jiang Mingzhe’s playful expression faded. He kissed Ye Yunniang’s cheek and whispered, "Wait for me."
Once the door closed again, Ye Yunniang exhaled in relief and walked behind the folding screen.
To her surprise, the entire room beyond was a bathing chamber.
She crouched to test the water—it was perfectly warm.
After soaking in the hot bath, exhaustion weighed heavily on her.
Dressed and led to the bedroom by a maid, she had just lain down when—
Waaah… The faint sound of crying reached her ears.
It was Jiang Tingjun.
Her drowsiness vanished instantly. Ye Yunniang pushed open the door and followed the cries to the front hall.
Jiang Tingjun had woken to find no familiar faces around and was wailing inconsolably.
The maids tried everything to soothe him, but Jiang Mingzhe had ordered them not to disturb Ye Yunniang.
They could only attempt to calm him on their own.
"Give him to me," Ye Yunniang said, stepping forward and reaching for Jiang Tingjun.
The child lunged into her arms, clinging tightly to her neck for security.
Ye Yunniang tried to sit while holding him, but the moment she did, a sharp pain shot through her.
"Milk… milk!" Jiang Tingjun demanded hungrily.
"Let’s go back to the room, little master," she coaxed, carrying him to the bed.
Lying on her side, she nursed him.
Jiang Tingjun drank eagerly, biting down hard.
"Ah—that hurts!" Ye Yunniang winced, lightly patting his bottom.
"Be gentler, little master."
He continued drinking voraciously until, after a while, his eyelids drooped shut.
Ye Yunniang carefully pulled away—
But Jiang Tingjun whimpered, refusing to let go, and latched on again.
After a few more sips, he drifted back to sleep.
She knew this was his way of seeking comfort, a sign of restless fear.
Humming a lullaby, she patted his back until he fell into a deep slumber, his mouth finally releasing her.
Gently, she laid him down and adjusted her clothes, trying to stand—only to stumble from the lingering pain in her backside.
She hit the floor with a thud, biting back a cry to avoid waking Jiang Tingjun.
Clenching her teeth, she began crawling toward the door—
Just as Jiang Mingzhe pushed it open.
He took one look at her writhing on the floor and burst out laughing.
Ye Yunniang shot him a glare—this was entirely his fault!
Still grinning, Jiang Mingzhe scooped her up and carried her to the adjacent room.
Unable to sit comfortably, she lay face-down on the bed.
He returned with ointment, intending to apply it himself.
Ye Yunniang resisted. "I’ll do it. I don’t need your help."
But her strength was no match for his. In moments, she was stripped bare, and the ointment was applied—
Except his touch soon strayed from its intended purpose…
Before long, the room echoed with fragmented moans and ragged breaths.
When Ye Yunniang awoke the next morning, sunlight already streamed through the windows.
Worried about Jiang Tingjun, she hurried to rise—
Only to collapse back onto the bed with a gasp as her waist protested.
"Ah!" She had forgotten about her injury and quickly rolled onto her stomach.
As she moved, she noticed the bruises mottling her skin.
Memories of the previous night flooded her mind—now she understood what Cai Damei had meant by the joys of intimacy.
Though perhaps Jiang Mingzhe’s enthusiasm was a bit too much for her to handle.
Once she had recovered, she went to check on Jiang Tingjun.
The child was already awake, cradled in Jiang Mingzhe’s arms as he played with him.
Ye Yunniang was taken aback by how naturally Jiang Mingzhe handled the baby.
"Surprised?" Jiang Mingzhe smirked. "All those nights you were asleep—I was the one tending to him."
At first, Ye Yunniang didn’t grasp his meaning. Then it hit her.
"You!" Her eyes widened. Those nights…
She had thought they were dreams, had blamed herself for indecency—but it had all been his doing!
Fury burned in her chest, but with Jiang Mingzhe holding the child, there was little she could do.
"I want to return to Jiang Mansion," she declared. She couldn’t stay with him any longer—he was far too cunning.
"Two of the traffickers escaped. You and Tingjun must remain here for a few more days."
Ye Yunniang couldn’t tell if he was lying. All she knew was that Jiang Mingzhe had vanished after that day.
Two days later, Jin Huifang arrived with attendants to escort them back.
"Tingjun, Mother is here for you. My child, you’ve suffered so much." Overcome with emotion, Jin Huifang clutched Jiang Tingjun tightly.
She had nearly lost her son.
And that wretched woman had nearly succeeded.
Ye Yunniang stepped forward and bowed. "Yunniang greets Madam."
"You saved Tingjun’s life—and in doing so, saved mine. Ye Yunniang, I, Jin Huifang, will repay this debt."
Jin Huifang knew how Ye Yunniang had stumbled upon the traffickers, risked her own safety to follow them, and cared for her son throughout.
Her gratitude was genuine.
"Protecting the young master was my duty. You have always treated me kindly since I entered Jiang Mansion." Ye Yunniang hadn’t acted for reward.
Her sincerity pleased Jin Huifang, but repayment was nonnegotiable.
With Jiang Tingjun in her arms, Jin Huifang led Ye Yunniang back to Jiang Mansion.
Only then did Ye Yunniang realize the small courtyard had been outside Jiangcheng.
The carriage ride took most of the day before they reached the city gates.
Thanks to prior arrangements, their carriage entered without delay, arriving at the side entrance of Jiang Mansion.
