As the Princess Consort of Pingyang spoke, she looked the driver up and down.
She noticed something unusual about his appearance and was a little surprised.
The driver bowed to the Princess Consort of Pingyang.
"To answer Your Highness, something has happened at Nanny Li's home."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang instinctively glanced at Duoduo.
Duoduo looked at the driver with nervousness and anticipation. "What happened at Nanny's house?"
"To answer the Princess, when I accompanied Nanny Li back, we happened to run into people from the gambling house dragging her daughter-in-law away to pay off gambling debts."
At that time, Nanny Li knocked on the door, but when no one answered, she pushed it open and went inside.
The driver tied up the carriage and followed Nanny Li in.
It wasn't until they reached the inner courtyard that they heard the sound of arguing and a child's heart-wrenching cries.
Nanny Li quickened her pace, eventually breaking into a small jog.
The driver hurriedly followed Nanny Li into the room, where Nanny Li's son was being pinned to the ground beneath the feet of several burly men.
Her daughter-in-law was being dragged outside by her hands by another strong man.
Her grandson was sitting on the ground, his head thrown back, crying until his voice was hoarse.
Nanny Li lunged forward and snatched her daughter-in-law from the strong man's grasp.
Without even pausing to straighten her clothes, her daughter-in-law immediately ran over, picked up the child, and softly coaxed him.
"Who are you people? How dare you break into a home and snatch people away? This is outright banditry! Believe it or not, I will have someone report you to the authorities!"
Nanny Li grabbed the horsewhip from the driver's hand and pointed it at the strong man.
The strong man was startled by Nanny Li's sudden appearance.
After hearing Nanny Li's words, a tall, burly man kicked the person on the ground.
"Who is this old hag? She actually says she's going to report us to the authorities! Oh, I'm so scared!"
"Paying back debts is a matter of course. Even if the county magistrate came, he couldn't interfere!"
"Let me tell you, today you either pay back the money, let us take the person, or we chop off your hand!"
After saying that, the man crouched down, pulled out a dagger, and made a slash on Nanny Li's son's hand.
"Ah!" Nanny Li's son cried out in pain.
"Mother, why are you bothering with that cheap woman? Hurry and save your son!"
Only then did Nanny Li see clearly that the person pinned to the ground was actually her own son.
Anger surged from the bottom of her heart.
"You wicked son, did you go gambling again?"
"What about all that silver I gave you before? Have you lost it all again?"
Before she left, although Nanny Li was deeply disappointed in her son, for the sake of her grandson, she still left some silver for her son and daughter-in-law.
She thought that if her son could turn over a new leaf.
Then, she would take out her savings and open a shop for him.
Once they had a source of income, her son and daughter-in-law could have a few more children.
She would then feel that she had done right by her late husband's family.
"Mother, why are you talking so much nonsense? Do you have silver or not? Hurry and give it to them!"
"Otherwise, they are going to chop off your son's hand!"
Seeing his mother return, Nanny Li's son's eyes lit up.
"Let go of me, my mother has money, she will definitely give it to you."
"How much did you lose this time?" No matter how angry she was, Nanny Li still opened her bundle.
"Five hundred taels!"
The tall, burly man immediately spoke up.
"What? That much?" Nanny Li was stunned.
Her monthly allowance was only so much.
Five hundred taels—even if she didn't eat or drink, how long would it take her to save up that much?
"Mother, what is more important, this silver or your son? I promise to turn over a new leaf and work hard to earn money to support you in your old age!"
Seeing Nanny Li hesitate, her son hurriedly shouted.
Nanny Li walked over with faltering steps. The burly men watched her warily.
Nanny Li raised her hand and slapped her son viciously across the face.
Not only her son, but even the men from the gambling house were dumbfounded.
"You unfilial son! Five hundred taels isn't a lot?"
"How much of the silver in this house was earned by you?"
"When have you not said that? But every time I give you silver, what do you do?"
"Every time you say you will turn over a new leaf, and every time you go right back to your old ways!"
"I originally thought that my presence was putting pressure on you. So I left, hoping you could live a good life."
"But what happened? I never expected that you still wouldn't repent!"
"Losing money and actually wanting to sell your wife—you have truly disappointed me too much!"
Nanny Li's face was full of disappointment.
"Old thing, cut the chatter. Are you paying or not? If not, I'll take his life today!"
The burly man from the gambling house hauled Nanny Li's son up by the collar and pressed the knife to his neck.
Nanny Li's son literally wet his pants in fear.
"Spare my life, good sir! Spare my life!"
"My mother has money! She is the wet nurse of the Prince of Pingyang. If you tie her up, the Prince of Pingyang will definitely pay the silver to ransom her!"
Hearing her son say this, Nanny Li completely lost all hope for him.
She closed her eyes in despair.
Back then, after she left the estate to start a family, she first gave birth to a daughter.
A year later, she gave birth to a son.
Originally, the family lived a happy and harmonious life.
However, one day, her husband went out and was struck and killed by a carriage.
By the time someone brought the news to Nanny Li, his body was already stiff.
It just so happened that her former mistress was about to give birth.
In order to feed her two children, she went back and begged her mistress to take her in, becoming the wet nurse for the Prince of Pingyang.
She entrusted someone to take her entire monthly allowance back home every month.
She simply didn't want her two children to suffer.
But she never in a million years imagined that her son would become tainted by gambling when he grew up.
He lost time and time again, and when he lost, he would take everything in the house and sell it.
Her mother-in-law tried to stop him, but her grandson shoved her to the ground with a slap, and she died.
Yet, her son only behaved for a few months.
A few months later, he returned to his old ways.
Left with no other choice, Nanny Li took her son and followed the Prince of Pingyang to Xianyang.
She found a wife for her son, thinking that once he settled down and started a family, he would surely rein himself in.
Looking at it now, you can never wake a person who is pretending to be asleep.
Nanny Li opened her eyes and saw her daughter-in-law hiding in the corner, holding her grandson with a look of lingering fear on her face.
Her grandson's clear, large eyes looked at her, brimming with tears.
Nanny Li hardened her heart.
"He is no son of mine. Whether you want to kill him today or chop him up to feed the dogs, I have no objections!"
Nanny Li walked over to her daughter-in-law's side and firmly shielded her and her grandson.
Hearing this, the men from the gambling house immediately subjected Nanny Li's son to a flurry of punches and kicks.
Nanny Li's son screamed incessantly, but Nanny Li remained unmoved.
Unwilling to give up, the men from the gambling house came over to snatch Nanny Li's daughter-in-law.
The driver hurriedly stepped forward to help, and ultimately, it was by using the name of the Prince of Pingyang that he managed to shout them down and force them to retreat.
In the end, the men from the gambling house took Nanny Li's son away.
Nanny Li was worried that the gambling house men would come knocking again.
She finally packed her bags simply, took her daughter-in-law and grandson, and rode the carriage back.
The reason she made this decision was because, at the most critical moment, the words Duoduo had said echoed in Nanny Li's mind.
