Chapter 104 Hidden Reasons Behind Nanny Xu Saving Luo Junhe

Chapter 104: Nanny Xu's Hidden Motives for Saving Luo Junhe

Nanny Xu even told Ji Yuntang where she kept hidden her jewelry box and that Liu Linlang was having ambiguous relationships with several men outside, having been involved with a man for two years, along with a series of other private matters.

Ji Yuntang listened as if hearing gossip, recording important information in her mind. Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she asked, "Eighteen years ago in the palace, how exactly did you save Prince Ye?"

At these words, Nanny Xu froze for a few seconds, a look of confusion flashing in her murky eyes.

She seemed to be trying to recall, but after a short while, she began clutching her head and struggling.

"My head is killing me... I don't know... I can't remember a thing."

Ji Yuntang narrowed her eyes, her breath catching as she realized there might be more to this story.

Eighteen years ago, Luo Junhe had just turned four. Although it was a long time ago, Nanny Xu couldn't have completely forgotten the details of saving him.

Moreover, she constantly boasted about being Luo Junhe's savior. Logically, such an important event should be unforgettable.

Yet her current reaction indicated she knew nothing about the rescue.

With this thought, Ji Yuntang knocked Nanny Xu unconscious with a chop to the neck and tied her up with a rope.

She had originally planned to get the information she wanted and then kill Nanny Xu with a single knife stroke.

But now, it seemed the old crone would live a few more days.

Ji Yuntang turned and walked out, locking the door to the woodshed again. She instructed the two guards at the entrance, "Keep an eye on her. Give her one meal a day. Don't let her starve to death."

The two servants, pale-faced, nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, Princess, rest assured. We will keep a close watch on Nanny Xu."

Ji Yuntang returned to the Western Courtyard to see Luo Junhe. She told him about Nanny Xu's debts and how she used the prince's money to buy a house and shop outside.

Upon hearing this, Luo Junhe's face turned ashen, cold as ice.

"I trusted her so much and even promised to support her in her old age. I never expected her to have so many tricks behind my back."

Luo Junhe had thought that Nanny Xu embezzling the prince's silver, her insubordination, and insulting Ji Yuntang were the worst of it.

But even more shocking things were to come.

She borrowed money in his name, failed to repay it, and then tried to steal Ji Yuntang's silver to cover the debt.

The gold in Ji Yuntang's private treasury, including the empress's gifts and her earnings from selling goods, was all earned by her own ability and didn't belong to Prince Ye's mansion. They were her personal property.

Yet Nanny Xu had the audacity to try and steal Ji Yuntang's hard-earned money to pay off debts. How could such a thing be allowed?

Luo Junhe gritted his teeth, furious. "I've truly raised an ingrate all these years."

Ji Yuntang turned to pour him a glass of water, gently patting his back to soothe him.

"A-He, calm down first. There's something I want to ask you."

Her voice, like spring rain, soothed the raging fire in Luo Junhe's heart. He took a sip of water and spoke softly, "A-Tang, what do you want to know?"

"It's about Nanny Xu saving you." Ji Yuntang didn't hide it. "I heard you say that, before you fell into the water at age four, Nanny Xu served in the palace. Is that true?"

"Yes, that's correct. I clearly remember it was a winter eighteen years ago. There was heavy snow and it was unusually cold. That day, after class, my tutor kept me behind to review my lessons. Then Nanny Sun, who served my mother, came and told me my mother was waiting for me in the back garden and wanted me to come. Without thinking much, I followed her."

"The snow was thick that day, and there was no one in the back garden. When I arrived with Nanny Sun, I didn't see my mother anywhere. Just then, a palace maid came and said something had been stolen from Weiyang Palace: my mother had lost an important bracelet. Without another word, Nanny Sun left me alone in the back garden and walked away."

Ji Yuntang asked, "And then?"

Luo Junhe's thoughts wandered as he continued slowly, "With Nanny Sun gone and my mother not there, I naturally didn't want to stand around foolishly in the back garden. I remembered the unfinished homework my tutor had assigned and decided to go back to do it, planning to visit my mother later at Weiyang Palace to explain the reason."

"But as I walked past Dragon Pool, I suddenly slipped and, before I knew it, had fallen into the water."

"The winter water was bone-chilling cold. As soon as I fell in, I felt like I was sinking into a deep abyss. My body kept sinking, and I struggled desperately, trying to swim up but I had no strength. I wanted to call for help but couldn't open my mouth. Just as I thought I was doomed, there was a loud 'splash' in the water, and I saw a blurry figure in a nanny's clothes swimming toward me. Then I passed out."

"When I woke up two days later, I was already back in my palace chamber. The palace servants attending to me said that Nanny Xu had carried me back from the back garden."

Ji Yuntang narrowed her eyes, feeling that something was off about this, though she couldn't pinpoint what.

"A-He, how can you be sure that the person who saved you was Nanny Xu?"

Logically, it would be natural to consider Nanny Xu his savior since she brought him back.

But with no one else in the back garden at the time, who could prove that she was the one who jumped into the water to save him?

Ji Yuntang felt that, given Nanny Xu's character, she wouldn't have done such a selfless thing.

Hearing Ji Yuntang's words, Luo Junhe carefully recalled the details of that day.

And indeed, he remembered some important clues.

"I vaguely remember that, out of survival instinct while underwater, I kept trying to grab onto something to save myself. When the nanny swam near me, I inadvertently grabbed a sachet from her waist. When I woke up, that sachet was still tightly clutched in my hand."

"My attendant Anqi also said that when Nanny Xu brought me back, I was soaking wet and had a high fever. They tried to change my clothes, but no matter how hard they tried to open my hand, I wouldn't let go of that sachet."

"After I recovered somewhat, I sent for Nanny Xu to ask her about it. She personally admitted to jumping into the water to save me. I also subtly asked her if she had lost the sachet, and she admitted it, saying that on the day of my rescue, she had indeed lost a very important sachet, one given by the Empress Dowager."

------------