Chapter 209

Chapter 209

Although Han Zhang was a man from a later era, he was very well aware of the phenomenon in ancient times where children often had closer relationships with their wet nurses than with their own biological parents.

After all, history clearly recorded such examples as Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty lavishing favor upon his wet nurse Ke Shi, or Qing Dynasty princes treating their wet nurses with lifelong respect and the same devotion as their own mothers.

Therefore, in order to prevent their child from becoming overly attached to his wet nurse and drifting away from his fathers, Han Zhang and Shen Qinglan, no matter how busy they were, insisted on setting aside at least one hour every day to devote themselves entirely to Xiao Tao'er.

Shen Qinglan in particular refused to delegate most tasks when it came to caring for Xiao Tao'er—whether it was feeding him, bathing him, putting him to sleep, or playing with him, he insisted on doing everything personally.

Because Brother Shen's relationship with his mother had not been very close, largely due to his mother's inexperience as a new parent letting the wet nurse take advantage of the situation.

In light of this, the wet nurses around Xiao Tao'er were only responsible for breastfeeding and nighttime supervision—all other daily matters that could foster emotional bonds were kept from having any involvement in them.

Even in selecting the wet nurses, Han Zhang had deliberately hired several, intending for them to take turns feeding the child to prevent him from becoming dependent on any single wet nurse.

But who could have imagined that no matter how carefully they calculated and guarded, someone would still find a way to exploit a gap?

Shen Qinglan was both furious and filled with lingering fear. He couldn't bear the thought that his and his husband's child might one day become estranged from him!

Han Zhang felt the same way. After hearing Xiao Tao'er's words, he immediately ordered an investigation into what the two wet nurses had been up to behind the scenes.

He needed to know whether this was merely the wet nurses' personal ambition, or whether someone else was pulling the strings behind the scenes.

The matter was not particularly complicated. By the time the couple had calmed Xiao Tao'er down and put him to sleep, the steward had already finished his investigation and came to report back.

"Master, there is no outside instigator behind this. It is purely the personal scheming of Wet Nurse Wang and Wet Nurse Luo..."

The truth was simple. When they first entered the Han Estate, Wang and Luo had indeed been dutiful and simple-hearted women who only wanted to do their job well and earn money to support their families.

But people's hearts are prone to change. Although the task of caring for the young master was relatively easy, the monthly wages Shen Qinglan provided were generous, and the Han Estate was lenient with its servants and rarely punished them.

In the end, however, nothing could withstand the word "comparison"!

Ever since Wet Nurse Luo became a wet nurse at the Han Estate, her status in both her husband's family and her own natal family rose along with the tide, arousing secret jealousy among her sisters-in-law.

Her eldest sister-in-law, feeling resentful, later happened to be selected as a wet nurse by another wealthy merchant family.

That sister-in-law was quick-witted and shrewd. The child she served was a young master born of a concubine whose birth mother had died early, so she deliberately worked to make the child depend on her as if she were his real mother.

From then on, the sister-in-law's life became increasingly prosperous and glorious, and she turned the tables on Wet Nurse Luo.

As the saying goes, "A man's greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant." Faced with such a reversal of fortune, Wet Nurse Luo ultimately failed to hold onto her integrity and began to harbor wicked thoughts.

She and Wet Nurse Wang saw eye to eye at once. Over the years, they gradually edged out the other wet nurses, then took every opportunity to drive a wedge between the family, hoping to become the "mother" in Xiao Tao'er's heart and enjoy even greater wealth and glory.

Unfortunately for them, Han Zhang and his husband's care and affection for Xiao Tao'er were more than sufficient. A child who was already so loved would never take them to heart!

It was only recently, when Shen Qinglan became pregnant with their second child, that the two women thought they had found their opportunity. Acting rashly in their impatience, their instigating words became too obvious, frightening Xiao Tao'er into reporting them—and that was how they gave themselves away.

After hearing the full account, Shen Qinglan was so angry he cried and hurled the teacup on the table to the floor:

"Husband, throw them out! Throw them out! Who the hell do they think they are, having the audacity to imagine being Xiao Tao'er's 'mother'? I am Xiao Tao'er's Papa!"

Xiao Tao'er was not only his and his husband's first child—he was a child they had yearned for for a long time after getting married before finally being blessed with him.

Were those two wet nurses trying to take his child? They were cutting out a piece of his very heart!

Han Zhang was equally furious, but he reined in his temper and pressed on: "How are the wet nurses of the other young masters in the estate?"

The steward lowered his head and wiped the sweat from his brow, speaking in a low voice:

"To answer you, Master, the wet nurses of Young Masters Chenghui and Chengyun are still well-behaved (the children of Han Qinfeng and Jiang Liu)."

"However, the wet nurses of Young Masters Chenglin and Chengzhuo (the children of Han Qinnian and Shao Langzhou) have recently been getting ideas as well, though they have not yet done anything improper..."

For such an unsavory incident to occur among the estate's wet nurses, he as steward could not shirk responsibility—at the very least, it was the crime of negligence in supervision.

But in truth, as long as the ancient wet nurse system continued to be practiced, this kind of situation was inevitable. After all, the very word "wet nurse" contains the character for "mother," which shows how close the bond could become.

Han Zhang pondered with a grim face, then gave his orders:

"Throw Wet Nurse Wang and Wet Nurse Luo out of the estate immediately. The other wet nurses shall be given severance pay according to the old custom and dismissed as well."

"From today onward, all wet nurses employed by this estate shall be rotated every three months. Once the young masters and young ladies are weaned, no wet nurses will be used at all. From then on, their daily care shall be handled by elderly maids, maidservants, and page boys."

These wet nurses were all women of respectable status hired for their services. Their behavior of gossiping behind others' backs and sowing discord could only be considered a moral failing—by law, they could not be arbitrarily beaten to death or sold off. The only recourse was to deduct their wages and expel them from the estate.

But that did not mean Wet Nurse Wang and Wet Nurse Luo were off the hook.

When those above want to deal with those below, they need not lift a finger themselves—they only need to show an attitude, and there will always be people falling over themselves to serve as their knives.

"Yes, Master. This old servant will see to it at once."

The steward immediately understood the deeper meaning left unspoken, respectfully acknowledged the order, and hurried off to make the arrangements.

After he left.

Shen Qinglan was still not appeased. Leaning against Han Zhang's chest, he continued to cry bitterly:

"Husband, how could Wet Nurse Wang and Wet Nurse Luo be so cruel-hearted? I treated them well, I can honestly say—light work, generous monthly silver..."

"To ensure they would care for Xiao Tao'er with their whole hearts, I even secured employment for their family members. I never asked for gratitude, but how could they scheme behind our backs like this..."

Even though he knew the two women who had been expelled would certainly not meet a good end, just thinking about how he had nearly been estranged from his son made him gnash his teeth in fury.

Han Zhang held him close with tender concern and comforted him: "Husband, don't cry. You are with child now—such sorrow and tears are not good for your health. Fortunately, this was discovered early, and there is still time to make amends."

"Besides, this is not your fault. The human heart is hidden behind the ribs—no matter how carefully we guard against it, it is difficult to prevent petty people from harboring wicked intentions."

"All we can do is raise our children well. If, despite such devoted care, our children can still be swayed by a few words from outsiders and become estranged from us, then such children are not worth keeping..."

He spoke the truth. His love for Xiao Tao'er and his two unborn children was entirely derived from his love for his husband—it was love that extended to all that was his.

If his children ever became unfilial and dared to wound his husband's heart, then regardless of the reason, he would abandon them without hesitation.

His heart was small—so small that it could only hold one person: his husband.

Shen Qinglan felt both warm and sweet inside, yet also angry at how he could speak of their children that way. For a moment, he could not continue crying.

In the end, he could only protect his round, heavy belly and glare up at him:

"Husband, what nonsense are you talking? If the baby could understand, how sad would that make him? Don't ever say such things again!"

"Alright, alright, your husband misspoke—I was too anxious and said the wrong thing... Don't be angry, husband, don't be angry."

Han Zhang could not bear to see him upset, so he immediately corrected himself and coaxed him with gentle words.

Only then was Shen Qinglan satisfied. He took Han Zhang's hand and placed it on his belly, a fatherly look of tenderness spreading across his face:

"Husband, come feel. Er Bao and San Bao have been so good. The doctor says they'll be ready to come out in a little over two weeks."

"Have you got everything squared away at the government office? If you're not by my side during the birth, I'll be scared..."

"Don't worry, everything's arranged. That's why I rushed back to be with you for the birth."

Han Zhang traced the curve of his husband's belly, his expression softening.

But then, as if something occurred to him, a trace of worry crept into his brows as he said, "My dear, regarding Er Bao and San Bao, I have a plan I'd like to run by you."

"What plan?"

"This time, Wet Nurse Wang and Wet Nurse Luo couldn't have come at a better time. I plan to use the excuse that the wet nurses, bitter after being kicked out of the mansion, wanted revenge—by staging a difficult birth and making Er Bao and San Bao appear stillborn, then secretly sending them out of the mansion to be raised."

Shen Qinglan was taken aback, not quite able to process it, and instinctively clutched his belly as he asked:

"Wh-what? Stillborn... faked death? My husband, our children—why on earth would they need to be sent away to be raised? And with such... such an inauspicious explanation?"

"Because the Crown Prince can no longer restrain himself from moving against me. I also plan to use his hand to get exiled to the frontier and start a rebellion. Er Bao and San Bao are too young and tender—it's truly inconvenient for them to follow us along the road of exile."

Shen Qinglan: "..."

What? Reb—rebellion?

Was it the rebellion he thought it was?

Haha, he definitely hasn't woken up today—his ears must be playing tricks on him!