Han Wanqing could hardly believe the babyish voice that had suddenly sounded.
She assumed she had exhausted herself giving birth and had waited so long for this child that she was now hallucinating.
Han Wanqing smiled and looked toward the prince, only to find him looking equally shocked!
An absurd thought sprang into her mind: this babyish voice was real!
Han Wanqing ventured, "Your Highness, we have several wet nurses in the household. Why not summon them all and see whether any of them are unsuitable?"
Chu Hongle nodded furiously and added, "Especially those who don't keep themselves clean. We can't let them anywhere near my daughter!"
Han Wanqing understood at once that the prince had heard that babyish voice too.
Chu Hongle stared at his daughter's face, feeling immensely pleased with himself.
It must be because father and daughter are joined at the heart that I can hear Siqing's thoughts. I truly am Heaven's favored son. Hahaha!
Mei Qing, the senior maid, went to fetch the three wet nurses: Wet Nurse Zhou, Nanny Zhang, and Nanny Li.
The three wet nurses stood in a row before the prince and princess, their faces full of anticipation.
If they could become the little princess's wet nurse, their futures would be secure!
Standing to one side, Mei Qing said, "Wet Nurse Zhou, step forward."
Wet Nurse Zhou had the most experience. By rights, she should have been chosen outright, but for some reason, the prince and princess had summoned all three of them.
Afraid of losing the position, she grew anxious and tried her hardest to impress them.
She stepped forward and thrust out her ample chest to demonstrate how well equipped she was.
Standing rather close, Chu Hongle hurriedly averted his eyes.
He studied Wet Nurse Zhou's face. It looked so fair and clean that he could see no sign of someone who neglected her hygiene.
[Dad, look! Wet Nurse Zhou's neck is noticeably darker than her face! That's because she doesn't like bathing and has terrible hygiene!]
Chu Hongle could not help glancing at Wet Nurse Zhou's neck. Sure enough, there seemed to be a ring of dark grime around it.
Heavens! He felt as though his eyes had been sullied!
Chu Hongle hurriedly said, "Next, next!"
Having heard her daughter's thoughts, Han Wanqing could not help smiling either.
Nanny Zhang immediately stepped forward with a smug expression, thinking that she finally had a chance at this heaven-sent torrent of wealth!
[Mom! Mom! Nanny Zhang has liver disease! Her milk isn't healthy. I can't drink it!]
Han Wanqing was astonished.
Poor hygiene was easy enough to spot from the outside, but how did her daughter know about the liver disease?
[If you don't believe me, look at the coating on her tongue. It's bound to be thick and yellow!]
Chu Hongle immediately pointed at Nanny Zhang. "Stick out your tongue and let me see!"
Baffled, Nanny Zhang opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue.
Seeing that the coating on her tongue was indeed thick and yellow, Chu Hongle hurriedly waved his hand. "This one won't do either. Next!"
The last woman, Nanny Li, stepped forward with a manner that was neither servile nor overbearing.
The two rejected wet nurses beside her were deeply jealous.
[Hmm, Nanny Li is a good person. Not only is she healthy, but she has good character too. She's even raised her son well all on her own...]
Chu Hongle immediately settled on Nanny Li, then asked curiously, "Who else is in your family?"
Nanny Li was somewhat surprised, but still answered, "Your Highness, I have a young son at home."
Having just given birth to her daughter, Han Wanqing could not help feeling some sympathy for this wet nurse.
After a moment's thought, she said, "If it would make things easier, you may bring him into the household to be looked after."
Nanny Li's eyes reddened at those words, and she nearly shed tears, hastily brushing them away with her hand.
She bowed, her heart full of gratitude. "Thank you, Your Highness."
After Nanny Li carried Chu Siqing away to nurse her, Han Wanqing gazed steadily at Chu Hongle.
Then she laid her cards on the table. "Your Highness heard her too, didn't you? Siqing is so unusual. If, in the future..."
Her daughter possessed such intelligence from birth. As her mother, she would never fear her, but someone with ulterior motives might exploit it and claim that Siqing was an evil spirit reincarnated.
Chu Hongle dismissed her concerns. "What of it? Doesn't it simply mean our daughter is exceptionally gifted?"
He thought for a moment, then said, "Perhaps Siqing is an immortal reincarnated, which is why she knows so much about the world. Having such a remarkable daughter is a blessing for me as her father!"
There was even a hint of smug delight in his voice.
Han Wanqing: "..."
Meanwhile, after carrying the little princess away, Nanny Li had to put in a great deal of effort to coax her precious little charge into nursing.
There was no helping it. Chu Siqing had been in her twenties, and now, after transmigrating, she was expected to nurse like a baby. It was simply too embarrassing!
Once she had eaten her fill, Chu Siqing closed her eyes as Nanny Li soothed her to sleep.
She appeared to be sleeping, but she was actually communicating with the system in her mind.
System: [Well, host? I'm useful after all, aren't I? Didn't I just help you avoid two dangers?]
Chu Siqing was speechless. [...Fine. You are somewhat capable.]
She thought for a moment, then said, [But other people get things like a System Shop where they can exchange points for all sorts of goodies. Life in ancient times isn't easy. Can I exchange points for modern items through you?]
System: [Of course. I'm an advanced system! But you'll need points.]
Chu Siqing asked, [Then how do I earn points?]
System: [By doing good deeds and accumulating merit. Host, you were killed by that truck, but because you were trying to save that child, you received this chance to be reborn.]
[So that's how it works.]
Chu Siqing remembered that she had once had a happy family too, which was why her father had named her "Siqing."
Unfortunately, her parents had died young, and she had no close relatives, so she had grown up in an orphanage.
Now that she had been reborn with both parents alive, perhaps this was her reward for her good deeds!
Although she had transmigrated into a novel and apparently had a cannon-fodder fate, Chu Siqing resolved to use every means available to stay alive and live well!
The thought that the System Shop might contain all sorts of cheats set Chu Siqing's heart ablaze with excitement.
[System, open the shop. Let me see what goodies there are!]
System: [Uh... well... um, host, you don't have any points yet, so the System Shop can't be opened.]
Chu Siqing exclaimed in shock, [What the hell! I'm still a nursing baby. How am I supposed to do good deeds and earn points? You're not scamming me, are you?]
Only then did she remember that she could not even speak yet. Would she already be dead by the time she could earn points?!
System: [Of course not! Host, I'm the Gossip System. When the time comes, find a way to pass the information on to others. That counts toward your merit too!]
[Fine.]
Chu Siqing felt utterly dejected.
But a baby's body needed sleep, and before long, she truly was fast asleep.
Several blissful days passed like this, with her living like a little piglet.
Chu Siqing did nothing but eat and sleep, entirely without guilt. A corporate slave in her previous life, a pampered freeloader in this one-she deserved every bit of it. Hehe!
Every day, she was carried over to Princess Yu to snuggle with her beautiful, gentle mother. It was absolute bliss!
Seeing her daughter nestled against her, her tiny nose twitching in obvious enjoyment, Han Wanqing's eyes curved into a contented smile.
Just then, a maid outside announced, "Your Highness, the Han family's second young lady has arrived."
Han Wanqing said, "Let my younger sister in."
Then she lowered her head to tease her daughter. "Siqing, your auntie has come to see you."
[Aaaah! Mom, you need to be on your guard! Auntie wants to become my stepmother!]
Han Wanqing's delicate brows immediately knitted together.
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