Xiangyun Lou was the largest restaurant in the capital of Yueqi Kingdom. In a private room on the second floor, Yun Li watched as the waiter continuously filled the table with dishes. Her mouth watered uncontrollably—she was indeed very hungry, having not even had a drop of water since morning.
"Ying Tao, what are you spacing out for? Come sit down and eat!"
"Miss, I can't! That wouldn't be proper! I'm a maid—how can I eat at the same table as you?"
Yun Li eagerly picked up a piece of crispy fried chicken and stuffed it into her mouth, saying impatiently, "Since I'm the miss, you should listen to me. If I tell you to sit down and eat, then you eat! Hurry up!"
After saying this, she tore off a large chicken leg and placed it in Ying Tao's bowl.
Ying Tao sat down and watched her miss's unrestrained way of eating, inwardly marveling. It felt as though her miss had become a completely different person overnight.
How to put it? Her personality had become much more cheerful, and she now radiated confidence and sunshine. If it weren't for the fact that the young woman before her looked exactly like her miss, with the same scar on her face, she would have doubted whether this was really her miss.
After all, in the past ten or so years, her miss had never allowed her to eat at the same table… had even changed her name… and forbade her from referring to herself as a servant…
It was just that ever since her miss's face was disfigured and Zhao Momo fell seriously ill, she had become withdrawn over the past few years, rarely going out and often spending entire days lost in thought.
But now, things were better. Her miss had finally gone out, and she was talking more. Compared to before, Ying Tao much preferred her miss as she was now!
Yun Li noticed Ying Tao staring at her for a long time, grinning foolishly with a bright, sparkling look in her eyes. If it weren't for the scar on her face, she would have thought this girl had a crush on her…
Feeling mischievous, she waved a hand in front of Ying Tao's face.
"What are you grinning about? Your drool is about to fall into the bowl…"
Ying Tao was startled and quickly wiped her mouth with her sleeve. "Miss, you're teasing me… There's no drool!"
Yun Li raised an eyebrow. "You said 'servant' again! As punishment, you have to finish this whole chicken!"
With that, she placed the remaining half of the chicken onto Ying Tao's plate.
Ying Tao felt a pang of sorrow but also warmth and gratitude.
"Miss, we can't finish all these dishes… Also, I didn't know you ordered so much today. The food at Xiangyun Lou isn't cheap, and I'm afraid I don't have enough silver on me…"
"Don't worry, eat up! Your miss has money!"
"Ah? Miss, where did you get money? Zhao Momo was afraid you'd be tricked by the eldest miss, so she kept all the banknotes with me."
Yun Li frowned. In the original owner's fragmented memories, there was no trace of her mother. This Zhao Momo was her mother's wet nurse, and the original owner had practically been raised by Zhao Momo… She had vague impressions of Zhao Momo from childhood, but as she grew older, especially in recent years, she had been completely preoccupied with Yun Ran…
As she carefully recalled, she finally remembered something: Zhao Momo seemed to be ill and had been bedridden for over three years, and the original owner rarely visited her…
Yun Li didn't answer Ying Tao's question about the money. Instead, she asked, "Ying Tao, how is Zhao Momo's illness?"
"It's still the same. She sleeps most of the time, occasionally waking up, but over the past year, she's been awake less and less. Miss, you haven't visited Zhao Momo in a long time. Every time she wakes up, she asks about you. Would you like to go see her?"
Right, since we're out today anyway, I'll go get some medicine for Zhao Momo. She's almost run out…"
"Mm, we'll visit Zhao Momo when we get back. What illness does she have? How did she get sick?"
Ying Tao looked surprised. "Miss, have you forgotten? Three years ago, Zhao Momo jumped into the lake in winter to save you. After that, she's been bedridden ever since. I've invited many doctors to see her, but none could cure her. The doctors said she has consumption. Then, the Prime Minister's wife, afraid Zhao Momo might infect others in the residence, sent her to Qionghua Yuan and sealed off the courtyard, forbidding anyone from entering."
"The servant guarding the courtyard couldn't afford a coffin when his family member passed away earlier. Zhao Momo gave him ten taels of silver to bury his father, so he owes her a favor. Every day, I prepare the medicine and deliver it to him in the evening. Every three days, he lets me sneak in to see Zhao Momo."
"I usually make some nourishing soup from time to time and send it over for that servant to eat, and I ask him to give some to Zhao Momo too…"
Listening to Ying Tao's words, Yun Li pondered thoughtfully. Zhao Momo's illness probably wasn't that simple… And why hadn't the original owner visited Zhao Momo in these three years?
Something must have happened here, but she couldn't recall it at the moment…
Never mind. When we return tonight, I'll treat Zhao Momo first. Maybe once she wakes up, everything will become clear.
…
After the meal, Yun Li and Ying Tao went to the pharmacy. Besides getting medicine for Zhao Momo, she also bought a lot of medicinal herbs herself. Out of the five hundred thousand taels in banknotes she stole from Yun Ran, three hundred thousand were spent on medicine! The medical room in her space mostly contained Western medicine. Although there was also Chinese medicine, most modern Chinese herbs were cultivated, and their potency couldn't compare to the pure, wild herbs of ancient times!
Hmm… When there's a chance, I should go to the mountains to dig up some medicinal herbs and plant them in the space!
As for why she bought so much medicine, it was to prepare more poison for self-defense. The struggles in the backyards of ancient official households were no less intense than those in the imperial harem. There were all sorts of sinister people, and one could easily be harmed if not careful…
…
Unlike the leisurely time the two had outside, the Prime Minister's Residence was currently in chaos.
"Great, Madam has woken up. Go inform the master quickly…"
A woman around thirty or forty years old, adorned with jade hairpins, looked pale but had maintained her appearance well, with not a single wrinkle on her face. She was helped up by a maid by the bed and leaned against the headboard.
"How is Ran'er? Help me go see Ran'er," she said, trying to get out of bed.
"Madam, don't worry. The doctor said she was frightened and overwhelmed by anger, which caused her to faint. Medicine has already been given to the eldest miss, and she should wake up soon."
"Does the master know?"
The maid nodded. "Yes, the master was furious when he returned from court. He ordered the man's body to be burned in the back hills and then commanded a search for the intruder in all the courtyards of the residence…"
"Cui'er, help me get dressed and take me to Fangfei Ge."
At Fangfei Ge, Yun Ran woke up and saw the fragrant gauze canopy above the bed, recalling what had happened before she fainted. Unable to contain herself, she sat up in bed and let out a scream!
"Ah…"
The maids guarding the room hurriedly gathered around.
"Miss, miss, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"Change this bed for me! Burn it! Now!"
After saying this, she immediately got out of bed. Seeing the bedroom empty, Yun Ran gritted her teeth and shouted.
"Liu Momo! Get in here and die!"
Liu Momo trembled as she entered, kneeling without daring to lift her head. "Young Miss, this old servant is here…"
She had seen it clearly this morning—the person in the young miss's bed was none other than the beggar she had sent to the third young miss's room last night… She couldn't understand it. She had personally watched as the beggar was delivered to the third young miss's room, and she had even locked the door herself. How had the beggar ended up in the young miss's bed… It made no sense to her.
Yun Ran mustered all her strength and slapped Liu Momo across the face, causing blood to immediately trickle from the corner of Liu Momo's mouth.
"How did you handle this matter for me?"
Before Liu Momo could answer, Prime Minister Yun Qingshan stormed in furiously. Without a word—
Slap, slap, slap…
Three heavy blows landed on Yun Ran's face, swelling half of it into a pig's head.
"Disgraceful daughter! Look at the absurd things you've done!"