Yun Li and Ying Tao returned to the Prime Minister's Residence. By evening, the two went to Qionghua Yuan to visit Zhao Momo.
Qionghua Yuan was dilapidated beyond repair—a small courtyard tucked away at the foot of the hill behind the Prime Minister's Residence. The place was remote, overgrown with weeds and wildflowers. The entire yard was less than ten square meters, and the wooden door had rotted through with a large hole, looking as if it might fall off at any moment.
Just from the outside, Yun Li could imagine that the inside was likely even worse. It was clear that Yun Ran and Su Meixian had deliberately confined Zhao Momo here to let her fend for herself.
As they approached the courtyard entrance, there was indeed a young servant boy squatting by the door. He didn’t look very old, just a lad of about ten or so. Seeing Ying Tao approach, he hurriedly stood up to greet her.
"Sister Tao Hong, you’re here. Why are you so early today?"
"Mhm, I brought the young miss to see Zhao Momo."
The servant boy looked at Yun Li in surprise. "The young miss?"
"Yes, this is the Third Young Miss."
"Oh, oh! This humble servant pays respects to the Third Young Miss!"
With that, he was about to bow to Yun Li.
"No need. Keep watch at the door. If anything happens, give us a warning. We’re going in to see Zhao Momo."
"Yes, Young Miss, don’t worry! Hurry inside, but don’t stay too long. I’m afraid someone might see and report to the Madam."
"Alright."
The two pushed the door open and entered. Even at the doorway, they were hit by a strong, foul odor—a mix of urine and feces. Inside, there was only a bed, a table, and a chair.
On the bed lay an old woman around fifty or sixty years old, but her hair had already turned completely white and much of it had fallen out. Her eyes were tightly shut, her face pale with a bluish tint. If not for the faint rise and fall of her chest, she truly looked as if she were already dead.
Yun Li approached and pulled Zhao Momo’s arm out from under the blanket. She placed her fingertips on Zhao Momo’s wrist to check her pulse, then pretended to reach into her sleeve while secretly retrieving a small flashlight from her space. She pried open Zhao Momo’s eyes to examine them.
"Young Miss, should I give Zhao Momo her medicine first? Otherwise, it’ll get cold."
"Don’t give it to her. This medicine is useless for her condition! In fact, the more she drinks it, the worse she’ll get!"
"Ah? How can that be? Then… is Zhao Momo going to die…"
Ying Tao looked at Zhao Momo on the bed, her eyes instantly turning red, on the verge of tears as she spoke.
Yun Li paid her no mind. Instead, she took out needles and began applying acupuncture to Zhao Momo’s head. Before long, Zhao Momo’s head was covered in needles.
She didn’t tell Ying Tao that the medicine Zhao Momo had been taking all along was problematic. It was only after checking her pulse that Yun Li realized Zhao Momo had Bai Ku Poison inside her body. One of the herbs in the medicine Ying Tao had been fetching, Bai Ye, could activate the toxicity of Bai Ku Poison. Long-term consumption could paralyze a person’s nerves, which was why Zhao Momo had remained unconscious all this time.
It was possible that Ying Tao had fallen into a trap when she sought a doctor for Zhao Momo… The one behind this was either Yun Ran or Su Meixian. In any case, neither of them would get away with it!
Applying acupuncture to Zhao Momo could only expel part of the poison from her body. Bai Ku Poison had already penetrated deep into her internal organs, especially her lungs—half of which had already rotted away. Coupled with long-term malnutrition, her body was severely depleted.
She would need to recuperate for a while until her condition improved. Then, Yun Li would have to perform surgery on Zhao Momo to remove the rotten part of her lung, after which she would need to recover slowly. Otherwise, Zhao Momo probably wouldn’t live much longer. Even so, with Yun Li’s best efforts, she could only extend Zhao Momo’s life by two or three years at most…
"Third Young Miss, come out quickly! Someone’s heading this way…"
The servant boy outside the door anxiously called out a warning.
Yun Li swiftly pulled out the needles while pondering who could possibly come here at this hour. Yun Ran was under house arrest, so aside from Su Meixian, she couldn't think of anyone else.
She quickly altered Zhao Momo's pulse to simulate death. After completing everything, she grabbed Ying Tao, who was still in shock, and rushed outside. It was too late to leave, so they hid at the side of the courtyard, crouching down among the weeds where they wouldn't be easily noticed.
Ying Tao snapped out of her shock. How did her young lady know medicine? The way she had just inserted needles and checked Zhao Momo's pulse looked so professional… She had grown up with her young lady—how could she not know that her young lady could treat people?
Just as she was feeling puzzled and confused, Yun Li peered through the gaps in the weeds and saw that the person entering the courtyard was indeed Su Meixian. She was accompanied by a maid and a matron, followed by four guards carrying lanterns. The guards waited at the entrance while Su Meixian entered the room with the maid and matron.
"Shh, don't make a sound. Stay hidden here. I'm going to take a look," Yun Li whispered to Ying Tao.
Ying Tao covered her mouth, her round eyes wide as saucers, and nodded repeatedly.
Yun Li stealthily moved from the weeds to the back of the courtyard, near the window. She moistened her finger with saliva and gently poked a hole in the paper covering the window.
Inside the room, Su Meixian stood at the doorway, covering her nose and mouth with a handkerchief. She said to the matron beside her, "It stinks in here, that wretched old woman! Go check if she's dead. If she isn't, force this packet of medicine down her throat!"
The matron took the medicine and walked over to the bed with a look of disgust. She reached out to check Zhao Momo's breathing.
"Madam, Zhao Momo is dead! Judging by her appearance, she must have been dead for two or three days…"
Su Meixian was surprised. "Dead? What were the servants guarding her doing? They didn't even report it to me? How unlucky! Are you sure you checked carefully?"
The matron nodded. "I checked carefully, Madam. Zhao Momo is indeed dead. If you don't believe me, come closer and see for yourself. She's no longer breathing."
Su Meixian frowned, her face full of impatience. "Good, she's dead. That saves me the medicine. Alright, let's go… Have someone come and set fire to this courtyard. What an unlucky place!"
Witnessing all this from outside the window, Yun Li's almond-shaped eyes flashed with sharp intensity, her anger reaching its peak.
Su Meixian walked out of the courtyard with a look of disdain. At the entrance, she asked the servant, "Zhao Momo is dead. Why didn't you report it to me?"
The servant was shocked. "I didn't know Zhao Momo was dead…"
Su Meixian snorted coldly. "Hmph, you know what to tell the master, right? I was never here today!"
"Yes! I understand!"
With that, she strode away haughtily with her maid and matron.
Yun Li returned to the weeds and said to Ying Tao, "Go back to Wutong Courtyard first and tidy up Zhao Momo's room! I'll bring Zhao Momo back myself!"
"Ah, young lady, how will you manage alone? Let me help you."
"No need. I have my own way. Hurry back—they're going to set fire to this place!"
Seeing the seriousness on her young lady's face, Ying Tao, though filled with questions and worry, said nothing more. She simply trusted her young lady.
After Ying Tao left, Yun Li hurried into the room. With a wave of her small hand, she placed Zhao Momo into her space.
Without waiting for the guards to set the fire, she directly took a piece of paper from her space, lit it with a lighter, and threw it onto the bed. The flames spread quickly, and soon the quilt on the bed was ablaze.
She went out and walked up to the servant, handing him a pouch of broken silver. "What's your name?" she asked.
"This lowly one is called Feng Zhu. Miss, this silver—this lowly one cannot accept it! In the past, Zhao Momo once helped me, and I have always remembered it in my heart."
Yun Li sized up Feng Zhu. He seemed like an honest and decent person, not greedy at all.
So she asked, "Would you be willing to follow me from now on?"
The servant looked up, his face filled with shock. After a moment, he said, "This lowly one is willing to follow Third Miss!"
"Mm, in a few days, I'll have Ying Tao come find you."
"Ying Tao?"
"Ying Tao is Tao Hong!"
"Oh, I see…"
Before Feng Zhu could react, Yun Li disappeared into the night.