People gathered around, whispering nervously, "That's the old madam from the General's residence! If anything happens to her, no one will take responsibility."
What they meant was—it was fine if they didn't get involved, but the moment they did, if the old woman died, they'd be buried with her!
As everyone stood by and watched, a small figure suddenly jumped into the carriage. Jiang Yunting, who was astride his horse, had a sharp glint in his eyes. Third Cousin?!
A firm voice rang out from inside the carriage, "Don't worry. She'll be fine!"
The soft breeze lifted the curtain, revealing Su Yiyi's hand swiftly dropping silver needles into the old woman's body.
The coachman beside her was too shocked to speak. What is this young girl doing? But soon after, the old woman, who had been struggling to breathe, gradually calmed down. Her breathing slowed, and she quietly allowed the girl to insert one fine needle after another into her body.
It felt as if a warm current flowed through her limbs. The old lady slowly closed her eyes, overcome by a sense of unprecedented comfort, and drifted off to sleep.
There was a voice murmuring beside her ear. After an unknown amount of time, the old madam slowly opened her eyes. Her vision gradually cleared—and the astonished face of the coachman came into focus.
"Madam! You're awake?!"
"What… happened?" she asked weakly. She vaguely remembered her chronic illness flaring up in the carriage, but now she was in a simple room.
"A young lady saved you, madam. She asked me to prepare a room for you to rest in and said you'd wake up soon."
A young lady? The old woman immediately recalled a pair of beautiful eyes. "Where is she?"
"After calming you down, the girl left before I could ask for her name. But she left behind a token." The coachman pulled out a waist plaque—on it was clearly engraved the character "Su."
The old madam's eyes lit up. "Isn't this the emblem of the Prime Minister's residence?" Then she recalled the girl's clothing. Could she be... the daughter of the Prime Minister's house?
She hadn't expected such a young girl to possess such skill in medicine! That old illness had tormented her for years. Her horse had panicked yesterday, causing her to be jostled violently and triggering the episode. If not for that girl, the consequences would have been dire.
"I must repay her for saving my life."
—
The next morning, Prime Minister Su Wen could no longer bear to see his beloved daughter suffer, so he allowed Su Yiyi to leave the reflection room early. No one knew that she had snuck out of the Prime Minister's estate the day before.
"Third Cousin, here's the medicine you asked for." Jiang Yunting entered with a bowl of black herbal soup, but was stunned by the sight in front of him. "Cousin—you…"
Her entire face was covered in a thick layer of green herbal mud. She looked terrifying.
Su Yiyi smiled as she took the medicine and drank it in one gulp. "Thanks for your hard work, Cousin!" She was completely unfazed by his reaction, walking to the side to rinse the herbal mask from her face with clean water. Soon, a pink, slightly flushed face emerged in the mirror.
The redness and swelling had significantly reduced, though the poison still lingered and wouldn't vanish in a day or two. But for Su Yiyi, this was child's play.
"Cousin, your face…" Even Jiang Yunting noticed the vast improvement. But before he could say more, she gestured for silence. "You promised to keep my secret!"
That… clever as he was, he quickly realized—there must be a secret behind Su Yiyi's 'ugliness'! He looked into her beautiful eyes, and a mischievous thought popped into his head: Maybe Third Cousin... wasn't ugly at all!
Just then, a commotion came from outside the window. Su Yiyi's maid Chunliu had just returned.
"Chunliu, what's going on outside?"
"Young Miss, the old madam from the General's residence is visiting! The head madam and the Prime Minister have already gone to greet her." Chunliu looked very excited. Seeing Su Yiyi's puzzled expression, she explained patiently.
"The General's wife is a woman of great status. She's the current empress's sister and the mother of the Grand General who defends our borders. She holds the title of First-Rank Imperial Lady. Normally, she has no contact with our household, but today, for some reason, she came bringing many precious gifts. I came back just to deliver tea to you, Young Miss. The Prime Minister just ordered all the maids to gather in the main hall."
With that, Chunliu hurried off.
Someone so important visiting the Prime Minister's residence? That could only mean something big was about to happen.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yunting looked at Su Yiyi with shining eyes. "Third Cousin… that old madam…"
"What? You mean the old lady with the asthma attack yesterday?!"
—
At that moment, Su Wen and the Head Madam were standing respectfully at the side. In the courtyard, all the maids were lined up neatly in several rows.
"Madam, these are all the young maids of our Xiang residence."
Unexpectedly, the old lady from the General's residence explained that she had suffered an attack of her chronic illness on the road yesterday, and a girl from the Prime Minister's house had saved her. She had come today to find her savior.
Since the acupuncture, the old madam felt much better. Leaning on her dragon-headed cane, she slowly scanned the rows of maids. Then she frowned.
"Are these all the maids in your house? The girl from yesterday isn't here."
Su Wen hesitated. "Could there… have been some misunderstanding?"
The Head Madam quickly stepped forward, "How could this be a misunderstanding? The waist token clearly belongs to our Xiang residence. The girl who saved her must be from here!"
The Head Madam was overjoyed. So many people had tried to get close to the old madam of the General's residence without success. Now she had come on her own—this was clearly a chance to repay her debt. The Prime Minister's house would be foolish not to seize such an opportunity!
The old lady spoke slowly, "That kind girl had very beautiful eyes."
Beautiful?! Everyone immediately thought of Su Wanwan!
"Could it be… Wanwan?"
The Head Madam's eyes lit up. Even though she knew Wanwan had been by her side all day yesterday and couldn't possibly have saved anyone—plus, Wanwan didn't know a thing about medicine—it didn't matter. Her face already wore a delighted smile. "I'll call for Wanwan right away!"
Inside, Su Wanwan frowned when she heard the news. "Mother, I didn't even—"
"No! You were out yesterday, and you saved the General's wife along the way!"
The Head Madam gripped Su Wanwan's hand tightly. "Wanwan, it doesn't matter who actually saved her. What matters is that you take the credit! Don't you like Prince Xiao? If the General's wife puts in a good word for you with the Empress Dowager, won't your marriage prospects be secured?"
Su Wanwan blushed, her eyes sparkling. "But… Mother, is this really okay?"
"It's fine, it's fine! The General's wife said the girl wore a veil and couldn't see her face. You just need to listen to me…" The Head Madam whispered into Su Wanwan's ear.
In the main hall, Su Wen was chatting amiably with the old madam. After a moment, a gentle and graceful girl was led in. The moment she saw the old lady, she bowed sweetly.
"How is the old madam feeling? I had something urgent yesterday and couldn't wait for you to wake. I deserve death for my rudeness!"
"This girl is…"
The Head Madam beamed, "Replying to the old madam, this is Su Wanwan, my daughter. She is the one who saved you yesterday."