She had already noticed it herself, but these maids were still pretending to be clueless. Wanqing didn’t bother dodging the issue any longer and instead looked directly at them with a smile, asking,
“Is that so? Then why do you all look so pale? Don’t think I didn’t notice just because I was asleep when you pressed my acupoint. Weren’t you secretly using your inner energy to heal me while I was asleep, draining your vitality and leaving yourselves so exhausted?”
Honglian stiffened slightly at her words, while Wanqing chuckled softly, her expression clearly indicating she knew everything as she gazed at them in amusement.
“Young Miss, it seems nothing escapes your notice. His Highness wanted to take you to see the Empress Dowager as soon as you recovered, but he didn’t want you to rely on medicine to heal your internal injuries. So he had us use our inner energy to help you instead…”
Seeing that their secret efforts had been discovered, Honglian sighed with a mix of helplessness and admiration. She no longer hid the truth, smiling faintly as she explained their intentions.
“You all… You shouldn’t waste your inner energy like this. It takes years of cultivation to accumulate. From now on, I won’t allow you to harm yourselves like this. If I find out anyone is still doing such foolish things behind my back, don’t blame me for being harsh. Whoever it is, if I catch them, they’ll no longer be allowed to stay by my side and will have to return to Linglong Pavilion to assist Bai Gu with her duties…”
Though they spoke lightly of it, Wanqing couldn’t help but feel moved by their sacrifice. Still, she glared at the maids beside her, her tone stern as she issued the warning.
“We won’t do it again.” Though they could see she was upset, her words clearly showed she didn’t want them harming themselves for her sake. Honglian and the others felt warmth in their hearts but simply nodded in response.
“Good. Chunhong, go see who’s at the door.”
Though she wasn’t entirely convinced they’d keep their promise, Wanqing nodded calmly. Just then, she heard someone calling from outside the courtyard and instructed Chunhong to check.
“Brother Qingfeng? What brings you here?”
When Chunhong returned with a visitor, Wanqing was surprised to see Qingfeng. Bored out of her mind, she instinctively asked about his unexpected arrival.
“My lord has a patient who needs your attention…” Qingfeng grinned at her rare warmth toward him, even if she had prefaced “Brother” with his name. At least she didn’t seem to hold any grudges against him.
“Good, I was just going stir-crazy with boredom. Honglian and Chunlan, come with me. The rest of you, stay here.”
Without hesitation, Wanqing agreed to his and her brother’s request. She stood up, instructing the maids before heading off with Honglian to fetch her medicine box.
“Young Miss, the patient isn’t at the manor…” Though Wanqing treated him without the usual master-servant distance, Qingfeng lowered his voice as they boarded the carriage at the gate.
“Alright.” Wanqing simply acknowledged his words, letting him drive them away without further question.
“Here? Is Brother Ningwang here too?”
Stepping out of the carriage, Wanqing found herself in what looked like a slum from this era—a small, dilapidated village she never imagined existed in the capital. Children ran barefoot around them, the houses were shabby, and the people wore patched clothes. Some homes didn’t even have proper doors, just tattered straw mats hanging as makeshift barriers. The air was thick with a mix of strange fragrances and foul odors, unpleasant but not quite nauseating.
“Yes. Let’s go in.”
Noticing the brief disdain in her eyes before they softened, Qingfeng smiled slightly and led them inside.
The room they entered was just as ramshackle, its walls seemingly held together by wooden planks, with a tattered straw mat covering the entrance.
“Slow down, slow down… Qing’er, you’re here. This is the nanny I mentioned—the one who witnessed our mother’s death. Unfortunately, she’s now mentally unstable…”
Inside, Ningwang sat beside a disheveled woman in tattered clothes, who was devouring food like a starving animal. The food had clearly been brought by him. Since Qingyun had gone to park the carriage, only a few people remained in the room.
Ningwang handed the woman a bowl of water, soothing her as she stuffed food into her mouth with both hands. When he noticed their arrival, he set the bowl down and spoke to Wanqing.
“Granny, take your time. There’s plenty more… Try this, it’s delicious…”
Seeing the woman—the only witness to their mother’s death—in such a state pained Wanqing. Though the woman shouldn’t have been very old, her haggard appearance, wild hair, and deeply wrinkled face spoke of immense suffering and hardship.
For some reason, looking at this woman, Wanqing felt their mother’s death couldn’t have been as simple as they thought. She nodded faintly and approached carefully. The old woman barely glanced up at her before continuing to eat ravenously, as if she hadn’t had a proper meal in years.
Wanqing gently placed a hand over the woman’s as she reached for more food. The woman’s dull, vacant eyes lifted to meet hers. Smiling warmly, Wanqing picked up another piece of pastry and offered it to her.
“Oh…” The nanny paused at her touch, her expression wary despite her obvious hunger. But seeing Wanqing’s kind smile, she hesitantly reached out.
As the woman’s hand neared hers, Wanqing swiftly took her wrist to check her pulse.
“Ah?” Startled, the nanny jerked back, her cloudy eyes widening in alarm as she stared at Wanqing.
Suddenly, the pastry in her hand fell to the ground. Before anyone could react, the woman burst into tears like a frightened child, wailing, “Rang… rang…” and lunged toward Wanqing.
“Y-You… don’t…” Wanqing thought the woman was attacking her, but instead, she clutched at her desperately, her face a mix of terror and pleading, as if grasping at a lifeline. Her mouth moved incoherently, repeating the same word: “Rang… rang…”
“This… ‘rang rang’… What is she…?”
Ningwang and the others were stunned. The woman’s behavior was erratic, her other hand still in Wanqing’s grip. Frowning, Ningwang muttered in confusion.
“I think she’s trying to say ‘niangniang’ (empress). Her eyes… she looks at me as if she’s seen a loved one, and I resemble our mother. No wonder—her jaw has been tampered with, making it hard for her to close her mouth properly, which is why her speech is unclear. And her mental state… she’s clearly suffered severe trauma. I believe I can heal her. Brother Ningwang, you said she was one of Mother’s attendants who disappeared after her death. Now we’ve found her in this state… I think we both understand what this means.”
Though the nanny’s reaction had startled her, Wanqing quickly composed herself. Based on the woman’s pulse and behavior, along with her desperate gaze, Wanqing turned to her brother with quiet certainty.
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