The two women looked grim. Song's mother flicked her sleeves and said, "Song Tangxue, you've got some big ideas now! You just give me a thousand taels of silver like that!"

Song Tangxue didn't care about the two of them at all: "The amount of silver you took from me is more than a thousand taels. So you knew that this was not a small amount of money?"

As soon as the messenger left, Madam Song nearly fainted from anger. How could she possibly spend a thousand taels of silver?

They felt bad about wasting this hard-earned money.

They hated Song Tangxue, the culprit, so much that they wanted to tear her to pieces. The messenger had barely left when she arrived at Song Tangxue's courtyard.

Seeing that Song Tangxue had not only received a palace maid bestowed by the Empress, but was now sitting in the courtyard with tea and snacks beside her, looking quite relaxed.

"How can this be the same? You said you'd get this money. You have to make up for what you said!" Mother Song was so angry she could barely stand, and the maid beside her had to support her.

"You can use my money, but you can't? I can't believe there are parents like this in the world." Song Tangxue had never been respectful to the two of them from beginning to end, and now she was openly mocking them.

This attitude angered Song's mother, but she was helpless. Whoever has money is the boss; that's how the world is—survival of the fittest.

“Mother, if you have the time and inclination, you might as well gather the money sooner rather than later. As you know, I don’t have any more money to spare. My uncles and aunts still haven’t paid me back.” Song Tangxue spread her hands, stating bluntly that she couldn’t afford to pay a single penny.

The two were furious and stormed off.

Song Tangxue leisurely poured herself a cup of tea and hummed a little tune: "Cuixi, come, sit down."

From the moment Cui Xi entered, she served Song Tangxue with utmost care and respect. Now, she knelt down with some fear, saying, "This lowly servant dares not sit or stand with Miss. Please don't make me feel so bad."

Song Tangxue chuckled and said, "What are you thinking? I know a little about medicine. I prescribe some tonics for every servant in my courtyard to help them regulate their bodies. Now that you've entered my courtyard, you're one of my people, so I'll naturally take care of you."

Haitang said with some pride, "Yes, with Miss here, my old ailments have gotten much better."

Cui Xi glanced at Song Tangxue, stood up shakily, and extended her hand: "This servant will not sit down. Thank you, Miss Song."

Song Tangxue smiled gently and reassured her, "You don't need to be nervous."

Cui Xi had never heard of Miss Song's medical skills; she was probably just making a fuss with the servants.

Unexpectedly, upon touching her pulse, Song Tangxue's brows furrowed slightly, and the furrowing tightened. Cuixi's heart began to pound, and she swallowed hard: "Miss?"

Song Tangxue released her hand from her wrist and looked up to observe her closely: "Your days are numbered."

Cui Xi suddenly knelt down, her forehead beaded with sweat, her head buried in the ground, not daring to speak, biting her lip, her body trembling incessantly.

"If there is no medication to alleviate your condition before the 15th, you will not live much longer, which means tomorrow." Song Tangxue picked up her teacup, and the moonlight seeped into the cool night, quietly falling.

No one spoke in this small courtyard.

Silent and still.

"Alright, the antidote for this medicine is simple, but the problem lies in the illness you were born with. Do you often sweat profusely and feel weak?" Song Tangxue discovered that Cui Xi not only had poison, but also another illness.

“If not treated properly, it can also be life-threatening.” Song Tangxue put down her teacup and looked at her quietly.

Cui Xi was shocked. When she was with the Empress, the Empress had once asked the imperial physician to check her pulse, out of consideration for their past relationship.

Even the imperial physicians shook their heads and sighed, indicating that they were powerless to help.

Cui Xi's throat tightened a little. Song Tangxue asked Haitang to fetch paper and pen. With swift strokes, she wrote two prescription patches on two sheets of paper.

He handed both prescriptions to Cuixi: "Take the medicine according to this prescription, three times a day, after meals. If you don't have enough money for the medicine, ask Haitang for some."

Cui Xi took the prescription with trembling hands and kowtowed heavily on the ground.

Thump...

“Miss…” Cui Xi’s voice trembled, her hand gripping the prescription tightly, and her lips were pursed.

"This prescription can suppress the poison in your body. I'll change the prescription next month to completely remove the effects of the medicine. It's getting late, you can go now." Song Tangxue rubbed her temples wearily.

Cui Xi kowtowed again to express her gratitude and left. As she reached the door, she turned back to look at the figure in the moonlight, gritted her teeth, and ran out.

Haitang peeked out, observing her departing figure: "Miss, are we just going to let her go like this?"

Song Tangxue wasn't worried at all. She picked up a pastry and put it in her mouth, saying, "Little Begonia, we still need you to handle this."

Haitang was somewhat surprised, but immediately replied, "I am willing to do anything for you, Miss."

The next morning, Cuixi took over Haitang's task and waited anxiously at the door early in the morning.

Yesterday, I took the prescriptions to a doctor for a checkup. These prescriptions contained excellent medicines, and the doctor was even willing to pay a hundred taels of silver to buy the prescriptions from me.

She also took it to heart, and a doctor gave her half of the prescription.

This immense kindness was no less than a second birth, and she truly had no way to repay it, causing her great inner torment.

Hearing Song Tangxue calling for someone from inside, he entered and knelt down abruptly before Song Tangxue's bed, his eyes blurry with tears: "Miss, you've treated me so well, I really can't bear it, I actually..."

“Actually, it was a spy sent by the Empress to your side.” As soon as she said this, Cui Xi felt a sudden sense of relief and lowered her head to quietly await her judgment.

"You are now my maid, so you don't need to worry about the poison the Empress has given you. There's nothing to worry about."

Song Tangxue gently helped her up: "As long as you do your job well for me, once you recover, I will find you a good family to marry into and give you money so you can live a peaceful and healthy life."

Cui Xi's tears fell onto Song Tangxue's hand: "This servant thanks Miss for your kindness in saving me. This servant will do my best to serve Miss well."

"It's good that you have this intention; from now on, we're all one family."

At lunchtime, Song Tangxue sent someone to the First Restaurant in Kyoto to pack some of their signature dishes. Haitang arranged them one by one, and the table was full of colorful, fragrant and delicious dishes.

Steam rose from the dishes, and the servants gathered around, marveling at the rare sights they had never seen before.

Seeing Song Tangxue come out of the house, Haitang waved away the servants who had gathered around and helped Song Tangxue sit down.

Influenced by the lively atmosphere, Song Tangxue sat down with a smile: "You should sit down and eat too. There's a lot of food today, it would be a waste if we didn't finish it."

Haitang sat down first and picked up her chopsticks: "Since Miss has spoken, then I won't stand on ceremony. Everyone, please sit down."

With Haitang taking the lead, the servants also sat down, and the dining table was filled with laughter and joy.

Cui Xi looked at them with envy, but she didn't dare. Although her mistress hadn't said anything, she felt guilty and knew she had only just arrived in the courtyard and was still too shy to be around others.

How dare she do such a thing, showing no respect for hierarchy?