Before Jiang Shuyue could react, she saw Aunt Meng quickly put the white porcelain bottle under her pillow and then make a shushing gesture to Jiang Shuyue.
Jiang Shuyue seemed to understand what Aunt Meng meant. She didn't want anyone to know that she was taking the antidote and that the person who administered it was still in the nunnery.
"Is your aunt feeling any better?"
Before the words were finished, Cui Yudie, dressed in a colorful dress and gorgeous clothes, walked in gracefully, followed by two pretty maids.
Aunt Meng coughed twice and sat up straight, forcibly suppressing the hatred in her eyes. "I'm fine, it's just an old ailment. Die'er doesn't need to worry about me."
Upon seeing Jiang Shuyue standing in the room, Cui Yudie's surprise flashed briefly before she bowed to Jiang Shuyue with a gesture of respect befitting a peer.
"So Sister Jiang is here too, what a coincidence."
Cui Yudie was impeccably polite and poised, leaving no room for criticism.
Jiang Shuyue's intuition was that this woman was a high-level green tea.
Jiang Shuyue returned a warm smile, pretending not to understand anything, "Miss Cui was just calling Aunt Meng 'Auntie'?"
"Yes."
Before Cui Yudie could explain, Aunt Meng said expressionlessly, "Her mother is my elder sister, and I am a concubine's daughter in the Meng family."
“Aunt! Don’t talk about being born out of wedlock or not. Mother has never treated you as an illegitimate sister. Before I left, Mother repeatedly told me to stay here for a few more days and take good care of you, Aunt.”
As Cui Yudie spoke, she walked toward the bed. Just before her hand reached out, Aunt Meng subtly pulled her hand back into her bosom.
Jiang Shuyue noticed a hint of doubt flash across Cui Yudie's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.
"I was playing around and came over a little late today, so Auntie is angry with me," Cui Yudie said coquettishly, showing the demeanor of a young girl.
Aunt Meng's hands, tucked into her sleeves, clenched into fists, and her body trembled slightly uncontrollably.
"No, that's not true. Why would your aunt be angry with you? I'm fine with the help of the nun's sisters. Don't worry your mother. It would be better for Die'er to return to the capital soon."
As she spoke, Aunt Meng leaned back, slightly closing her eyes to conceal the barely concealed disgust in them.
"Auntie, are you feeling unwell?" Cui Yudie asked, turning to look at the medicine jar in the corner.
Liu Xu quickly understood, "This servant will serve the medicine."
Jiang Shuyue stood aside like she was invisible, watching Cui Yudie's performance.
Seeing that the medicine pot was still steaming, Cui Yudie urged, "Don't just stand there, quickly bring the medicine over."
"No need, I've already drunk it. I'm terminally ill and there's no cure. Tell your mother that I won't trouble her to bring me medicine anymore."
"Auntie, don't be discouraged. Take good care of yourself, and you'll get better someday."
Liu Xu moved nimbly and quickly poured half a bowl of medicine and brought it over. Cui Yudie took the medicine.
"Aunt, drink another half bowl. The doctor said the medicine takes effect slowly, so it's okay to take it once more a day."
Cui Yudie pushed the medicine bowl forward, but Aunt Meng remained motionless against the headboard, showing no intention of taking it and drinking it.
One ignored them, while the other stood there in front of the bed, and they remained in this stalemate for a moment.
Jiang Shuyue couldn't bear to watch any longer and said quietly, "Miss Cui's filial piety is commendable, but unfortunately the medicine you have is not the right one and will not help your aunt's illness in the slightest."
"Impossible, these are all top-quality medicinal herbs. If it weren't for my father..."
Cui Yudie glanced at Aunt Meng, who was resting with her eyes closed on the bed, and changed her words, saying, "If it were someone else, they wouldn't be able to find these medicinal herbs."
Aunt Meng's eyes remained closed, a barely perceptible cold smile playing on her lips.
Jiang Shuyue carefully observed Cui Yudie's expression. She saw no guilty conscience or panic, and concluded that Cui Yudie was unaware that the valuable medicinal herbs she had brought contained the Heart-Eating Grass.
“Miss Cui, even if precious medicinal herbs are useful to the patient, Aunt Meng is weak. Even if you get a hundred-year-old ginseng, it won’t help. If a person is too weak to take tonics, it will only be a death sentence.”
"Sister Jiang, I...I don't know, what should I do?" Cui Yudie's hand trembled slightly, and the medicine almost spilled.
The maid, Liu Xu, quickly took the medicine bowl and put it down.
Everyone knew how skilled Jiang Shuyue was in medicine, and Cui Yudie believed her without a doubt.
Jiang Shuyue roughly guessed who the poisoner was from their conversation.
In large mansions, there are many instances where legitimate daughters and illegitimate daughters appear to be harmonious on the surface, but are actually at odds with each other behind the scenes.
Just like the original owner and Jiang Jiaojiao. The kind and naive one ultimately suffers the most.
As Aunt Meng closed her eyes to rest, the pill dissolved in her stomach, and a refreshing sensation spread throughout her body.
The chest tightness was significantly relieved, there was a cool sensation in the throat, and the urge to cough disappeared.
Aunt Meng secretly admired him, thinking to herself, "He truly deserves to be called a renowned physician in the capital."
Realizing that his feud with his elder sister had nothing to do with the little girl in front of him, he composed himself.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Cui Yudie, who was frozen on the bed. "Die'er, go back to your own courtyard and rest. The smell of medicine in my room is strong, so don't let it bother you. I know my own body. With Miss Jiang prescribing medicine to help me, you don't need to worry."
"Aunt, please rest well. I will come to see you again tomorrow."
Cui Yudie was, after all, a young girl. No matter how deep her thoughts were, she never imagined that someone in her family wanted to take her aunt's life.
After bowing to Aunt Meng, he turned to Jiang Shuyue and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Sister Jiang."
Watching her niece lead the maid away, Aunt Meng lifted the covers and got out of bed.
Seeing that she was about to take the bowl of medicine, Jiang Shuyue quickly went over and said, "Auntie, you still need to rest. I can do this."
Just as Jiang Shuyue picked up the medicine bowl, footsteps sounded outside the door; her aunt was bringing dinner.
Seeing Aunt Meng standing on the ground, the aunt asked with concern, "Are you feeling better, Sister Meng?"
"Sister, you've come at the right time. Please help me remove and throw away the medicine bowl and the utensils used for brewing the medicine."
"Sister Meng, will you be alright without taking your medicine?" The young aunt asked with concern.
Aunt Meng said firmly, "Don't ask so many questions. I'll tell you another day. Take all these things down and throw them away. And whatever you do, don't go into the kitchen."
When the young aunt saw that Aunt Meng's expression was serious, she knew that there was probably more to this than met the eye, and hurriedly put down the tray.
He took the medicine bowl from Jiang Shuyue's hand, picked up the medicine pot, and quickly left.
"Miss Jiang, do you know who poisoned me?"
Aunt Meng didn't seem to be in the mood for dinner. She picked up a coat from the hanger, put it on, and sat down at the table.
Jiang Shuyue nodded slightly, "I have a rough idea. It would be best for Aunt Meng to stay away from those so-called relatives in the future."
Aunt Meng pointed to another chair, indicating that Jiang Shuyue should sit down.
After Jiang Shuyue sat down, Aunt Meng reached out and pushed the window outwards.
The window was half open, and a gentle breeze blew into the room, bringing in a touch of fresh country air that diluted the herbal smell and made the air instantly fresher.
Aunt Meng gazed into the distance, her thoughts drifting away once more, and calmly began to speak.
"That was more than twenty years ago..."
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