“Youlaihe?” asked Wei Changying who was confused. “What is that?”

“It is a cold medicine produced by northern Rong tribes,” said Mrs. Liu in a sad voice. “The Liu Family often battled with northern Rong tribes and found this medicine on them. It is effective to cure the hot poison. However, if a healthy person takes it, only a little….”

Liu Ruoyu couldn’t sit firmly. She was so weak that her face was pale. She said, “If someone overdosed it, the strange smell could be noticed. However, I am weak. Just a little amount of it made me weaker like now.” She felt short of breath. Suddenly, she couldn’t bear what had happened to her, so she violently waved her hands and shrieked, “I have not competed with them and merely want to marry an honest man. Moreover, I don’t plan to revenge them, but why do they still hurt me? They planned the marriage between the Crown Prince who is lascivious and I. Song Zaishui in Jiangnan knows his notorious character. Now, they even plotted to kill me.”

“Tenth sister, calm down.” Mrs. Liu pressed her own hands on the table so violently that her fingers went blue. Also, her face turned pale. Fortunately, she was not overly flustered. After shouting at her sister of the Liu Family, she revealed a pleading smile to Wei Changying and Mrs. Huang, “Sorry, third sister-in-law and Granny Huang. She has been gloomy recently. Now she even slightly goes crazy, so she starts talking nonsense. It is....”

Wei Changying immediately said, “It is normal that she feels unhappy when she is ill. Who would take her words seriously? What it matters is sister Ruoyu’s health. In my view, you had better ask Granny Huang for some advice.” She and Song Zaishui privately talked ill of the Crown Prince for many times in Fengzhou.

The words that Liu Ruoyu furiously shouted were less serious than those by Wei Changying and Song Zaishui.

Wei Changying disliked the Crown Prince. Moreover, after considering that Song Zaishui would marry him, Wei Changying heartily wished the current Empress would be replaced soon. When Wei Changying firstly met Liu Ruoyu today, she was suspicious of her out of Granny Qu’s words. However, as Wei Changying heard that Liu Ruoyu would take the place of Song Zaishui to marry the Crown Prince, she started feeling pity for her. Affected by Song Zaishui, Wei Changying had an awful impression on the Crown Prince.

Noticed by Wei Changying, sisters of the Liu Family all hopefully stared at Mrs. Huang.

However, after frowning for a long time, Mrs. Huang shook her head and said, “Youlaihe is so cold and tenth miss is now so weak that she cannot bear the hottest medicine. It takes at least one year for her to be nursed back to health. If she wanted to have a baby, this would...”

Covering her face with her sleeves, Liu Ruoyu wept with her shoulders violently shaking.

Mrs. Liu also turned pale and sadly said, “At least one year! How... how can tenth sister live here for so long?”

Mrs. Huang merely mentioned that it was cold medicine, but Mrs. Liu and Liu Ruoyu knew that it was Youlaihe produced by northern Rong tribes. Therefore, it was obvious who poisoned Liu Ruoyu with Youlaihe.

If it took three or five days to rid of this poison and Liu Ruoyu cautiously pretended that she was still poisoned after returning home, her stepmother might be misled. After her marriage, if she were in the Eastern Palace, she would be a little safer. However, Mrs. Huang claimed that it took at least one year to cure this poison. During this period, Liu Ruoyu should have gotten married to the Crown Prince.

Additionally, according to Mrs. Huang, Liu Ruoyu was supposed to be carefully nursed within at least one year.

Was it possible for Liu Ruoyu, whose wedding day was approaching?

Mrs. Liu took a deep breath and suggested, “Granny Huang, what about curing tenth sister after she gets married?”

Mrs. Huang immediately shook her head, “The poison cannot be delayed. The longer it delays, the more poisonous it is. At that time, no one could cure her, neither could Miracle Doctor Ji.”

“Could Miracle Doctor Ji diagnose tenth miss in person?” Mrs. Liu hesitantly asked. Although her words would offend Mrs. Huang, Mrs. Liu could not help asking her.

Wei Changying also looked at Mrs. Huang with an air of inquiry. Ji Qubing not only saved Wei Changying’s father, but also helped Wei Changfeng and her. But for him, she and her younger brother would have been dead. However, Wei Changying never met this famous doctor. She neither knew whether he got well along with the Wei Family nor whether Mrs. Huang could successfully invite him like Duanmu Xinmiao.

Mrs. Liu watched Mrs. Huang hopefully while Wei Changying looked at her with a probing look. After pondering over Mrs. Liu’s suggestion for a long time, Mrs. Huang slightly nodded her head and said, “I am going to visit Miracle Doctor Ji tomorrow, but I am not sure whether he is available or not.”

Mrs. Liu gratefully said, “It is very kind of you, Granny Huang. Tenth sister and I will not forget your kindness forever.” She was so excited that she piped out these words. However, she didn’t realize her slip of the tongue until she saw Wei Changying. Although it was Mrs. Huang who would invite Miracle Doctor Ji, she was Wei Changying’s dowry maid. Therefore, Mrs. Liu should thank Wei Changying firstly.

What was more, according to the status of Mrs. Liu, it was not proper to speak to Mrs. Huang, like “I will never forget your kindness forever.”

Fortunately, Wei Changying stopped the embarrassing talk with a sigh, “First sister-in-law, you are too polite. As I said before, Sister Ruoyu is pretty and virtuous, so no one is willing to leave her miserable. Now, she has gotten into trouble, and we all try our best to help her.”

Mrs. Huang promised to invite Miracle Doctor Ji in person, but she was not sure whether she could succeed. Moreover, Liu Ruoyu was bullied by her stepmother since her childhood. Now, her stepmother not only meddled in her marriage but also wanted to kill her. No one was able to stand such an excessive insult.

No matter whether Ji Qubing would accept the invitation or whether Liu Ruoyu could be cured, now Liu Ruoyu conceived a profound hatred for her stepmother. Wei Changying and Mrs. Liu all clearly expected the result. Wei Changying also knew why Mrs. Liu anxiously comforted Liu Ruoyu. Therefore, Mrs. Huang prescribed medicine for Liu Ruoyu and immediately ordered servants to fetch it. Finally, Wei Changying and Mrs. Huang left.

After coming out of Xinyi Court, Wei Changying privately asked Mrs. Huang, “Does it really take so long time to remove tenth miss’s poison?”

Looking at her with a smile, Mrs. Huang said, “You are increasingly sophisticated.”

Her words confirmed Wei Changying’s speculation. Actually, Mrs. Huang was able to rid of Youlaihe in a shorter period. Wei Changying wondered, “It is merely my guess. Grandmother once said that you are good at medicine, so how can’t you clear such a common cold poison? I don’t understand why you are so humble.”

After hearing what Wei Changying said, Mrs. Huang was shocked and a little embarrassed. She answered, “Young Madam, don’t underestimate Youlaihe! Tenth miss of the Liu Family is going to be the Crown Princess, and now she is ill, can’t doctors in the Imperial Hospital come to diagnose her? Her stepmother poisoned her with Youlaihe for two reasons. For one thing, she is sure that it is difficult to clear Youlaihe; for another thing, because Youlaihe is hard to trace, doctors in the Imperial Hospital might not diagnose it. Today, first young madam and tenth miss knew that it is Youlaihe. Because The Liu Family have always guarded Eastern Hu, they are familiar with the poison made by northern Rong tribes. If another family took it, I would explain to them the origin of Youlaihe.”

Wei Changying did not know about medicine at all. Because she believed Mrs. Huang, in her view, Mrs. Huang must be skilled in medicine. However, she was surprised at her words and asked, “Is it difficult to deal with it?”

“Yes, it is,” answered Mrs. Huang, cautiously nodding her head. “Therefore, the doctor who first young madam has invited does well in medicine. At least, he said that it was hard for tenth miss to be pregnant. If the doctor did not discover Youlaihe, he would only draw a conclusion that tenth miss had a cold constitution. In his view, tenth miss would recover if she took the medicine. However, according to this method, the effect of Youlaihe would be strengthened. Finally, it would be impossible for tenth miss to have a child anymore.”

Mrs. Huang said with a cold smile, “If tenth miss were diagnosed as taking cold poison by another doctor, the former doctor who did not find the truth would not admit his mistakes. Therefore, his fault was covered up. Only tenth miss suffered from the poison. On the contrary, tenth miss’ stepmother seemed to have nothing to do with it. Therefore, Youlaihe is pretty useful if someone wants to kill people.”

Wei Changying was moved, “If so, you are so outstanding that you can remove such a complicated poison.”

Mrs. Huang said with a humble smile, “No, it doesn’t owe to me. Miracle Doctor Ji used to test the effect of Youlaihe. Now, tenth miss said that if the amount of Youlaihe were too much, the strange smell could be noticed by people. Back then, Miracle Doctor Ji mixed with some medicines to produce a kind of Youlaihe without color or flavor. At that time, ordered by Old Madam Song, I served him for a long time. At that time, I witnessed his tests every day, so I remembered how to remove Youlaihe. Otherwise, it is a fortune that tenth miss could be cured within one year.”

Wei Changying inquired, “If you could detoxicate this poison, why would you consult Miracle Doctor Ji? Is it bad to delay the treatment of this poison?”

“You may not know that although I am permitted to greet Miracle Doctor Ji at festivals, in usual, he doesn’t like to be disturbed. If I had problems of medicine, I would be allowed to consult him at any time. Young Madam, why should I miss such a good chance to learn something from him? If I failed to invite him, it would be nice to seek advice from him.”

Wei Changying was confused and said, “You said that you knew how to cure the poison when you served Miracle Doctor Ji.”

Mrs. Huang was a little angry, but gave a sympathetic look to Wei Changying. She said, “Young madam, do you consider why first young madam asked us to diagnose tenth miss? The reason comes from the Eastern Palace. First young madam thinks that she would live a better life if tenth miss recovered from illness and had a baby. However, if Youlaihe were removed, tenth miss would be less healthy. So, it would be hard for her to be pregnant. Moreover, tenth miss’s stepmother has poisoned her before she gets married. Won’t her stepmother continue to hurt her in the future? I can also ask advice from Miracle Doctor Ji about how to make tenth miss healthier and how to have a baby. Isn’t it better?”

Wei Changying was silent. After thinking for a while, she said, “Tenth miss’s stepmother is so malicious that I don’t like her at all.”

With a light smile, Mrs. Huang said, “How can stepmothers be kind? Especially tenth miss’s stepmother has her own daughter.”

“Although she doesn’t like tenth miss of the Liu Family, tenth miss is a girl who will get married in the future. In my view, tenth miss was not disobedient,” said Wei Changying hesitantly. “Her stepmother is rather unkind.”

She was curious and asked, “What about her stepmother’s background? Why don’t her parents teach her how to be virtuous?”

Mrs. Huang responded with a sneer, “It is a coincidence that tenth miss’s stepmother is her mother’s common younger sister. If not so, why wouldn’t tenth miss’s relatives of the Zhang Family favor tenth miss? On the contrary, first young madam, tenth miss’s cousin of the Liu Family, did not bear it and then helped her.”

“Eh?”

“In rear courtyard, there is gossip that before tenth miss’s mother passed away, her stepmother had an affair with her father. The Zhang Family is in a lower position than the Liu Family, but it is one of the great families. How could they allow their daughter to be concubine? Unexpectedly, tenth miss’s mother had died of a cold because she saved first young madam.” Mrs. Huang coldly smiled and continued, “Therefore, fifth old master of the Liu Family married her common sister happily. She is fortunate enough. When she came to the Liu Family, except tenth miss, no common children embarrassed her. In the second year of her marriage, she gave birth to Liu Ruoye, tenth miss’s half-brother. In the third year, she gave birth to Liu Ruowei, the only boy of fifth old master of the Liu Family now. Since then, the fifth old master has well been domesticated by her. But for first young madam tried her might to protect tenth miss, she might not grow up.”

Wei Changying frowned and asked, “The Zhang Family? Is it the family of Zhang Pingxu?”

Mrs. Huang said, “Of course. Old Madam of Zhang had passed away before tenth miss’s mother turned fifteen. Tenth miss doesn’t have any lineal uncles, otherwise, how could her stepmother treat her so maliciously?”

She was furious and grumbled, “Madam Zhang is rather disgusting. Why don’t you invite Miracle Doctor Ji by this excuse? Why not cure tenth miss right now?”

“Calm down, young madam,” said Mrs. Huang, smiling. “Tenth miss's poison has been delayed for some days, so it doesn’t matter for another more days. Honestly, you are my master. As for the other people, from tenth miss to first young madam, they have nothing to do with me no matter how poor they are or how grateful they are. There are so many miserable people in the world, but the reason why I learn from Miracle Doctor Ji is not to save the world, but to care for young madam to comfort Old Madam Song.”

“If I spoke out the truth, first young madam and tenth miss would thank young madam but hate Mrs. Zhang, tenth miss’s stepmother. However, if Miracle Doctor Ji in person cured tenth miss or merely gave some advice, the result would be better. I am merely your maid, how long would first young madam remember my kindness? However, it would be different if we invited a famous doctor in the world to remove the poison. Moreover, it is well known that it is pretty difficult to invite him.”

Mrs. Huang calmly said, “If people got something with ease, they would not cherish it. On the contrary, if they got something with difficulty, they would value it. Delaying the treatment for some days doesn’t matter. It is tenth miss who is poisoned and feels the pain. If so, first young madam would owe young madam a big favor. Also, tenth miss would hate Mrs. Zhang and the Liu Family, except first young madam. The Liu Family used to gossip you, too. It is a good idea that they have internal strife. If tenth miss were to be the Crown Princess, give birth to a boy, and then become the Empress or even the Empress Dowager, the result of some people of the Liu Family at least could be imagined.”

“Therefore, how could we cure tenth miss without any efforts?” said Mrs. Huang with a smile. However, her eyes were filled with complicated feelings.