High-class Spring Joy

"Poisoning? Torture, beatings, and then poisoning—what deep-seated hatred could there be?! What did Hongdou do wrong to deserve such punishment!"

Qingyuan couldn't help but recall Hongdou's bloody appearance, and her whole body trembled with anger. She had already concluded in her heart that it was Jiang Qingge and her sister who did it. Otherwise, why would anyone else be so vicious?

Hongdou is the only family member she has left!

Although they are not related by blood, not biological sisters, and not relatives, Hongdou treated her better than even her own mother could.

Hongdou was hurt because of her, how could she watch Hongdou die because of her?

But Qingyuan had no time to think about anything else; she could only ask Sai Huatuo if there were any other solutions:

"Dr. Sai Huatuo, you are the greatest physician in the world, and universally recognized as the most miraculous healer. Everyone says your medical skills are the most miraculous and extraordinary; you can even bring the dead back to life. I beg you, please think of a way to save her. It'll be Hongdou. No matter what method you use or how rare the medicinal herbs are, just tell me, and I will do everything in my power to find them!! I beg you, if you can save Hongdou, I will never forget your great kindness, and I will repay you even if it means going through fire and water!"

As she spoke, Qingyuan knelt down in front of Sai Huatuo, ready to kowtow to him.

Upon hearing this, Sai Huatuo quickly stopped Qingyuan. A doctor with a compassionate heart, he naturally couldn't bear to see this vibrant young girl lose her life like this: "I truly have no other way. Even if we feed her more Tian Shan snow lotus, we can only barely keep her alive. If the poison isn't neutralized, she will eventually die!"

At this moment, Chu Jingxian spoke up: "Since the Tianshan Snow Lotus can alleviate the symptoms, what about the Tianshan Snow Silkworm, which feeds on the Tianshan Snow Lotus? Could it cure this poison?"

Zheji's eyes lit up, his tone unusually anxious and flustered: "Yes, yes, since the Tianshan Snow Silkworm can cure all poisons, it should naturally be able to cure this one too. A few days ago, my young master found a few Tianshan Snow Silkworms while looking for a birthday gift for the Empress Dowager. Now we still have a few ten-year-old Tianshan Snow Silkworms left. Are they useful?"

"Tianshan Snow Silkworm? As expected of a young master, you were able to find such a rare item. However, its poison is extremely potent. If someone had been poisoned for an hour, ingesting a ten-year-old Tianshan Snow Silkworm would naturally be an antidote. But since this young lady has been poisoned for too long, a ten-year-old Tianshan Snow Silkworm is no longer effective."

"Ten years... ten years is useless, but what about a hundred years?" Qingyuan asked with red eyes, as if she had suddenly seen a glimmer of hope.

"A hundred years... Not to mention that the Heavenly Snow Silkworm of a hundred years is extremely difficult to find, if you can get it, you must make her pay for it within an hour, otherwise even a god can't save you."

Sai Huatuo sighed heavily.

"A hundred years, a hundred years... Alright, I'll go find him right away, young master!"

Qingyuan looked at Chu Jingxian beside her.

Seeing her like this, Chu Jingxian knew exactly what she was thinking. "I'll take you to the palace."

The world's only century-old Tianshan snow silkworm is now in the imperial palace.

-

When the Empress Dowager was helped to sit down by the nanny beside her, she couldn't help but rub her forehead. Upon seeing this, the nanny reached out and gently massaged the Empress Dowager's temples to relieve her fatigue.

The Empress Dowager's voice was tinged with weariness: "Qingyuan, why did you beg Xingzhi to take you to the palace so late at night?"

Qingyuan knelt in the center of the hall, and Chu Jingxian stood beside her without moving an inch or speaking on her behalf.

Qingyuan kowtowed to the Empress Dowager while recounting the whole story of Hongdou. She was so emotional that her words were somewhat incoherent, but Qingyuan couldn't care less; her forehead swelled up from the constant kowtowing.

"Yesterday, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager said she would grant me a reward. I hadn't decided what I wanted in exchange, but now I dare to ask Her Majesty the Empress Dowager to grant me that hundred-year-old Tianshan Snow Silkworm so that I can use it to save people."

The Empress Dowager watched silently as Qingyuan kowtowed repeatedly, her expression growing serious. "Have you thought this through? You can ask for anything else in return for the reward I've given you. If I remember correctly, you are a maidservant in the Zhenguo Marquis's household, and I've heard you were even the child bride of the fifth young master. If you are in love with him, clearing your names will be incredibly difficult; your social status is an insurmountable chasm, and you are destined to be on different paths. But I can grant you a marriage to him, freeing you from your slave status, making your union legitimate, and no one can say anything. Or, if you have no interest in him, I can elevate you to the status of a county princess and find you a good marriage. Or perhaps you want to escape slavery; I can offer you a thousand taels of gold. While it may not be the most extravagant or prestigious, at least you will have no worries for the rest of your life. Are you sure you want to use such a rare opportunity on someone else?"

Qingyuan stopped kowtowing, her eyes red as she looked at the Empress Dowager: "Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you, nor do I wish to. I desire a thousand taels of gold, I wish to be freed from slavery, I wish for a good marriage, and the title of county princess is something I never dared to dream of before. But I am willing to use this opportunity to save Hongdou, for her life was hanging by a thread because of me, and she is my only family in this world."

The Empress Dowager was silent for a moment, then sighed: "Very well, that hundred-year-old Tianshan Snow Silkworm, although it is an extremely fine thing in this world, I myself find it difficult to use. Which reward are you willing to exchange for it, then take it."

Qingyuan obtained the century-old Tianshan Snow Silkworm and, without a second thought, rushed to Jinxiu Manor. Fortunately, the Third Young Master accompanied her; otherwise, it would have been impossible for her to return within an hour, relying solely on her footsteps or carriage.

It was only because the Third Young Master rode a horse, with Qingyuan riding alongside him and guiding him, that they were able to return within an hour.

The horse lurched against the night sky, and Qingyuan was held in Chu Jingxian's arms. Chu Jingxian's hands passed through Qingyuan's waist, holding the reins, and she was completely enveloped by him.

Qingyuan had never been in such an intimate position with any other man, but at this crucial moment, she was completely oblivious to it.

Perhaps it was because the Third Young Master was a skilled horseman and very fast, or perhaps it was because Qingyuan had already obtained the Hundred-Year-Old Tianshan Snow Silkworm.

In his arms, Qingyuan felt a sense of security and ease that she herself hadn't even realized.

Qingyuan handed the century-old Tianshan Snow Silkworm to Sai Huatuo, who naturally didn't have time to say anything else and quickly crushed it for Hongdou to take.

Until Sai Huatuo excitedly exclaimed, "He's alive! He's alive!"

Qingyuan was like a taut string that snapped when the pressure was suddenly released. She lost consciousness the next moment, and as she closed her eyes, she seemed to hear a desperate cry in her ear:

"Ah Yuan!"