2 Little Maid's Drugged Tea

He Bao was wondering what could possibly have happened to the young miss, whom all of a sudden seemed much less of a bloodthirsty tyrant in her eyes.

The little maid was brought in not too long ago from a shabby upbringing near the empire's capital, no... that wasn't right... she was captured by illegal traders on a little escapade around the forest near her home, trying to sell some of the season's vegetation and herbs she could find, then sold to another man down in the empire's south who then sold her to the General's estate. Thankfully her purity was still intact, otherwise, she wouldn't have the chance to enter here.

There were worse places a girl with a good face like hers could end up if she wasn't sold, she learned that from the man who traded her, as well as her mother; a brothel's star, whom she never knew before death. A farmer bought her as a baby and took her to the outskirts of the Capital to raise in the place of his own daughter who was kidnapped by bandits. So, He Bao actually felt she was lucky. She was assigned to help with the kitchen related activities at first, then moved over into clothes washing in the first few weeks of her stay.

The other maids were fairly pretty and nice and would gossip all the time about circulating news. Which is how she came to an understanding of the estate's current state of affair's, not limited to rumors of the General's demon-like grandaughter. The young lady was feared, hated and despised by many of the Capital's upper-class younger generation even before the general took residence in the southern region.

Recent news spread that she was in need of two replacement maids, though creepily enough a reason wasn't given as to what became of the previous ones.

And just as one would guess, by the new maid's luck, she was called in one day by Fulian, the head maid, and pitifully told just how sorry she was that He Bao was selected. Not once mentioning that it was by the sheer amount of recommendations, which tore He Bao up upon later realization.

She, along with another girl were paired up and sent to the "demoness' " courtyard. The other girl was named Yang Xieren and was from a smaller subordinate military family along the southern border. Yang Xieren had a cheery personality and hit it off with He Bao quite easily seeing as though they were similar in age. Gossip seemed to go in one of Yang Xieren's ears and fill up a perceived truth gauge, the girl couldn't tell a lie from the truth or "tell" a lie at all it would seem.

In any case, when they arrived at the courtyard the guards outside shot them pitying looks, before opening and making way for them.

Inside the courtyard, there was a little willow tree overshadowing a little pavilion surrounded by water.

Inside the pavilion, seated on a chair - sat a graceful figure which He Bao and Yang Xieren were immediately taken away by.

She wore a billowy multi-colored beautiful robe with unusually shorter sleeves, replaced in the eyes by arm-sleeves that converged at her middle fingers, though didn't encompass them.

She seemed of average height sitting down, a modest face - not too small, an image of maturity, beauty, and a tinge of savage appeal with laziness in her wide and beautiful dark grey eyes which scanned them as they approached. Two large golden hoops were strung to each ear, visible only under the flow of strangely unorganized hair; filled with golden ornaments, somehow managing not to deter the fact of her beauty at all, and it looked like she knew that. Her wide lips added some unknown feel to her nose and the sternness of her eyes which she continued to glare at them with.

He Bao would think she was walking up to a considerably older woman if not for the fact that she learned the young lady was only 18 this year. Alongside the rumors, He Bao had almost let her guard down, Yang Xieren was the same.

She remembered the first words her new master said to her as clear as day, and just as condescending as they were the first time;

"Hmmn...*sigh*... They don't look completely useless... Alright. Go clean in there"

....

And from that point on, both maids fell into what felt like hell. The young miss whose name they learned was, Song Hua, would order them about like near animals.

She would always call them "You", "Maid", or even a few derogatory terms when infuriated at whatever there was to be infuriated about, never looking them in the eyes when she commanded them. Quite the unreasonable master. She even threw and beat them with a wooden stick when they did something with the slightest error.

He Bao knew that Song Hua never hit them with all her might though, the maid had seen her practicing cultivation inside the little pavilion many times, releasing an aura which made Yang Xieren and her both feel like they were suffocating when they neared. And He Bao would know. All her captors were cultivators, which she had the opportunity to watch cultivate for some extent of time. And even when residing near them in the act of their meditation, although they did make her feel nauseous, they were nowhere near as oppressive as Song Hua.

This caused both little maids to fear their liege even more.

---

But everything changed one fateful day.

He Bao remembered bringing back a specialty tea early in the morning upon the young lady's request, it supposedly came from a temple in the east realm, the lady loved exotic teas like that. She had to have everything sample taste-tested by a maid before she could even leave the kitchen though.

She also remembered nearly running into the handsome second young master of the estate, Song Chu Ye, on the way back, who laughed it off and stopped He Bao from kneeling in apology as she was used to. He patted her on the head and the little maids face heated up like a rose in full bloom.

(Young master sure is handsome! And kind! Kind Too!!)

She was sort of jealous of the second young master's attendants, or any other attendant for that matter, which failed to worsen her mood after the run-in actually!

She successfully gave the tea to the young lady, who was cultivating in her personal quarters this time around, before heading off to clean.

---

It was hours later when a guard showed up at the courtyard entrance with a summons from the general for the young miss herself. The courier seemed breathless so He Bao mistook the call for immediate urgency. She rushed to the young miss only to find her asleep in the bed of all things! And when she successfully woke her up, the strangest of events took place. Blood started to trickle out of the young lady's nose, then the young lady herself passed out.

Though He Bao at this point thought she was witnessing the tragic sudden death of the young miss, and screamed fearfully, attracting guards and people from the general's quarters over...

From there it was a blur of being scolded harshly and told to sit on the corner while the visiting Physician Chen looked over the lady.

---

But that wasn't the weirdest part of the day!

After waking up the second time, the young miss was like a completely different person, she was so kind to Yang Xieren, so understanding and caring.

He Bao even kind of got jealous of Yang Xieren's place in the lady's lap and became afraid that the lady might revert back to her usual self! After which He Bao would lose her chance!

(Not good! I've gotta save the young miss' good side!) The little Maid feared for her future.

He Bao thought back to anything that day which might've affected the young miss' mood. She immediately recalled the tea and how it came from Buddhist temples in the far east.

(That's it! It has to be the tea! Maybe... - Maybe the monks infused their mantras into the leaves! And that's what made the lady so kindhearted or it's from some sacred tree or something!)

(Ah! Even the Second young master was kind to me when I was holding it! It has to be! It has to be!)

A devious little plan started forming in He Bao's mind which started to be convoluted with images of Buddhist monks, tea, and a smiling young miss.