Caught Red-Handed

The day had already drawn to a close with Song Hua eyeing the setting sun out in the courtyard.

Her two maids were told to retire to their smaller quarters across the way a bit earlier than usual. One of them couldn't stop blushing when they saw her, and the other had this weird goofy expression on their cute face, which they tried hiding for some reason.

Yet even as the sunset, and the day neared its end, Song Hua couldn't keep her mind from racing. She retreated back into the darkness of her quarters, sat on the bed and meditated the way she remembered. All the while she calmly combed over her thoughts. Meditation was a cultivator's sleep, yet the feeling of her qi flowing made it feel almost otherworldly to the Han Mo section of her reasoning. The trance seemed to stretch into the deep night.

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Song Hua awoke to the sound of little footsteps approaching unsteadily. She had stopped her cultivation earlier in the morning and opted for a rest instead, she had indeed only just overcome a situation of bad health after all.

Looking up, she was surprised to find the cute little maid, He Bao fidgeting back and forth in the corner holding a plate of tea, with only a single steaming cup. The girl had sweats running down her face like no tomorrow.

"Bao'er..."

The endearing call sent a jot down He Bao's spine, making her jump with the unexpectedness.

"M-my lady!"

"... Why are you here so early? I haven't yet ordered you up? It is quite a bit away from the standard servant waking hours. At best, the kitchen would start preparing the General's meals by now..."

Song Hua's questioning led the young girl into a fidgeting spree.

"Well, y-young miss liked tea yesterday and they still had tea so..."

'I liked tea?' Song Hua couldn't make sense of this reasoning.

"So, B-Bao'er got more for you!" At this point, even the little maid started to realize just how suspicious she was being.

(Oh no! Ahhhh!!! What if... What if the miss thinks I'm trying to poison her?!)

Meanwhile, Song Hua recalled something about tea the day before, becoming ever-more suspicious and cautious, seeing as how a portion of her conscience was erased mysteriously that very same day. But even then, something like tea was always taste-tested before it left the kitchen and more often than not - a second time before given to the person who requested it. Song Hua herself once also had such a taste tester in memory - who died painfully sometime before her two new little maids were accepted - to a failed poisoning attempt on her life.

Yang Xieren and He Bao were actually meant to bolster her disposable taste-testing staff, yet her father suddenly ordered a good portion of her attendants transferred over to her younger sister, Song Xiao Zhao, who was a girl the same age as the young maids, yet also sickly and in bed. Her sickness had appeared to worsen with the slight shift in weather.

This left Song Hua with only two young and relatively inexperienced maids, whom she began to use for things they were never intended for in the first place.

The more she thought about it, the more it seemed like a plot against her wellbeing. Looking past the possibility of it being her bed-ridden sister, Song Hua of the past was someone with many enemies, and she didn't put it past any one of them to plot against her. But if such was the case, and something like her tea was poisoned, there were few people who could slip it in her drink unnoticed, unless this little maid here was in on the attempt...

Though the thought quickly passed with a soft glance at the little girl, who seemed ashen-faced at the prospect of poisoning her young lady. That face was so transparent in what it was thinking that Song Hua couldn't help but release a small and light laugh at it, which sounded oddly like a small 'harumph', making He Bao pause for a little, then twitch dangerously in confusion.

"Set it over there" Song Hua pointed sternly at a table to the side.

He Bao tottered over lifelessly, all the while thinking that the infamous young miss had returned from the tone of voice.

(Stupid He Bao, Stupid stupid! Making the young miss think you want to poison her, Stupid!)

The little maid began to think of the repercussions of her actions, becoming extremely pale in the face with thoughts of the rumors regarding previous maids that messed up in front of Song Hua. For the life of her, He Bao wanted to turn around and plead with the young miss, but she knew that would only make her look like more of a suspicious person.

Before she knew it, her little hands were starting to shake and tears began pooling in and streamed out of her eyes.

Song Hua was surprised to see a trembling little maid return from setting the tea down slowly.

"...you, What's the matter?" Song Hua was slightly put off by this kid's emotions and how honestly scared she was.

The sniffling mess of a maid, red in the eyes, and fearing for her life, slowly got on her knees in front of Song Hua and pressed her head to the floor.

"P- y-young... P-please young miss! Please don't kill B-Bao'er! Bao'er didn't do anything! Don't kill Bao'er! Don't kill B-Bao- D-don't-" He Bao broke off into low sobs and wails.

Song Hua felt a sinking feeling deep inside of her, alongside the discontent and unease of being a feared and despised person. While already somewhat accustomed to it, the Han Mo portion of her felt unbearable.

She calmly stood, walked over and with both arms, slowly lifted He Bao into a comfortable embrace. She lifted the maid upwards to a seated position across her lap, with He Bao being too afraid to resist and crying fearfully all the while.

Song Hua patiently cradled her while reminiscing of Han Mo's past memories, feeling the growing wetness on her robe from excessive tear-fall that had yet to stop. She had already stopped looking at these girls completely as maids, but mere children doing labor ever since the incident with Yang Xieren yesterday.

Most of her existing biases were confronted with those of Han Mo's transmigrated conscience and memories. Some were overwhelmed with his logic, others completely trampled and overtook the opposition, while quite a few merged and came to a "middle ground". Yet the morals of both consciouses swayed more in favor of Han Mo's less despicable mindset as the accumulation of new perspectives and the vast experiences behind them shed new light into the depths of Song Hua's remaining will.

As she followed these meandering thoughts she failed to notice the passing of time and newfound quiet of the room. Below her, the little servent's head was nestled in the crevice of her arm, marked with tear-stains. Her eyes were shut, nose crinkled, and mouth cracked open with soft breaths.

The face of He Bao starkly contrasted the plain-ness of her clothes, which wrinkled over her curled form.

Song Hua found the scene funny... and cute, though her thoughts returned to how she needed to question Bao'er about the tea with a frown. Another glance down, and one more softening gaze later, Song Hua decided to do it when the child next awoke. There were no real plans today anyhow.

For now, she decided to meditate.

Yang Xieren wouldn't be attending her today as Song Hua had allowed her to visit the nearby town - which brought no small amount of curiosity from onlookers and guards who knew the maid to be the "despicable young miss' attendant". Many thought she was plotting an escape and sent pitying looks.

She even had to show the entrance guards and a few others the young miss' seal of approval in order to pass by. Although the guards had trouble believing it, there was by no means any chance they would go and confront Song Hua herself about it.

And so, Song Hua sat at the bedside, entering the soothing state of mind she knew devotedly.

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When He Bao woke up, she was surprised at the comfortable sensation she was feeling. It felt like she rested on a sheet of clouds, which confused her, as she knew her bedding wasn't nearly this comfy.

Thinking about it, He Bao quickly tried recollecting her situation, only to find her mind racing and slumping into confusion. All before she dared attempt to open her eyes.

(That's not right? I-I just went to get the young miss the good Buddhist tea... !!!)

And in a split-second, all of her previous memories came rushing back to her.

He Bao slowly and timidly opened her eyes, only to make a little yelp at the realization that her guess was correct. She was unbelievingly looking up at the placid face of her young miss!

Her boy jolted at the sudden sight, only then coming to realize she was laying in her young miss's lap of all places!