A peasant girl travels through time with a hospital, rising to become an empress.

The man was probably still naked at the moment and didn't rush out immediately, which gave Nie Qianqian time to discover the onlookers hiding outside like her.

It was her.

The person hiding outside was none other than Ah Ling, who had just been scolded.

Ah Ling was still holding the paper money in her arms, her head and clothes were covered in fresh dust, and her face was full of shock and anger. Large tears rolled down her cheeks as she gradually lost control of her emotions.

Nie Qianqian had a guess in her mind. Although Ah Ling had been slapped, she still wanted to burn the paper money. She probably crawled in from a hole in some corner of the yard, trying to find a secluded place to burn the paper money. She didn't expect to run into her mistress's "good thing".

Ah Ling stumbled upon the affair and was so frightened she dared not move. She intended to remain quietly until the two left, until she heard the truth about the First Madam's death…

If the two men were to discover Ah Ling, she would likely be in grave danger.

Nie Qianqian couldn't bear it, so she moved silently behind A-Ling and knocked her unconscious with a chop to the neck before she could cry out. Then she flashed and took A-Ling into the space.

The next moment, a man in disheveled clothes slammed open the door, strode out, and glared menacingly.

"who is it?!"

The man moved quickly and looked around the outside of the house, but found no one there.

The man's brows furrowed deeper and deeper, his eyes filled with surprise and uncertainty.

The man searched the room but found nothing. Liu Meiqing then slowly walked out of the room, touching her chest. "Are you sure you heard voices?"

The man narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps I misheard. If someone really did disappear without a trace in such a short time."

Liu Meiqing patted her chest. "Maybe it's just a stray cat."

The man said in a deep voice, "No matter what, we can't come here again. You go out of the courtyard first, and I'll leave later."

Upon hearing this, Liu Meiqing quickly tidied her clothes and left the courtyard. A short while later, the man also left the courtyard.

Nie Qianqian did not immediately come out of the space. After waiting for a while, she saw the man return and search the courtyard again.

After searching and finding nothing, the man shook his head, thinking he must have misheard, and then left.

Nie Qianqian left the space, climbed out of the courtyard, and returned to her room. Only then did she bring A-Ling out and use silver needles to wake her up.

Ah Ling slowly woke up, opened her eyes, and found herself no longer in the secluded courtyard in the northwest corner, but in a guest room. The person in front of her was Doctor Qian, whom the Qian family had invited from Jishetang.

Ah Ling knelt down before Nie Qianqian, her voice trembling, "Just now...did you take me away?"

Nie Qianqian said in a hoarse voice, "If I hadn't taken you away, you would probably be dead by now."

Upon hearing this, Ah Ling kowtowed three times to Nie Qianqian, saying, "Ah Ling thanks you for saving my life, old man."

Ah Ling knew that if the madam and the kitchen manager, Zheng, found out that she had overheard their conversation, they would surely kill her.

Nie Qianqian felt a headache for the girl's head just listening to the sound of her kowtowing; she was such an honest girl.

After kowtowing, Ah Ling stood up and wiped away her tears. A resolute look appeared on her youthful face. "When I was little, my mother told me that a drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring of gratitude, and a life-saving grace is greater than heaven. The First Madam saved my life and helped me to give my mother a proper burial. I cannot fail to repay her kindness. I will find an opportunity to report the Madam and Steward Zheng to the Master. If I encounter any misfortune on this journey, I am afraid I will have to repay your kindness in my next life."

Most people would probably stay far away from such a situation, but Ah Ling was loyal to the First Madam and would rather die than fail to seek justice for her.

If we let Ah Ling recklessly expose us, she might be a corpse the next time we see her.

Nie Qianqian stopped her, "Those two are ruthless and not kind people. If you rashly expose this matter to Master Qian, what will you do if he doesn't believe you? Even if Master Qian believes what you say, he has not yet recovered and is still weak. You just heard that they dared to poison Master Qian. If they are pushed to the limit, they may kill both Master Qian and you."

Ah Ling shuddered. You can know a person's face but not their heart. She never thought that the kind and smiling Steward Zheng was actually a black-hearted person.

A hint of confusion flickered across her usually resolute face. "Then what should we do?"

Nie Qianqian pondered for a moment, "This matter cannot be rushed. The most important thing is to cure Master Qian's illness, which will take three to five days. Secondly, to catch the thief red-handed and the adulterer caught in the act, we need to find a way to catch the two of them in bed together, leaving them no room for denial."

No man wants to believe he's been cheated on until the truth is laid bare before him, leaving him no choice but to admit it.

Ah Ling pressed on, "What about the murder of the First Madam and the Eldest Young Master? What should we do?"

Those were two living, breathing human lives!

Ah Ling will never forget the look in the eyes of the First Madam when she gently stroked her belly during her pregnancy. Her eyes were full of expectation and love. Although the eldest young master had not yet been born and the First Madam had never met him, she had already deeply loved the child for ten months, and her love for the child was etched into her bones.

As Ah Ling thought about it, tears welled up in her eyes again. She sniffed and held back the tears.

Nie Qianqian: "The steward just said that he poisoned your mistress, causing her to die in childbirth and the baby to die in the womb. As long as it is poison, there will be traces. Once we find the mistress's remains, we can find out by examining them."

Living people can lie, but dead people cannot.

Qian Yikuang had some feelings for his first wife. After she passed away, he properly placed her in the Qian family ancestral cemetery in Shiqingshan and had A Ling clean her grave every month.

Ah Ling: "You mean you want to..."

Nie Qianqian: "That's right, I need you to bring out a piece of the corpse for me."

"Do you dare?"

The exhumation and bone removal must be carried out at night, and Ah Ling is just a young girl; Nie Qianqian worries that she won't have the courage to do it.

Without the slightest hesitation, Ah Ling said, "Ah Ling dares! Ah Ling dares to do anything for the First Madam! Although this action is disrespectful to the First Madam, I believe the First Madam will forgive Ah Ling in order to seek justice."

Yes, this girl isn't even afraid of death, let alone opening a coffin and taking bones.

This girl wasn't concerned about whether she was scared or not, but rather whether she was respectful to the First Madam.

Looking at the girl's innocent yet serious face, Nie Qianqian felt a pang of affection.

Born in modern times, she believes that people should live for themselves and could never do what Ah Ling did—devoting herself wholeheartedly to her master, even at the cost of her own life.

She didn't understand, but she respected.

Nie Qianqian then instructed, "Ah Ling, that Steward Zheng is ruthless and suspicious. Although he hasn't found your whereabouts, he will inevitably keep an eye on you everywhere in the mansion. These next few days, you must behave as usual and never give yourself away."

Ah Ling nodded solemnly. She had an important task to complete and absolutely could not be caught by Steward Zheng before that.