After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

The prince ordered a search of the teahouse, inside and out, and indeed found snake molts in a secret passage. Judging from the layout of the passage, the snake had likely been kept there and escaped for some unknown reason. There were quite a few snake molts, but from small to large, there seemed to be only one snake.

Still not reassured, I searched again and only felt relieved after confirming that no venomous snakes had escaped.

That night, Lu Zhiyuan and the Crown Prince stayed at the teahouse.

The next day, around noon, Lu Zhiyuan felt a little better and then got into the carriage to return to the Xie residence.

As soon as the car stopped in front of the gate, Qingzhi followed Xie Chaoyun and ran out of the yard. One had swollen eyes from crying, and the other looked worried.

"Young lady, you're finally back!"

Qingzhi lunged at Lu Zhiyuan, but luckily the Crown Prince caught her, otherwise she would have bumped into Lu Zhiyuan. The Crown Prince stopped Qingzhi but not Xie Chaoyun, who quickly walked to Lu Zhiyuan and pulled her into his arms.

"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have abandoned you."

Lu Zhiyuan was a little confused and gently patted her mother's back: "Didn't Mother just receive the news? How come you arrived in Ganzhou so quickly?"

"It was Physician Jiang who sent the letter to Madam." Qingzhi wiped her eyes. "The young lady and His Highness the Crown Prince had just left the capital when Madam received the news. However, there were many matters to attend to there, and Madam needed to finish them before she could leave. She rushed here until today. It was I who delivered the letter to Madam. I came with Madam."

“My mother is a serving general. If she leaves like this, I’m afraid the Emperor and Empress will blame her.”

Before the Crown Prince could speak, Qingzhi said, "Young Miss, don't worry. I went there with the Empress's decree. This decree was obtained by Physician Jiang and the Second Young Master when they went to the palace to ask the Empress. When Madam left, she was not wearing armor and did not bring a single soldier with her. She also used the legitimate reason of visiting relatives."

Having said that, he looked at the Crown Prince and curtsied: "Besides, His Highness the Crown Prince is here as well."

The Crown Prince nodded and bowed to Xie Chaoyun: "Mother-in-law must be exhausted from her travels these past few days. A-Yuan has only just recovered; let's go inside and talk."

The sun was shining brightly in the courtyard. Manager Xie ordered some chairs to be brought over, and also arranged some fruit, snacks, and tea before leading the servants outside. Lu Zhiyuan first greeted her mother, then helped her sit down: "Yuan'er is unfilial, causing Mother worry!"

"Tell your mother the truth, what exactly is wrong with your illness?"

Lu Zhiyuan was somewhat embarrassed, unsure how to tell her mother. At this moment, Imperial Physician Jiang stepped forward: "Yuan'er's illness was somewhat dangerous, but fortunately, we used a method that brought her to the brink of death, and it is now under control. With careful care, she may be able to live to her original lifespan."

With each sentence Xie Chaoyun heard, it felt like a needle pricked her heart, and by the end, her face had turned pale.

"How many years will you live to your original lifespan?"

Physician Jiang pondered for a moment, then gently shook his head.

Xie Chaoyun grew anxious and rushed to Physician Jiang, stopping in two strides: "Since Yuan'er was born, you have been the one treating her. You know her illness best. Whether it's three to five years or three to five months, can you give me a definite answer?"

“It’s not that Physician Jiang is unwilling to tell Mother, but that he also doesn’t know what my current condition is.” Lu Zhiyuan held her mother’s hand and calmly recounted her various experiences after leaving the capital.

When Xie Chaoyun heard that she had been surrounded by mysterious assassins and was seriously injured, she gently shook her head, her eyes filled with tears.

She was wrong; she shouldn't have left Beijing.

They left her initially because they feared she would be caught in the middle between the Xie and Lu families. Sending her to the palace was for her sake, but also for the safety of both families. She fought in the field as a woman not for military merit, but to use it to protect her poor daughter.

She has already entered the Eastern Palace and is already a noble Crown Princess, so why does she still have to suffer like this?

“It was my daughter’s own choice!” Lu Zhiyuan hugged her mother’s waist and pressed her face against her back: “I was born and raised in the capital city. What I’ve seen most is that small, square sky.”

"My daughter didn't want to confine her limited life to that small world. It was she who begged His Highness the Crown Prince to allow me to leave the palace. Everything that followed was unexpected; neither my daughter nor His Highness the Crown Prince wanted it, and Mother has no reason to blame herself for it."

"Silly child, why do you take your own body so lightly?" Xie Chaoyun held her hand: "Your mother only wants you to live a good life."

"I'm sorry, it's all Yuan'er's fault." Lu Zhiyuan lowered her eyes: "But I really don't want to waste this life! Even if this life is short, I hope it will be as brilliant as fireworks. Mother, please forgive Yuan'er."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Xie Chaoyun said with tears in her eyes, turning her head and giving her a reproachful look. "What mother in the world blames her own child? I feel sorry for you, I feel sorry for you for getting yourself into this state."

"I'm perfectly fine, and I even have the chance to eat noodles made by my mother." Lu Zhiyuan began to whine, "I want to eat shredded pork noodles made by my mother, the kind with lots of shredded pork."

"Don't try to change the subject." Xie Chaoyun tapped her forehead.

Your illness is because of the injury..."

"No, it's because I want to recover faster." Lu Zhiyuan lowered her head and touched the tip of her nose.

She was good at lying, but standing opposite her was her mother, who was extremely kind to her, so she couldn't help feeling guilty.

“I was afraid of encountering unexpected events along the way and not being able to protect myself, so I was too eager to succeed and took the pills I made myself.” Lu Zhiyuan pursed her lips: “The medicines I made were too potent, to the point that… sigh! In the end, it was still my lack of medical skills that led to this bitter result.”

"What can I say to you, child?" Xie Chaoyun was both anxious and angry, with a mixture of reproach and heartache: "How much longer?"

You should have your mother make preparations. And your maternal grandfather and uncles, they also want to…”

“I was originally supposed to live for three months.” Lu Zhiyuan held up three fingers: “I was not convinced, so I reduced three months to half a month.”

"Half...half a month." Xie Chaoyun felt a sudden darkness before her eyes.

“It’s not just half a month now,” Lu Zhiyuan said anxiously. “It’s a blessing in disguise. Yuan’er might live longer than three months.”

Xie Chaoyun gasped, opened her eyes, and looked at Lu Zhiyuan: "Don't hide it from me! How much longer do you have to live?"

"Mother—" Lu Zhiyuan suddenly called out, smiling as she rolled up her sleeves to reveal a cross-shaped scar from the poisonous creature: "It's not that I don't want to tell you, but I really don't know. That method is a matter of seeking life in the face of death; if successful, it can extend one's life by seven days."

However, an accident occurred; Yuan'er was bitten by a snake.

Xie Chaoyun felt so distressed she could hardly breathe. "What happens if you get bitten by a snake?"

"I don't know!" Lu Zhiyuan shook her head gently: "That snake is no ordinary snake. If a healthy person is bitten by it, they can gain immortality. Yuan'er is on the verge of death, so I don't know what the outcome will be. Judging from her pulse now, it seems to be good."

"Immortality?" Xie Chaoyun shook his head: "Where in this world is there immortality? Even if there is, it comes at a price that ordinary people cannot afford."