Ah Da and Wang Yong recognized Wu Jiang’s voice. Ah Da said to Wang Yong, “Go check outside. Bring back a bowl of goat’s milk.”
Wang Yong stepped over the threshold and happened to see Qingya rushing out from the east wing. “What took you so long!”
“I didn’t know Xu Momo was in Miss Feng’s place—I wasted time going to the wrong place,” Wu Jiang panted, his back soaked with sweat.
Xu Momo, a doctor in her forties, had been pulled all the way there by Wu Jiang. She sat down fanning herself, catching her breath. Qingya grabbed her up. “The madam is injured. Xu Momo, come in and take a look.” Xu Momo was the only live-in physician in the household. She had previously served the imperial concubines in the palace and was one of the many servants gifted to Xing Muzheng by the imperial family. Qingya hadn’t wanted to use her, but she was the closest, and the situation was urgent—there was no time to be picky. Still, before entering the room, Qingya gripped Xu Momo and warned coldly, “Xu Momo, examine her properly. If something happens to the madam under your care, don’t blame me if something happens to your precious little grandson!”
Xu Momo grimaced. “Miss, please don’t make it harder for me. I’ll do my best.”
Wu Shunzi stood by the bedside. When Xu Momo and Qingya entered, he automatically stepped aside. A maid from Feng Yuyan’s courtyard, Hua’er, slipped in quietly and stood by the door, peeking inside.
Xu Momo dared not slack off. She walked up and saw Qian Jiaoniang lying on the bed with her eyes closed. Her face and lips were pale as snow, completely devoid of color. A cloth pouch, likely filled with ice, was pressed to her forehead. Xu Momo carefully removed it, and gasped—what a bloody mess of a wound! She took Jiaoniang’s pulse, then gently pried open her eyelids to examine her. Then she asked, “How did the madam receive this injury?”
Qingya snapped bitterly, “She hit her head on the bedpost.”
Xu Momo turned in surprise to look at her. Qingya growled, “Don’t ask about anything else. Just know—she hit it!”
Xu Momo repeatedly responded and turned back to inspect the wound more carefully with the ice pack in hand.
At that, Hua’er turned and ran off excitedly.
Feng Yuyan had been waiting in her room for Hua’er’s report. When Hua’er came back panting, she cried out, “Miss! Miss! Something major—something huge has happened!”
“What big thing?” Wet Nurse Ye interrupted first. “You little imp, speak properly!”
“Miss, I just came back from the madam’s courtyard—I saw her lying in bed with her head wrapped in bandages, not making a sound! Xu Momo asked how she got injured, and that maid Qingya said she hit her head on the bedpost. But I thought, she’s a grown woman, how could she suddenly slam into a bedpost for no reason? Plus, Qingya was acting all secretive. I suspect it must’ve been the Marquis who hit her, which caused her to hit the post!”
Feng Yuyan’s eyes lit up. She stood up, pacing back and forth while wringing her handkerchief. “It must be so. She deserves it! Acting all high and mighty—thought she could cure that lunatic? Now she’s finally getting what she had coming!”
“Exactly! That Qian woman thinks she’s some Guanyin Bodhisattva, like she could save the Marquis all by herself,” Wet Nurse Ye chimed in. “Miss, then shall we…”
Feng Yuyan smiled. “Now that she’s injured and no one’s left to care for the Marquis, obviously it’s our turn to step in. Go call Li Qingquan—I have important matters to discuss with him!”
But before she could send someone, Li Qingquan had already arrived.
Xu Guoyi, while riding out to the southern alley to find Dr. Bai, had stopped by the Li residence on the way, as Li Qingquan had instructed both of them: if something major happened in the Marquis’s estate, they were to inform him immediately. As luck would have it, he had just returned home, and upon hearing the news, didn’t even pause to drink a sip of water—he rushed straight to the Marquis’s manor.
Li Qingquan galloped through the bustling streets, his horse’s hooves kicking up dust from the stone roads. Along the way, he passed the official sedan of Prefect Xie Zhang, and quickly turned down a side alley to avoid being seen. Every time he crossed paths with Xie Zhang, the man would ask about the Marquis’s condition. Even though Li Qingquan had told him repeatedly that the Marquis was too ill to receive guests, Xie Yu kept pestering him about when he could visit.
At the Marquis’s gate, Li Qingquan dismounted. A servant boy had already come forward to receive the reins and whip, and stuffed a wad of hay into the horse’s mouth. Li Qingquan looked around, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and stepped up the stairs. He was deeply worried—not knowing the extent of Qian Jiaoniang’s injury, and even more concerned that if she was too badly hurt to care for the Marquis, who would take over? When it came to nursing the ill, it really did take a woman’s delicate care.
“Lord Li, I was just about to go find you, and here you are!” A sharp-faced servant suddenly jumped out, grinning at Li Qingquan. “Miss Feng requests your presence—she has an urgent matter to discuss with you.”
Li Qingquan waved him off impatiently. “I’m busy right now!”
Ignoring the servant’s call, he made his way straight to Qian Jiaoniang’s courtyard. Only Wu Jiang was guarding the gate—Xu Guoyi hadn’t returned yet. Li Qingquan stepped into the courtyard and was immediately met with a strong smell of medicine drifting from the back courtyard on the wind. No one was in sight. The grape trellis stood there all alone; the vegetable leaves beneath it were wilted. The small, square courtyard was eerily quiet, as if a deathly air hung in the air.
He walked into the west wing. Xing Muzheng was still sitting on the bed, letting out low, continuous cries. Though the sounds were faint, they came one after another—he seemed on the verge of another fit. Ah Da and Wang Yong stood nearby, completely at a loss.
“What’s wrong with the Marquis? Is he about to have another episode?” Li Qingquan cupped his hands in greeting toward Xing Muzheng and asked the two men urgently.
Ah Da said, “We don’t know either. Usually the madam takes care of him. Whenever the Marquis is unwell, she always knows immediately. We’ve already fed him goat’s milk and wiped his sweat, but he still seems agitated—we don’t know why.”
Idiots. I want you to help me go see Jiaoniang, Xing Muzheng cursed inwardly.
“How… how is the madam’s injury?” Li Qingquan asked.
Wang Yong replied, “She hit her head on the bedpost and still hasn’t woken up. Xu Momo said her pulse is weak, and the gash on her forehead is deep. We’re not sure if her brain’s been affected. She wrote a prescription—Shunzi is decocting the medicine now, and Xu Momo went to prepare a poultice.”
Li Qingquan was stunned. “Just one hit, and she’s hurt this badly?”
“If the Marquis hit you, I reckon you’d be in no better shape,” Ah Da muttered.
Dingxi Marquis let out a sudden howl. The three of them instinctively stepped back and braced themselves, but fortunately, he only shouted—he didn’t get up or go wild. Ah Da added, “The Marquis usually shows signs before an episode. But this time, there wasn’t a single warning. That’s how the madam got hurt so innocently. Sigh!”
“Madam is a fortunate person—she’ll be fine, surely. But right now, the question is: who’ll care for the Marquis? That’s not a small matter… Could you two manage it?” Li Qingquan asked.
Ah Da and Wang Yong looked at each other and quickly waved their hands. “No way, no way. We might be able to restrain the Marquis with brute strength, but when it comes to his daily care… we only ever assisted. It’s always been the madam doing everything personally.”
Suddenly, footsteps sounded from the main hall. After a moment, they stopped again, followed by quiet murmuring. Curious, Li Qingquan stepped out.
Qingya was speaking with a plainly dressed woman in rough linen. Li Qingquan couldn’t see her face clearly, but her hair was gray—she must be quite old. Before long, Qingya led her toward the east wing. That must be the Doctor Bai Xu Guoyi had gone to fetch. But if they already had Xu Momo, why bring another female doctor? Could this Dr. Bai be even more skilled than the one who treated imperial concubines?
He hesitated for a moment, then followed them to the door of the east wing, but didn’t dare enter rashly. He could faintly hear the conversation inside:
“Dr. Bai, what do you think of this prescription?”
“…The formula is quite good. If I add two more herbs, the effect will be even better. I’ll also prepare an herbal poultice to be applied to the madam’s forehead and wrapped in gauze—treating both internally and externally.”
“Then we’ll trouble you… What about Jiaoniang—our madam—will she be alright?”
“Well… if the madam wakes up, she’ll recover with proper rest. But if she doesn’t…”
“If she doesn’t wake up, then what do we do?” Qingya choked out, sobbing softly.
Li Qingquan shook his head and sighed. This is truly bad.
Just then, Wu Jiang ran in and stopped outside the west wing. He called to Ah Da, “That Miss Feng is here. Says she wants to see the Marquis and the madam. Should we let her in?”
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