Chapter 161 Anomaly

Back at the Tao family home, Tao Tao asked Butler Luo, who was standing beside her, questions as they walked.

"Why did my mother suddenly fall ill? Has a doctor been called to see her?"

Butler Luo said respectfully, "The doctor has come to see you. He said it was a lingering illness caused by overwork. Moreover, for some reason, Madam has been depressed lately and has developed some mental health issues. All of these factors combined have caused her to fall ill all at once."

"Melancholy? Hasn't Xixin been keeping my mother company all this time? Never mind, I'll go in and take a look."

Tao Tao frowned, a hint of worry in her eyes, and quickened her pace.

As she entered the west wing, she heard a violent coughing sound. Startled, she quickly ran inside.

"Mother, how are you?"

"Boss! You're back!"

Tao's mother lay on the bed, leaning against Xixin's chest. Her face was pale, her eyes were lifeless, and she had visibly lost weight. Her body was trembling from the violent coughing.

Xi Xin looked worried and quickly patted her back to help her feel better.

Tao Tao sat on the edge of the bed, holding her hand tightly, and looked up at Rong'er, saying, "Lord Qin from the Imperial Medical Bureau should have arrived by now. Go and invite him here."

Rong'er was stunned for a moment, then realized what she meant and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, Princess, this servant will go right away."

"No need...cough cough cough...Tao'er...no need to trouble yourself, I'm fine."

Tao's mother grabbed her arm and shook her head.

She frowned, her expression turning slightly cold: "Let's see it first, Rong'er. What are you waiting for? Go quickly."

After being scolded like that, Rong'er ignored Tao's mother's words and turned around and ran out.

After waiting for some time, Qin Yuebai arrived, and what he said was almost identical to what Butler Luo had said earlier.

"Your mother needs to calm down and recuperate. She shouldn't worry too much. Besides, this kind of mental illness requires mental medicine. Ordinary medicine can only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. You can talk to her more."

Qin Yuebai stood in the courtyard giving instructions to Tao Tao, then remembered something: "Where are you injured? I need to take a look."

Tao Tao was pondering why her mother had a heart condition when she heard the question and subconsciously reached out to touch the side of her neck.

"I'm fine, it's just a superficial injury, some ointment will do the trick."

Upon seeing the location, he immediately frowned: "A superficial wound on the side of the neck? How big is it? So close to a vital area, could it have damaged any tendons or veins?"

She shook her head: "It's not very big, it didn't damage any tendons or veins."

Seeing that she didn't intend to let him see it, Qin Yuebai figured it probably wasn't serious, so he didn't insist.

He took the medicine from the medicine box, wrote her a prescription, gave her some instructions, and then left.

Tao Tao went into the inner room. The kitchen was preparing some medicine. Xi Xin went to the kitchen to take care of things. Rong'er took the new prescription to get the medicine outside. The rest of the people were also busy with their own things.

Tao's mother leaned against the headboard, her face gloomy and listless. She managed a weak smile when she saw Tao Tao, but she paused when she saw the clothes and jewelry Tao Tao was wearing.

She still hasn't realized that her daughter is already the Princess Huaimin, personally bestowed by the Emperor, making her a member of the imperial family.

Her daughter was originally supposed to be... but something went wrong later, so why has she become a county princess in the Celestial Empire? It's truly a twist of fate.

Perhaps she was thinking too much about the past, because she couldn't help having nightmares at night, which often made her feel very tired. Or perhaps she was just getting old and started to miss the past.

Tao Tao looked at her in confusion, then waved her hand in front of her face: "Mother? Mother?! Are you feeling unwell? Or is there something wrong with me?"

Otherwise, why would she look at her with that kind of gaze, making her feel as if there had been some distance between her and her mother?

Tao's mother looked dazed and shook her head: "Mother is fine. Have you been very busy lately? I haven't seen you come back for a long time. Liang'er keeps asking why he hasn't seen his sister."

"I'm sorry, I neglected you all. I'll come back more often in the future."

Tao Tao thought that her mother was feeling too lonely, which was why she was having some heart problems. Then she thought again and continued, "Mother, do you miss Father? Why don't I send someone to bring him back?"

"It's been several years, and I don't know if he's dead or not. If he's still alive, he never comes back to visit."

Upon hearing this, Tao's mother gave her a reproachful look, but said nothing.

She waited for a while, but her mother didn't say anything to scold her for being disobedient, and she suddenly felt a little strange.

Because given her mother's temperament, she would definitely scold her, even if her father was really wrong. Filial piety is the most important virtue, so how could she let her daughter bear the stigma of being an unfilial daughter?

Furthermore, since she could foresee her mother scolding her, she still said it, just to cheer her mother up and make her emotions fluctuate slightly, so that she wouldn't be so lifeless and feel burdened.

Or is it that the mother's mental illness is so severe that she has become mentally unstable?

She blinked and asked, "Mother, did you hear what I just said? It was about my father. I said some disrespectful and rebellious things about him."

Tao's mother sighed helplessly, "You know you said some bad things, why did you still say them out loud?"

"You're not angry??" Her pupils dilated as she stared at her in surprise.

"Silly Peach, since you've already admitted your mistake, why should I say anything more to you?"

Did I admit my mistake? How come I don't know I admitted my mistake...?

Tao Tao scratched her head, and after a while she said, "If your father wants to come back, he will come back on his own. I've long since come to terms with it all these years."

"Uh... really? That's great."

Tao's mother looked at her with a loving smile, "Tao'er, have you ever heard of the Xia Kingdom?"

"Xia Kingdom? Never heard of it." She shook her head, somewhat puzzled as to why her mother would suddenly mention this unfamiliar country.

Looking out the window, Tao's mother's face gradually turned nostalgic. She said softly, "It was a beautiful country by the sea, with long days, short nights, spring-like weather all year round, and pure and honest people."

"Mother, do you mean you've been there?"

Tao's mother's eyes suddenly lit up. She pursed her lips and was about to speak when Xi Xin walked in with the medicinal soup.

"Boss, Madam, this is the medicine prescribed by the previous doctor."

"Has Rong'er not returned yet?"

Xi Xin shook her head. "Not yet."

"Then drink this first, and take the medicine prescribed by Lord Qin tonight."

Tao Tao took the medicine from her hand, stirred it to make it cool down faster.

After taking the medicine, Tao's mother felt sleepy, and Tao Tao stayed by her side until she fell asleep. Then, she quietly slipped out and returned to her room.

Xi Xin followed behind, while Tao Tao sat in front of the bronze mirror, loosened her clothes, and prepared to apply medicine to herself.

Seeing this, Xi Xin quickly took the medicine from her hand: "Boss, let me help you."

She carefully removed the gauze, and when she saw the wound, her pupils dilated and she gasped.

She said with concern, "How did it get so serious? What if it leaves a scar?"