Chapter 133 Seriously Ill
When she heard that the wedding date would be postponed, Song Lingyi frowned slightly.
After the two families got engaged, there were a lot of troubles. Now it is suddenly postponed for a year, and no one knows how many unexpected changes will occur.
Ever since her last showdown with Lu Qian, he seemed to be avoiding her, disappearing all day. It wasn't that she was being mean or seeking attention, but she found this silence rather strange, a feeling that a storm was brewing.
The next morning, the wind and snow stopped.
It wasn't just Song Lingyi who went to visit Pei's house, there were also the Duke and his wife and the second wife. With several elders around, Song Lingyi felt more at ease.
The servants of Pei's house were climbing the ladder to hang white silk when they suddenly saw several gorgeous carriages with emerald canopies and pearl tassels swaying and stopping in front of the gate. They looked curiously and saw that they were carriages from the Duke's house. They immediately went forward and placed stools.
After the Duke and his wife got out of the carriage, they first inquired about the situation at the residence. The doorman had a worried look on his face: "The eldest lady returned from Changsheng Temple yesterday. After learning of the eldest son's death, she suddenly vomited blood and passed out. She didn't wake up all night. The master and the second lady were worried about something happening, so they specially invited the imperial physician to come to the residence for treatment."
"What about Jianzhi?" asked Wen.
"The Second Young Master has locked himself in his study all night and won't let anyone in."
Upon hearing this, the Lu family elders all frowned and fell silent. Mrs. Wen tilted her head to glance at her niece, and seeing her worried expression, she gently patted her hand to comfort her, then led her into the mansion.
The white lanterns under the veranda swayed in the wind, casting shadows. The servants, all dressed in plain mourning clothes, were busy decorating the mourning hall, holding door banners or white silk.
The maid led the Lu family to the backyard. Just after passing the second gate, they vaguely saw a figure in front of them, walking around the corner towards Guan's yard.
"Second Young Master!" the maid called out loudly.
Pei Zhao stopped when he heard the voice and turned to look over here. He first glanced at Song Lingyi, then looked at several elders of the Lu family. He bowed from a distance like a scholar, with an indifferent and distant expression.
After staying in the study all night without sleeping, his usually neat and clean face was covered with stubble, and his eyes had lost some of their luster.
Song Lingyi looked at his frustrated expression, her fingers digging deeply into the material of his clothes.
The young man, who always smiled gently when addressing his elders, hadn't spoken a word beyond the initial greetings. The Lu family elders knew how much Pei Shu's death had hit Pei Zhao, and they offered words of comfort as they headed towards the backyard.
The courtyard was quiet and the atmosphere was tense.
The maids in the courtyard were bustling in and out, carrying medicine and hot water. In the dimly lit outer room, Xiang, with a worried look on her face, asked the imperial physician who had just emerged from the inner room, "How is Si Fu's health?"
"The Madam was so angry that she vomited blood and fainted. This time, her heart meridian has been damaged. I'm afraid the evil fire will be difficult to extinguish. If she can't take good care of herself, it will continue like this..."
Xiang was horrified. "Just prescribe the medicine. No matter how expensive the herbs are, the Pei family can afford them."
The imperial physician's face was solemn. He stroked his beard and sighed deeply, "I have observed the Madam's pulse. It is disordered and scattered, a sign of a failing pulse due to the exhaustion of vital energy..."
Hearing this, Pei Ling, who was standing by, covered her face with an embroidered handkerchief and burst into tears.
When my aunt returned home yesterday, my second brother told her the news of my eldest brother's death. At first, my aunt was calm and didn't seem to be showing any signs of abnormality. Later, when she returned to the courtyard, she suddenly vomited blood and fainted, which scared the maids and old women.
"But don't worry too much, Second Madam. I've already given First Madam acupuncture and stabilized her heart. For the next period of time, she just needs to recuperate well and take herbal medicine on time to regulate her body. She will recover in time."
After a pause, the imperial physician added earnestly, "It's just that heart disease needs to be treated with heart medicine. When the Madam wakes up, you should give her some advice."
While they were talking, they heard the sound of maids greeting each other in the yard.
Xiang gave Pei Ling a look, indicating that she should keep an eye on the imperial physician as he wrote the prescription. Then she gathered her thick coat and stepped out of the door.
Seeing her nephew and the Lu family coming towards the main house, Xiang's eyelids drooped slightly, and she forced a faint smile and greeted them, "You're here. It's cold today. Come in and have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up."
Wang clutched her handkerchief, a worried look on her face. "Don't be so polite," she said. "We came here today not only to visit you, but also to tell you that if there's anything you need from the Duke's Mansion, please feel free to ask. Don't be polite with us."
"Yes, the eldest lady is ill in bed. We are so many people, so it is inconvenient for us to go in and disturb her." Wen turned around and glanced at Lingyi, and said in a gentle voice, "You can go in with Jianzhi."
The windscreen was lowered, and the two elders stood in the corridor to exchange greetings. Pei Zhao dragged his heavy feet into the main house, and Song Lingyi followed him in.
The house was filled with a strong, bitter smell of medicine.
When Pei Ling saw Song Lingyi coming, she felt guilty and her attitude was not as enthusiastic as before. She just bowed and greeted her lightly.
Song Lingyi followed Pei Zhao into the inner room, walked around the landscape screen, and immediately saw Guan, her eyes closed, lying on the bed. The warm candlelight reflected on her bloodless face, giving it an eerie gray-green hue, like someone nearing death.
She suddenly thought of Song's mother who passed away last winter, and her heart ached.
Pei Zhao stood beside the couch, quietly looking at his mother's pale face. Suddenly, he saw his mother's red lips moving, as if she was whispering something.
He bent down and moved closer, and then he could hear clearly that his mother was calling his elder brother's name softly.
"Youzhi... Youzhi..." The calls became more urgent than the last.
All kinds of emotions suddenly converged in his heart. He frowned, his eyes gradually turned red, and he felt as if his chest was being torn apart alive, and the pain was so severe that he could hardly breathe.
Song Lingyi couldn't see Pei Zhao's expression, she only saw his slightly trembling shoulders, and her heart ached.
People can never truly empathize with others. In just a few days, she suffered the death of a loved one and a serious illness. She couldn't imagine how sad Pei Zhao was at this moment. The words of comfort were stuck in her throat and she couldn't say them out clumsily.
After a while, a hoarse voice of a man came to my ears: "Let's go, mother needs to rest."
The two left the inner room in silence.
The imperial physician had written a prescription and was instructing the maidservant on the details of boiling the medicine. Song Lingyi hooked the corner of his clothes and whispered softly, "Brother Jianzhi, don't worry. With the imperial physician's care, your aunt's illness will definitely recover."
Pei Zhao turned around and looked at her deeply, with a complex expression on his face.
Just at this time, Pei Tingyou came back from the palace. Without bothering to greet the Lu family, he ordered the servants with a heavy face to take Pei Zhao to the study to discuss something.
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince intends to transfer a Supervisory Censor to Qizhou, and he must take up the post by the eighth day of the first lunar month at the latest. However, the officials in the court are all very cunning, and no one wants to be transferred to Qizhou at this critical juncture. They are all trying to get the Emperor's opinion, fearing that the assignment will fall on them."
From yesterday till now, Pei Zhao had been silent most of the time, his expression was very indifferent, and it was difficult to tell much emotion from him.
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