His eyes shimmered with tiny sparkles, as if countless words were surging within him, yet he hesitated to speak.
Jiang Huaiyu glanced at him briefly before turning away, her voice calm: "I understand."
Bai Yujing gazed at her silently for a moment, then turned and walked out of the house. Soon after, his figure disappeared into the courtyard of Yuqian Lane.
After he left, the courtyard became even more tranquil.
There were two injured people in the courtyard. Jiang Huaiyu recovered relatively quickly and was able to get out of bed and move around after two days of rest. Deng Shen, however, was still bedridden due to the severity of his injuries and relied entirely on Yingxiang's meticulous care day after day.
The once elegant bamboo grove and the flowers and trees planted later have all been destroyed by Princess Ziyan. Now the courtyard is a mess, bare and devoid of any beauty to behold. In the past few days, Jiang Huaiyu has even been reluctant to step out of her room, and after taking her medicine, she simply hides in her room reading books.
Doctor Liang would come to take her pulse every day, but what he said was always the same: he just told her to rest well.
However, to Jiang Huaiyu's slight surprise, Doctor Liang seemed to be unwell, and in just a few days, he appeared to have lost a lot of weight. She didn't ask too many questions, but secretly admired Doctor Liang's exceptional medical skills.
She vividly remembers the day and night of her miscarriage. The pain in her abdomen felt like being torn apart by a sharp blade. However, after taking the medication, she didn't feel any pain at all. In fact, her body wasn't as weak and frail as she had imagined after a miscarriage. Apart from feeling depressed and having a poor appetite, she had no other symptoms.
However, no joy welled up in my heart.
She lost her unborn child and is suffering the punishment of guilt deep in her heart. If she can just turn the page so lightly, not only will her child be unable to forgive her as a mother, but she herself will also be unable to forgive herself.
After taking her pulse and carefully explaining the precautions, Dr. Liang noticed the sorrow on her face, which seemed to be shrouded in sadness. A trace of sympathy flashed in his eyes, but he only sighed, slowly picked up his medicine box, and went to Deng Shen's room again.
Deng Shen's injury was more complicated, requiring careful dressing changes every day.
After finishing his work, Dr. Liang had beads of sweat on his forehead and his face was even paler. When he picked up his medicine box, his body even swayed a few times.
Yingxiang immediately stepped forward to take the medicine box, saying, "Dr. Liang, let me see you off."
The two walked outside into the courtyard, and Yingxiang suddenly asked, "Dr. Liang, will my wife's miscarriage affect her health?"
"Madam is young, and with careful care, she will not suffer any lasting health problems," Doctor Liang replied fluently.
"So, has the fetus truly been completely expelled from the body, Madam?" Yingxiang continued to press.
Doctor Liang frowned slightly, and said with some displeasure, "Why would you have such a question, young lady? Do you not trust my medical skills?"
“No, I don’t doubt Dr. Liang’s medical skills, it’s just that…” Yingxiang’s face showed a look of confusion as she said, “I once took care of my sister-in-law, who also suffered a miscarriage. Normally, after a miscarriage, a woman will bleed for a period of time. Doctors will also say that she needs to expel the remaining blood from her body before she can be considered to have recovered. But my lady’s clothes, apart from the first day when there was bloodstain, have not been stained since.”
I dare not ask Madam directly, lest I upset her, so I came to ask you for advice.
If the pregnancy has been completely expelled, that would be ideal. But if there's still some blood remaining in the body, wouldn't that cause future problems?
A hint of approval flashed in Doctor Liang's eyes as he chuckled, "Young lady, you are truly observant. Ordinary unmarried women often overlook these details. Your concerns are quite reasonable. However, I have my own rigorous methods for preparing medicine. Since I say that Madam is well, I certainly won't make a mistake. In my estimation, your sister-in-law must have passed the early stages of pregnancy and, after the fetus stabilized, unfortunately suffered a miscarriage, hence the excessive blood stasis in her body. But Madam's pregnancy is less than three months, so the damage she suffered is naturally minor. Perhaps you can understand the difference."
Upon hearing this, Yingxiang felt much more at ease. She bowed and said, "Thank you for your detailed analysis, Doctor Liang. Knowing that Madam is well, a great weight has been lifted from my heart."
After speaking, she walked slowly to the alley entrance, gently waved her hand to summon two sedan chair carriers, took out a few copper coins and handed them to them, smiling and saying, "You two have worked hard, please escort Doctor Liang home."
Doctor Liang was slightly taken aback, and hurriedly declined, "How can this be?"
Yingxiang smiled calmly and said, "Dr. Liang, please get in the carriage. My wife instructed me yesterday to arrange a comfortable sedan chair to take you back every day."
Dr. Liang felt a warmth in his heart and glanced back at the small courtyard.
He had already sat inside the sedan chair when he suddenly leaned out and called out to Yingxiang, "Miss, please tell your mistress not to worry too much and to relax. The lost child may return to her in another way."
Yingxiang nodded blankly, and on her way home, she kept replaying Doctor Liang's words in her mind.
"To return to my side in another way?" Jiang Huaiyu murmured, a thoughtful look in his eyes. "Dr. Liang is kind-hearted and truly a benevolent doctor."
Although it was the medicine he prescribed that caused her miscarriage, Jiang Huaiyu could sense that Doctor Liang was not an unscrupulous person, and that his actions were due to coercion from Princess Ziyan.
...
After leaving the small courtyard in Yuqian Lane, Bai Yujing found a quiet and elegant inn nearby to settle down.
On that crucial day, he stepped into the magnificent palace, faced the emperor directly, and bravely accused Princess Ziyan of framing his family, imploring the emperor to make a clear judgment. Although the emperor verbally granted his request, no concrete action was forthcoming. Even during the court audience, while other scholars who had passed the imperial examinations at the same time had already been granted official positions, he, Bai Yujing, was left standing aside.
According to custom, as the top scholar in the imperial examination, he should have directly entered the Hanlin Academy and received imperial favor. However, the emperor seemed to have forgotten this decree, and instead appointed the second and third-ranked scholars as reviewers and editors, respectively.
Baiyujing thus seemed to have been forgotten by the splendor of the palace.
Rumors and gossip swirled in the imperial court. People were discussing how Bai Yujing's outspokenness before the emperor seemed to have offended him, leading to his neglect. Some even mocked him, believing he was arrogant and presumptuous for daring to touch on the sensitive topic of the Marquis of Jingyuan. They argued that even the emperor ignored impeachments from powerful officials, so why would he be swayed by an insignificant scholar from a humble background?
He could have remained patient and waited for things to calm down, but Bai Yujing's temperament wouldn't allow him to tolerate any injustice. The sharp edge he displayed before the emperor seemed to foreshadow his own demise.
Those who once tried to befriend him and use his influence to climb the social ladder have now all avoided him, and even the inn where he is staying is now filled with gossip.
But Bai Yujing ignored this.
Before being granted an official position, he remained just an ordinary scholar. Every day, he would either visit Jiang Huaiyu at his small courtyard in Yuqian Lane or bury himself in books in his room.
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