Chapter 82
The county magistrate invited several doctors who wrote prescriptions and instructed them to go in and decoct the medicine.
Lu Huaying overheard their conversation.
Blood loss, fatigue, excessive mental strain, depletion of energy, lack of rest, coupled with exposure to cold, all contributed to internal ailments...
The doctor can only prescribe some pungent, warm, dispersing, and exterior-releasing medicines; the rest of the symptoms will have to be treated gradually over time.
Lu Huaying sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the white hair at Wei Mingsu's temples, and felt a pang of sorrow in her heart.
He used to be very healthy. Even when he had no money to stay in a guesthouse, he could endure the elements for half a month without getting sick.
After preparing the medicine, Tong Jin immediately brought it to Wei Mingsu's bedside, and Lu Huaying fed it to him.
He was delirious, his face ashen, and his fever was slowly subsiding, but he was still not fully conscious, muttering to himself in a daze.
Lu Huaying dared not leave him, staying by his side and helping him wash his body.
The next day, Wei Mingsu began to improve; his low-grade fever subsided, the doctor adjusted the prescription, and he regained some color in his face and fell asleep.
Lu Huaying lowered her head and gathered Wei Mingsu's hair that had fallen onto the pillow.
Several silver threads became entangled around her fingers.
She stared blankly at the white hair between her fingers.
Ayu walked over and whispered, "Third Sister, you haven't slept for two nights. Don't tire yourself out. Go and rest."
Lu Huaying pulled the blanket up for Wei Mingsu, stood up, and felt a wave of dizziness wash over her.
She stood there for a moment to catch her breath, then said softly, "Call me if you need anything."
Ayu nodded.
Lu Huaying walked out of the house, glanced at Tongjin standing by the door, and asked, "When did Governor Wei's temples start to turn white?"
Tong Jin shook his head and said, "I don't know. Afu has been with the young master the longest. I asked him about this before, but he couldn't explain it either."
Afu once asked a doctor if there was any medicine that could turn Wei Mingsu's white hair black again.
The doctor said there are three possible reasons why Wei Mingsu, at such a young age, has developed gray hair: premature graying due to birth defects, significant emotional ups and downs leading to a sudden shock, or an illness. Regardless of the cause, there is no cure.
Gray hair can never turn back to its original black color.
Lu Huaying turned around and looked at Wei Mingsu on the bed.
Why did he keep painfully saying sorry?
"Do you know what happened to him when he was an official in Guangling?"
She asked Tongjin.
After Wei Mingsu returned to Luoyang from there, he became known as a cruel official.
Tong Jin still shook his head: "My lord has never mentioned anything about the South. Only Afu knows that he was brought back to the capital from the South by my lord, but Afu says he doesn't remember anything from before."
Lu Huaying frowned.
Wei Mingsu and Afu must have experienced something in Guangling.
He had worries on his mind, and his mental illness was so severe that his health deteriorated.
How can she help him?
She didn't know what he had gone through in the past few years; she only heard about his life from other people.
Lu Huaying returned to her room with a heavy heart. She hadn't slept for two nights and was exhausted. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, but she was worried about Wei Mingsu and didn't sleep soundly. She woke up after a while, changed her clothes, and came back.
...
As dusk approached, wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys, and the slanting rays of the setting sun spilled onto the windows, filling the room with a soft, hazy golden light.
Wei Mingsu opened his tightly closed eyes.
Bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, Lu Huaying fell asleep leaning against the bedside. The glow of the sunset illuminated her profile, making her features more beautiful than the fiery sunset outside the window.
Wei Mingsu looked at her, reached out and touched her face, his fingers brushing against her.
Lu Huaying's eyelashes trembled.
As Wei Mingsu gradually regained his senses, he awkwardly lowered his hand.
Lu Huaying held his fingers.
She woke up, grabbed his withdrawn hand, and smiled with delight: "You're finally awake!"
Wei Mingsu's head
The pain was excruciating; my whole body was stiff and aching; my throat was dry and sore, and I couldn't speak.
Lu Huaying let go of his hand, stood up, helped him sit up, poured him a bowl of hot tea, and fed him a sip.
He coughed a few times.
He took the bowl and drank it himself.
Lu Huaying turned and went out. A moment later, Tongjin and Ayu ran in happily. The doctor also arrived, took their pulses, and went out to adjust the prescription.
Upon hearing this, the county magistrate also came to visit with utmost respect, but was dismissed by his companion who was carrying the medicine after only a few words.
The room was lively for a while, then quiet returned.
Wei Mingsu wanted to go in with him to retrieve the documents.
Tong Jin hesitated for a moment and looked at Lu Huaying.
Lu Huaying shook her head and said, "The doctor said you need to rest more and see him again tomorrow."
Tong Jin and A Yu both went out.
Lu Huaying went over and closed the door, then returned to the bedside and sat down.
Wei Mingsu glanced at her.
He thought she would leave with other people.
Tong Jin just said that she has been taking care of him for the past two days.
"Go and rest. Tongjin and Ayu are fine here."
Wei Mingsu spoke slowly, his voice weak.
Lu Huaying didn't move, saying, "I slept today, so I'm not tired. I'll stay and keep you company. The doctor said this illness can recur, and you might still have a fever, so someone needs to watch over you. What would you like to eat? Do you want some water?"
Wei Mingsu shook his head.
Lu Huaying took a tangerine from the plate and peeled it.
Immediately, the juice from the citrus peel overflowed, and a sour aroma filled the room.
She placed the peeled tangerines by the bedside: "Have something sweet."
Wei Mingsu remained silent and did not touch the tangerine.
Lu Huaying picked up the tangerine, tore it into segments, and handed it to him, saying, "These tangerines are tribute items. I bought them from Shabo. One costs five hundred coins. The doctor said that tangerines are pungent and cooling, relieve exterior symptoms, and also stimulate the appetite. You can eat some."
Wei Mingsu is very frugal and cherishes things. He can't bear to throw away used candle stubs; he collects them and continues to use them. She said the tangerines were bought, so he wouldn't waste them.
Sure enough, when she said that a yellow tangerine cost five hundred coins, Wei Mingsu raised his hand and took the tangerine.
He's still so frugal.
Lu Huaying chuckled inwardly.
The peeled tangerines, orange-yellow and soft, were handed segment by segment from Lu Huaying to Wei Mingsu.
Her fingertips brushed against his palm.
Wei Mingsu lowered his head, ate the tangerine, and tasted the sweet and sour juice, which made his dry, sore, and bitter throat feel sweet.
After he finished eating, he said, "I'm done. You can go and rest now."
Lu Huaying served him tea to rinse his mouth and said, "You're a patient, so don't worry about me. Go to sleep, and I'll go rest after you fall asleep."
Wei Mingsu glanced out the window.
It had already gotten dark.
Lu Huaying told him to lie down and said, "You need to rest more. You can only do things well if you are healthy. Don't think about anything else. Go to sleep."
Wei Mingsu lay down and closed his eyes. After a while, he opened his eyes and urged Lu Huaying, "I need to rest. You should go to sleep."
Lu Huaying hummed in agreement, took a blanket from behind the curtain, spread it on the floor beside the bed, and lay down.
Wei Mingsu frowned.
Lu Huaying lay on the blanket, using her saber as a pillow, and said, "I'll sleep here. Ayu will come to relieve me tomorrow morning. We've already agreed on that."
Wei Mingsu frowned even more deeply.
Lu Huaying suddenly sat up, leaned over the bed, and stared at Wei Mingsu with wide eyes.
“Governor Wei, if you don’t sleep, I’ll keep watching you like this.”
She smiled and blinked, her eyes bloodshot.
Wei Mingsu remained silent.
Lu Huaying smiled and lay back down.
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