Jiang Yushu's heart was beating like a drum. She asked as soon as she entered the hall, "How is the child?"
"Don't worry, I've already sent for a doctor," Guo Honglei replied gravely, then asked with concern, "Did Imperial Envoy Shen pursue anything against you?"
Jiang Yushu shook her head. "He just questioned me briefly, gave me a few hasty explanations, and then let it go. He didn't pursue the matter further."
Gong Yipeng and his family of three had not yet left. He said gently, "I'm glad you're alright."
"Second sister-in-law." Guo Hongzhe made way, and Guo Hongxuan said in a soothing tone, "Don't worry too much, Xiaoye will recover."
When Jiang Yushu heard this, she became even more uneasy, and several people hurried into the bedroom.
a moment
Wang sat beside the couch, her face dark with worry. "I told you beforehand, forcing the medicine into her mouth won't work! Ye'er won't drink the medicine. You're a doctor, can't you think of another way? Huh?"
Fang Sheng's forehead was sweating, and his face was full of embarrassment. He explained carefully, "Old Madam, please calm down. The young master's fever is very complicated. It is caused by injuries, shock, and also because..."
"I don't care about that!"
The maids and servants dared not breathe, standing around holding candlesticks, illuminating the green gauze cabinet. Mrs. Wang, with her white hair, slapped her thigh anxiously, urging her, "Oh, you better think of something quickly! If you let the child run so high, without eating or drinking, how will his wounds heal? How will he recover?"
"Yes, yes." Fang Sheng said stubbornly, "I, I'm trying to figure it out."
Wang Qiaozhen sighed and advised, "Calm down, old lady. I believe he has done everything he can. Please be patient and wait a while. Perhaps the doctor we called in can cure the disease."
"Yes, good things will happen to good people, and the child will be safe." Liao Xiaodie agreed.
"Then, why hasn't the doctor from outside been called in yet?" Wang sighed in regret and had to shift her hopes to another doctor.
Guo Honglei quickly approached and comforted her, "Don't worry, mother. I've already sent someone to invite them. They'll be here soon."
Jiang Yushu didn't bother to greet her mother-in-law and the others, she ran straight to the bedside and looked at them intently:
The baby was lying flat on his back, drowsy, his face flushed with fever, his lips chapped, and his breathing rapid.
"Yer? Yeer?" Jiang Yushu reached out and touched the child's forehead, trembling with fear. She murmured in fear, "Oh my God, it's too hot... What did he eat after I left at noon? Did he take his medicine?"
Nanny Pan, the wet nurse, and Xiao Tao, who had been watching over him, reported back one after another, "He drank quite a lot of milk!"
"And some porridge."
"But once I took the medicine, I vomited it all out."
"Then he drank some more milk, but refused to take any more medicine. He gradually developed a fever and has been sleeping ever since."
Jiang Yushu's eyes were burning, her nose was sore, and she turned her head and asked anxiously, "Doctor Fang, what do you think we should do?"
"I'm ashamed to say that my medical skills are not good enough and I've disappointed Madam." Fang Sheng wiped his sweat off his face and spoke frankly, "Therefore, I dare not be vague and delay the young master's treatment. Before it's too late, I earnestly ask Madam, Madam, and the young master to find another doctor as soon as possible to avoid being scrambled in an emergency."
"You think we don't want to?" Wang sighed, her brow furrowed. "The problem is, where are there any famous doctors around here? You claim you're not very skilled, but in reality, your skills are considered top-notch in Heqin. The so-called 'other doctors in the county' are probably not much better than you." She stroked the baby's cheek and called out,
"Yer? Good boy, wake up quickly, take the medicine and go back to sleep."
Jiang Yushu couldn't hold it in any longer, her heart was broken, and tears quickly filled her eyes, and the tears rolled down and dripped onto the hem of her clothes.
"Don't cry, don't cry." Guo Honglei was sandwiched between his mother and wife, secretly anxious, and tried his best to comfort her: "Don't panic yet, maybe the doctor we'll call later will be able to help."
Wang Qiaozhen and her two brothers-in-law were by her side, repeatedly reassuring her with words like, "Good things will come to those who are lucky, and the child will recover."
At nightfall, the servant hurried back carrying three white-bearded doctors.
"Doctor, quick!" Wang's eyes lit up, and she quickly stood up and pointed at the patient, "Hurry and take a look at my grandson."
Jiang Yushu made way, wiped her tears frantically, and said in a trembling voice, full of expectation: "Please, doctors, please save my child."
"Don't worry, Madam. I will do my best."
The four doctors examined the patient carefully, consulted for a long time, and jointly wrote a new prescription. They quickly prepared the medicine and boiled it, and then instructed:
"After I manage to wake the patient, administer the medicine immediately. Your son is too young to understand. He can only be coaxed or forced to drink the medicine, and it's unlikely he will drink it obediently."
"This, this - oh!" Wang was helpless.
Guo Honglei steeled himself, "Since there's no other way, then I'll just listen to the doctor and try to coax him first. If he really refuses to drink, I'll just force him to drink."
After a while, one of the doctors took out a small white porcelain bottle from the medicine box, uncorked it, and placed the bottle mouth under the nose of the little patient. After a few breaths, the baby woke up drowsily, sneezed, and instinctively raised his hands to rub his nose.
Jiang Yushu held the child's left arm, her throat choked and her heart was filled with anxiety. She said softly, "Be good, don't use your left hand until it heals, otherwise the wound will be painful."
"Bring the medicine, everyone, coax him to drink it." Wang gave an order, and Nanny Pan and the wet nurse hurried forward. Six or seven women tried every possible way, coaxing and forcing the baby to drink the medicine. Amid the baby's struggles and cries of refusal, they were sweating profusely before they finally managed to force the baby to drink the medicine.
The child's suffering made the elders very worried and anxious.
late at night
Jiang Yushu bent down and pressed her forehead against the child's for a long moment, whispering in surprise, "Great! The fever is finally gone! It seems the new medicine the doctors prescribed is working well."
"As a reward!"
Guo Honglei breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, "Once I recover from my illness, my wounds will slowly heal, and then I can return to camp without worry. Otherwise, how will I set off the day after tomorrow?"
"General Song has granted you a lot of leave, which is very generous. You must set off the day after tomorrow morning no matter what. Don't miss the stipulated date." Jiang Yushu smiled happily, gazing at the sleeping face of the child and whispered softly, "By the way, you must take Xiaotao with you and bring her back to Liu Village to marry Lin Qin."
"Just tell her to follow."
"You are taking the imperial envoy to Yongzhou. Brother Gong, would you like to go with us?"
Guo Honglei nodded and replied, "It's an agreement. He has long been interested in going to Yongzhou to find a job, and asked our family to take care of his wife and daughter for a while."
"Yeah." Jiang Yushu's heart was completely on the child, so she didn't say anything.
"Did you get scolded this afternoon? Madam was wronged."
"It wasn't really a scolding, it was more of a friendly reminder, so I don't feel wronged." Jiang Yushu smiled. "Lord Shen may appear stern and unforgiving, but he's actually teaching the younger generation. To me, he's a true mentor. Well, if you want to say 'wronged', Wei Xu was quite angry, after all, he got an extra scolding this morning."
"It's not surprising. I heard that his father and Lord Shen had some conflicts, so it was more or less difficult when they were facing each other."
"Oh?" Jiang Yushu asked in surprise, "Who told you that?"
Guo Honglei paused, raised his eyebrows and asked, "Didn't I tell you?"
"Tell me what?" Jiang Yushu was confused.
Guo Honglei slapped his forehead and angrily replied, "Last time we met in Yongzhou, I was so preoccupied that I completely forgot about that matter! I had doubts about Wei Xu's family background and was uneasy about him following you, so I wrote to a friend in the capital to inquire about it. I learned that Wei Xu is indeed the son of the Minister of Justice, but he is neither legitimate nor illegitimate, but illegitimate."
"ah?"
"Illegitimate child?" Jiang Yushu was stunned.
Guo Honglei nodded. "The details are unclear. It's said that Wei Xu's biological mother was the daughter of a wealthy businessman. Somehow, she secretly gave birth to a son for the Minister of Justice, who raised him under her brother's name. But four years ago, Minister Wei discovered the son and pursued him relentlessly, leading Wei Xu to finally reunite with his ancestral roots. Minister Wei announced that his youngest son was frail and sickly, so, following the advice of a master, he was placed in a temple in another city. He wasn't allowed to bring him home until he was strong enough."
"Last year, Wei Xu passed the imperial examination. Perhaps out of spite, he volunteered to be the deputy envoy of Xipingcang, becoming your colleague."
Jiang Yushu listened carefully, and a burst of anger suddenly ignited. She frowned and scolded: "Minister Wei is a piece of shit!"
"His maternal family worked so hard to raise the child, and the Wei family not only reaps the benefits, but also makes Wei Xu bear the stigma of being a 'bastard'! Judging from his words and actions, he must have been quite favored by his maternal family. The court clearly allows sons of business families to take the imperial examinations. When he was almost twenty years old, he suddenly returned to his ancestral home. Outsiders were bound to talk a lot. The title of 'son of a minister' would do him more harm than good."
"No wonder his expression changed immediately when we talked about his father."
Guo Honglei stared intently at his son, concentrating on his expression. "We should just pretend we don't know about other people's family affairs."
"Alas." Jiang Yushu expressed sympathy to her colleague before changing the subject back to the child.
Guo Ye's condition improved, and all the elders breathed a sigh of relief.
Unexpectedly, in the middle of the night, the child developed a high fever again. We called a doctor that night and the fever gradually subsided after a busy day until dawn.
The elders were worried. At noon, Guo Ye had a fever again. He was in a coma with his whole body red from the fever. He refused to eat or drink. Wang was so scared that she scolded the doctor and beat her chest and stamped her feet.
Next day night
More than ten people surrounded the bed, helpless.
Jiang Yushu was extremely anxious, her heart nearly broken. She covered the child's forehead with a cool handkerchief, her eyes red as she panicked and thought to herself: Due to the limitations of medical technology, not only ordinary people, but even the royal family and the powerful, children often die of illness. Die young, die young... What should I do? What should I do?
Wang urged urgently, "Honglei, you are Ye'er's father, make a decision quickly, there is no time to delay!"
The military order was as heavy as a mountain, and they had to set off for the camp tomorrow morning. Guo Honglei was extremely distressed. He held his son's hand and was lost in thought.
"Yipeng," Wang said, her face burning with worry. "You've been an official in the capital for many years. Do you know any famous doctors? Ye'er urgently needs a doctor who can bring him back to health!"
Gong Yipeng thought about it carefully and replied cautiously, "Yes, but firstly, I don't know if I know how to treat this disease. Secondly, the journey is long and the child is too young to withstand the bumpy ride."
"Can we invite a famous doctor to Heqin?"
Gong Yipeng had to remind her, "Aunt, please think about this: even if the doctor is willing, going back and forth will waste time."
"Then, this, this - what should I do?" Wang was extremely worried and tears streamed down her face.
Jiang Yushu gritted her teeth, looked up suddenly, and said with difficulty, "Now there is only one way!" The couple looked at each other. Guo Honglei understood what she meant and made up his mind. He asked first, "Does mother still remember to manage the imperial physician?"
"Doctor Guan?" Wang narrowed her eyes. "Oh, I remember. It was him who saved Azhe's life back then." After a pause, she was suddenly startled and asked hurriedly:
"But I remember Yushu once mentioned that Imperial Physician Guan also met with misfortune and was exiled. He is currently serving as a military doctor in the Honglei Camp. Don't you want to take Ye'er to Yongzhou?"
Jiang Yushu replied helplessly: "In terms of medical skills, he is the most brilliant doctor we have confirmed in both Xicang and Yongzhou."
"There is no time to lose. Let's pack up immediately. I will take the children and set off tomorrow morning. Mr. Guan should be able to find a solution!" Guo Honglei said resolutely.
Nanny Pan and the wet nurse obeyed and started packing their luggage immediately.
Wang thought about it for a while, but she strongly disagreed. She shook her head and said, "No, it's not appropriate! Tuningwei is too far away. Not only do we have to cross mountains and rivers, but we also have to cross rivers. It will be so late when we get back to the camp. Ye'er is so sick that he can't stand such a bumpy ride." She suggested:
"In my opinion, it's better to go to the provincial capital. It's much closer. As the saying goes, 'Three cobblers are better than Zhuge Liang.' We can invite all the famous ones and have them examine each patient one by one. There's bound to be someone capable among them!"
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