Chapter 297 So please, you must hold on until dawn.
The only sounds in the room were the soft clinking of utensils, the urgent whispers of the imperial physicians, and the extremely faint groans that Xiao Yeming instinctively let out in his deep coma due to the excruciating pain.
Lu Zhaoruo took off her blood-stained cloak, washed her hands, and quietly stood guard by the bedside.
She remained silent, her face as pale as snow, but her eyes were unusually calm, suppressing all her fear deep inside.
When the imperial physician needed hot water to clean the wound, she handed him a warm towel; when he needed new scissors, she handed them to him steadily; when someone needed to hold down Xiao Yeming's body, which was suddenly convulsing from the pain of cleaning the wound, she stepped forward without hesitation and used all her strength to stabilize him, as if she wanted to transfer her own life force to him.
Outside the door.
The well-trained servants of the Xiao family carried hot water and medicinal herbs, their steps quick yet slow, each with a solemn expression, not daring to make the slightest unnecessary noise.
Outside the quiet room.
Madam Xiao sat upright in her chair, clutching her Buddhist prayer beads tightly in her hand, praying that her grandson would be alright.
This is the only grandson of the Xiao family.
Madam Xiao was restless, pacing back and forth, her eyes fixed on the tightly closed door.
Madam He sat beside her, her face etched with worry, her handkerchief twisting and loosening repeatedly in her hand.
After all, what would happen to her daughter if he died?
Wang Miaoyin sat next to her mother, her head bowed, occasionally letting out suppressed sobs.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from under the eaves.
Wang Wu arrived in a hurry, leading Ban Ling and Lu Seng.
Wang Wu was covered in dust and looked anxious.
He hurried to Old Madam Xiao and Madam Xiao, and before he could even straighten his clothes, he knelt down on one knee with a thud. His voice choked with self-reproach and worry: "Old Madam! Madam! I failed in my duty as a guard, causing the General to suffer this calamity! I deserve to die a thousand deaths!"
If he had known this would happen, he should have followed the general and stormed into the Grand Princess's residence.
Banling and Luseng followed closely behind him, bowing and clasping their hands, their faces filled with grief.
Seeing him like this, Madam Xiao felt pain in her heart, but she knew that he was not to blame. She forced back her grief and said, "It has nothing to do with you. Get up and talk."
Wang Wu kowtowed deeply before standing up and asking urgently, "General, how are you doing?"
at this time.
With a creak, the door opened slightly.
All eyes were instantly focused on it.
Butler Fu Bo slipped out and quickly closed the door. He first nodded slightly to Wang Wu and the others, then hurried to Old Madam Xiao and Madam Xiao, and whispered, "Old Madam, Madam, Dr. Yang has diagnosed the injury. The general suffered a severe blow; his back is torn open, and his bones and tendons are severely damaged. Fortunately, his vital organs were not directly injured. The bleeding has been barely stopped, and he has been given ginseng and aconite soup. He is temporarily out of immediate danger of death."
He paused, his voice heavy with grief, barely able to continue: "However... As Imperial Physician Yang said, the most troublesome injuries are to the kneecaps of both legs... They have been shattered by a heavy blow, and the tendons and veins are severed. This is a broken bone and tendons injury, and even... even if one's life is spared, whether the legs can recover is still uncertain. In addition, the thirty blows of the staff have exhausted his blood and qi, severely damaging his vital energy. Whether he can survive tonight's alternating chills and fever... depends entirely on the general's usual foundation and the blessings of Heaven."
Thirty strokes of the cane?
Can we get through this?
The prayer beads that Madam Xiao was rapidly turning in her hand suddenly stopped.
Her voice was deep and authoritative: "Tell the imperial physicians to use the best medicine, at any cost."
The old nanny Song, who was standing behind her, immediately bowed and accepted the order. She turned around quickly and lightly to deliver the message, her expression solemn.
Madam Xiao swayed suddenly, her face turning deathly pale, but fortunately she was steadily supported by her maid Hua Yue and Granny Zhang on either side.
Hua Yue was calm and composed. Although her face showed worry, she moved gently and said in a low voice, "Madam, you must hold on. The General still needs you."
Granny Zhang frowned, but added in a steady tone, "The old lady is right. The imperial physicians will do their utmost. You absolutely cannot collapse now."
Madam Xiao took a deep breath, forced herself to stand firm, and turned her gaze back to the door. Her eyes regained their usual firmness, but her clenched fists were still trembling slightly.
He let out a soft "Oh dear!" and the handkerchief in her hand was instantly twisted into a pretzel.
She cried as she said to Old Madam Xiao, "Aunt, listen to this! Thirty strokes! That's a death sentence! How can Ye Ming, this child... endure such torture!"
Upon hearing the words "thirty heavy blows," Wang Miaoyin burst into tears and threw herself into the arms of her maid, Que'er, crying so hard she could barely breathe.
Sparrow gently patted her back, softly coaxing, "Don't cry, my lady, don't cry..."
Wang Wu suddenly turned his back and fiercely wiped away the hot tears welling up in his eyes with his sleeve.
Ban Ling's eyes were bloodshot, and he growled through gritted teeth, "Thirty strokes! That's killing him!"
Lu Seng sighed and said, "General, you are blessed with good fortune and will surely turn misfortune into good luck!"
The imperial physicians continued to treat him until past midnight, in the dead of night when all was quiet.
The candlelight inside burned out and was then reignited, the lamp flame crackling and popping.
Finally, Imperial Physician Yang straightened up, rubbed his aching temples, and said hoarsely to Lu Zhaoruo, who had been forcing herself to stay upright, "Madam Lu, the bleeding has finally stopped, and the wounds have been treated and bandaged. The fractured kneecaps have been firmly fixed with cedar bark and silk cloth, so the tendons and bones will not dislocate again for the time being. The medicine has also been taken. We have done everything we could."
He changed the subject, his voice heavy as if filled with lead: "However, General, you have lost too much blood and your vital energy is almost depleted. This is an internal injury that medicine cannot quickly replenish. In addition, under such severe injury, you are most susceptible to invasion by evil spirits. If you develop a high fever at night, it will be a dangerous case of burning both your vital energy and blood... That would be the real gate of hell."
He looked up at Lu Zhaoruo, his gaze heavy with worry and helplessness: "Therefore, whether you can get through tonight... especially these few hours before dawn, depends entirely on your own vital energy and the will of Heaven. We will rest in the side room for a while. If there are any changes, especially if you find that your skin is burning hot or your breathing is rapid, please come and call us immediately!"
Lu Zhaoruo bowed deeply: "Thank you all, imperial physicians. This kindness is as heavy as a mountain."
The imperial physicians left one after another, their steps heavy.
The door to the side room was gently closed, and outside the window was a thick, inky black night.
Inside the room, only Xiao Yeming's faint breathing could be heard.
She staggered to the edge of the couch, her knees buckled, and she almost collapsed onto the footstool.
She reached out her trembling hand and carefully cupped his cold, lifeless hand, pressing it tightly against her tear-stained, icy cheek, trying to warm him with her meager body heat.
The fear, heartache, and lingering dread that had accumulated throughout the night finally crumbled in the dead of night, unnoticed by anyone.
“Xiao Yeming…”
She choked back tears, her voice as soft as the night breeze outside the window, "How could you be so foolish... Who asked you to come and save me like this! Who gave you permission to risk your life for me!"
"The Grand Princess's residence is a den of dragons and tigers, how dare you barge in alone..."
She leaned down, her forehead gently touching the back of his hand, warm tears rolling down her cheeks and soaking his sleeve.
“Ah Ming, listen to me…”
Her voice was filled with a desperate plea, yet it was also unusually firm, "Hold on... I beg you, you must hold on! As long as you wake up, as long as you live..."
She raised her head, her eyes blurry with tears, gazing at his bloodless face as if trying to etch his image into her soul. With all her remaining strength, she made a vow: "When you get better... we'll get married! We'll go through all the formalities, the phoenix coronet and the embroidered robe, I'll marry you! So please... you must hold on until dawn..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com