Chapter 394 The Illness Was a Coincidence
The doctor came to take Gu Jingxi's pulse. It was really strange that he had a high fever in the hot weather, so he asked Meng Jinyao what he had been doing and what he had eaten in the past two days.
Meng Jinyao made up a story, saying that her husband hadn't done anything or eaten anything special; it was just ordinary home-cooked food. She explained that he felt hot last night, sweated profusely, and couldn't sleep, so he took a cold shower. Afterward, he felt cold all over, so he covered himself with the blanket and went to sleep. When he woke up this morning, he was burning up and hadn't woken up yet.
After listening to the doctor, he concluded that Gu Jingxi's heatstroke was aggravated by taking a cold shower after catching a heatstroke. The clash between hot and cold caused the high fever to develop, and if the fever was not brought down soon, it would endanger his life.
Afterwards, the doctor wrote out a prescription and instructed Meng Jinyao that the patient should eat a light diet before leaving.
Meng Jinyao sent someone to fetch a doctor, and also gave the prescription to a maid, instructing the maid to quickly fetch the medicine.
After finishing all this, Meng Jinyao returned to her room and saw that her husband was still lying there, not yet awake. Although she knew he was alright, she was still a little worried because he hadn't woken up yet. She wondered how he had gotten himself into this state, managing to fool even the doctor.
After a long while, Gu Jingxi slowly woke up and saw his wife sitting by the bed, staring at him with worried eyes.
Seeing him open his eyes, Meng Jinyao quickly asked, "Husband, how are you feeling now? Is there anything that's bothering you?"
Gu Jingxi said softly, "Ayao, don't worry, I'm fine, I'm just a little hot. Have you called a doctor to come and take a look?"
Meng Jinyao nodded: "The doctor came by not long ago. He said you have a high fever and your condition is quite serious. If the fever is not brought down soon, it could be life-threatening."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi gave her an appreciative look and said, "Go to the drawer of the dressing table and get that white porcelain vase for me."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao quickly went to fetch the things for him.
Gu Jingxi took the porcelain bottle, poured out a pill-like substance, and swallowed it. About fifteen minutes later, the abnormal redness on his face gradually subsided, restoring his original complexion, and his body no longer felt feverish.
Seeing this, Meng Jinyao found it amazing and asked, "Husband, what is this?"
Gu Jingxi replied, "This is an antipyretic. Taking another kind of medicine will make people look like they have a high fever, and ordinary doctors won't be able to tell the difference. It's all something that Imperial Physician Wen came up with. That old man specializes in developing these strange things, but they can be quite useful in critical moments."
Meng Jinyao then asked, "Will this kind of thing harm your body?"
Gu Jingxi said, "It won't have any effect on your health, Ayao, don't worry."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao was filled with admiration: "Imperial Physician Wen is truly amazing. Not only can he treat illnesses, but he can also make beauty and skincare ointments. I never imagined he could even make such a medicine that is both harmless and effective."
Gu Jingxi silently added in his mind: That old man would also go to the nooks and crannies of the study to find improper books.
After a short while, Gu Jingxi said, "Ayao, I am ill and need to stay in Huzhou City for a while longer to recuperate."
Meng Jinyao replied, "Don't worry, my husband, I will cooperate well."
Gu Jingxi's "illness" came on suddenly. After taking a dose of medicine, his fever subsided and he "woke up." He drank a bowl of light white porridge and then fell asleep. However, in the afternoon, his fever returned and he couldn't be woken up no matter how much they called him.
Meng Jinyao then instructed her maid to go to the pharmacy to get the medicine according to the prescription given by the doctor that morning and brew it.
He repeatedly suffered from high fever and fell into a coma. His condition was critical, and the steward Liu and the other servants were very worried. Their hearts were hanging in the balance. If anything happened to their master, the Gu family would be in turmoil. The Marquis had no children. Either the eldest son would inherit the title according to the order of seniority, or the wife would choose an adopted son from the clan to inherit the title.
Looking at her husband, who seemed quite energetic, Meng Jinyao asked, "Husband, how long will this illness last?"
Gu Jingxi smiled and said, "I'll be sick for at least three or four days. After I recover, I'll need to rest properly for another ten or eight days before I can set off back to the capital. Otherwise, if I'm not fully recovered, the journey will be too tiring for my body."
Meng Jinyao glared at him and said, "You suddenly became so ill that the servants almost thought I was going to be a widow at such a young age."
"I won't let you become a young widow."
After Gu Jingxi finished speaking, he pulled her into his arms. Just as he was about to do something naughty, she stopped him and said, "My husband is still unconscious. Don't do anything rash. Otherwise, if you make a commotion, what will the maid think of me? She'll probably think I don't even spare the sick."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi suddenly felt depressed.
When night fell and it was completely dark, Gu Jingxi changed into black night clothes and went out to run errands.
To avoid giving herself away, Meng Jinyao didn't let her maids in. She waited for him in the room for more than an hour, and started to feel sleepy, but before he returned, she went to sleep.
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Wei Mansion.
Gu Jingxi's reason for going to Deqing County was to visit his elders, but Lord Wei did not take it lightly. He sent people to secretly follow Gu Jingxi to Deqing County and staked out the area near the county government office. For two days and two nights, Gu Jingxi did not come out, so it seemed that he really was just visiting his elders.
Upon hearing his trusted aide's report, Lord Wei felt half relieved, and then asked, "When did Gu Jingxi depart for the capital today?"
The attendant respectfully replied, "Sir, Lord Gu and his wife have not yet left Huzhou. I heard that Lord Gu is ill and their journey has been delayed."
"Sick?" Lord Wei frowned, sensing something was amiss. "How could he have fallen ill so coincidentally?"
The attendant replied, "I also consulted the doctor who treated Lord Gu. He said it was due to heatstroke. He took a cold shower because he was trying to cool off, and the combination of hot and cold caused his body to be unable to handle it, resulting in a high fever."
Lord Wei frowned even more: "What if the doctor has been bribed by him and is giving you false information?"
The attendant was speechless. He hadn't considered such a thing, but that was indeed what the doctor had said. Seeing his master's furrowed brows, he suggested, "Sir, Lord Gu is ill. Why don't you bring some gifts and pay him a visit? You'll know whether he's truly ill or faking it. If Madam Gu tries to stop you from visiting him, then there's definitely something fishy going on."
Upon hearing this, Lord Wei praised, "That's a good idea. You're quite quick-witted."
The attendant humbly replied, "It is my honor to be able to share your burdens, sir."
On the rooftop, Gu Jingxi and Yu Chuan listened to their conversation.
Yu Chuan glanced at his master and whispered, "My lord, I have searched this study carefully. There are no hidden compartments. The study is full of books, but there are no account books. Will you need to search again later?"
Gu Jingxi shook his head slightly.
At this moment, the talking in the study below also stopped, and the attendants had left.
Not long after, Lord Wei also left the study and went to the courtyard with Madam Wei. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he instructed the maid to prepare water, seemingly preparing to bathe, change clothes, and then go to bed.
When Madam Wei saw him, her smile froze instantly, but because of the presence of her maid, she quickly regained her composure and spoke to him gently.
The maid prepared the bathwater, and Lord Wei went to the clean room to bathe. He did not need the maid to serve him while bathing.
When Gu Jingxi saw him enter the purification room, he went to the roof of the purification room, lifted a tile, and looked down.
Yu Chuan: "..."
We're all men, what's so interesting about men taking a shower?
Thinking this, Yu Chuan also lifted a tile to take a look and also to experience the Marquis's strange quirk. With Lord Wei's physique, he would find it disgusting to look at him, let alone see anything interesting.
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