22. Dragon Boat Festival Feast (Part 4)
The scene was chaotic, with only the clamor of discussions and General Gao Debao's hoarse shouts. After an unknown amount of time, a guard rushed over, dragging a royal physician with him. Before the physician could even catch his breath, General Gao Debao anxiously pulled and dragged him away.
Seeing the family's anxiety, Imperial Physician Liu understood without saying much. He simply took a careful look at Gao Yiyi lying on the floor, placed his hand on her pulse, and tried to examine her carefully. However, he was disturbed by the restless General Dingyuan beside him. Gao Debao paced back and forth from time to time, and would come over to ask questions, which kept interfering with his diagnosis. Finally, Imperial Physician Liu shook his head helplessly. Just as he was about to speak, he was interrupted by General Dingyuan.
"Physician Liu, what do you mean by shaking your head? Is my daughter beyond saving? No, she's so young. You must save her at all costs! I'll do anything you ask if you can save her!" General Dingyuan was so agitated that he kept shaking Physician Liu in front of him, begging him to save his daughter.
"General Gao, please don't get so agitated!"
"General Gao, calm down, calm down!"
"General Gao, please release Physician Liu and let us hear what he has to say."
"Yes, General Gao, there's no use in being so anxious. Let's hear what Imperial Physician Liu has to say."
Seeing this, the crowd couldn't bear to watch and began to offer their advice.
"Fuck you, all of you shut up! It's not your daughter lying there, so of course you won't worry. Yiyi is my only daughter, my precious treasure. Now her life is in danger. Calm down, you son of a bitch! How can you expect me to calm down?!"
The emotionally charged Gao Debao wouldn't listen to anything. When he saw Liu Hanruo standing at the back of the crowd, he suddenly let go of the hand that was tightly gripping the collar of Imperial Physician Liu. Everyone thought he had listened, but unexpectedly, they saw him with bloodshot eyes, angrily picking up his sword and rushing over.
"It's you, damn it, it must be you, you poisonous woman! Yiyi has no grudge against you, neither of us has ever had any past or present grudges. Why are you so cruel as to want Yiyi dead? Yes, it must be because you're jealous of Yiyi. You poisonous woman, I don't care if you're an extremely evil princess or some kind of damn princess, I'm going to avenge Yiyi today! Prepare to die!"
As the renowned General Dingyuan was, he possessed immense strength and an imposing presence. At this moment, he was consumed by rage, his eyes bloodshot, and he had long lost his reason. Only one belief remained in his mind: he must take revenge. For this, he would not recognize anyone. Once he truly began to fight, how could a group of weak ministers possibly withstand him? Several ministers who had stood in his way fell to the ground, some even being thrown two meters away, unable to get up for a moment. This caused the ministers who had originally wanted to persuade him to stop in a cold sweat. They immediately stopped and secretly glanced at the fallen ministers. They secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling both fortunate and terrified, fearing that they might be implicated.
The entire banquet hall was in complete chaos. Gao Debao, wielding a sharp sword, chased Liu Hanruo wildly across the venue, relentlessly swinging his blade. Wherever his sword struck, tables and chairs shattered. Liu Hanruo, to conceal her strength, feigned panic and dodged in all directions. The surrounding ministers, seeing this from afar, hurriedly moved away. Several times, it seemed the sword was about to strike Liu Hanruo, causing everyone's hearts to clench in fear, as if they were about to leap out of their mouths. Only when Liu Hanruo narrowly escaped did they breathe a sigh of relief, wiping away cold sweat. Such a terrifying ordeal was like a thrilling game of life. The scene was utterly chaotic, and for a time, no one could control it.
"Stop right there, all of you! Do you all think I'm dead?"
Until a deep, resounding roar echoed throughout the hall, silencing the entire assembly. Staring at the cold-faced Prince Xiaoyao, radiating an aura of icy power, everyone was frozen in place, not daring to breathe. Perhaps the roar had an effect; even Gao Debao hesitated, stopping his actions. Seeing this, Physician Liu acted decisively, pulling out silver needles and inserting them into Gao Debao's Tanzhong acupoint. Gao Debao slowly regained consciousness, no longer as agitated as before. Looking at Physician Liu, he asked in a low voice:
"Imperial Physician Liu, is it really hopeless? Is there really no way to save him?"
"General Gao..."
Before Physician Liu could finish speaking, General Gao suddenly interrupted, looking as if he had aged considerably in an instant, a stark contrast to his previous spirited demeanor. His voice was mournful and filled with despair.
"Never mind, Physician Liu, you don't need to say anything more, I understand..."
No matter who it was, being interrupted several times and unable to fully express what they wanted to say would inevitably make them angry. Physician Liu coldly said:
"General Gao, since you are so eager for your daughter to die, then I will not interfere. There is no need to save her. I will take my leave now."
Physician Liu's words were like a guiding light, illuminating Gao Debao's heart and instantly igniting hope within him, leaving him stunned.
"Physician Liu, your...your...does that mean...my daughter...is still salvageable?" Perhaps due to excessive excitement, Gao Debao spoke haltingly, finally managing to express his meaning clearly.
"I never said your daughter was hopeless; everything you said was just your own wishful thinking."
"Physician Liu, what did you mean by shaking your head? I thought my daughter was beyond saving..."
"Hmph, who can I blame? I don't know who it was, but they kept nagging in my ear from the very beginning, not only disturbing my ability to see the doctor properly, but also interrupting me time and time again, making me feel so frustrated that I couldn't speak."
After hearing Physician Liu's words, Gao Debao realized his impulsive actions and felt extremely embarrassed. He quickly changed the subject, his eyes full of hope and expectation, and said:
"Imperial Physician Liu, please treat my daughter well. I will offer generous medicine and payment. I promise I will stay quietly to the side this time and will definitely not bother you again!"
Having received assurances, Physician Liu nodded, his smile returning, and began to carefully examine Gao Yiyi, taking her pulse, checking her tongue coating, and examining her pupils. He would sometimes frown and sometimes mutter to himself, seemingly saying something unintelligible.
Time passed slowly, and after about fifteen minutes, Physician Liu released his grip, a slight smile playing on his lips. Gao Debao, who had been waiting anxiously, finally dared to ask:
"Imperial Physician Liu, what's wrong with my daughter? Is she alright? You can definitely save her, right?"
Looking at the worried Gao Debao, Imperial Physician Liu hesitated, wanting to speak but worried that Gao Debao wouldn't be able to accept it, and the situation would be difficult to control. Therefore, he stammered and couldn't bring himself to say it.
---Aside---
It's snowing heavily in Zhejiang. Friends in Zhejiang, please be careful when going out.
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