"It was the Third Madam. She went to Shousong Hall and made a scene. I don't know what she said, but the Old Madam fainted from anger."
“When I arrived, Shousong Hall was in complete chaos. Granny Chang didn’t have time to look for the Duchess, so I rushed back to tell you, Miss.”
Chunling reacted the fastest and, along with Liandong, were the first to catch up with Li Shiyue.
As Li Shiyue listened to Chunling's words, she quickly ran towards Shousong Hall. The two courtyards were not far apart, and she stopped at the gate of the courtyard.
"aunt!"
Yang looked anxious, likely having just received the news. Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Li Shiyue; she couldn't care less about anything else, knowing from the rise and fall of Li Shiyue's chest that the child must have run here.
"Go see the old lady first; the imperial physician has already arrived."
Although Yang tried her best to keep her tone calm and gentle, she walked quickly, not even having time to look back to see if Li Shiyue was following, and headed straight for the inner room.
With Granny Chang standing guard there, and Madam Yang watching the imperial physician take the pulse and giving many instructions, Shousong Hall finally quieted down.
Li Shiyue was a step behind her, and walked to Chang Mama's side, constantly looking around to see what was happening behind the screen.
Perhaps because he had walked too fast, he now felt a tightness in his chest. Through the screen, he could vaguely see Old Madam Xu lying on the bed, her eyes tightly closed.
The imperial physician took her pulse for quite some time, and the room was so quiet that even breathing was clearly audible. Li Shiyue gripped her handkerchief tightly, her eyes fixed on what was happening behind the screen.
"Young Master".
The sound of a maid bowing came from outside the door. After a series of hurried footsteps stopped, Li Shiyue looked up and saw Xu Yunci with a serious expression.
Soon after, even Duke Rongguo and Master Xu returned, followed by the four members of the fourth branch of the family.
The outer room of Shousong Hall suddenly became quite crowded, with the three main wives and their wives, along with the young men and women from each courtyard.
"The imperial physician just arrived. My aunt is inside. The physician said that there shouldn't be too many people inside, so I didn't go in."
Li Shiyue looked around and finally looked at Xu Yunci. It was not hard to notice that her hands were already clenched so tightly that the handkerchief in her hands was deformed.
Fear and grievance burst forth in her eyes at that moment, but she still bit her lip to hold it back.
Duke Rong looked inside with concern, then around at the large room full of people: "Let's all wait here for the imperial physician to come out. Going in will only delay the physician's consultation."
Who would dare disobey the master of the house? Sitting in her chair, Li Shiyue couldn't help but crane her neck to look into the inner room, completely oblivious to the expressions on the faces of the others.
It took almost the time it takes to brew a cup of tea for the imperial physician to come out, and almost instantly everyone stood up.
Hearing the imperial physician's words that it was just a case of anger attacking the heart, Li Shiyue breathed a sigh of relief. She met Xu Yunci's gaze beside her, and the two smiled at each other, their tense mood gradually easing.
When Madam Yang came out, she looked tired. She shook her head slightly when she met the Duke of Rong's gaze: "Yan Yan, you go in first and keep the old lady company."
Li Shiyue nodded and strode into the inner room. Granny Chang and Lianchun were serving her inside and were not surprised to see her come in.
"Grandmother".
Li Shiyue walked around the screen, her eyes stinging with tears, and went straight to the bed. She grasped Old Madam Xu's outstretched hand, the warm touch making her voice tremble.
"You scared me to death! Even my uncle rushed back from outside."
Two streams of tears slid down her cheeks. Li Shiyue didn't bother to wipe them away with a handkerchief, and held onto Old Madam Xu's hand tightly.
Madam Xu's complexion improved somewhat, and she raised her other hand to pat her tenderly: "It's alright, didn't the imperial physician say it was just a case of anger affecting the heart? She'll be fine after some rest."
Li Shiyue casually wiped away her tears, her tone somewhat anxious: "You still have to say it? What could possibly make you so angry? Your health has only just started to improve."
Granny Chang brought in the prepared medicine and handed it to Li Shiyue: "When you fainted, Miss Li ran over; she looked so pitiful."
"It's no wonder the old lady doted on you so much. When the imperial physician took your pulse, you stayed right outside, watching over you every step of the way."
Li Shiyue took the porcelain bowl containing the medicine and stirred it with a spoon to cool it down a bit. Meeting Old Madam Xu's approving gaze, she sniffed playfully, "I remember there's still some hawthorn cake left from before, Granny, bring some over."
Granny Chang replied with a smile, "Yes, yes, this old servant was not thoughtful enough. The old lady loves to eat hawthorn cake after taking the medicine. It must be because Miss Chang cares about the old lady."
"Yes, Grandma's Yan Yan is the best." Old Madam Xu raised her hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
After serving Madam Xu her medicine, Li Shiyue picked up a plate, used chopsticks to pick up a piece of hawthorn cake, and fed it to Madam Xu.
After taking the herbal medicine, Madam Xu felt sleepy and fell asleep in no time.
Li Shiyue washed her face before going out. As soon as she came out, she felt everyone's gaze on her.
"Grandma has taken her medicine and is already asleep."
She walked to Yang's side, but felt that the atmosphere outside seemed different from when she went in.
As soon as Li Shiyue looked up, she saw Xu Yunci's gloomy face and the same serious expression on the face of the Duke of Rong.
"Since Mother has gone to bed, let's not talk here so as not to disturb her rest."
After Rongguo Gong finished speaking, he glanced at Xu Huaiting and the Wei couple, and then walked out.
Li Shiyue didn't know what had happened, but when she saw Xu Yunbo standing at the door looking lost, she looked at Xu Yunci with a puzzled expression.
Without realizing it, she subconsciously began to trust Xu Yunci.
Besides the eldest son, Duke Rongguo, and Lady Yang, the only other people in the flower hall were Xu Huaiting and Lady Wei from the third son's family, as well as the two brothers, Xu Yunci and Xu Yunbo.
"Yan Yan, you should stay too."
Yang's voice sounded slightly tired. She raised her head slightly, and a maid brought a chair and placed it next to Xu Yunci.
Li Shiyue sat down without hesitation, and changed her handkerchief to a clean one. Seeing such a scene, she also wanted to know what could have made Old Madam Xu so angry.
Xu Yunbo knelt in the middle. During the day, he was still full of vigor in Shousong Hall, but now he lowered his head, as if he had done something wrong and was ready to be punished.
"Sanlang, do you know your mistake?"
The Duke of Rongguo sat directly above him, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger, yet it was as imposing as a towering mountain approaching, making Xu Yunbo too ashamed and indignant to raise his head.
Wei slid to the ground. Just as she was about to say something, she looked up and met the gaze of the Duke of Rongguo. Xu Huaiting then pulled her up and pressed her down to sit.
Xu Huaiting's expression wasn't very good either. He got up, walked up to Xu Yunbo, raised his foot, and kicked Xu Yunbo squarely in the chest.
With such force, Xu Yunbo fell backward onto the cold ground. Ignoring his chest, he knelt back down, saying, "It was your son who did wrong. Please forgive me, Father."
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