Chapter 625 Slap in the Face (Second Update)
After entering, Gu Jiao skillfully lifted the curtain and went into the inner room, then walked around the screen to the bedside.
They acted as if they had been there before, without needing anyone to guide them.
But everyone knows that this is impossible.
The bed curtains were drawn today, and Gu Jiao immediately saw the middle-aged man lying unconscious on the bed. Unlike yesterday, his head and arms were covered with silver needles.
As the second madam mentioned earlier, the disciple of the renowned physician Chen Guoluo had just performed acupuncture on the Duke and was now preparing medicine for him.
Yesterday's events were urgent, and Gu Jiao only had a brief encounter with the Duke. She didn't take his pulse or get a good look at what he looked like.
I have seen it now.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he had a face so thin it was almost unrecognizable, but he had excellent bone structure and an extraordinary temperament. It's not hard to imagine that he was a gentle and refined man before he fell into a coma.
A strange feeling welled up in Gu Jiao's heart, and she didn't know why.
Before taking his pulse, Gu Jiao inquired about the patient's condition: "What happened to you, Duke? How long has it been like this?"
On the carriage, Mu Qingchen did not tell Gu Jiao about the Duke's situation, because Mu Qingchen only intended to go through the motions.
Mu Qingchen glanced at Gu Jiao in surprise, as if she thought Gu Jiao's acting was quite convincing.
However, this question is a bit difficult to answer.
Mu Qingchen and the second madam remained silent for a moment.
"Poisoning."
"Fall injury".
Mu Qingchen and the Second Madam spoke at the same time.
The two of them were stunned for a moment.
"Fall injury".
"Poisoning."
Mu Qingchen and the Second Madam spoke at the same time again.
"Was it a fall, poisoning, or both?" Gu Jiao asked. "You'd better not hide anything, or it might affect my judgment."
Mu Qingchen gave Gu Jiao a complicated look, as if to say, "You're really into this role."
Finally, the Second Madam sighed and said, "Never mind, it's not a secret anymore. Besides, you were brought here by Young Master Qingchen, so it won't hurt for you to know. The Duke fell off his horse and fainted, and never woke up again. However, when the imperial physicians were treating the Duke, they discovered that he had also been poisoned by a rare, slow-acting poison called... Seven Star Powder. People poisoned by this poison don't show any symptoms in the early and middle stages, but by the time the poison takes effect, it has already penetrated deep into the internal organs, and there's no hope of recovery. Fortunately, the Duke's poisoning was relatively recent, and the imperial physicians managed to clear the toxins from his body."
The young man sneered, "Young Master Qingchen, the doctor you invited is no good. He even needs someone else to tell him the cause of the illness. What use is he?"
Mu Qingchen gave the young man a cold look.
Gu Jiao remained unaffected and continued to ask, "Has the Duke still not woken up after the detoxification?"
The second wife shook her head: "No."
Gu Jiao then asked, "How long has this been going on?"
The second wife said, "It's been more than three years."
It's been over a year, so it's safe to say he's in a vegetative state.
Gu Jiao asked, "What was his physical condition like before he fell off the horse? Had he ever had any serious illnesses since childhood? Had he suffered a stroke before the accident?"
The second wife shook her head again: "No, the Duke was always in good health. I have never heard of him having any serious illness or stroke since he was a child. After all, he is still so young."
In the Second Madam's opinion, stroke is a disease that only the elderly suffer from. The Duke is only over forty years old this year, so how could he possibly have a stroke?
That basically rules out brain malformations, degeneration, and metabolic diseases.
Gu Jiao felt that he was more likely to have suffered an acute injury. Gu Jiao then asked the Duke if he had ever drowned or suffocated, and the answer was always no.
It seems the main cause was that horse-riding accident.
Mu Qingchen frowned and gave Gu Jiao a look that said, "It's about time to memorize the prescription." The act didn't need to be so realistic.
Gu Jiao ignored Mu Qingchen's gaze.
She was observing the patient's condition. She had no intention of touching the silver needles on the patient's arm and planned to wait for the divine physician Luo to come and remove the needles before treating him. But at that moment, she noticed that the Duke's facial features were twitching slightly.
First, his eyelids twitched, then his eyes moved erratically, and then even the corners of his mouth seemed to twitch uncontrollably.
Generally speaking, every industry has its own rules. No matter how capable Gu Jiao is, she will not easily interfere with other people's medical treatment unless absolutely necessary.
Gu Jiao glanced around and spotted the problem.
She reached out and swiftly pulled a silver needle from the patient's wrist.
The Duke's face stopped twitching slightly.
Only Gu Jiao stood by the bed. No one saw what happened to the Duke; they only saw Gu Jiao pull out the Duke's silver needles.
Everyone inside the room was taken aback.
Mu Qingchen frowned.
"What are you doing!"
Accompanied by an angry shout, a young girl dressed in a light green belted skirt walked in carrying a bowl of medicine.
She placed the medicine on the table, strode to the bedside, and glared angrily at Gu Jiao.
Most people in this world judge others by their appearance. The girl was initially only a little angry, but after seeing Gu Jiao's face, she felt even more contempt.
She said coldly, "Who are you! Why did you touch my silver needles!"
Gu Jiao held the silver needle and said to her indifferently, "Your Neiguan acupoint was misaligned."
The young woman frowned and said, "Impossible! Where did you come from, servant! How dare you slander my medical skills! Second Madam! Are all the people in your Duke's mansion so arrogant!"
The second wife was embarrassed.
It is true that the girl is from a lower country, but she is no ordinary girl from a lower country. She is the disciple of the famous Physician Luo, and the Duke is counting on her to cure his illness.
The young man spoke with a half-smile: "This... is the Zhao State physician specially invited by Young Master Qingchen for the Duke."
He pinpointed the name Zhaoguo.
Everyone knows that the states of Zhao and Chen are irreconcilable enemies. They had just fought a major battle last year, in which Chen was defeated and had to pay Zhao a considerable amount of money in reparations.
The girl's gaze toward Gu Jiao grew increasingly hostile. This was no mere rivalry between colleagues; it was a national and personal vendetta!
"Second Madam, do you also think I stuck the needle in the wrong place?" the girl asked.
The second wife certainly wouldn't think that way. The young girl was a disciple of Doctor Luo, how could she possibly make such a mistake?
Actually, the girl placed the needle in the right spot, but the angle was slightly off. Gu Jiao didn't know the circumstances under which she placed the needle, whether she was in a hurry and flustered, or proud and careless.
The young woman said haughtily, "Second Madam, since you don't trust my medical skills, why don't you find someone more skilled? Duke, I won't be treated!"
"Absolutely not!" the second madam hurriedly interjected, "Miss Mu's medical skills are superb; she is the last disciple of Physician Luo. Besides Miss Mu, who else can save the Duke?"
That's a bit of an exaggeration. It's not that the State of Yan didn't have more experienced doctors, but either they couldn't find any, or the doctors' methods didn't work.
They could only place their hopes on other doctors.
They originally wanted to invite Doctor Luo, but Doctor Luo was unable to come due to a leg injury, so they recommended their disciple, Mu Ruxin.
So far, Mu Ruxin is the most skilled doctor the Duke's mansion can find outside, and the Second Madam must not offend her.
As for this young master, he was brought by Mu Qingchen. Logically, the Second Madam should have given her some face, but Mu Ruxin had fallen out with her, so the Second Madam had no choice but to bite the bullet and offend Mu Qingchen.
The second wife said apologetically, "Young Master Qingchen, thank you for bringing a doctor for the Duke. Since Miss Mu is confident in treating the Duke, then we won't trouble this young man."
These words were exactly what Mu Qingchen wanted to hear.
Originally, the two of them were just going through the motions, and being rejected by the second madam saved them the risk of being exposed.
Mu Qingchen said, "It's a real pity I couldn't be of much help. I hope the Duke wakes up soon. Xiao—"
Before she could utter the words "Sixth Brother," Gu Jiao had already placed the silver needle on the bedside table and turned to take the patient's pulse.
Upon seeing this, Mu Ruxin's eyes turned cold: "What are you doing!"
Without any hesitation, she reached out and grabbed Gu Jiao. Gu Jiao's hand was right next to the silver needles, and if she pulled like that, the silver needles would definitely be moved.
Gu Jiao slapped her across the face!
With a sharp crack, Mu Ruxin was stunned!
Not only was she stunned, but the second wife and the young man were also stunned!
So arrogant?
Mu Ruxin flew into a rage: "You!"
"He told me to hit him." Gu Jiao immediately shifted the blame to Mu Qingchen.
Mu Qingchen: "...!!"
Gu Jiao said confidently, "I am honored by Young Master Qingchen's trust in allowing me to treat the Duke. Anyone who obstructs me from treating the Duke is going against Young Master Qingchen!"
Mu Qingchen couldn't help but twitch her lips.
Gu Jiao said calmly, "Young Master Qingchen, please rest assured, even if it weren't for the thousand taels of medical fee you promised me, I would still do my best to treat the Duke."
Mu Qingchen's lips twitched again, and she couldn't help but clench her fists. Her lips didn't move, but she gritted out a few words through her teeth: "You've gone too far..."
Gu Jiao turned around to take the Duke's pulse.
She didn't bring the first-aid kit because she didn't quite trust this group of people and didn't want to reveal its secret to them too early.
Secondly, this group of people didn't really trust her. If she really brought it, who knew how that young man called Lord Shao would interrogate her?
If she really needed to use the instruments in the medicine box, she would come again tomorrow. She didn't believe that Lord Shao would be watching her at the Duke's mansion every day.
Gu Jiao placed three fingers precisely on the Duke's wrist.
Mu Ruxin hated this person touching her patient, but looking at Mu Qingchen who remained silent, she gritted her teeth and suppressed her anger.
She snorted coldly, "I finally managed to stabilize the Duke's condition, and he should wake up in a few days. But now you've sent a half-baked person to interfere with my treatment. Let me make this clear: this will greatly affect the effectiveness of my treatment. If the Duke doesn't wake up, please don't blame me!"
The second wife wavered: "This young man..."
Gu Jiao ignored her and, after taking her pulse, directly pulled out the silver needles.
Mu Ruxin's face darkened considerably.
Gu Jiao pried open the Duke's eyelids again: "Make way, everyone, you're blocking the light."
Mu Qingchen frowned, but still obediently stepped aside.
The second wife really didn't want to give in, but she couldn't afford to offend Mu Qingchen.
The young man narrowed his eyes slightly and stepped aside. Then, as if he were enjoying the spectacle, he smiled and said to Mu Ruxin, "Miss Mu, please move aside so as not to delay this divine physician from Zhao Kingdom's treatment."
Mu Ruxin scoffed, "I have never heard of any miraculous doctors in Zhao Kingdom!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she seemed to remember something, and her expression paused slightly.
But she quickly shook her head.
Impossible. The doctor who cured the plague at the border was a woman.
During the examination of the Duke, Gu Jiao discovered a very obvious scar tissue growth on the back of his head. Gu Jiao suspected that he had suffered a skull base fracture, which led to some degree of nerve damage or brain damage.
Gu Jiao asked, "Does Second Madam remember that after the Duke was injured and fell into a coma, there was a leak of fluid from his nose or ears?"
The second wife was taken aback: "Leaking...leaking what?"
Gu Jiao explained, "It just looks like she has a runny nose."
If there is cerebrospinal fluid leakage, it can be basically determined to be an open brain injury.
But three years have passed, and even if there was a skull base fracture, it would have healed by now.
Gu Jiao dropped the topic and said, "Given the Duke's current condition, acupuncture and medication are not very effective."
Mu Ruxin's face darkened even more: "Then tell me, what good ideas do you have!"
Gu Jiao said, "There's no good solution for now, but let his family talk to him more."
Medical students call this family therapy.
There are also hyperbaric oxygen therapy and physical therapy, but those require certain equipment and materials.
The probability of a person in a vegetative state waking up is very low, so even if all three treatments are used, success is not guaranteed.
Mu Ruxin scoffed and laughed: "You made such a big show of it, I thought you really had some good ideas, but it's just a trick to fool people!"
As she spoke, she turned to look at Mu Qingchen, "Young Master Qingchen, I have no intention of offending you. However, you may have been deceived by some scoundrels. Not every person from a lower kingdom understands true medical skills."
The second wife's expression was also not very good.
If talking could wake the Duke up, then all those years of seeking medical help would have been for nothing.
"Didn't you say in the carriage that you had a family secret recipe that could cure unconsciousness?" Mu Qingchen winked at Gu Jiao.
That was indeed a prescription for treating coma, but it wouldn't cure the Duke, though it wouldn't do any harm either.
"No." Gu Jiao didn't respond.
Mu Qingchen: "..."
Even though the second madam was giving Mu Qingchen face, she couldn't help but turn cold: "Young Master Qingchen, thank you for making this trip today. The Duke's mansion appreciates your kindness to the Duke, but we hope you will keep your eyes open in the future and not easily trust just anyone! Guards! Show him out!"
Mu Qingchen closed her eyes, suppressing the anger that Gu Jiao had stirred within her.
The young master laughed heartily: "I will properly report Young Master Qingchen's good intentions to His Highness the Crown Prince."
Mu Qingchen's blood surged, but she calmly said, "Xiao Liulang, let's go."
"oh."
Gu Jiao and Mu Qingchen left.
The second madam was extremely upset. She patted her chest hard with the handkerchief in her hand, then turned to Mu Ruxin and smiled, "Miss Mu, I was very rude earlier. I still need to entrust the Duke's illness to you—"
"Ah! Madam!"
The maid in the room suddenly cried out.
The second wife's face darkened: "What are you yelling about! No manners!"
The maid stared in disbelief at the bed: "The Duke... he... he moved his hand!"
(End of this chapter)
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