When Fukang'an kicked open the main room door, Yan Ning's face was already contorted with pain. Fukang'an flew onto the beam and saved Yan Ning.
The spring breeze in Yirenxuan was a bit harsh on the face. Fulong stood at the courtyard gate, observing the situation inside. He was worried that Yan Ning wasn't dead, but even more worried that she was. His conflicted emotions were etched on his face, revealing the pampered life he had lived for the past few years.
Holding the barely breathing Yan Ning, Fu Kang'an walked to the courtyard gate and said to Fu Long'an and his group, "Go find a doctor quickly! If anything happens to Yan Ning, I won't let you off the hook!" His eyes were full of murderous intent, causing Fu Long'an's henchmen to lower their heads in fear. Fu Long'an smiled apologetically, "This is a misunderstanding! Yan Ning didn't want to implicate you! I was just granting her wish."
Fukang'an did not listen to Fulong'an's explanation and carried Yan Ning back to Jiangongzhai.
"Yan'er, Yan'er, wake up!" Zhang's gentle and loving voice failed to rouse Yan Ning, who was hovering on the edge of life and death.
Inside the room, the imperial physician whom Fukang'an had summoned under the pretense of illness was busy at work. He tried everything – acupuncture, herbal medicine – but Yan Ning's face remained deathly pale. Having exhausted all other options, the physician could only consult Fukang'an, who was pacing anxiously nearby, asking if bloodletting was possible.
Fukang'an hesitated for a moment. His body and hair were gifts from his parents, so he consulted the Su couple. Zhang, her eyes brimming with tears, said, "Any method will do as long as Yan'er can be saved." Fukang'an bowed his head to the imperial physician.
The imperial physician had someone bring a jade bowl and used a knife to cut a gash in Yan Ning's finger. The bright red blood in the jade bowl caused those standing by to feel heartbroken, and both Zhu Xiang and Ming Xin closed their eyes in distress.
When the blood had filled halfway into the jade bowl, Yan Ning's finger twitched in pain. The imperial physician quickly ordered his subordinates to bring hemostatic powder and sprinkle it on the wound, then bandaged it up. He then rose to inform Fukang'an that Yan Ning had returned from the brink of death and only needed to rest properly.
Upon hearing this, Zhang rushed to the bedside and continued to sob as she called out, "Yan'er, Yan'er, open your eyes and look at your mother!"
In her sleep, Zhang's calls seemed to come from near and far, making them hard to hear clearly. She opened her heavy eyes and saw a woman, about the same age as the old lady, kneeling by the bedside, tears streaming down her exposed hands. Yan Ning opened her mouth, but the pain in her neck made her voice hoarse and weak, "Who are you?"
Zhang was stunned and stopped crying. "I'm your mother! Yan'er, what's wrong?" Mingxin was quick-witted, and she immediately knelt down in front of Zhang. "Miss, I'm your personal maid, Mingxin! Don't you recognize me?"
Yan Ning was even more puzzled after seeing Ming Xin clearly. She had originally guessed that this woman was the mother that Fu Kang'an had found for her, but now Ming Xin had appeared. Yan Ning glanced at Fu Kang'an standing beside her. His expression was full of concern for her, but he seemed indifferent to Zhang Shi's appearance.
Yan Ning clutched her neck, her expression one of immense pain. Fukang'an ordered Mingxin to help Zhang Shi out. He then sat down on the edge of the bed, smoothing Yan Ning's wet, dark hair. "Rest first. I'll explain everything to you in detail once you're feeling better." Unable to move her neck, Yan Ning could only blink, then manage a weak smile before closing her eyes and falling into a deep sleep.
"General, why doesn't my daughter recognize me?" Zhang's eyes were already red and swollen from crying. Fukang'an brushed it off lightly, "She doesn't remember anything from before!"
The sorrowful expressions on the faces of the Su couple eased Fukang'an's doubts about their identities.
The moon hung high in the sky, and his spring robes were damp with dew. Fukang'an stood tall in the courtyard of the Jian Gong Zhai, his hands clasped behind his back, his face showing a pale, haggard expression. The imperial edict would arrive in a few days, and Fukang'an was unsure what to do with Yan Ning then.
The following afternoon, Yan Ning regained some consciousness. Fu Kang'an personally fed her the medicine spoonful by spoonful, and the pain in Yan Ning's neck had lessened considerably. Fu Kang'an didn't mention much about Yan Ning's parents, and Yan Ning didn't dare to ask, afraid that not knowing the situation would only make things worse.
After Fukang'an left, Yan Ning pulled Zhu Xiang aside and asked, "Who was that woman yesterday?"
Zhu Xiang had already heard that Yan Ning had forgotten her own background, so she wasn't very surprised. "She is the madam's mother. The madam's father also came, but it was inconvenient for him to enter the inner room yesterday."
Since Mingxin had come along, Yan Ning knew that this was all Heshen's doing. She was somewhat surprised that Heshen and Fukang'an had the same idea. They both thought of using this method to get her out of trouble. Yan Ning didn't dare to tell Fukang'an the truth; if Heshen got involved, things would become increasingly unmanageable.
Having survived countless near-death experiences at Yirenxuan, Yan Ning had a clearer understanding of her life in ancient times. Her existence had become a sore spot for others. Despite her desperate attempts to remain aloof from trouble, she had already been drawn into it, becoming the center of conflict. No matter how much she tried to hide, others wouldn't let her go. And if she wanted to survive here, she had no choice but to stand tall, to fight, and to seize.
Yan Ning concealed the matter of Heshen from Fukang'an. She understood that she was not capable of living with integrity like Fukang'an, and could only live by scheming like Heshen.
Madam Zhang took meticulous care of Yan Ning, personally testing the temperature of the medicine. She took a handkerchief from Zhu Xiang's hand and gently wiped Yan Ning's face and hands. When Yan Ning frowned slightly, Madam Zhang immediately felt immense pity. With a doting smile on her face, sometimes even Yan Ning had the illusion that she was truly Madam Zhang's daughter.
On the day Yan Ning was able to get out of bed, Madam Zhang personally combed Yan Ning's hair, stroke by stroke, as if she were a daughter getting married.
After three days in bed, Yan Ning finally met the father that He Shen had found for her. Upon seeing Yan Ning, Su Qi burst into tears. Now that Yan Ning was a general's wife to be married, Su Qi could not approach her and could only look at her with boundless affection in his eyes.
The kindness the Su couple showed Yan Ning made her begin to suspect that she resembled their daughter. Thinking of this resemblance, Yan Ning remembered the painting in her sleeve and, using an excuse, returned to the inner room with Zhu Xiang. "Zhu Xiang, who helped me change my clothes? Did you see what was in my sleeve?"
Zhu Xiang thought for a moment, then went to the desk, pulled a piece of paper from a book, and handed it to Yan Ning. “The clothes that Madam changed with Mingxin, Madam Su, and I that day—I was afraid Madam might need them later, so I put them away. I didn’t see what was inside!”
Yan Ning breathed a sigh of relief. She trusted Zhu Xiang completely. If it had fallen into the hands of someone else, she feared she would have been dragged into trouble again.
The old lady couldn't contain herself any longer and sent Granny Li to Jianguozhai to invite Yan Ning and Madam Zhang to the Peony Hall. Yan Ning clung tightly to Fukang'an, unwilling to go; she had faced life and death many times in the Peony Hall.
Granny Li had invited her many times before, but Fukang'an had always turned her away on the grounds that Yan Ning was unable to get out of bed. Now, Granny Li happened to catch Yan Ning drinking tea with Madam Zhang in the courtyard. Fukang'an could not refuse his mother again, so he could only comfort Yan Ning and accompany her.
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