Chapter 69 Paralysis
Liu Jiren, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, led a group of imperial physicians, almost tumbling and crawling, to the Fushou Hall of the Zhenguo General's Mansion.
The scene looked less like a rescue operation and more like a raid on a house and the arrest of people.
The air inside Fushou Hall was filled with the aroma of medicine, mixed with the unique scent of the elderly.
The old lady lay in the brocade quilt, her eyes closed, her face ashen, her lips bluish-purple, her wrists draped over the edge of the bed.
The doctors hired by the second wife stayed in a corner, not daring to utter a sound.
Liu Jiren, his forehead beaded with cold sweat, personally stepped forward to take his pulse.
As my fingertips touched that withered wrist, my heart sank.
It's not because the illness is serious, but because the illness isn't serious enough!
Anger overwhelmed his mind, phlegm clouded his senses, and coupled with his advanced age, this sudden and severe blow was indeed extremely dangerous.
However, the old lady has always taken good care of herself and is much healthier than the average old woman. Although her pulse is dangerous, it is not hopeless. With careful recuperation for a few days, she will surely recover.
But the Emperor's request...
Liu Jiren felt his head throbbing!
"How is it?" Wang asked, her eyes red and swollen, her voice hoarse.
Xie Chengzong was also very anxious. The old lady was the support of their second branch of the family, and even more so, the trump card to control the first branch!
Liu Jiren withdrew his hand, his voice hoarse: "The old lady's condition is extremely critical."
He carefully considered his words, “We, your humble servants, will do our utmost to try our best, perhaps... perhaps we can temporarily salvage the situation.”
"A glimmer of hope?" Xie Chengzong was struck dumb, his voice changing drastically. "Director Liu! You are the head of the Imperial Medical Academy!"
"Thank you, Second Master!" Liu Jiren suddenly looked up, interrupting him, "Do your best and leave the rest to fate!"
The sky that Liu Jiren was referring to was not the sky directly above his head.
Without saying another word, he immediately directed the imperial physicians he had brought with him.
The golden needles gleamed with a cold light as they pierced the old lady's major acupoints.
Inside the Fushou Hall, the imperial physicians were still working hard to "rescue" the patients, their foreheads dripping with sweat.
The members of the second branch of the family were completely distraught.
Meanwhile, in the warm pavilion of Ruixue Tower, Xie Sangning was leisurely leaning against the window, twirling a half-open red plum blossom between her fingers, listening to Ru Dong's low report about the commotion from Fushou Hall.
"...Academician Liu personally came, used golden needles, and said, 'We can temporarily save his life by a thread.'"
A slow smile curved her lips.
"Temporarily save me?" she murmured softly.
"Grandmother, oh Grandmother, the wealth and glory you so longed for... do you still find it sweet now?"
The emperor is indeed an emperor; he is ruthless and vicious.
To live, to witness himself become this inhuman, ghostly figure—this is the true grace His Majesty bestowed upon this old lord.
As Ru Xia was massaging Xie Sangning's shoulders, she chuckled and said, "Miss, your move is brilliant! Killing two birds with one stone, no, three birds with one stone!"
Xie Sangning stood up, a smile on her lips: "Let's go. It sounds like Grandmother is dying. We should go and visit her."
The master and servants then headed towards the Hall of Fortune and Longevity.
The atmosphere inside Fushou Hall was extremely oppressive.
The imperial physicians brought by Liu Jiren were still busy, their golden needles moving back and forth across the old lady's withered body.
Liu Jiren himself stood a little distance away, with his back to the bed, his hands behind his back, his face so solemn it could drip water.
Please don't let them come back to life.
Wang lay by the bedside, her suppressed sobs coming in fits and starts, her eyes swollen like walnuts.
Without the matriarch, how could the second branch of the family continue to stay in the general's mansion?
It is said that when the elderly pass away, family ties are severed, and the elderly are the only link that connects the younger generation.
Xie Chengzong paced back and forth anxiously, like an ant on a hot pan.
Xie Wuyou huddled in the shadows of the corner, his face showing no sorrow, but rather a hint of indescribable pleasure.
If Grandmother is gone, it's because she was angered to death by Xie Wulu! It was also caused by Xie Sangning's secrets! It has nothing to do with her.
Xie Wuyou was the only person in the house who didn't want the old lady to live.
"The young lady has arrived!"
The servant outside the door announced the news, breaking the oppressive atmosphere inside.
All eyes turned to the doorway.
Xie Sangning walked in gracefully.
Her gaze swept over everyone before finally settling on the bed.
"Hearing that Grandmother suddenly fell seriously ill, Sang Ning was extremely worried and came to visit. Doctor Liu," she turned to Liu Jiren, her tone questioning, "how is Grandmother now? Is there any sign of improvement?"
Liu Jiren's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly bowed and replied, "Reporting to Miss, the old lady has been infected with wind and cold, and her heart meridian has been damaged. Her condition... remains extremely dangerous."
"We have done our utmost, using acupuncture and strong medicine, but we can only... temporarily keep him alive. When he will wake up and whether he can recover depends entirely on fate."
Xie Chengzong was somewhat displeased, wondering why this Imperial Physician Liu did not treat them with the same kindness.
"God willing……"
Xie Sangning walked slowly to the bedside and looked down at the old lady, whose face was ashen.
"Grandmother..." she sighed softly, with regret.
"Look at you, you were perfectly fine the day before yesterday, full of energy, how could this happen... sigh."
"You always say that our General's Mansion is incredibly wealthy, and that you, the old lady with an imperial title, are the pillar of the mansion, the Emperor's favorite, and this is the reward you deserve..."
"How come this honorable title of Lady of the Palace can no longer protect you?"
She leaned slightly closer, lowering her voice even more:
“When my granddaughter was in Xihan, she saw the old lady next door with the same symptoms as you. Guess what? She was able to chat with her family under the shade of a tree after only three days of rest.”
"Is it that your body, which you take tonics every day, is not functioning properly, or is it really fate? You should really think about it carefully."
Let me explain it clearly, lest the old lady be too dim-witted to understand what I mean.
To kill someone, you must destroy their spirit.
Beneath the brocade quilt, the old lady's withered, bony fingers twitched almost imperceptibly!
Beneath the cloudy, tightly closed eyelids, the eyeballs seemed to be moving wildly!
No! Impossible!
The Emperor wouldn't treat her like that; she was personally appointed a noblewoman by the Emperor! There are very few officials in the entire Jinling who are of higher status than her!
The Emperor himself has said that General Xie's mother is a role model for women!
A single, murky, icy tear finally sank silently into his temple...
“Sang Ning hoped that her grandmother would recover soon. Seeing that her grandmother had suffered such a great calamity, she was overwhelmed with grief. Staying there would be distressing and would also delay the imperial physicians from treating her grandmother. Therefore, Sang Ning took her leave.”
"By the way, Grandmother was so angry with Xie Wulu that she ordered him to be kicked out of the Xie family while she was still awake. Second Aunt, you mustn't forget to do it."
After saying that, she stopped standing there dumbfounded and turned to leave.
Inside the house, the old lady lay in a brocade quilt, as if trapped in a living coffin.
She became paralyzed due to the emperor's expectations.
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, perhaps her body was too strong before, and after being tormented by the imperial physician, she could no longer walk.
Liu Jiren broke out in a cold sweat. Was this... considered completing the imperial mission?
They hadn't expected the old woman to be so tenacious.
Liu, the Imperial Physician, returned to the palace tremblingly to report on his duties. At the General's Mansion, a physician surnamed Chen was left to oversee the situation and issued a strict order: no one in the mansion should hire any more doctors or physicians from outside.
This effectively blocked any possibility of the old lady recovering.
The old lady suffered physical harm, but the psychological harm was even more serious.
This experience allowed her to see the Emperor for who he truly was, and also to see herself for who she truly was.
What wealth, what status? I am nothing more than a pawn used by the emperor to control his eldest son.
She used to be so arrogant, she actually thought she was different and respected in the Emperor's heart. How could she have been so proud of other old ladies!
If this gets out, she'll become a laughingstock!
The second branch of the family no longer had time to care about the old lady, because Xie Wulu was going to be kicked out of the Xie family!
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