SFS Chapter 247 Concealing the illness
Chapter 247 Concealing the illness
Shen Qingtan arrived at the courtyard clutching the sachet and saw the Princess of Zhenbei, her three brothers, the First Madam, and the First Master all gathered there.
Seeing this, her heart sank.
The eldest wife and the eldest master of the Duke's mansion, who were far away, had already arrived, so she was the last one to be notified.
A wave of fear washed over Shen Qingtan. She tightened her grip on her fingers, trying her best to remain calm, and walked to the closed door.
With a creak, the door opened.
Shen Qingtan saw Chen, the Imperial Physician, standing inside the door and asked, "Imperial Physician Chen, how is my husband?"
The academy director looked exhausted and stood to the side, saying, "Young Master Gu is waiting for you inside. Go and ask him about Lord Zhao's situation yourself."
Shen Qingtan nodded, quickly walked to the curtain, lifted the hanging veil, and a ray of light shone into the inner room from behind her.
She saw Zhao Yi lying quietly on the bed, her eyes closed, fast asleep.
Gu Changsheng sat in the dimly lit corner, propping his forehead with one hand, making it impossible to discern the expression on his face.
Shen Qingtan walked slowly towards Gu Changsheng. Compared to a few days ago, he appeared even thinner and more frail. His white robes made his face appear even paler, like a wisp of smoke, ethereal and intangible, visible yet impossible to hold onto.
Shen Qingtan's throat was dry: "Brother Changsheng, you..."
"Manman," Gu Changsheng interrupted Shen Qingtan, speaking softly, "The detoxification went smoothly, and my brother-in-law is fine now. However, after being ill for so many years, his body is depleted and he needs some time to recuperate."
Shen Qingtan was stunned by the news, staring blankly at Gu Changsheng, unable to come to her senses for a moment.
"Manman, take care of your brother-in-law according to the medical instructions written by Doctor Chen." Gu Changsheng's jade-like, exquisitely carved fingers held up a piece of plain paper and handed it to Shen Qingtan. "It's time. Go and give him some water."
Shen Qingtan suddenly came to her senses, her mind went blank, and upon hearing Gu Changsheng's words, she subconsciously went to pour water for Zhao Yi.
The master, mistress, and Princess Zhenbei, who were waiting in the courtyard, entered the room and stood by the bed looking at Zhao Yi.
With a "whoosh," the layers of curtains were pulled open.
Sunlight streamed into the interior, making it warm and bright.
Gu Changsheng turned his head slightly to avoid the light. Hearing people entering the room, he moved closer to the bed and quietly moved to the side.
"She's awake, Yi'er is awake." The First Madam held the Master's hand tightly, her eyes filled with tears, and asked, "Yi'er, how are you? Are you in pain?"
Zhao Yi adjusted to the light and slowly opened her eyes. She first saw the First Madam standing beside her. Her lips twitched as she weakly said, "It doesn't hurt anymore, I'm all better."
The words "All healed" sounded like heavenly music to the First Madam.
"That's good, that's good." The First Madam smiled happily, but as she smiled, tears fell from her eyes.
After more than twenty years and countless days and nights of anticipation, it has finally come true.
Finally, God smiled upon her this time.
The master's eyes were bloodshot, but his expression remained relatively calm: "Yi'er, your parents are taking care of things at home, so you can focus on recovering."
Zhao Yi nodded slightly: "Okay."
Princess Zhenbei was genuinely happy for her daughter. With her son-in-law cured, the young couple could grow old together.
"Yi'er, there's a pot of porridge cooking in the kitchen. Would you like some?" Princess Zhenbei looked at Zhao Yi's pale face and lips and said with concern, "You haven't been eating much these past few days."
Zhao Yi said softly, "We can eat in another quarter of an hour."
"The porridge is cooking on the stove. When you want to eat, just tell the maid to bring it to you." Princess Zhenbei smiled gently. "If you want to eat something else, tell your mother, and your mother will have the cook make it."
Zhao Yi shook his head: "The porridge is enough."
Gu Changsheng lingered in the corner for a moment before silently leaving the inner room. He stepped out of the house, reached out to hold onto a stone pillar, and waited for the dizziness to subside before slowly leaving the courtyard.
After confirming that Zhao Yi was alright, the First Madam, the First Master, and the Princess Consort of Zhenbei left the room, giving the young couple some private time to talk.
The inner room fell silent, leaving only Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan.
Zhao Yi looked at Shen Qingtan, who was sitting quietly by the bed. She looked haggard, with clear dark circles under her eyes and a more pointed chin, indicating that she had not been doing well these past few days.
The process of detoxification was very painful, but he endured it all thanks to his desire to see her again.
Seeing her again felt like a lifetime had passed.
Zhao Yi wanted to hold her hand.
A soft body rushed over and hugged him tightly.
Zhao Yi was slightly stunned, enduring the pain all over his body, and gently pulled her into his arms.
At that moment, he felt a sense of reality; his poison was completely cured, and he could spend the rest of his life with her.
Zhao Yi said gently, "Madam, is the sachet finished?"
Shen Qingtan arrived full of anticipation, but the moment she stepped into the courtyard, she thought the detoxification had failed, and her heart felt utterly emptied.
Feeling his body temperature at this moment, I felt a sense of having lost something and then regained it.
Upon hearing Zhao Yi's words, Shen Qingtan raised her head and looked at his thin, pale face. A unique light appeared in her eyes, and the heavy stone that had been weighing on her heart finally fell to the ground.
She asked softly, "Is that all you wanted to ask me?"
"Hmm." Zhao Yi coughed softly, a faint blush rising on her cheekbones. "I want to know, have I broken my promise?"
“I haven’t broken my promise.” Shen Qingtan’s eyes sparkled as she smiled, “You always keep your word when you promise me something.”
Even when faced with life-or-death ordeals, they never broke their promise.
Even if it's just a coincidence.
Shen Qingtan took out a sachet from her sleeve and placed it in his palm: "After I inserted the last needle, Brother Changsheng sent good news."
Zhao Yi lowered her eyes to look at the sachet in her hand, which was embroidered with a sandalwood tree and had no other patterns.
"Second Master, your illness is cured." Shen Qingtan said softly, "I will embroider a money tree for you, wishing you a long and prosperous life."
Zhao Yi realized that the green sandalwood tree was also known as the money tree, but he didn't expose her little scheme.
He was very pleased with the sachet and held it in his hand, unwilling to put it down.
"You've just been detoxified and are still very weak. Why don't you sleep a little longer?" Shen Qingtan wanted to stay with Zhao Yi a little longer, but she was worried about Gu Changsheng: "I want to go see Brother Changsheng."
Zhao Yi's illness was cured, her worries were resolved, and she was finally at ease.
Zhao Yi instructed, "Take Imperial Physician Chen and the Imperial Physician with you."
Shen Qingtan agreed and called Jiang Mu and Liu Yue in to serve Zhao Yi. She instructed Jiang Chao to invite Imperial Physician Chen and the physician, and then took Tingxue to find Gu Changsheng.
When the maid guarding the courtyard saw Shen Qingtan arrive, she curtsied and said, "Greetings, Princess."
Shen Qingtan looked at the tightly closed courtyard gate and asked, "Is Brother Changsheng resting?"
The maid replied, "Princess, the young master did not return to the courtyard. Instead, he sent a servant to fetch his belongings and went back to the Gu family home."
A look of surprise flashed across Shen Qingtan's eyes, as if she hadn't expected Gu Changsheng to leave.
She hurried toward the gate of the mansion and ran into Imperial Physician Chen and the mansion's physician.
Shen Qingtan asked, "Dean Chen, when you and Brother Changsheng were treating Second Master's poison, did Brother Changsheng experience any discomfort?"
"No, not at all." Dean Chen's tense expression relaxed, and he said wearily, "He has been overworked and unable to sleep these past few days, so he is in poor spirits and has a headache. He will recover after a few days of sleep."
Shen Qingtan touched her twitching right eyelid and said nervously, "Would you like to come with me to the Gu residence?"
“He’s probably asleep. If you go to his residence to find him, you’ll disturb him again,” said Imperial Physician Chen disapprovingly. “Once he wakes up, it’s hard for him to fall back asleep.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingtan not only did not feel relieved, but became even more suspicious, suspecting that the Imperial Physician Chen knew the inside story and was helping Gu Changsheng to keep it from her.