SFS Chapter 215 He reserved all his tenderness for her
Chapter 215 He reserved all his tenderness for her
Shen Qingtan looked at the old lady with a full head of silver hair. She remembered that when she forced the second lady to hand over her dowry, she was worried that the old lady would see through her scheming and dislike her.
The old lady looked at her with warmth and loving comfort: "Having a shrewd mind is not a bad thing, as long as you can distinguish between good and evil."
When she first entered the palace, the old lady was dressed in an official robe, her back straight and her demeanor dignified.
At this moment, the old lady's eyes were dim with sorrow, and her back was hunched.
Shen Qingtan's nose suddenly stung with tears. The struggles between children and grandchildren hurt the elderly the most.
Shen Qingtan said softly, "Grandmother, Grandfather has punished Second Aunt, and this matter is over."
The Duke abandoned the second wife and removed her from the family genealogy.
From now on, she no longer needs to worry about the Duke's Mansion or deal with the second branch of the family without feeling constrained.
“People won’t learn their lesson unless they suffer a severe setback. Your second uncle was born with this kind of temperament. He can only see the benefits and forgets the times he was punished and suffered.”
The old lady raised her hand to wipe the corner of her eye, and said with a bitter expression, "The medicine was deliberately released to find out who wanted to harm Yi'er. I never thought that the second branch of the family would be one of them."
She hardened her heart and said, "They are going to be grandparents, and they should pay the price for what they have done."
Shen Qingtan didn't respond to the old lady's words, but instead supported her arm: "Grandmother, you and Grandfather have come all this way, and you've worried so much about our affairs. Why don't you go to your quarters and rest for a while?"
Having said that, Shen Qingtan looked at the Duke and asked, "Now that Second Master's condition has improved, will your granddaughter-in-law send someone to inform you?"
The Duke and his wife knew that their presence here would only be a burden, so they readily agreed.
The Duke said, "You take good care of Yi'er, and don't worry about us old folks."
Shen Qingtan nodded and arranged for Liu Yue and Jiang Mu to escort the Duke and the old lady back to their quarters.
Liu Yue was still in a daze, deeply affected by the shock. As she helped the old lady out the door, she glanced at Jiang Shi with red eyes and left without looking back.
The room was left with the First Madam, Madam Jiang, Tingxue, Jiang Chao, the family physician, and Zhao Yi on the sickbed.
Jiang crawled to Shen Qingtan's feet, begging Shen Qingtan to have mercy and spare her son.
Shen Qingtan gave Jiang Chao a wink.
Jiang Chao grabbed Jiang's arm and dragged her out.
Jiang tried to struggle.
Jiang Chao's eyes widened: "If you want your son dead, go ahead and make a scene."
Jiang was so frightened that she shut her mouth.
Seeing that Jiang Chao had dragged Jiang Shi away, Tingxue quickly closed the door.
Shen Qingtan sat back down on the edge of the bed, looking at Zhao Yi's flushed face. She held his fingers, which were still burning hot. His body temperature was usually cool, so it was obvious how much pain he was enduring.
He takes the Detoxifying Pill once every three months. Just by taking this one pill, he suffers four times a year in painful torment.
“Yi’er has been taking his medicine for a few days now. He was afraid that you would feel bad if you saw him like this, so he planned to have you go back to the Zhenbei Prince’s Mansion for a few days.”
The First Madam stood by the bedside, watching as cold sweat beaded on Zhao Yi's forehead and veins bulged. Even in his unconscious state, he was still enduring the pain.
"I thought to myself, at this moment, he probably wants you by his side."
As if fulfilling the First Madam's words, Zhao Yi grasped Shen Qingtan's hand.
Shen Qingtan's tears, which she had been holding back, welled up again.
She recalled that last night, before Liu Yue confessed, Zhao Yi told her, "Fourth Uncle will return to the mansion tomorrow, and we will have a reunion dinner together. You should go back to the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion for a few days and spend more time with your father-in-law and mother-in-law."
She asked, "And what about you?"
Zhao Yi said, "The envoy from Northern Qi will arrive in Great Zhou soon. I am quite busy with official duties. After I finish, I will come to pick you up and take you home."
When she reunited with her parents, Zhao Yi suggested that she spend more time with them.
They had been separated for many years, and her parents longed to spend more time with her, but since she was married, they couldn't force her to stay.
When Zhao Yi brought it up this time, she didn't think much of it and readily agreed.
Little did she know that he intended to keep it from her and bear the pain of taking the medication alone.
He's so stupid.
He hid all his bad side and faced it all alone, reserving all his tenderness for her.
The First Madam watched as Shen Qingtan tried to hold back her tears, but the more she tried to hold them back, the more uncontrollable the tears became, and large drops rolled down her cheeks.
She was heartbroken. After taking the last pill, she never found Zhongyuan again...
The First Madam took a handkerchief and wiped her moist eyes before leaving quietly.
The physician and Tingxue came out of the room and stood guard at the door.
Only Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi remained in the room.
Shen Qingtan wiped away her tears, trying to ease his pain.
The physician had previously said there was no way to alleviate the symptoms and that he could only tough it out.
If the condition is better, it will improve after one night's sleep. However, the patient will be weak for the next few days. The original prescription will be supplemented with a few more herbs to regulate the body and allow the patient to recover gradually.
Seeing that his lips were very dry, she took a porcelain spoon, dipped it in water, and used the moistened spoon to wipe his lips. After repeating this several times, she finally put the spoon down.
Shen Qingtan pulled her hand away from his grasp, and his fingers curled up as if trying to hold on.
With her free hand, she wiped his cold sweat and whispered in his ear, "Erlang, let me massage your head; you should feel better."
As if he had heard this, Zhao Yi loosened his grip.
Shen Qingtan sat on the bamboo chair by the bed, leaning against his pillow, and gently massaged his forehead. This method seemed to really work; his brow slowly relaxed.
Tingxue stood by the window, watching Shen Qingtan repeatedly press Zhao Yi's head down, praying in her heart that Zhongyuan would come to the capital soon.
-
The carriage stopped at the entrance of the Duke's mansion. The second madam, pale-faced, stumbled back to Mingde Hall.
The second master came out of the house and saw the second mistress looking distraught. He chuckled and said, "Did you see a ghost in broad daylight?"
The second wife's expression changed, and she felt guilty and dared not look at the second master.
The second master's biggest fear was being separated from the family, and now, not only has he been separated, but he has also been expelled from the clan.
I wonder how he would react if he knew the truth.
She hadn't yet figured out how to tell the Second Master the truth.
"I...I'm fine," the second wife lied. "Second Master fell ill. When I came back from the temple, the horses pulling the carriage got frightened, which startled me."
When the Second Master heard the news of Zhao Yi's illness, he remembered what Physician Chen had said: if Zhao Yi's condition worsened rapidly, he would definitely not survive.
He thought to himself, Zhao Yi could have lived until this winter, but now he can't. Could it be that his birth chart is too weak to suppress his status as the grandson of the emperor?
The second master hurriedly asked, "What's wrong with Erlang?"
The second wife gave a vague answer: "The physician didn't say." Afraid that the second master would notice something was wrong, she quickly said, "I'll go to the storeroom and get a ginseng root for the second son."
After saying that, she hurried off to the warehouse.
Once the Duke returns to the manor, he will immediately kick them out. There are some things she needs to take care of in advance.
Upon entering the warehouse, she first locked the door, moved two large chests against the wall, and lifted the wooden floorboards to reveal a square entrance.