The women sharing a room with the wet nurse at the Circuit Judge’s mansion were awakened by groaning sounds.
When they lit the lamp, they found that the wet nurse had already fallen unconscious. Touching her forehead, it was so hot it was frightening. They immediately got up and had someone call for a doctor. After all the commotion of getting a doctor, dawn was nearly breaking.
The doctor they called was the same one from before. He took her pulse, examined her tongue coating, and his expression was grim. When he lifted the thin blanket and had a servant woman roll up her pants, they saw the lower leg was completely red and swollen, with blisters forming – it was quite terrifying.
Everyone in the room stepped back two paces in fright.
“Doctor, what’s wrong with my mother?” The wet nurse’s son also worked in the mansion and asked frantically.
How could she have been fine yesterday, but after sleeping half the night, she was clearly dying?
The doctor sighed.
“This is a critical condition of toxic sores – one in ten will encounter this,” he said. “I didn’t expect your mother to become that one in ten…”
It sounded quite rare?
Everyone spat in dismay – who wanted such rarity!
“Doctor, please save her quickly,” the wet nurse’s son pleaded urgently, almost wanting to kneel down.
“I’ll prescribe a Clear Plague and Defeat Poison Decoction for her to take. If the fever can break by noon, there’s still a thread of hope. If not, make preparations early,” the doctor said while picking up his brush to write the prescription.
How could it be… time to prepare for the funeral? Everyone in the room was stunned.
Soon everyone in the mansion knew. This kind of sick person was inauspicious, so naturally the Circuit Judge’s wife wouldn’t come to see her. She just ordered that her usual Dr. Zhang be called to examine her. Dr. Zhang looked and said the same thing.
The wet nurse’s family despaired and cried pitifully. The Circuit Judge’s wife was kind-hearted and couldn’t bear to see life and death, so she also shed tears and ordered extra money to be given for a proper funeral.
“However…” Dr. Zhang couldn’t help but stop as he packed his medicine box to leave. “At Qianjin Hall, they might be able to try to save her.”
Qianjin Hall?
The Circuit Judge’s wife was stunned.
“How is that possible? Dr. Zhang, you said she can’t be saved,” she shook her head.
Dr. Zhang smiled.
“Each doctor has their specialty. I dare not say who’s higher or lower. Qianjin Hall does have some unusual techniques and remedies – perhaps they can solve conditions that ordinary people cannot,” he said humbly.
The Circuit Judge’s wife said nothing.
The wet nurse’s family looked at her with some pleading.
“Better to make preparations early, so she can find peace sooner,” the Circuit Judge’s wife finally said.
Even if the doctor said Qianjin Hall could try, how could she offend the Marquis Dingxi mansion for the sake of a servant?
The wet nurse’s family naturally understood. They cried as they carried the wet nurse out.
Before dark, they returned to their home in the back alley of the Circuit Judge’s mansion. The family sat crying and dazed, watching the wet nurse whose breathing was becoming intermittent.
“I don’t care anymore,” the wet nurse’s son suddenly stood up. “I’m taking Mother to Qianjin Hall!”
His wife looked at him in surprise.
“But didn’t Madam say not to associate with Qianjin Hall…” she stammered.
The wet nurse’s son raised his hand and slapped his wife.
“You poisonous woman, that’s my mother! I only have one mother! My father died early, and my mother suffered so much for me! You would actually watch my mother die just because of one word from Madam!” he shouted angrily.
His wife didn’t mean that at all and immediately cried while explaining.
“Stop arguing. If you’re going, hurry up and go,” the neighbors who came to help advised.
At Qianjin Hall, they were getting ready to close up. Everyone’s mood was somewhat low because of Qi Yue being refused treatment.
“Old Physician An in Shanning Prefecture has always wanted to invite you over. How about…” Liu Pucheng suggested.
Before he could finish, Qi Yue interrupted him.
“Teacher, you don’t need to say anything. I have this strange temperament – I can’t stand people provoking me. If this hadn’t happened, I might really have gone to Old Physician An’s place. I originally wanted to learn from him,” Qi Yue said, tapping the table. “But now that this has happened, I definitely won’t leave. I’ll stay here. I don’t believe they can do anything to me.”
This girl was just this stubborn…
“Is it really worth opposing them…” Liu Pucheng shook his head.
“Of course it’s worth it,” Qi Yue snorted.
As they were talking, urgent calls came from outside.
“Doctor, save a life!” Although the wet nurse’s son didn’t recognize which one was Lady Qi, he knew Qianjin Hall only had one female doctor, so he knelt down upon seeing a woman.
“Don’t panic, speak slowly,” A’Ru quickly helped him up. “How old is the patient and what are the symptoms?”
The wet nurse’s son hurriedly explained, and Qi Yue also came out.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
A’Ru quickly and concisely described the patient’s condition.
Qi Yue walked over in a few steps, put on gloves, and saw that the woman was already dressed in burial clothes.
Only then did the wet nurse’s son realize this was Lady Qi, and he knelt down again to kowtow.
“The lesion is on the leg?” she asked while taking scissors and cutting open the pants in a few snips, revealing the already red and swollen lower leg.