Old Yun was woken up. After getting up, he responded as he put on his clothes to open the door.
But the moment he opened the door and saw Granny Qing, he suddenly remembered something and froze.
"How is it?"
Granny Qing asked, sizing him up. Old Yun didn't look as dispirited as she expected.
Old Yun came back to his senses, "Last night, I slept extremely well."
"Really?"
"Really." Old Yun nodded. He realized now that Granny Qing had specially come to check if he slept well.
Granny Qing slapped her thigh.
She would never have made such a commoner's gesture in the palace before, but after so many years in the Prince's Manor, she had relaxed quite a bit.
"Oh dear! Second Miss Lu is truly remarkable!"
After saying that, she reached out her hand, "Give me back that sachet."
Old Yun had already understood what was going on and quickly covered his pocket, "It wasn't a gift for me?"
It really seemed to be the sachet's effect!
He hadn't looked last night, so was it filled with some kind of calming medicine?
"Give it here! What gift? You wish. That's something Second Miss Lu gave me. If you want it, go ask her yourself."
In the end, the sachet was still taken by Granny Qing.
Old Yun was bewildered. Could Second Miss Lu make incense?
Lu Zhaoling spent most of yesterday eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating, ignoring all matters.
Qingyin and Qingbao bolted the courtyard gate tightly, and when they went to the kitchen to fetch meals, the people there didn't dare to cause any more trouble.
Perhaps because the Emperor Emeritus's grand funeral became truly busy, the rest of the Lu family also quieted down considerably, no one daring to stir up any commotion at such a time.
Meanwhile, Madam Lin, née Wu, had already called upon the Fu family yesterday.
She had originally thought there was no harm in trying, but she hadn't expected Physician Fu himself to receive her this time. He listened carefully to her daughter's condition and said he would prepare some medicinal herbs and come to examine her tomorrow.
Madam Wu was truly surprised and delighted.
She hadn't expected that giving that girl a ride that day would yield such a reward.
"Madam, will Physician Fu really come today?" Lin Rong asked.
Madam Wu looked at her husband's worried face and nodded, "He promised personally. Physician Fu isn't someone who goes back on his word, is he?"
"I've only heard that Physician Fu is hard to invite, never that he goes back on his word."
"Then he will definitely come." Madam Wu looked at her husband with some concern, "However, I heard that Physician Fu has a good relationship with Prince Jin. Will inviting Physician Fu affect you?"
Lin Rong had just returned to the capital from another region with his wife and daughter to report for duty. He had previously heard a piece of news: if there were no unexpected circumstances, the Emperor would keep him in the capital, possibly promoting him.
However, Lin Rong had discerned with his keen eyes back in the capital that the Emperor was somewhat wary of Prince Jin, even when Prince Jin was just a young boy.
Now that Prince Jin had grown into an adult, the Emperor would likely be even more guarded against him, right?
If he became entangled with Prince Jin, the Emperor might be displeased and have some thoughts.
When Lin Rong returned to the capital this time, he knew countless political enemies would be eager to seize an opportunity to bring him down.
Hearing his wife's concern, Lin Rong smiled, took her hand, and gently patted the back of it.
"Countless people in the capital have invited or wished to invite Physician Fu. So, the Emperor shouldn't mind. I am doing this for our daughter, and the Emperor will understand."
On their way back to the capital, their daughter contracted a strange illness. They passed through many medical clinics, more than ten, but not a single one could cure her.
After returning to the capital, Madam Wu also visited several clinics and invited several physicians, but all were helpless. Now, their last hope rested on Physician Fu.
"Physician Fu is here!"
A maid ran over, joyfully reporting.
Lin Rong quickly stood up and personally went to welcome Physician Fu.
Physician Fu entered with his medicine boy. Seeing Lin Rong, he paused, "Lord Lin?"
"Physician Fu still remembers me?"
Lin Rong was somewhat surprised. He had been away from the capital for ten years, and ten years ago, Physician Fu was also about to retire from the palace. They hadn't actually met many times, so he hadn't expected Physician Fu to still remember him.
"The Emperor Emeritus praised Lord Lin back then, saying that you were upright and handled cases like a god, so this old man remembers it deeply."
Lin Rong clasped his fists and bowed in the direction of the Imperial Palace.
"I am unworthy of the Emperor Emeritus's praise."
He had originally thought he would have a chance to see the Emperor Emeritus again on this return to the capital, but he hadn't expected the Emperor Emeritus to have passed away.
"Let's go, let's see your daughter first." Physician Fu said.
Lin Rong felt that Physician Fu's attitude was quite good, and he was quite proactive. He had heard that the old man used to have a rather bad temper.
Could it really be as his wife said, because of that girl in the carriage?
Lin Rong and his wife had only this one daughter.
Miss Lin's name was Yanran, and she was fourteen this year.
She should have been a lively and spirited young girl, but now she lay in bed almost lifeless, her face as white as paper.
The bloodshot veins on her eyelids were obvious, and her hands, resting outside the quilt, were dry and skeletal, yet her cheeks still retained a hint of baby fat.
It was just those hands...
Seeing her daughter in this state, Madam Wu's tears threatened to fall again.
"Yesterday, Madam Lin said that the young girl has been like this for half a month? What was she like half a month ago?"
Physician Fu was also startled by Lin Yanran's appearance and immediately began a careful examination.
He lifted Lin Yanran's eyelids and was shocked to see her eyeballs were blood-red. "Madam Lin didn't mention her eyeballs yesterday."
"What's wrong with Yanran's eyeballs?" Madam Wu panicked, "Because she was mostly asleep on the journey, and her eyes were difficult to open when she woke, I... I never looked."
She hadn't thought to open her daughter's eyelids herself.
"Blood-red pupils."
"W-what's going on?" Madam Wu wiped her tears, "Yanran wasn't thin before. She loved to eat, wasn't picky, and was very active, riding horses and shooting arrows all day, not one of those delicate young girls. Her hands used to be fleshy, but ever since she fell ill, she has been losing weight day by day."
"It's also very strange that her hands became thin especially quickly, and the skin on her hands also became rough. We applied many precious creams, but they didn't work."
Not only that, Madam Wu discovered that Lin Yanran had grown a few white hairs in the past few days.
She was only fourteen! They hadn't had this kind of early graying illness before.
"Has she not woken up at all?"
"Before, she would occasionally wake up and could be fed a little food and water, but for the past two days, she hasn't woken up at all and couldn't be fed, only managing a sip or two of water." Madam Wu had personally taken care of her daughter, so she knew clearly.
"Oh right, she woke up once the day before yesterday, was fed some things, but vomited it all."
It was precisely because of that time that the girl said she smelled ill qi?
Madam Wu thought of Lu Zhaoling again.
Physician Fu examined Lin Yanran and took her pulse, but the result made his heart sink.
🚨 Note: Consider supporting this story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access 400+ advance chapters and 2 new chapters daily! (Full story bundles also available without a subscription).