Mrs. He had consulted several doctors, but none could find anything wrong. They all dryly suggested that He Lianxin might be suffering from a pent-up heart, a deficiency in her qi and blood, and high mental tension, which was why she was plagued by so many dreams.
"Miss He, relax your mind. If you stop overthinking, you will be fine. I shall write a prescription for a soul-soothing brew"
He Lianxin, sporting two heavy dark circles under her eyes, didn't even wait for the doctor to finish before screaming, "I'm not drinking it! I won't drink it! Is everyone only capable of prescribing Anshen Decoction? It's completely useless!"
The two doctors before him had said much the same and prescribed the same Anshen Decoction. She had been drinking that soup for three days now, three bowls a day, until she felt like vomiting!
Yet, the moment she closed her eyes, she would "see" that woman in red. The woman's hair was always disheveled, her face obscured, and she followed her relentlessly.
"Quacks! You're all quacks! Get out! Get out of here!"
He Lianxin grabbed a pillow and hurled it at the doctor, who fled in a panic.
Terrifying. The doctor thought to himself as he ran. Wasn't it said that Miss He, who just became engaged to the Heir to the Zhenyuan Marquisate, was a refined young lady? From the look of it, even the Lioness of Hedong at his house wasn't this terrifying.
Rumors truly were untrustworthy!
Official He arrived just in time to see the doctor scurrying away in terror. He frowned and walked into his daughter's bedroom, where he heard his wife trying to coax her.
"Lianxin, don't be angry. Please, calm down. I'll send a petition to the palace and ask an Imperial Physician to come and see you, alright?"
Hearing this, Official He's face tensed up.
"Just a few days ago, I was reprimanded by the Emperor and forced to send gifts to Lu Zhaoling. Now you want to turn around and tell the Emperor that Lianxin has fallen ill? Won't that make him misunderstand? He'll think we have a problem with his judgment!"
The Emperor might assume that because he had forced the He family to apologize, He Lianxin was using illness as a form of protest.
"Aren't you overthinking things? Why would the Emperor think that? Lianxin is truly sick," Mrs. He said, looking at him in disbelief.
"It's just a few nightmares. What kind of illness is that? We've already consulted three doctors, and they all said she just needs to relax and stop overthinking. What does that tell you? If this reaches the Emperor's ears, it'll look like she's obsessively brooding over the matter of apologizing to the Lu Family!"
Would the Emperor be happy to hear that? Even if the Emperor wasn't particularly fond of Lu Zhaoling, the order for them to apologize had come from him. Was the He family saying they harbored resentment over it?
"Those three were all quacks! Perhaps they simply couldn't diagnose Lianxin's illness. An Imperial Physician would be different..." Mrs. He looked at her daughter's face, which had visibly thinned, and tears began to fall from heartache.
Their daughter had been so happy when the marriage was settled, her face glowing with health. How could she accept that she had become like this in just a few days?
"Those three doctors are famous in the capital. How can they be quacks?" Official He was also angry as he looked at his daughter's dark circles and pale lips.
"Then what if we go and invite Physician Fu?"
Physician Fu's medical skills were extraordinary.
"I've never gotten along with him in the past..." Official He saw his wife's expression change and quickly corrected himself. "Fine, fine, I'll go personally to invite Physician Fu!"
Physician Fu was not an easy man to invite.
Official He managed to enter the Fu residence, but when Physician Fu finally appeared, he was clutching his forehead. Before the official could speak, Elder Fu spoke in a weak voice.
"What wind blew Official He here today? It's a pity this old man is getting on in years. A bit of wind, and I've fallen ill. I feel dizzy after just two steps. Otherwise, I would have loved to have a proper chat with you."
Official He was speechless. How was he supposed to ask Physician Fu to see a patient now?
Thinking of his wife and daughter waiting at home, Official He thickened his skin and said, "Elder Fu, I came this time to ask if you could check on my daughter. She..."
"Oh! My head hurts again. Official He, why are you swaying so much?" Physician Fu cried out.
Fu Cheng, who was nearby, hurriedly supported him.
"Grandfather, Official He isn't swaying. Are you feeling very dizzy? Let me help you back to bed..." After saying that, he looked at Official He apologetically. "Official He, why don't I have my father come out to have tea with you? My grandfather is truly unwell."
Without waiting for Official He to respond, he helped Physician Fu up and they tottered out of the hall.
"Physician Fu? Elder Fu?"
Official He couldn't stop them and was fuming with rage. Yet, he simply couldn't tell if Physician Fu's headache was real or fake!
Once Official He had left, Fu Cheng watched as his grandfather suddenly regained his spirit and couldn't help but laugh.
"Grandfather, you acted so well. Even Official He couldn't tell."
Physician Fu took a handkerchief and wiped away the medicinal powder from his lips and eyelids, letting out a chuckle.
"With a smear of this powder, I really did look deathly ill, didn't I? Hmph, I would never go to treat the daughter of the He family."
"That Miss He once forced the second Miss Lu to kneel and serve her tea. She is truly barbaric and rude." Fu Cheng was now recovered; perhaps because both he and his grandfather had suffered from headaches before, his grandfather's act was remarkably convincing.
"The second young lady has been a great benefactor to both of us. Bullying her is the same as bullying us. Does your grandfather look like a man with such a good temper? Am I supposed to go and eagerly treat an enemy? Hmph, what a pipe dream."
"Grandfather is right." Fu Cheng nodded. "Should we tell the second Miss Lu about Miss He's illness? It might give her some satisfaction."
Fu Cheng also felt that He Lianxin was getting exactly what she deserved.
"She probably already knows." Physician Fu suspected that Lu Zhaoling wouldn't be ignorant of this. "If she doesn't, then we'll send word to Prince Jin and let him pass it on..."
Physician Fu's eyes flickered. He thought this was a good idea; how else would Prince Jin get more chances to cultivate feelings with the second Miss Lu? He needed to see her more often to discover how special she truly was.
"I'll write a letter. Have someone deliver it to Prince Jin's Mansion." Once Physician Fu had an idea, he couldn't wait to act on it.
The letter was delivered to Prince Jin's Mansion while Prince Jin was still asleep. He had been pushing himself these past few days, refusing to let anyone see that something was wrong with his body. Now that the funeral was over, fatigue and pain rushed over him like a tide.
Uncle Yun took the letter and gave it to Qingfeng.
"The Prince hasn't risen yet?"
Qingfeng, guarding outside the door, was also worried. "No, there has been no movement at all." He had wanted to go in several times to check, but the Prince didn't like being disturbed while sleeping, so he hadn't dared.
"The Prince must be exhausted. Perhaps we should invite Physician Fu to take a look." Uncle Yun also thought of seeking Physician Fu.
Qingfeng looked at the letter. "This is the letter from Physician Fu."
"Bring it in."
Prince Jin's voice finally drifted from inside the room.
Qingfeng breathed a sigh of relief and pushed the door open. "Your Highness, are you alright?"
Prince Jin was sitting on the bed and reached out his hand. Qingfeng hurriedly presented the letter.
Prince Jin's eyes flickered as he read it. He was about to stand up and said, "Prepare my clothes. I must go to"
Before he could finish his sentence, a sharp, stabbing pain suddenly pierced through his chest, deep into his heart. He collapsed back onto the bed.
"Your Highness!"
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