Chapter 21: Afflicted with a Strange Illness (1)

"What?" Xue Xianxin was stunned. She glanced sideways at Zhuo Qing, not putting her in her eyes at all, and shouted impatiently: "Where did this crazy woman come from, daring to run wild in the Prime Minister's Mansion? Drive her out for me."

"Stop." Lou Xiwu pointed at Zhuo Qing and clamored: "She is my brother's woman; who dares to drive her out!?" Although she also hated this ugly woman, by comparison, Xue Xianxin was even more hateful. She was going to go against her today!

The servants looked at each other in dismay, while Zhuo Qing had black lines all over her head. It was the first time she had been dubbed someone's woman; this title was really...

In order to dampen this madam's spirit and also to let her enter the small building as she wished, Zhuo Qing gave a light cough and smiled: "My name is... Qingfeng. Legend has it that I am the woman bestowed upon Lou Xiyan by your Emperor. If it is said that without a principal wife, a concubine is the mistress, then, Madam, the mistress of the Prime Minister's Mansion has changed hands."

She was a beauty bestowed by the Emperor?! Xue Xianxin sneered and said coldly: "A load of nonsense! You ugly woman could never be the beauty bestowed upon Xiyan by the Emperor."

Pretending to frown in a contrived manner, Zhuo Qing shouted in feigned terror: "Are you doubting the eye of the Qiongyue Emperor?"

"I, I... I am doubting you!" Who exactly was this damn woman!

Nodding knowingly, Zhuo Qing innocently threw the question to Jing Sa: "Jing Sa, it would be better for you to answer this question."

This time, Jing Sa was unusually cooperative and replied coldly: "Second Madam, she is indeed Miss Qingfeng, bestowed upon the master by the Emperor."

Xue Xianxin panicked a little. She never expected that this woman was actually the Haoyue beauty bestowed upon Xiyan. Setting aside her appearance, just looking at this temperament, she wasn't a docile person who could be bullied. She couldn't let her take charge. Waving her hand, Xue Xianxin acted like an adult who wouldn't hold a grudge against a small person and said: "Alright, since you are a woman bestowed by the Emperor, I won't make things difficult for you. However, I am Xiyan's mother and the wife of the Zhenxi General. With me here, it is not your turn to take the position of mistress. That's enough, go back to your courtyard and stay there."

Was this "second mother" giving her a way out? Zhuo Qing found it amusing. If it weren't to go in and see what Lou Xiyan was up to, would she have jumped out to argue with her? She was really hungry and didn't want to waste time talking nonsense with her. Zhuo Qing replied mercilessly: "Second Madam, is it? If I remember correctly, this is the Prime Minister's Mansion, not the General's Mansion. Since it is the Prime Minister's residence, of course, the Prime Minister's woman is the mistress. As for you, the mother, you should just enjoy your old age."

"You, you, you..." She was actually cursing her to die early!

Xue Xianxin was so angry that her complexion flushed, and she couldn't even speak clearly. Zhuo Qing smiled idly and clicked her tongue: "You must take care of your health! I'm going in to see Xiyan; you should go back and rest."

After saying that, she walked forward without looking back. Xue Xianxin looked like she was about to faint from anger, while Lou Xiwu laughed out loud regardless of face and ran after Zhuo Qing toward the small building.

Glaring at that leisurely white shadow, Xue Xianxin's eyes were filled with resentment, her hands clenched into fists, and her sharp fingernails poked deeply into her flesh. *Good for you, Qingfeng! Let's see who dies first! *

Zhuo Qing didn't care about the resentful gaze behind her. Walking to the door, she said softly to the old Imperial Physician who had watched the farce and was frozen to the side: "Imperial Physician, I will just watch him from the outer hall; I won't disturb your treatment."

Yang Mu finally came to his senses and nodded hurriedly: "Good, good." Although this woman's face was ruined, her temperament was still natural. Her words just now were sharp and eloquent, and now she was understanding and reasonable; it was clear she wasn't a girl from an ordinary family! Yang Mu had seen too many power struggles between women in the palace; he had long seen through that leaving a margin in one's words and actions was the way to survive.

The door slowly opened, and Zhuo Qing walked in first. Facing the door was a set of guest chairs, and a few calligraphy and painting scrolls hung on the wall—very simple. Through a large screen, one could vaguely see that the inner room was more spacious than the outer one, though the specific furnishings couldn't be seen clearly.

The Imperial Physician and the medicine boy walked in, and Zhuo Qing and Lou Xiwu could only wait outside.

In fact, standing outside the screen, one couldn't see the situation inside the room very well. Under the candlelight, one could only see Mo Bai's tall figure guarding the bed, and the old Imperial Physician sitting by the bed taking his pulse. Listening carefully, the overly heavy panting sounded like an asthma attack, but Zhuo Qing couldn't draw a conclusion without seeing the patient.

Standing foolishly outside the screen was very boring. Zhuo Qing looked at Lou Xiwu beside her, who was staring at the inner room without blinking, and asked: "Does he often have these attacks?"

Perhaps because Zhuo Qing had helped her vent her anger just now, Lou Xiwu's impression of her had improved a bit. Without taking her eyes off the person inside, Lou Xiwu still replied in a low voice: "It's usually in the spring. He's fine at other times, but when he has an attack, he's like this, unable to breathe."

"How long has it been?"

Speaking of this, Lou Xiwu seemed somewhat irritable: "It's a problem he's had since childhood. He's been treated for so many years, but it hasn't gotten any better."

Had it since childhood? Then it wasn't likely to be faked, but congenital asthma shouldn't be seasonal, right? Pondering to herself, both of them heard several rapid gasps suddenly come from the inner room, followed by a flurry of rustling activity.

"Master!" Following Mo Bai's worried low call, the anxious Lou Xiwu couldn't care about anything else and rushed straight into the inner room. Zhuo Qing hesitated for a moment, but finally followed in.

The inner room was very bright under the candlelight. On a bed that was unimaginably large, covered with a thick, long-haired silk quilt, the snow-white quilt made Lou Xiyan's already fair face look even paler. He was lying flat on the bed, his breathing abnormally rapid, his breath short. One hand was tightly clutching the collar of his clothes, and his forehead and cheeks were covered in sweat. His black hair was half-tied, long since soaked by sweat. With every breath, his body rose and fell violently and uncontrollably. This shouldn't be faked; it couldn't be faked.

"Brother..." Lou Xiwu burst into tears. Looking at Lou Xiyan like this, and remembering his high-spirited and vigorous appearance during the day, Zhuo Qing couldn't adapt, let alone Lou Xiwu.

Yang Mu pressed one hand on Lou Xiyan while shouting loudly: "Quick, quick, bring my needles over."

"Yes!" The medicine boy rummaged around in a flurry and finally brought a box of silver needles and handed them over.

Taking the silver needles, Yang Mu didn't know how to insert them. Lou Xiyan was rising and falling violently; every time he breathed, his whole body moved. How was he supposed to insert the needles?! If he missed an acupoint, would he still want his life?!

Yang Mu hesitated, not knowing what to do. Zhuo Qing shook her head helplessly. Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, Zhuo Qing stepped onto the bed, climbed to the inner side of the bed, and knelt halfway beside Lou Xiyan. She supported his shoulders with both hands, wanting to help him sit up, but she didn't expect that although Lou Xiyan looked thin, his muscles were very solid and he was incredibly heavy.

Unable to use her strength, Zhuo Qing said to Mo Bai: "Blue eyes, help him sit up."

Mo Bai stared at her coldly with his deep eyes, filled with a trace of uncertainty. Zhuo Qing roared impatiently: "If you don't want him to die, be quick!"

Mo Bai hesitated slightly, but still helped Lou Xiyan up. As soon as Lou Xiyan sat up, Zhuo Qing tore open his closed collar, one hand rubbing his spine, while the other hand directly touched his chest, which was exposed by the open collar...

Lou Xiyan suddenly grabbed Zhuo Qing's wrist, his long, narrow eyes suddenly widening. Their eyes met, and Zhuo Qing had a moment of trance. These eyes, which were sometimes like a spring breeze and sometimes cunning and calculating, were now like a pool of deep water, so deep that it made her heart panic. The sweat flowing from his forehead slid down his cheek and happened to drip onto Zhuo Qing's arm. Her arm vibrated, and the hand gripping her arm tightened even more. His hand was different from the coldness and gentleness of the day; at this moment, his grip was incredibly strong, and his palm was as hot as fire.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 22 =====