Physician Bai took out the golden needles while asking about Madam's condition. By the time the needles were removed, he had a general understanding of the situation.
Yun Qing's eyes grew indescribably dark as he watched the golden needles being inserted into Yuxi's body. Fortunately, Physician Bai was a seasoned professional with a strong mental fortitude. If it were an ordinary person facing Yun Qing's oppressive demeanour, they would likely have trembled and been unable to perform the acupuncture.
After Physician Bai inserted all the needles, the bleeding from Yuxi's lower body stopped. Only then did he take her pulse and, frowning, wrote a prescription. Handing it to Mama Qu, he said, "Once the medicine is ready, administer it to Madam." He deliberately used the word 'administer' instead of 'feed."
After Physician Bai had completed his treatment, Zijin finally spoke up, "Mister Physician, Madam also sustained a blow earlier. Could you check if it's serious?"
Physician Bai's face immediately darkened. "Where was she injured?" This was such a critical detail, and they hadn't mentioned it earlier!
Zijin pointed to Yuxi's left shoulder and said, "The injury is on her left scapula."
Physician Bai's expression eased. He had not noticed anything unusual during the earlier pulse check, and now he understood why—it was because the injury was on the scapula. Physician Bai turned to Yun Qing and said, "General, I need to examine her to determine the severity of the injury." He couldn't proceed otherwise.
Yun Qing ordered, "Move the bed out and cut her clothing open." Since Yuxi could not be moved, adjustments would have to be made around her.
After cutting open her clothes, they discovered a large bruise on Yuxi's left shoulder blade. Physician Bai examined it and reported, "Fortunately, it's only a superficial injury and hasn't affected her internal organs. If it had, not even the supernatural beings could have saved her." If her internal organs had been injured on top of the difficult labour, it would have been fatal. They were lucky that Xu Chunni's martial skills were average; otherwise, Yuxi might not have survived this ordeal.
Yun Qing's eyes were bloodshot with rage. He suppressed his anger as he asked, "How should the medicine be applied?"
Physician Bai replied, "Madam cannot be moved at the moment, so you can only apply the medicine to the accessible areas. Fortunately, the injury is only on the surface. Although she will experience some pain, with proper care, she will make a full recovery with no lasting effects." Moving her now could risk reopening the wounds on her lower body, which could lead to further bleeding—a scenario Physician Bai refrained from explicitly mentioning.
Concerned, Zijin asked, "Physician Bai, Madam lost so much blood. Will there be any long-term effects?"
Physician Bai hesitated and glanced at Yun Qing before he could answer.
Yun Qing asked, "Is her life in danger?"
Physician Bai replied, "As long as Madam regains consciousness, her life will not be in danger. However, this ordeal has severely weakened her body, and she will need three to five years of proper care to fully recover." He paused and added, "Madam is well-versed in medicine and adept at self-care. Otherwise, the recovery period could be even longer."
Yun Qing was only concerned with the first part of the answer. As long as Yuxi would survive, three or five years—or even ten—didn't matter. He then asked, "Based on your assessment, when do you think Madam will wake up?"
Physician Bai gave a cautious estimate, "She should regain consciousness within three days." The time frame for this to actually happen was uncertain, but three days should be enough.
With that, Yun Qing stopped engaging with Physician Bai.
Mama Qu approached Physician Bai and whispered, "Mister Physician, the Second Young Miss isn't doing well. Please take a look at her."
Earlier, when Mama Lan tried to feed the baby water, most of it was spat out. Thinking that Physician Zeng was skilled in paediatrics, she had him check on the baby. After examining the child, Physician Zeng concluded that the baby likely wouldn't survive more than two days and advised them to prepare for the worst. Mama Lan's face turned pale when she heard this.
When Physician Bai saw the newborn, no bigger than a kitten, he immediately knew the situation was dire. After a thorough examination, he shook his head at Mama Lan. "She was born prematurely and is too weak to survive."
Mama Lan pleaded, "Physician Bai, no matter what, you must find a way. If anything happens to the Second Young Miss, Madam won't be able to bear it when she wakes up." Madam was already very weak, and the loss of a child would be devastating, even for the strongest person.
Physician Bai shook his head, "If she can take in food, there might be a sliver of hope. But if she continues to reject everything, even the supernatural beings can't save her." He was particularly worried because the baby had already rejected plain water. How could she possibly take in anything else? And even if she did, she might not be able to digest it.
Mama Lan replied quietly, "I will find a way to get her to eat." There had to be a solution.
Physician Bai said, "I'll be staying in the front courtyard. If there's anything urgent, send someone to call me." Given Madam's condition, he had to remain at the General's residence.
Holding the frail infant, Mama Lan asked in a low voice, "How is Madam's condition? Will there be any lasting effects?" She was worried that the difficult labour, massive blood loss, and injury might have ruined Yuxi's health.
Physician Bai answered, "Madam's body has been severely damaged, and she will need three to five years to recover." Fortunately, Yuxi had always been healthy. Otherwise, she would have died on the spot.
Mama Lan's face stiffened. "Does that mean she won't be able to get pregnant for at least five years?"
Physician Bai paused before answering, "She didn't suffer any permanent damage, which is a blessing in disguise." He then added a note of reassurance: "Given Madam's expertise in self-care, it may not take the full five years. And since the General holds Madam in high esteem, he will probably wait."
Mama Lan couldn't hide her concern. "The General will be twenty-five after the New Year. If it takes another five years, he'll be thirty." Her concern wasn't a lack of faith in Yun Qing but rather the reality of men's fickle nature. There were too many examples of families being thrown into turmoil by the lack of an heir, both in the capital and in the provinces. Even if Yun Qing didn't take a concubine, the presence of another woman's child would cause friction, especially with Madam's temperament.
Physician Bai responded, "If you want Madam to recover quickly, the child's survival is crucial. It's up to you to make sure of that."
Mama Lan shared the same worry. However, knowing she couldn't do it alone, she said, "Mister Physician, I'll need your help in this matter." The child was too fragile, and she was afraid of making a mistake. With Physician Bai around, at least she had someone to consult with.
Physician Bai didn't refuse. "I will do my best." After all, the Duke had sent him to look after Madam so he would spare no effort.
Mama Lan, who had experience with premature babies—even though none had survived in the past—had learned valuable lessons from those experiences.
Once the medicine was ready, it was brought into the room. Yun Qing took it and said, "Let me do it." He tested the temperature, found it suitable, and carefully spooned it into Yuxi's mouth. However, Yuxi couldn't swallow in her unconscious state, and the liquid spilt out.
Mama Qu gently suggested, "General, the medicine must be administered, not fed!" Seeing Yun Qing's actions, she realised he had no experience in caregiving.
Yun Qing paused, then stood aside, allowing Mama Qu to take over.
Despite her composure, Mama Qu felt nervous under Yun Qing's intense gaze. She cautiously sat down and instructed Gancao to bring a feeding tube. Using the tube, they managed to administer the medicine.
Two shichen1 later, Mama Lan instructed the wet nurse to squeeze out some milk, treat it and try to feed it to the baby.
The baby struggled to drink and frequently vomited. She was too weak; even when crying, she only let out a faint buzzing sound. Compared to Zaozao's loud and clear voice, the difference was like night and day.
Seeing the baby in such distress, Mama Bai teared up and asked, "Mama Lan, isn't there a better way?"
Mama Lan's eyes reddened. If there were a better way, she would have tried it by now. Thankfully, the baby could take in a small amount of milk, but drinking it wasn't enough—she needed to digest it. If she couldn't, things would get worse. After feeding her three small bowls of milk, less than a tenth had been consumed.
Mama Lan stayed at the child's side without rest, fearing any delay in responding to possible emergencies.
Shiliu, with her sharp hearing, noticed the baby crying and called out, "Mama, the Second Young Miss is crying."
Mama Lan quickly checked and found a small wet patch on the baby's diaper. She exclaimed, "Good, good!"
Shiliu suggested, "Mama, shall we have Physician Bai check on the Second Young Miss?"
Seeing Shiliu's capable demeanour, Mama Lan thought to herself that she might need a reliable assistant. At the moment, Shiliu seemed like a good choice.
Physician Bai examined the baby and carefully inspected the soiled diaper. After a while, he said, "If she continues like this, she might survive."
When Mama Lan heard this, she burst into tears. From the moment Physician Zeng declared the baby could not be saved, she had forced herself to remain calm despite her fear.
After wiping away her tears, Mama Lan asked, "Physician Bai, how is Madam?" Although she knew that Yuxi was probably just exhausted, she needed reassurance.
Physician Bai replied, "Madam has taken the medicine, and I just checked her pulse. Her condition is relatively stable." He was not particularly worried about Yuxi; his main concern was for the baby. Although the baby's condition was better than expected, she was still extremely fragile and required constant vigilance.
Mama Lan said quietly, "Physician Bai, please inform the steward to send word back to the capital. Let the Old Lady and the Duke know what has happened." The Second Master had caused this disaster, and if it were not handled properly, it could endanger their family relationship. It was best to inform the Old Lady and the Duke as soon as possible so that they could take action.
Physician Bai nodded. "Understood."
Footnotes Full List
- 2 hours. 2 shichen means 4 hours
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi