However, such a pleasant atmosphere lasted only until the next morning.
Ying Chun tiptoed into the room, listened carefully for any movement, and upon hearing none, smiled and gently closed the door. She picked up her embroidery hoop and sat down to work on a pattern. The young lady no longer had to be so busy, but she had lost so much weight that all her clothes needed to be remade. Although professional embroiderers handled the main garments, small items were still made by Ying Chun and the others, and they were perfectly capable of sewing summer clothes themselves.
After working for a while, Ying Chun glanced at the water clock and frowned, putting down her needlework. It was already past the hour of Chen—usually, the young lady would have been up and busy for some time by now. As the young lady often said, once habits were formed, they were hard to break. Even if she had relaxed a little, it shouldn’t have been to this extent.
Growing increasingly uneasy, Ying Chun set aside her embroidery hoop and walked to the bedside. She lifted one side of the bed curtain and fastened it, then looked at her sleeping mistress and bit her lip, calling softly, “Young Lady, it’s time to wake up.”
Hua Zhi showed no response.
Trembling, Ying Chun clutched the fabric at her chest and reached out to check for breath under the young lady’s nose. There was breath—she was breathing!
She took a few deep, relieved breaths and continued calling, “Young Lady, Young Lady, it’s time to wake up. Young Lady, Young Lady…”
Bao Xia entered carrying a basin of water, smiling before she even spoke. “Has the young lady finally slept her fill today?”
Ying Chun turned around, her face filled with panic. Without a word, tears began to stream down her cheeks.
Bao Xia had never seen Ying Chun like this before. Alarmed, she set the basin down and rushed over, asking urgently, “What’s wrong? What’s wrong? Is something the matter with the young lady?”
“I… I can’t wake her up.”
Hearing this, Bao Xia pushed Ying Chun aside and stepped forward, pressing hard on Hua Zhi’s philtrum. When the young lady showed no reaction at all, her mind went blank for a moment. Scrambling to her feet, she dashed out of the room, shouting at the top of her lungs, “Someone, go fetch Miraculous Doctor Yu! Hurry, go get Miraculous Doctor Yu!”
Her cry shattered the tranquility in the courtyard. A maid who had been cheerfully washing clothes collapsed to the ground, and before she could get up, another young maid had already dashed out like the wind. Bao Xia immediately sent people to inform the other households of the Hua family.
What else should she do? What else? Bao Xia tugged at her hair in distress, then turned and ran back into the room.
Yes, she had to stay by the young lady’s side. She had to be there for her!
Berlin and Zeng Han, who was clinging to his back, arrived first. They were followed by Hua Pingyu, who had been preparing to leave with his wife to visit her family, and then Hua Pingyang. Hua Yizheng was carried over on a sedan chair—the exhaustion from days of travel had left his body so sore he could barely lift his limbs, and in his anxiety, he had resorted to being carried.
Looking at his granddaughter lying as if in a deep sleep, Hua Yizheng leaned on someone for support as he sat by the bed and demanded sharply, “What happened? Who was on night duty last night?”
Ying Chun, gripping the edge of the bed so tightly her knuckles were white, pressed herself against the bed frame. Despite being jostled by the anxious members of the Hua family, she refused to move aside. She replied immediately, “It was me, sir. Last night, the young lady returned in high spirits and even asked me to prepare a bath for her. After that, she went to bed. I didn’t hear any movement during the night, none at all. This morning, when I noticed she was sleeping late, I thought she was just exhausted. I never imagined… I never imagined…”
Ying Chun broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. She hadn’t thought much of it—the young lady had finally reunited with her family, and she had assumed Hua Zhi was simply relaxing and sleeping in.
“It’s all my fault. I deserve to die for this. If only I had been more attentive, I wouldn’t have discovered it so late. It’s all my fault…”No one could blame a servant for caring about their master, least of all the men of the Hua family. In their absence, it was Zhi Er and her maids who had held the household together.
Hua Yizheng slapped his thigh forcefully and turned to give orders, "Go wait at the main gate. Bring Miraculous Doctor Yu here immediately when he arrives."
"Yes."
Miraculous Doctor Yu arrived extremely quickly, needing no one to guide him. Gu Yanxi had carried him on horseback and then directly to Hua Zhi's bedside.
Without needing prompting, everyone immediately cleared a space, holding their breath and watching nervously as the doctor took her pulse.
The barely perceptible pulse made Yu Lao frown deeply. He had expected the situation to be bad, but he hadn't anticipated it would be this severe.
"Were there any unusual signs in the young lady's behavior before this?"
The maids all strained to recall. Ying Chun shook her head, "Nothing, the young lady was just a bit happier than usual..."
"She drank wine," Hua Yizheng suddenly interrupted the maid, "Could it be related to that?"
"How much did she drink?"
"Not much, probably just one cup in total."
After some thought, Miraculous Doctor Yu shook his head, "That shouldn't be the cause. Drinking a small amount of wine isn't harmful to the body. I'm afraid it's still the problem I mentioned before - the young lady has likely relaxed her willpower."
Everyone fell into silence. This was an unsolvable cycle. Everything she had done was to bring her family back, yet their return meant she would suffer. No one wanted to make this choice, and Hua Zhi hadn't even given them the opportunity to choose. In just one night, she had collapsed so completely.
Looking at the small bundle in the quilt, Gu Yanxi's voice seemed squeezed through clenched teeth, "Please, think of something."
Yu Lao smiled bitterly, "I treat illnesses, but the young lady's condition hasn't manifested symptoms yet. That's what makes this most difficult."
"You have a set of life-saving golden needles..."
"We cannot use the golden needles unless it's the final resort."
Gu Yanxi understood. Of course - those were for saving lives, to be used only at the critical moment. A Zhi hadn't reached that point yet. This was good news, good news!
Taking a deep breath, Gu Yanxi looked at the others in the room, "We don't need so many people here. Sir, please have everyone disperse."
Hua Yizheng looked back at his tense eldest son, his daughter-in-law who was nearly crying herself unconscious, his youngest son with his clothes fastened incorrectly, the concerned daughters-in-law from various branches, and the panicked children of all ages... He didn't know whom to ask to leave.
Sighing, Hua Yizheng trembled as he stood up, "Everyone, please leave."
Madam Zhu grabbed her husband's sleeve, shaking her head desperately, tears flying with the motion. She didn't want to leave - she wanted to stay with Zhi Er.
Hua Pingyu showed an intimacy rarely seen in public, firmly guiding his wife's shoulders as he walked out. Madam Zhu initially resisted, but feeling the hand on her shoulder trembling, she suddenly covered her mouth and burst into loud sobs. That was their daughter!
Except for Ying Chun and Bao Xia who stayed to attend, everyone else gradually followed them out. Berlin and Zeng Han exchanged glances, then like sworn allies, found an inconspicuous spot to squat down, gazing eagerly toward the bed with expressions that softened hearts.
Gu Yanxi had no attention to spare for them at the moment, asking hoarsely, "What can I do?""You have strong yang energy, stay by her side." Swallowing the last part about keeping malevolent spirits at bay, Yu Lao took silver needles from his medicine box and pierced through Hua Zhi's ten fingers. Blood beads welled up but clung without falling. Steeling his heart, he inserted the needles deeper, and only then did the blood begin to drip in continuous threads.
Note: Bloodletting was an ancient treatment method that had been practiced for many, many years.
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