Inside the carriage, Qin Guan's brows were tightly furrowed.
Two days prior, she had only left after completing Yao Xinlan's pulse diagnosis. Though she had verbally stated that it would take two days of medication to know if Yao Xinlan's pregnancy could be saved, she had been confident in her heart. From the moment she performed the needle therapy, Yao Xinlan's pregnancy had been secured. That day's pulse diagnosis had also confirmed Yao Xinlan's significant improvement. Given this, why was Yao Xinlan now critically ill again?
"Ninth Miss, has the Grand Princess of the Marquis's household recovered well?"
Outside the carriage, Qin Chen inquired softly from atop his horse. Qin Guan lifted the curtain to look and saw Qin Chen in a blue robe, slightly haggard yet still exuding an air of elegance as he rode.
"She has improved greatly and is out of danger."
"That's good." Qin Chen sighed in relief. "I wouldn't have come to fetch you if Xinlan weren't suffering so terribly. Fortunately, the Marquis and his wife are understanding. Ninth Miss, you truly are remarkable."
Earlier, Jiang Shi had escorted Qin Guan out, holding her hand as intimately as a mother would her daughter. It seemed Qin Guan had indeed cured the Grand Princess's illness. Yet, in the three years Qin Guan had been in Jinzhou, who knew she possessed medical skills?
There had been one or two occasions in the past when Qin Guan had fallen severely ill with winter fever, on the brink of death, and it was he who had helped summon a physician. If Qin Guan could heal herself, why hadn't she?
"The Marquis and his wife are reasonable people and naturally wouldn't mind. Besides, Qin Guan is a member of the Qin family, so our own patients naturally take precedence," Qin Guan explained softly, her hand still holding the curtain.
Fuling took over the curtain and called out the window, "Young Master came just in time—the Marquis's household is in turmoil—"
Fuling spoke bluntly, and Qin Guan couldn't stop her in time. Qin Chen frowned. "What happened?"
Qin Guan gave Fuling a stern look, silencing her before she could say more. Instead, Qin Guan sighed. "Miss Song's case remains unresolved, and the Marquis's household has been quite busy these past two days."
Though Qin Chen hadn't witnessed the events of that night, he had heard the widespread discussions upon his return and understood without further explanation. "After all, it's a matter of life and death, and it happened on a wedding day. Naturally, there's unrest."
After a pause, Qin Chen added with concern, "If the Grand Princess has recovered, you should avoid visiting the Marquis's household until the case is settled, lest you invite trouble."
Fuling nodded vigorously inside the carriage. Qin Guan pressed her lips together. "Yes, thank you, Elder Brother."
Qin Guan hadn't intended to stay at the Marquis's household for long, but now, the Grand Princess's condition weighed on her, and Miss Song's case had raised even more suspicions. She hadn't forgotten that the incidents last night and this morning seemed to target her.
Though she thought this way, since Qin Chen had come to fetch her, she had no choice but to set aside the matters of the Marquis's household for now. Qin Guan had Fuling lower the curtain, her eyes darkening—after all, Qin Manor was not at peace either.
The carriage had barely come to a stop at the manor's gates when Mo Shu's voice rang out. "Ninth Miss has returned!"
Qin Guan lifted the carriage curtain and stepped down. Mo Shu rushed forward, her eyes red as if grasping at a lifeline. "Ninth Miss, you're finally back! Our young lady has been waiting for you..."
Qin Guan frowned and quickened her steps toward the manor entrance. "What exactly is going on?"Mo Shu's nose tingled with emotion. "The young mistress... she's been having nightmares these past two nights. Although there's no bleeding, she keeps feeling abdominal pain. Before you returned, Old Madam suggested calling Physician Yang, but the young mistress refused. She only wanted to wait for you to come back."
Qin Guan pressed her lips together slightly. Pregnant women were particularly fragile, and Yao Xinlan had been frightened by the previous bleeding incident, so her anxiety was understandable. She quickened her pace following Mo Shu, with Qin Chen trailing behind them. Soon, they arrived at Windward Courtyard.
Upon entering the courtyard and stepping to the inner chamber's doorway, they saw the room filled with people.
Jiang Shi sat beside Yao Xinlan, Lin Shi stood at the foot of the bed, and Qin Xiang hovered nearby. All three wore somber expressions, their faces flickering with barely noticeable complexity when they noticed Qin Guan's arrival.
None of them liked Qin Guan, yet now they had to rely on her to save Yao Xinlan.
Lin Shi was the first to react, stepping forward with gentle warmth. "Guan'er, you're back..."
Qin Guan lowered her eyes and curtsied. "Greetings to Old Madam, greetings to Third Aunt."
Lin Shi quickly helped Qin Guan up. "We've been waiting for you. Eldest Brother's Wife isn't feeling well again, and she only trusts you. Come quickly and examine her. Is everything settled at the Marquis's residence?"
Pulled forward by Lin Shi, Qin Guan approached while Qin Xiang stepped aside.
"Grand Princess's condition has stabilized for now," Qin Guan replied as she turned her gaze to Yao Xinlan.
After two days apart, Yao Xinlan appeared to have lost weight. Her unbound ink-black hair cascaded over her shoulders, accentuating her delicate, pale face. Her lips were tinged blue, and dark circles shadowed her eyes—clear signs of deep worry and sleepless nights. Seeing Qin Guan approach, she managed a weak smile. "Ninth Sister, you've returned."
Hearing her speak, Qin Guan frowned again. Yao Xinlan was just as frail as she had been two days ago.
"Eldest Brother's Wife, please extend your hand," Qin Guan said, immediately stepping forward to check her pulse.
As her fingertips rested on Yao Xinlan's wrist, Qin Guan's expression gradually darkened. She looked at Yao Xinlan and asked, "Have you not been taking your medicine properly these past two days?"
Yao Xinlan stiffened slightly but replied, "Of course I have. But my constitution is too weak—half of the medicine I take ends up vomited out." After a pause, she added, "Ninth Sister, could you perform needle therapy again?"
When Qin Guan had saved Yao Xinlan before, she had first used needle therapy because Yao Xinlan had been in critical condition—medicine would have been too slow, and the needles were necessary. Once the danger had passed, Qin Guan had prescribed medicine instead. Needle therapy was direct, intense, and often painful, something delicate noblewomen like Yao Xinlan usually disliked. Yet Qin Guan hadn't expected Yao Xinlan to request it herself.
Yao Xinlan stared at Qin Guan, waiting for her answer, a hint of pleading in her eyes.
A strange feeling flickered through Qin Guan's heart—something felt off. After a brief moment of thought, she nodded. "Very well. Since Eldest Brother's Wife is willing, we'll proceed with needle therapy." She then turned to Jiang Shi and the others. "Please step outside for now."
Treating Yao Xinlan was a serious matter, and after the last incident, no one dared to question Qin Guan's methods. Jiang Shi stood first, and Qin Xiang and Lin Shi silently followed her out. Qin Chen looked at Qin Guan. "We leave it to you, Ninth Sister."
After casting a concerned glance at Yao Xinlan, he too exited the room.Once everyone had left, the room fell silent. Qin Guan reached into her sleeve, about to pull out her needle kit, when suddenly Yao Xinlan grabbed her with such force that her nails nearly dug into Qin Guan's wrist. Startled by the pain, Qin Guan looked up in shock—
Yao Xinlan's eyes were red, filled with terror as she cried out, "Ninth Sister! Someone is trying to harm me!"
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