Chapter 144: Inviting the Old Imperial Physician
The carriage soon arrived at the entrance of the Xie residence.
Stepping down from the carriage, Yun Chu looked up at the plaque above the gate. The two characters "Xie Fu" (谢府), personally inscribed by Xie Jingyu, shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight.
Her thoughts drifted to her previous life. After Xie Shi'an was appointed as the Number One Scholar by imperial decree, the Xie family had moved to a new residence. In an alley not far from the Yun family, in a prime location in the capital where land was worth its weight in gold, they acquired a grand five-courtyard mansion. At that time, it was Xie Shi'an who personally wielded the brush to write the characters "Xie Fu," and countless visitors came to offer their congratulations.
The Xie family's prosperity and splendor seemed to still be right before her eyes.
However, in this lifetime, everything was completely different...
Yun Chu stepped through the main gate and walked inside. Just as she returned to her courtyard, an elderly servant came to report, "Madam, the Lady has requested your presence."
Yun Chu unhurriedly changed her clothes and drank a cup of tea before heading to Yuan Shi's courtyard.
Upon entering the courtyard, she saw that her father-in-law, Xie Zhongcheng, was also present.
Xie Zhongcheng's expression was rather unpleasant.
The previous day, he had sent someone to Sheng Residence to summon this daughter-in-law. The servants there first claimed that the madam was not home, and in the end, they actually informed him that the madam would not be returning for the night.
In all his years, this was the first time he had encountered a married woman staying out overnight.
Had the Yun family never taught their daughter about women's virtues?
But he dared not voice these opinions, keeping them bottled up inside, which naturally made his expression sour.
"Chu'er, you're back," Yuan Shi said gently. "How did things go at the estate? Was everything smooth?"
Yun Chu nodded. "Is there something you need, Mother?"
A hint of awkwardness appeared on Yuan Shi's face. She glanced at her husband before speaking, "It's almost September now, and An Ge'er will soon be entering the Imperial College. Our Xie family comes from a humble background, so An Ge'er likely won't receive much attention from the teachers. Your father-in-law and I were thinking of sending some gifts to the Imperial College teachers. What do you think, Chu'er?"
Yun Chu's expression remained indifferent. "Such matters can be handled as you see fit, Mother."
Yuan Shi nudged Xie Zhongcheng.
Xie Zhongcheng stood with his hands behind his back and said coldly, "There are several teachers at the Imperial College, and gifts for them will require a considerable amount of silver. As An Ge'er's mother, you should cover this expense."
Although the Xie family came from humble origins, they weren't particularly poor. Back in their hometown of Jizhou, the Xie family enjoyed great prestige, with many wealthy individuals registering their farmland under the Xie name. They could earn several thousand taels of silver annually without lifting a finger, and over the years, they had accumulated tens of thousands of taels.
However, after Old Madam passed away and faced criticism from many in the capital, the Xie family held an extravagant funeral to save face, spending all the silver they had saved over the years.
Now, the Xie family was going through troubled times and had become the subject of ridicule in the capital's casual conversations. Only if An Ge'er succeeded could the Xie family escape this situation...
An Ge'er's future must not be delayed.
Xie Zhongcheng continued, "Each teacher should receive gifts worth approximately two thousand taels of silver. Only then will they pay proper attention to An Ge'er."
A mocking smile touched Yun Chu's lips.
Given the Xie family's current circumstances, they truly had no choice but to pin all their hopes on Xie Shi'an.
Unfortunately, for Xie Shi'an...
Seeing her remain silent, Xie Zhongcheng's face darkened. "What? Are you unwilling?"
"It's not that I'm unwilling," Yun Chu sighed. "I only have about five or six thousand taels of silver on hand, which I was saving to hire an imperial physician to treat my husband. Since you've said so, Father-in-law, we'll postpone hiring the imperial physician and prepare gifts for An Ge'er's teachers first."Upon hearing this, Xie Zhongcheng fell silent.
He had visited Xie Jingyu's residence many times over the past two days, watching helplessly as his son's condition deteriorated. Despite all the medicine consumed, there was no improvement whatsoever—he wished he could suffer in his son's place.
Imperial physicians were undoubtedly more skilled than those common doctors on the streets, yet the Xie family couldn't secure their services. If his daughter-in-law was willing to intervene, that would be ideal.
"Chu'er, can you really invite an imperial physician to diagnose at the Xie residence?" Yuan Shi exclaimed joyfully. "Let's set aside An Ge'er's matter for now and focus on curing Jingyu's illness first."
Yun Chu replied, "We can't possibly invite current imperial physicians from the palace, but I know a retired old imperial physician. Many first-rank households consult him for medical treatment, though it requires substantial silver."
Yuan Shi immediately retrieved her case, pulling out a money pouch to hand to Yun Chu. "Chu'er, Jingyu is still young. We must cure his illness—only then can the Xie family remain standing."
Yun Chu accepted the silver. "Mother, rest assured. My husband will be fine."
After Yun Chu departed, Yuan Shi remarked, "Once Jingyu recovers, he'll surely find a way to pave the path for An Ge'er. Let's not trouble ourselves with this matter anymore."
Xie Zhongcheng sighed deeply.
For now, this was the only way forward.
Yun Chu handed the money pouch to Ting Feng, sending him on the errand. By evening, Ting Feng returned to the Xie residence accompanied by an elderly man.
Xie Jingyu lay on his sickbed, with Concubine Jiang attending to him and feeding him medicine. He felt as though he spent his entire days consuming medications, yet his body showed no signs of improvement.
Watching his body gradually lose control, anyone would feel terrified.
Despite his severe condition, his lawful wife hadn't returned home all night, remaining outside until morning.
Earlier, Concubine Jiang mentioned she had returned to the residence, yet she hadn't even come to see him.
While he was wrong to conceal the matter of He Shi, wasn't she equally at fault for neglecting her husband's critical condition?
"Crash!"
Xie Jingyu raised his hand and knocked over the medicine bowl.
Concubine Jiang immediately knelt to gather the fragments. "You must take the medicine to recover, my lord. This humble one will fetch another bowl."
Xie Jingyu said sternly, "There's no need to bring more medicine!"
If the medicine couldn't cure his illness, it was better not to consume it at all.
As Concubine Jiang prepared to persuade him further,
a gentle voice interjected, "My husband is right. There's no need to prepare more of this medicine."
Xie Jingyu looked up to see Yun Chu entering through the doorway. Her radiant face stirred countless emotions within him.
He was about to confront her
when he noticed an elderly man following behind her.
"Husband, this is the former imperial physician who exclusively attended to the Empress's health in the palace," Yun Chu said, seating herself on a chair several steps from the bed. "Let the old physician diagnose your pulse and determine the proper treatment."
Xie Jingyu was utterly astonished.
Previously, when he asked Yun Chu to invite an imperial physician for his treatment, she appeared indifferent. He assumed she hadn't taken his request seriously.
Yet, it turned out she still cared for him—even securing the physician who once treated the Empress...
"Madam, thank you..."
All the words swirling in Xie Jingyu's heart condensed into this brief sentence.
Having been married for five years, he had wronged her far too much. Once recovered, he vowed never to fail the woman sharing his bed again.
He extended his hand, and the old imperial physician placed his fingers upon his wrist to take his pulse.The old imperial physician's expression suddenly changed: "Lord Xie's pulse... something is wrong... It seems as though... he has developed azoospermia?"
Xie Jingyu's eyes snapped open wide: "Impossible!"
He had fathered so many children in succession—how could he possibly have developed azoospermia...
"Allow this old man to examine more carefully." The imperial physician closed his eyes and focused intently on reading the pulse.
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