Volume 1, Chapter 54: Shock and Severe Illness

Xie Mingyue’s mouth fell open, and she raised her eyes in panic, hastily trying to cover it up. "I didn't take anything... How do you know?"

A wave of dismay washed over her heart: *Oh no, Qi Jingshan is going to be angry again! But I really don't want to go through this kind of trouble with him!*

Qi Jingshan let out a frustrated chuckle. "You dare to take such medicine at random? This stuff is cold in nature and harms the body. Did you not know?"

Xie Mingyue twisted her fingers and remained silent.

Of course she knew.

In noble and influential households, female family members always possessed secret recipes for preventing conception passed down through generations, ensuring they would not bear children endlessly and strain their marital affection.

Madam Xie had originally prepared some for her as well, but after those subsequent events happened, how could she possibly get her hands on them?

Seeing her silent, the softened lines of Qi Jingshan's face gradually grew cold.

"You want to avoid having children that badly?"

His voice was very detached. Xie Mingyue wanted to explain, but found it somewhat difficult to voice.

Say she was afraid of pain? Yet which young lady did not go through this?

If she said it out there, Qi Jingshan would probably mock her for being delicate and pretentious.

"I..."

She broke away from Qi Jingshan's embrace, sat to the side, and slowly searched for her words.

Half of Qi Jingshan's face was masked in the shadow cast by the window frame. His eyes flickered on and off as he slowly let out a breath.

"If Madam wishes to avoid conception, we shall invite an imperial physician. Do not use these body-harming goods sold in the marketplace."

This man was letting his imagination run wild again.

Yet he still knew how to accommodate her.

A pang of sorrow pierced Xie Mingyue's heart. She hurriedly hurried over, wrapped her arms around his neck, and coaxed him coquettishly, "It's not like that. I haven't even taken that medicine yet, and it's not that I don't want to bear children, it's just..."

Before she could finish, she suddenly clutched her head and took several deep, ragged breaths.

Her heartbeat thudded like the beating of a drum. Her blood surged and crashed within her body, as if searching for an outlet to vent.

"Qi Jingshan, my head hurts so much."

Xie Mingyue only had time to reach out toward Qi Jingshan before a mouthful of fresh blood suddenly spewed from her lips, and she collapsed into his arms with her eyes closed.

"Zhaozhao!"

Qi Jingshan’s pupils violently contracted. Looking at her face, which had instantly turned as pale and transparent as paper, he let out a stern, thunderous roar, "Someone come! Fetch the imperial physician!"

*

Inside Qionghua Courtyard, a solemn atmosphere hung heavy. Wutong knelt by the bed with reddened eyes, weeping to Qi Jingshan, "Madam has suffered from this headache since her days at the Xie family. Countless physicians were consulted, yet none could find the cause. Later on, Madam simply refused to see them anymore and endured it all, using some pain-relieving medicine when it grew severe."

Xie Mingyue lay on the bed with her eyes tightly closed. The imperial physician had taken her pulse and applied acupuncture, yet remained utterly unable to discover the cause of her vomiting blood and fainting.

"Get up. Imperial Physician, how is my wife?"

Qi Jingshan clenched his fists tightly. The aura surrounding him was heavy and fierce, like a biting gale capable of tearing everything to shreds.

The imperial physician trembled as he cupped his hands in salute. "Lord Qi... forgive this humble official for his incompetence. The Grand Madam's affliction... truly defies all diagnosis."

Sunlight filtered through the window gauze, casting a bloodless pallor across Qi Jingshan's face.

A cluster of veins suddenly bulged on the back of his hand, and he rasped, "Can you not find even a shred of a cause?"

This was, after all, the most medically skilled physician within the imperial palace.

The imperial physician shook his head, feeling a deep sense of dread in his heart.

The Lord Qi before him was a favored favorite in front of His Majesty. If he failed to cure this man's wife, his own petty life would likely be in grave jeopardy...

Yet he truly could not make heads or tails of this condition!

A bead of cold sweat dripped down the imperial physician's temple as he suddenly blurted out, "If we could invite the Sage of Azure Robes, the Grand Madam's illness might perhaps find a turning point."

Wutong and Yuanbai both felt their hearts leap into their throats.

That so-called Sage of Azure Robes had not even been summoned when the Imperial Noble Consort was gravely ill; how could he possibly come to diagnose and treat Madam?

The atmosphere inside the room instantly grew frantic and tense.

"Take good care of Madam."

Qi Jingshan cast one deep look at Xie Mingyue, abruptly clenched his fists, and strode out of the room.

Jinhe and Yujiang stood guard outside the courtyard. Seeing him emerge, they hurried forward, not daring to make a sound.

"Saddle horses. I am leaving the city."

Qi Jingshan cracked his knuckles with a loud crunch and issued a cold command before suddenly halting his footsteps.

Yujiang glanced at his livid complexion, sensing that something was amiss.

Just as he was about to speak, Qi Jingshan’s figure swayed. Following a violent heave of his chest, a stream of blood suddenly welled up from the corner of his mouth.

It dripped onto his crimson official robes, staining a shocking, dark circle into the fabric.

"Lord Master!"

Yujiang’s face drained of color as he rushed forward to steady him.

The Master had already been toiling over cases day after day, and one mishap after another had occurred within the estate; it was inevitable that he would push himself to the absolute limit.

This was because of Madam, a sudden rush of overwhelming anger and anxiety piercing his heart!

"Saddle the horses." Qi Jingshan shoved him aside with a hoarse voice and strode forward. "I will go beg the Sage of Azure Robes myself."

A pitch-black, fine-coated steed with a glossy coat galloped all the way to a certain spot in the outskirts of the capital. With blood still staining his chest, Qi Jingshan kicked open the door of the thatched cottage before him.

"Damn it, who is kicking my door?"

A furious voice rang out from within. Before the person even showed their face, three silver needles came flying swiftly toward Qi Jingshan.

With a cold face, Qi Jingshan flicked his sleeve and deflected them.

"Gou Zihan, come out!"

"Coming, coming."

A man dragged out his tone and slowly stepped outside. Seeing Qi Jingshan's disheveled state, his eyes widened instantly.

"What happened to this?" Gou Zihan clapped his hands and laughed. "Was it a beating from your wife? Finally, someone has put you in your place."

"Return to the estate with me. My wife has contracted a strange illness."

Veins throbbed with blood in Qi Jingshan's eyes as he stepped forward to grab Gou Zihan's arm.

Gou Zihan leaped aside, his expression nonchalant.

"Your wife has contracted a strange illness—what does that have to do with me?"

He crossed his arms and curled the corners of his lips. "Lord Qi, I am merely a commoner. Could it be that you wish to use your power and authority to abduct me by force? That simply won't do."

At that moment, another sound of hoofbeats echoed from outside the courtyard. Jinhe and Yujiang rushed over, running into the enclosure. Hearing Gou Zihan's words, Jinhe flew into a rage.

"Sage Gou, it was our Lord Master who saved your life back then! How can you repay kindness with enmity like this?"

Gou Zihan wore a bantering smile. "Ah, yes, he saved my life once, but I'm a scoundrel, and I simply don't feel like saving her. Are you going to kill me?"

"You!" Jinhe stamped his foot in anger, only to be stopped by a raised hand from Qi Jingshan.

"Gou Zihan," Qi Jingshan stared at him darkly, his tone flat and even, "you want to force me to investigate the Cao River tragedy."

At those words, the playful smile on Gou Zihan's face instantly turned serious and grim.

"That's right," he said, clenching his fists. "Will you investigate or not?"

"Lord Master!" Jinhe rushed forward, his face full of indignation. "You must think twice! Once this case is investigated, you will be going head-to-head with the Fifth Prince!"

He pointed at Gou Zihan and cursed, "You vile worm, how dare you seize the opportunity to extort us and push the Lord Master into a pit of fire! If I had known earlier..."

"Shut your mouth," Qi Jingshan suddenly uttered a low bark, raising his eyes to lock onto Gou Zihan. "I will investigate this case. From now on, you shall never threaten me again."

Gou Zihan stepped forward, swept back his robes, and dropped to his knees before him.

"Lord Qi's words are as heavy as tripods. If this case comes to light, then from this day forth, Gou's remaining days shall be entirely at your disposal!"

"Very well."

Qi Jingshan nodded, turned around, and tossed out a single sentence.

"Accompany me back to the estate. The Cao River tragedy—I have taken it."

Hearing this, Jinhe's eyes burned red with hatred.

On the journey back, he rode shoulder to shoulder with Yujiang and couldn't help muttering, "That case is entangled with enormous stakes. Not only is the Fifth Prince involved, but also the Consort's Liu family. Once the Lord Master takes this on, he will no longer be able to stand aloof and protect himself!"

Yujiang took a broader view. "That person's health is precarious to begin with, the Crown Prince is mediocre, and the various princes are coming of age day by day. As one of the Nine Ministers wielding authority over a ministry and a court, the Lord Master could not have avoided this sooner or later."

Instead, he felt it was a blessing in disguise.

"That case is thorny and old. If the Lord Master can truly settle it, his status will naturally rise along with the tide. Besides, with the help of the Sage of Azure Robes, there will be no need to worry about the health of the Lord Master and Madam in the future. Rather than fretting, you should hope they soon give birth to a young master to play cricket and catch loaches with—wouldn't that be delightful?"

Jinhe was instantly placated and naive enough to ask, "And if they bear a young lady instead, there will be nothing left for the two of us to do."

Yujiang chuckled craftily. "Do you really think that, given the affection between the Lord Master and Madam, they will only have one child in the future?"

He flicked his horse's rump with his crop. "Let's go. Hurry back to the estate and see what on earth is wrong with Madam."