Chapter 197 - 198: Fever Reducer
"Young Master Le?" Hong Tianbao called out, but there was no reply. The courtyard was small, yet densely packed with several rooms.
"Where’s our Young Master Le?" He had no choice but to turn and glare at Xiuxiang.
Song Xiuyang casually pointed to a room. "He’s in there."
Hong Tianbao wasted no time. He led his men in, pushing the door open. In the light spilling from the doorway, they could vaguely make out a figure lying on a wooden plank.
Despite the commotion they were making, the figure didn’t stir. Hong Tianbao’s heart leaped into his throat. He rushed to the man’s side. The moment his hand touched him, it felt scorching hot. When he turned the man’s face to see it, Hong Tianbao panicked.
"Quick! Get Young Master Le out of here!"
The two brawny servants didn’t dare to hesitate. One squatted down while the other quickly helped lift the man onto his back. With the man on his shoulders, he immediately ran outside.
"Where do you think you’re taking him?" Xiuxiang suddenly blocked their path.
"Get out of the way," Hong Tianbao’s voice turned icy. ’No matter how pathetic this Young Master Le has become, he’s still our lord’s nephew. How can we let them abuse him like this?’
"He’s my husband! You can’t just take him like this."
"If we don’t get your husband to a doctor right now and something happens, can you take responsibility?"
Hong Tianbao shot a look at the two servants. They bypassed Song Xiuyang directly, running outside with the man on their back.
"I’d advise you to behave. There are some people you can’t afford to cross."
Having followed Ancient Wen Heng for so long, Hong Tianbao was no longer the clueless kid he used to be. He had a good sense of what his master did behind the scenes. Add to that the connection to Prince Bai, and his chest puffed out with even more confidence.
"You’re just a servant. How dare you speak to me like that?"
Hong Tianbao scoffed and hurried after them.
"Sis, what now?"
"Let’s just watch for now." Song Xiuyang breathed a quiet sigh of relief. ’At least someone is dealing with Gu Lejia. Otherwise, my reputation as a husband-killer would be set in stone.’
"But if he doesn’t let us get involved, how will we get our hands on the silver? I’m still waiting on the capital for my business," Little Brother Song said, his face tight. "Sis, are you giving up on me, too?
Don’t forget, I’m the only family you have left in this world. You’ll be counting on me to back you up in the future."
"But your brother-in-law... he didn’t even open his eyes to look at us. Do you think something’s really wrong?" The more Xiuxiang thought about it, the more uneasy she grew. "No, we have to go see him.
If something really happens to him, his Seventh Uncle will definitely not let us off easy."
"You think my brother-in-law could be faking it?"
"Faking it or not, I have to go check. If you don’t want to come, then go back to your own place." The house here was just a temporary place she and Gu Lejia were renting.
The moment Ancient Wen Heng arrived at the apothecary, he saw Hong Tianbao pacing anxiously. Hong Tianbao spotted him and immediately jogged over.
"What’s the situation? Has the fever broken?"
Hong Tianbao shook his head. "No. The doctor said if we can’t get the fever to break today, there’s going to be a serious problem."
Hong Tianbao didn’t dare mention the various possibilities the doctor had listed. Each one was too terrifying to contemplate.
Ancient Wen Heng’s face was grim. He strode into the apothecary’s rear courtyard and found Song Xiuyang hiding in a corner, wiping away tears.
Ancient Wen Heng merely shot her a passing glance before walking straight to Gu Lejia. He was lying there with his eyes closed, his cheeks flushed red from the fever. Damp cloths were pressed to his forehead and the palms of his hands.
"Tianbao, bring a cup of warm water," Ancient Wen Heng said with a frown. ’Thankfully, when I heard the news, I got some fever reducer and anti-inflammatory medicine from Jin Qianqian.’
He emptied the paper-wrapped medicine into a bowl, added the warm water, and then had Hong Tianbao prop Gu Lejia up. He pried open Gu Lejia’s mouth and carefully poured the mixture in, bit by bit.
"What are you giving him?" The attendant, who had just entered with a freshly brewed decoction, saw them and cried out in alarm.
"Medicine we brought ourselves." Ancient Wen Heng glanced at the bowl of herbal medicine in the attendant’s hands. "Wait to give him that."
"Who are you? You can’t just give him random medicine! That could kill him!" the attendant panicked. "Master, come quick! They’re giving the patient their own concoction!"
"What is this nonsense!" An old man with white hair and a white beard rushed in, his steps surprisingly nimble. "He’s already hot enough to have convulsions! We have to bring this fever down immediately, or it’ll be too late.
You people don’t know the first thing about medicine, yet you’re forcing some unknown drug on him. You’re trying to kill him!"
"Seventh Uncle! I know you can’t stand the sight of us, but you can’t be this reckless with a person’s life! Gu Lejia is your own nephew, isn’t he?
Giving him this strange medicine... you’re trying to take his life!" Xiuxiang suddenly pushed her way to the bedside and threw herself over Gu Lejia, wailing dramatically.
Ancient Wen Heng’s expression grew even colder. He turned to the old doctor and said, "There’s nothing wrong with this medicine. The fever should break shortly. As for his treatment after that, I will leave it entirely in your hands, Doctor."
"What did you give him?" The old doctor quickly grabbed Gu Lejia’s wrist to feel his pulse. When he found nothing seriously amiss, he fixed his gaze on Ancient Wen Heng, his expression making it clear that this matter wasn’t over until he got an explanation.
Ancient Wen Heng replied, "A physician gave me this medicine to keep for emergencies. It’s remarkably effective against these kinds of fevers."
"What kind of physician prescribes medicine without even examining the patient? Probably one of those quacks from the side of the road," the attendant muttered. "This is going to get someone killed."
Ancient Wen Heng said, "We’ll know the results in a moment, won’t we?"
The old doctor waved his hand dismissively. The medicine was already in him; there was no point talking about it. "Fine, we’ll wait. If the fever hasn’t broken in a quarter of an hour, we’ll force my medicine down his throat."
Hearing the doctor’s verdict, Xiuxiang stopped her loud wailing but continued to sob uncontrollably.
Impatient with the scene, Ancient Wen Heng told Hong Tianbao to keep watch. He walked out to the front of the apothecary and silently studied the names on the medicine cabinets.
But things happened much faster than they had anticipated. The bowl of steaming medicine hadn’t even cooled yet when Hong Tianbao cried out, "He’s sweating! Young Master Le is sweating!"
His cry brought everyone rushing back. Beads of sweat had appeared on Gu Lejia’s forehead and the bridge of his nose, and the crimson flush on his face had begun to fade.
"It’s working," the attendant said, baffled. "What kind of miracle cure is this? I’ve never seen anything work so fast."
Even a strong dose of his own medicine would take at least half an hour to show any effect.
The old doctor pushed through the crowd again. He felt Gu Lejia’s forehead and the area behind his ear, confirming the high fever had indeed subsided. After checking his pulse again for a moment, he finally stood up.
He made an inviting gesture to Ancient Wen Heng. "If you would please step aside. This old one has some questions for you."