The night was as dark as ink, and the fan with carved rosewood gourds and vines was slightly opened, and a slight cool breeze blew into the room. The hot weather in early August was actually so cold that it made people palpitate. ~ In the back room of Shouan Hall, people are sitting or There were many people standing. Old Mrs. Sheng was lying on the bed with her eyes closed tightly. There was a deep darkness under her eyes, her face was pale and pale with a hint of burnt yellow, and her usually healthy cheeks were also sunken deeply. In Minglan's memory, It seems that I have never seen my grandmother so old and sick.
Fang's mother stood aside slumped, lost and at a loss.
Sheng Hong's heart was like an ant on a hot pot. He stood three or four steps in front of the bed, staring at Dr. Lin who was diagnosing the pulse without blinking. After waiting for a long time, he finally couldn't help but said: "Doctor Lin,... My mother...this...?"
Doctor Lin slowly put away the four fingers of his right hand, stood up and turned around and said: "The old man needs to take a good rest. It is not suitable to have too many people in the house. Sir Shanda, please take a step to speak."
Sheng Hong quickly went out with Dr. Lin. Minglan hesitated for a moment and glanced at Haishi who was waiting beside the bed. She smiled and said, "Sister, please go and listen too. I'm right here." Minglan said gratefully: "Excuse me, sister-in-law." After saying that, he hurried out.
When they arrived at the outer hall, they saw Chang Feng helping Sheng Hong to sit at the top. Mrs. Liu personally offered a bowl of tea to Dr. Lin. Mrs. Wang kept asking: "What's going on?"
Doctor Lin hesitated and said: "...This...it's hard to say." At this time, he saw Minglan coming out, his eyes flickered slightly, and he hesitated, "In short, we are stable now." Sheng Hong breathed a sigh of relief, with a grateful face. He said: "Thank you for your trouble. No matter what you need, the imperial physician will just ask and do my best." Imperial Physician Lin smiled and said, "Your filial piety is commendable."
Minglan walked over slowly and said softly: "My grandmother Tathagata has a strong body and has always been good. Why did she suddenly collapse when she said she was going to fall? Doctor Lin, at least there is an explanation for this." Wang frowned and said, "I'm looking for you so late. The doctor Lin has come and is already very disturbing. How can you be rude and ask questions! The doctor has his own plans."
Doctor Lin smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. Doctors have a parental heart. This is their duty." Then he turned slightly sideways, blocking the sight of Wang and others unintentionally, met Minglan's eyes, and said softly: "The old man is old. As I get older, my health is not as good as that of young people, and there are always problems with my body and bones. I can’t tell what’s wrong with this at the moment, so I’ll have to take a closer look.”
Minglan stared at Imperial Physician Lin and said slowly: "That's what the Imperial Physician said. They all say that sickness comes like a mountain..." She gently wiped the corners of her eyes, "Grandma is getting old after all..."
Mrs. Wang said with satisfaction: "That's right. The old man's body has not been preserved in the first place. I was planning to repay you tomorrow morning, but I didn't know that my servants were so quick-talking and called you over overnight, and it seemed that we didn't know how to do it. Take care of it." Then he turned to Doctor Lin and smiled, "It even made Doctor Lin unable to calm down. It's really..."
Sheng Hong saw that the Wang family was getting more and more speechless, so he shouted in a low voice, "Say less. You are a filial child, but you still talk!"
Mrs. Liu saw the awkward atmosphere in the hall and said softly: "It's not too late now, but it's rare for my sister to come here, so why not just stay at home. I've prepared a wing, and I can set it up when I get back." He turned to Doctor Lin and said, "And you, Doctor..."
Doctor Lin waved his hand and said with a smile: "In our profession, it is common for people to be called out at night. Young lady, don't worry..."
At this time, Minglan suddenly said: "Although grandma is stable now, she has not woken up yet. ~ I only hope that the imperial doctor can stay one more night, so that we can feel at ease. Otherwise, if grandma has another attack at night, what will we do? good……"
Wang frowned and was about to speak when Sheng Hong said first, "That's right. Doctor, please pay more attention." He stood up and held his hands in a salute. Doctor Lin quickly stood up and returned the salute. Although he was also a sixth-grade official, However, the Sheng family was full of officials and his in-laws were prominent, so he did not dare to make excuses: "I don't dare to take the position, I don't dare to take the position." After pondering for a moment, he said, "In this case, I will leave the old lady to prick a few needles to see, and first ask Tong'er to take the medicine. Let’s go get some medicine.”
Minglan whispered, "Thank you, doctor, I will ask someone to escort Tong'er there."
Doctor Lin cupped his hand and said, "I'm going to write a prescription." Mrs. Liu had already prepared and hurriedly asked someone to bring in the pen and ink. Doctor Lin wrote like the wind, and he could get it in just a moment. Sheng Hong took a look at the prescriptions and found that most of them were mild. The medicine didn't have a very specific effect, so I couldn't help but frown. Looking at Dr. Lin's calm face, he hesitated for a moment and couldn't bear to speak.
After Tong'er took Fang out, Doctor Lin turned around and went into the back room to see Mrs. Sheng.
Minglan said: "It's late at night today. Please take a rest as soon as possible. Third brother should also go back." He went over and held Liu's hand, "Third sister-in-law has only been out of the moon for a while, so we can't be tired."
Sheng Hong said: "You should rest. Your sister-in-law will take care of the old lady..."
Minglan suddenly cried: "I have been carefully raised by my grandmother since I was a child, and I have been deeply loved. But after all, I am married and cannot accompany me day and night. Besides, my sister-in-law has to take care of her nephew. She asked me to accompany my grandmother tonight, which counts." Just do your best to be filial."
Sheng Hong thought for a moment, "That's fine. Just take care of the old lady tonight." He glanced at Mrs. Wang again, "From now on, my wife will serve the old lady's soup. You can rest assured."
Wang's face turned ugly and she bit her lip - her mother-in-law was sick, and her daughter-in-law should be the first to take care of her, not her grandson-in-law.
Sheng Hong went into the back room again and spoke to the unconscious Mrs. Sheng for a long time, asking her mother to take good care of her. The chatter was endless. Minglan smiled and said: "If you don't go to rest, I won't go to court tomorrow." Huh?" Sheng Hong stroked his beard and smiled: "Even if you take a day off, there's nothing wrong with it."
Minglan's expression was gentle and her admiration was palpable: "Dad is getting older, so I will do my best to help you if you have something to do. I am here with you, old lady. Daddy is the pillar of the family, so don't be too tired."
Sheng Hong heard it very pleasantly, and felt quite relieved. Minglan urged her softly several times before leading Wang and others back.
Seeing the crowd leaving in a grand manner, Minglan slowly put away her smile, her eyes were cold, her face was frosty, and she said in a deep voice: "Mother Fang, please seal the door tightly inside and outside the Shou'an Hall. Don't ask people to come around and inquire."
Fang's mother responded in a low voice. Minglan walked straight into the back room, stared at Dr. Lin, and said word by word: "Mr. Lin is trusted by our Lord Marquis, so I won't beat around the bush. I just want to ask, what is the reason for the old lady's illness?" Pour?"
Doctor Lin seemed to be waiting for this sentence. After hearing the words, he stood up and whispered: "Madam Mingjian. The old lady... is indeed very ill. [Ye*] [*] I have been experiencing severe pain in my stomach and vomiting since the afternoon. Diarrhea, body twitching from time to time. This..." He hesitated for a while.
Minglan said, "It's okay for the imperial doctor to just say it."
"This does not seem to be a symptom, but rather... it seems... to be poisoning."
Minglan felt heartbroken, took a deep breath, and slowly sat down on the chair: "Sir, maybe you are sure?"
"This..." Dr. Lin was confused, "Although I am 70-80% sure, I can't guarantee it. If I can check what the old lady ate today, how much more can I confirm."
At this time, Fang's mother also came in. She was shocked when she heard these words. Minglan asked: "What did grandma eat today?" She has been under the knee of Old Mrs. Sheng for ten years and is familiar with her habits. Since she has been a widow, Old Mrs. Sheng has paid homage to the Buddha.
For ten years, my daily routine and diet have been extremely regular and restrained, and I have never been greedy for food or cold drinks. This aspect is not difficult to check.
Fang's mother said bitterly: "I also think this symptom is strange. The old lady is such a tough person, how can she say she can't achieve anything?!" There are only a few people inside and outside Shou'an Hall, and most of them are buying food.
Independence, Fang's mother knows it all too well, "Today, the old lady only had breakfast and lunch, and didn't use much. It's hot today, and the food is easy to spoil. I didn't ask the servants to eat the leftovers, so I emptied the swill bucket.
It’s still there. It’s just...the smell..."
Minglan raised a hand and said in a deep voice: "Grandma's daily meals are prepared by us ourselves. Let's take our time on this first. In addition to the two meals, did grandma eat anything else today?" A few people in the small kitchen
Both mothers have been Mrs. Sheng's old companion for decades. Their wealth and life are in the hands of Mrs. Sheng. Suspicion of these people is suspended for now.
Fang’s mother thought for a while and said, “The old lady has become more and more fond of sweets in recent years. There is a master chef in Jufangzhai who has many years of experience. His hibiscus and lotus cakes are the best in the capital. The old lady loves them very much. This master is the one who loves them.
She only makes it by herself twice a month, and every time the old lady makes people wait to buy it..." As she spoke, she felt frightened.
Minglan said anxiously: "Speak quickly, speak quickly."
Fang's mother was dripping with sweat, "At the beginning of this year, the old lady said that Brother Quan was getting older and it was time to learn etiquette, so she asked him to go and greet the old man and his wife every day. When the wife met Sun, she liked her very much, so she took the initiative to give him this
I took over the errands and sent someone to wait at the door of Jufangzhai every day before dawn to buy hot snacks to honor the old lady..."
"So, my wife asked someone to bring the snacks this time?" Minglan's voice trembled slightly.
Fang’s mother panicked and said, “It’s been months and nothing has happened!”
Minglan was stunned for a while, then quickly asked the maid to bring the leftover snacks.
The lotus cake was indeed rich in fragrance, sweet, glutinous and crispy. Even though it was cold now, it still exuded the attractive golden color of baking. Doctor Lin took a silver needle and carefully opened the pastry, from the outside to the inside.
After careful inspection, she finally poked and rummaged through the stuffing. Under the light, she saw the silver needle shining brightly without any change in color. Minglan breathed a sigh of relief - she didn't want it to be Wang who poisoned it.
Unexpectedly, Doctor Lin's expression became more and more solemn. He poked the stuffing into pieces with a silver needle and stretched out his nose to smell it. Minglan became concerned again. After a while, Doctor Lin put down the silver needle and walked to the bedside.
, he opened the old lady's eyelids and looked carefully, then took out a fine down feather from the medicine box, put it under the old lady's nose, and checked the patient's breathing.
The fine hairs trembled rapidly and irregularly, and they also made a hoarse snorting sound, indicating that the patient had difficulty breathing.
After working for a long time, squeezing his hands and feet and tapping his joints, Doctor Lin finally stopped and sighed, "What a great scheming."
"It's indeed poison." Doctor Lin's face turned pale. "It's not an ordinary poison like arsenic. It's the juice extracted from ginkgo buds. Tens of kilograms of bud juice can be refined into a thick consistency, which can kill people."
Ginkgo is edible, but the sprouts are not edible. Theoretically, this is food poisoning, so the silver needle cannot detect it. Doctor Lin pointed to the remaining half of the snacks and said, "Thanks to the hot weather today, this snack is too sweet and greasy.
My wife has not eaten much. If we eat more, even the Great God will be unable to save her."
Minglan asked in a trembling voice: "Can we still be saved?"
"First use medicine to induce vomiting, then give a few injections, and then slowly apply decoction to eliminate the poison." Doctor Lin considered, "But the old lady is old after all, and her body is not as strong as the young people. She may not be able to survive it..."
Minglan clenched her fists tightly, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She suddenly bowed and said, "I'm going to pay my respects to the imperial doctor!"
Even though Mrs. Gu Hou in front of him was younger than his daughter, Doctor Lin still hurriedly returned the gift: "This is my duty." For the sake of caution, he also offered to look at the food in the swill bucket, and Fang's mother asked someone to accompany her.
went.
Step by step out of the back room, Ming Lan stood in the hall with her neck hunched, followed by Fang's mother who was already in tears, "...this wolf-hearted... girl, what... can we... do?"
Minglan supported her trembling body and smiled softly at Cuiping: "Cuiping, you have always been attentive. Please keep an eye on the old lady nearby and be a helper to Dr. Lin these days."
"Don't worry, Miss Six. I saved it." Cuiping wiped away her tears.
In the past few days, Ru Lan accompanied Old Mrs. Wen to visit relatives in the countryside.
She is the wife's companion, so she will come to Shou'an Hall to say hello, and to meet some sisters from the past and reminisce about the past.
Unexpectedly, when this kind of thing happened, everyone in the house suddenly panicked, but Fang's mother remained calm and said that she was no longer a member of the Sheng Mansion and there was no need to check the cards when she went out. She told her to go to the Hou Mansion to report the news.
Seeing Cuiping enter the back room quietly, Minglan turned around and said: "Mother Fang, please look at everyone in Shou'an Hall. Don't reveal anything about the situation here."
Fang's mother showed hatred in her eyes and said in a deep voice: "Whoever dares, I will twist her tongue immediately!" Then she turned around and went out.
Minglan took out a small card from her sleeve, rubbed it slowly in her hand, and said to Xiao Tao: "You know how many doors there are in this mansion, right?"
Xiao Tao swallowed and nodded, "I know. There are five places in total, the front door, the back door, the side door next to the front door, and the side door to the west where carriages and horses are used. Oh, there is also a small door at the end of the garden by the pool at the back.
"She was born in the countryside, and she has been lively and active since she was a child. When people saw that she was young and stupid, they let her roam around the house. She was afraid that there were several dog holes in the Sheng Mansion, and she was aware of them.
Minglan handed the card out, and Xiao Tao took it blankly, looking at her in confusion.
"Go find the Tu brothers." Minglan's face was as deep as water and she said word by word, "Take the guards from the mansion and open the door first. I will block the Sheng Mansion from the inside! No one can be let out!"
Xiao Tao has always been bold and straightforward, she puffed up her chest and said, "Don't worry, madam. I'll go right away."
When Xiaotao went out, Luzhi shed tears: "Madam, could it be Madam..." She did not dare to say any more.
Minglan stood in front of the Arhat's bed, holding up the bed with both hands, staring blankly at the old peach wood rosary beads on the bed. Next to it was a shiny rosewood fish, which was the old lady's favorite thing and had been used for decades.
She slowly turned it over, and she saw that there were several light white marks on the bottom of the wooden fish - that was when she was writing on the small table in the cold winter when she was seven years old. She was a little person with short hands and short feet. When she got out of bed, she was called a mattress.
The old lady was so frightened that her face turned pale and she didn't even have time to look around. She just picked her up and patted her to comfort her not to be afraid.
Minglan looked at the white porcelain tea bowl on the small table and felt filled with resentment, a feeling of anger that was about to burst out of her chest.
She moved her hands and immediately threw the tea bowl hard until it hit the wall. It shattered into pieces before she let out a heavy breath - "Son of a bitch!"
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The following is a disordered word count caused by system chaos, so I will post part of the content of the next chapter first, and these word counts will not be calculated separately.
Chapter 193:
That night, Minglan served in front of the hospital bed, wiping her body, inducing vomiting, and even cleaning up the mess. She was a helper without hesitation. Fang's mother was crying at the side. Doctor Lin looked at it and was very moved - such a high-level order.
Madam, it's really rare - it made his anxious mood calm down a bit.
Doctor Lin had just finished checking the kitchen last night when he suddenly found two fierce-looking burly men standing at the door of Shou'an Hall, talking back, which frightened him to the point of his heart beating wildly. In their line of work, especially those who work in Taiyuan Hospital
For those who are responsible, you will always encounter the secrets of some powerful officials. Therefore, every time you worship the Medicine Master Bodhisattva, in addition to praying for your medical skills to improve and the medicine to cure the disease, you must also self-examine and refrain from talking too much and asking too many questions.
Proceed with caution - avoid getting into trouble.
After changing into the clean clothes brought by Tong'er, Fang's mother politely asked Dr. Lin to rest in the side room for a while, while Minglan rested for a while on the recliner in the old lady's room. It was still dark at the end of the day.
, Minglan woke up and heard a dispute outside the house.
"...What does Sixth Aunt Grandma mean? You don't call me in or call me out, and you dare to hit people...I want to go to court..."
Minglan smiled slightly, stood up and asked Luzhi to change into new clothes for her, then combed her hair simply, and then walked out calmly. The person who argued with Fang's mother was Qian's mother beside Wang.
When she saw Minglan, she immediately said, "...Oh, Grandma Six, there were a lot of scary bad guys here at night..."
Minglan waved her hand and told her to speak softly, and then said: "No need to say more, I will go with you to see the wife and the master." After saying that, she strode out. Luzhi took a small baggage and followed closely. Qian's mother was stunned.