Xia Qingyu was furious and had half a mind to just walk away. However, remembering what Bai Kou and Bai Wei had said, this Old Madam was the only person in the Marquis's Estate who had been kind to her. As for a condition like allergic laryngeal edema, she did not know if there was a way to treat it in ancient times. Although she had treated such patients with acupuncture in modern times, that was a treatment experience summarized after thousands of years of exploration and research; who knew if the doctors here would know it? If they did, she would only have to endure a few cold words, and she wouldn't lose a piece of flesh. She was leaving soon anyway, and would have no further connection with this family. If they didn't know how to treat it, that was a human life at stake. As the saying goes, a doctor's heart is like a parent's; Xia Qingyu would not disregard a life just because of a few words.
She stood silently to one side, watching the room full of Madams, mistresses, and concubines crowding around Imperial Physician Zhang. Since it concerned the life and death of Old Madam Yu, she could not worry about taboos; besides, Imperial Physician Zhang was very familiar with their manor.
When Imperial Physician Zhang reached the Old Madam, he only took two looks before his expression changed drastically. He then reached out to check her pulse, had a maid pry open the Old Madam's mouth to take a look, and then stood up, shaking his head. "It is no use. Please ask the Madams to prepare for the funeral arrangements as soon as possible."
"What?"
It was truly a bolt from the blue; no one had expected such an outcome. Immediately, someone grabbed Imperial Physician Zhang's sleeve—it was Huang Ying, the head maid by Old Madam Yu's side. She knelt down with a "thud" and cried, "Lord Imperial Physician, I beg you to save the Old Madam! She was perfectly fine just a moment ago. In this short amount of time, you... you can save her! She was clearly fine before..."
The others began to cry as well, but Imperial Physician Zhang just kept shaking his head, saying bitterly, "I can treat the illness, but I cannot command fate. This old man is truly... helpless." After saying this, he sighed repeatedly.
Madam Ye's heart sank instantly. Thinking that the Marquis and the Second Master were still outside, if the Old Madam were to pass away like this without even her sons to see her off, she felt a wave of darkness before her eyes. However, since the Imperial Physician had already said so, it was likely the Old Madam could not be saved. Just as she was about to suppress her grief and send someone to the gate to see if the Marquis and Lu Yunxiao and the other descendants had returned, she heard a crisp voice say, "Let me try."
"What kind of trouble are you causing now?"
Before Madam Ye could speak, she heard Qin Shuying shout angrily. She then stormed over, glaring at Xia Qingyu with eyes spitting fire.
Xia Qingyu was not afraid in the slightest and said in a deep voice, "The Imperial Physician is at his wit's end, is he not? This illness has already been delayed for so long; if you keep blocking me, there will truly be no chance of survival left."
"Don't you spout nonsense..."
"Ying Yatou, let her come over."
Before Qin Shuying could finish her sentence, she heard Madam Ye give a stern command. She glared fiercely at Xia Qingyu, but finally stepped aside, and the concubines behind her also cleared a path.
Damn it, being surrounded like this, even if she had breath, she would be suffocated to death.
Xia Qingyu cursed inwardly and rushed forward to check Old Madam Yu's breathing, while shouting loudly, "Everyone disperse, disperse! Being surrounded like this makes the air stagnant. The Old Madam was already struggling to breathe, and now with you all crowding her, it's even more suffocating."
Qin Shuying gritted her teeth as she watched Xia Qingyu's figure, and just as she was about to speak, she was stopped by a look from Madam Ye. Madam Ye then ordered everyone to disperse, though she remained standing beside Xia Qingyu, watching her actions without blinking.
At this moment, the Old Madam was already delirious, making gurgling sounds in her throat. Based on this simple symptom and the medical history provided by the old women earlier, it could basically be diagnosed as allergic laryngeal edema. In this ancient time, there were no other medical tools to confirm it. In an emergency, one must act with flexibility; Xia Qingyu could only take this gamble.
Therefore, she did not hesitate for even a second. She reached into the small silver box and took out two long, thin silver needles. These were part of the dowry her father had given her when Xia Qingyu was married off. Although she did not know medical skills, they were a Traditional Chinese Medicine family; this item was a must-have in the dowry and betrothal gifts for every daughter or daughter-in-law who entered the family. When Xia Qingyu was rummaging through her dowry in her room, she had seen this needle box and was so excited, secretly thinking that this would be the tool she would rely on to make a living in the future. She had not expected that these silver needles would come in handy so soon.
She had someone bring a candle to light it, sterilized the silver needles over the flame, and then Xia Qingyu inserted the two silver needles into Old Madam Yu's Hegu and Neiguan acupoints respectively. Now she could only pray that the Old Madam's meridians were sensitive enough; if the meridians were dull, she feared the Old Madam would pass away before the acupuncture could take effect. In this era, performing a tracheotomy was clearly an impractical fantasy. Not to mention the lack of tools and a sterile environment, even if she had the tools, would these predatory women allow her to perform such a shocking act?
Because of this, this was the only path left for Old Madam Yu's survival. Fortunately, the sensitivity of meridians had little to do with age. Elderly people could also have sensitive meridians. At this moment, Xia Qingyu kept praying that the Old Madam would be blessed with great fortune.
Qin Shuying quietly came behind Madam Ye, watching Xia Qingyu working earnestly, with fine beads of sweat even appearing on her forehead and the tip of her nose. She curled her lips and whispered, "Madam, do you really believe her? Since I married into this family, I have never heard anyone say she knows how to treat illnesses. Usually, if she catches a cold, she still has to call a doctor."
Madam Ye said indifferently, "What else can we do? Even Imperial Physician Zhang is at his wit's end. Now we can only treat a living horse as if it were a dead one. Otherwise, do you have a better solution?"
Qin Shuying reached out to wipe her eyes and choked with sobs, "Yes, I have no better solution. I just... I just feel pitiful for the Old Ancestor. Don't... don't let her be deliberately abused like this in the end. I... whenever I think of this, my heart feels like it's being twisted by a knife."
"Who are you saying is abusing the Old Madam?" Xia Qingyu kept her eyes fixed on the Old Madam's changes, but her ears were not idle. Qin Shuying had deliberately not lowered her voice, intending for everyone in the room to hear, so naturally, she had heard every word.
Qin Shuying was about to speak, but after a glance from Madam Ye, she dared not say anything more and could only glare angrily at Xia Qingyu. She hated this domineering and arrogant Eldest Madam to the bone. How dare she put on airs as the Eldest Madam in front of her? Hmph! What kind of ending would she have in the end? Today, she wanted to see how she would clean up this mess.
Whether it was because Xia Qingyu's prayers worked or not, Old Madam Yu's meridians happened to be very sensitive. The gurgling sound finally gradually faded away. Although the Old Madam had not yet opened her eyes, after half an incense stick of time, her face, which had been purple from suffocation, gradually returned to its original color.
Madam Ye was truly overjoyed. Qin Shuying widened her eyes, her mouth slightly agape, but she could not say a word. This expression really ruined her usual elegant and noble image, but at this moment, she could not care about such things.
Imperial Physician Zhang, who had been watching the whole process, was also so excited he did not know what to say. Before anyone in the room could speak, he took a step forward, gave a thumbs-up to Xia Qingyu, and praised repeatedly, "Miraculous skill, the Madam truly has miraculous skill. That... this old man asks boldly, can such patients be treated by using needles on the Hegu and Neiguan acupoints?"
Xia Qingyu watched Old Madam Yu's breathing slowly stabilize and let out a long sigh of relief, secretly thinking it was truly a stroke of luck. She had rushed in to save a life entirely based on a moment of hot-bloodedness and the benevolent heart of a doctor. Thinking about it now, if she hadn't saved Old Madam Yu, the consequences would have been quite terrifying. She did not believe the women in this room would have any gratitude toward her or understand her good intentions of doing her best. But fortunately, Old Madam Yu was finally saved. Now, no one had anything to say, especially that annoying Second Mistress. Hehe, this was equivalent to a slap in her face. Refreshing, truly refreshing.
As Xia Qingyu thought this, she was unwilling to let Qin Shuying off. Hearing the inquiry from Old Imperial Physician Zhang, she did not answer, but instead looked at Qin Shuying with a smile and said, "So I am not saving a life, but abusing the Old Madam, am I?"
Qin Shuying's face flushed red instantly, and her willow-leaf eyebrows stood up. She had a mind to say something sharp, but this woman had just become the Old Ancestor's savior. Even the Madam, who had always disliked her, would be embarrassed to use harsh words, so how could she dare to be this "ungrateful" person? She had no choice but to swallow this breath, so angry she nearly choked to death.
Xia Qingyu then turned to Imperial Physician Zhang and said sternly, "Not all suffocating patients can be treated with this method. The Old Madam's case is a special situation. I heard the old women outside say there was a novel dish this morning. I would like to ask, is this a dish the Old Madam has never eaten before?"
Madam Ye nodded and said indifferently, "That is correct. Yesterday, the Noble Consort sent over some tributes from the Bailuo Kingdom, including a jar of cured meat. It was said to be made from a type of goose unique to the Bailuo Kingdom, and it is very good to eat with porridge after being steamed. The Old Madam had just eaten a piece of the meat when she said her throat felt uncomfortable, then she had difficulty breathing, and in the end, she became delirious."
Xia Qingyu thought to herself, eating other meat is fine, but eating this goose meat causes an allergy? Hmm, could it be that there are animals and plants in this time and space that I don't recognize? Hmm, that is very possible.
While thinking, she clapped her hands and said, "That is it. The Old Madam had an adverse reaction to eating this goose meat, which is why this situation occurred. That is why using needles on the Neiguan and Hegu acupoints could be effective. This is also because the Old Madam is blessed with great fortune and has naturally sensitive meridians. Otherwise, if the meridians were dull, this illness would have been acute and severe, and even with acupuncture on the Hegu and Neiguan acupoints, I fear it might not have been possible to save her."
In ancient times, people would not understand words like "allergy," so Xia Qingyu had to try her best to explain it in language they could understand.
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I can charge the new book list today. I am asking for clicks, recommendation tickets, and collections—in short, I am asking for everything I can ask for. Ao wu!
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