"Oh." Miss i responded, her gaze still inquisitively shifting between Xiqiu and Madam Jiang, appearing very curious.
Madam Jiang quickened her pace towards Tong Xiyan’s courtyard, as if soone was chasing her.
Before even entering Tong Xiyan’s courtyard, Daijuan already ca to greet them: "First Young Madam, Sixth Lady." Madam Jiang nodded at her and asked, "Where is she? How is she doing now?"
Daijuan’s eyes were red, and she glanced cautiously at Mrs. Wang, lowered her head and said, "Just gave her the dicine, but she’s been in a stupor, speaking nonsense in her sleep." She wiped her tears, "I called out to her for a long ti but got no response."
Madam Jiang and Xiqiu ignored Mrs. Wang, stepping quickly into the room. The redwood furniture was part of Tong Xiyan’s dowry, and the treasure cabinet was arranged just like her forr bedroom, where books t the eye, filling the room with a faint scent of ink, now mixed with the sll of dicine. Xiqiu glanced at the bed, where she saw Tong Xiyan’s face flushed, covered in urticaria rash that was slightly swollen, sleeping restlessly, with her hand instinctively on her chest, her breathing rapid and shallow.
Madam Jiang’s tears fell instantly as she walked over and touched Tong Xiyan’s head, "Yesterday I told you to rest at ho for the night, but you insisted on coming back, and now you’ve fallen so ill within a single night."
Daijuan cried silently at the side.
Xiqiu went over to examine Tong Xiyan’s skin carefully, opened her eyelids and pried open her teeth to look, secretly alard. This was a typical allergic reaction; if it was just ordinary pollen, Tong Xiyan’s allergic level couldn’t possibly reach such an extent, unless she’d rolled in a pile of pollen...
She was already mildly comatose.
Xiqiu’s expression turned grim, she turned back to Daijuan and asked, "What on earth happened last night? Such a severe allergic reaction is not to be taken lightly." After speaking, she instructed Bihuai, who was guarding the door: "Go bring Nurse Zhang here."
Daijuan got flustered and replied, "...Everything was fine when she was kneeling in the ancestral hall, then she developed a fever, and I brought Madam back, but not long after, she beca like this." She paused, "I don’t know how it happened..."
Mrs. Wang, seeing Xiqiu so solemn, couldn’t help but laugh and say, "Sixth Lady, aren’t you being a bit too tense? Daijuan ntioned that the sister-in-law has had this condition since her maiden days, if it’s just a recurrence, it shouldn’t be much of a problem. Moreover, she was given dicine, and the doctor said she’d be fine after taking it."
"Shut up!" Xiqiu turned to look at Madam Jiang, her expression frightening: "I don’t care what kind of doctor you called, I only know that she’s in a very dangerous condition now." She finished speaking, looking at Bihuai and instructing, "Hurry up and don’t delay!"
Bihuai acknowledged and left.
Mrs. Wang’s complexion changed several tis, she shrank back, seemingly startled by Xiqiu’s expression and manner, or perhaps sensing the seriousness of the situation, cautiously asked, "That Nurse Zhang... should the Imperial Physician be brought instead?"
Madam Jiang had never seen Xiqiu so furious, but she knew that if there wasn’t an issue, she wouldn’t react this way. Anxiously, Madam Jiang asked, "Sixth Lady, what should we do now?"
Xiqiu frowned, quickly threw back the quilt covering Tong Xiyan, and stripped off her outer garnts until only the inner garnts were left, replying to Madam Jiang, "Without any dication, we can only hope that Jingliu knows what to do."
Tong Xiyan’s breathing improved sowhat, but was still faster than normal.
Daijuan covered her face with a handkerchief, crying softly. She also thought the fever had passed without consequence, not expecting it to be as serious as Sixth Lady said.
Madam Jiang wiped her tears, turned back to Mrs. Wang, "Sister-in-law, where has the Fourth Son-in-law gone?"
"He... he went to the governnt office." Mrs. Wang had already retreated to the doorway, stopping only when Madam Jiang asked her a question.
Madam Jiang’s expression turned stern, slowly saying: "Please trouble Sister-in-law to send soone to bring the Fourth Son-in-law back, at such a ti, his presence would be a reassurance." She wanted Jiang Shilin to see for himself what hardships Tong Xiyan was enduring.
"Alright, alright, I’ll go at once!" Mrs. Wang said, hurriedly lifting her skirt and dashing out the door without looking back.
Xiqiu waved the maids away from the room, pinched Tong Xiyan’s nose and leaned down to administer artificial respiration. Madam Jiang stared in astonishnt, "Sixth Lady, what are you doing?"
Xiqiu had no mind to explain, performing two more sets of resuscitation, finally reducing the redness in Tong Xiyan’s face, but this was only addressing the symptoms, not the root cause. Without dication, she could do nothing more.
"Fourth Sister!" Xiqiu held Tong Xiyan’s hand, "Wake up, Sister-in-law and I have co to see you." Then she turned back to Madam Jiang, "Sister-in-law, talk to Fourth Sister. If she can wake on her own, that would be best."
Madam Jiang imdiately stepped forward to talk to Tong Xiyan, starting from before her marriage, speaking of the dowry of the previous dynasty’s Empress, while Xiqiu observed Tong Xiyan, intermittently performing resuscitation if her breathing faltered. Madam Jiang, suppressing her astonishnt, talked constantly about topics that might interest Tong Xiyan.
They waited for a while; though the dical clinic on West Street was far, Jiang Shilin was surprisingly not yet back despite the proximity. Madam Jiang, anxious, glanced at the doorway from ti to ti.
Old Madam Jiang was helped in by Miss i, stopping at the room entrance, looking incredulous at Xiqiu and Madam Jiang, her voice indifferent: "Why is everyone making it sound so serious? Jiang Shilin is busy at the governnt office, how can he co back at whim?" Saying this, she hobbled closer, halting behind Madam Jiang, "Didn’t she take antipyretics already? The doctor also said there’s no issue, Sixth Lady is making quite a fuss."
Xiqiu took a deep breath, suddenly wishing Nanny Fang were here, perhaps only she could reason with this Old Madam Jiang.
Madam Jiang also suppressed her inner ire, turning to Old Madam Jiang: "In that case, when the doctor arrives, let’s have Sixth Lady taken back to her ho for recovery, so as not to trouble you here." With that, she instructed Nanny Qiu: "Master Jiang is esteed and busy, go invite Elder Brother!"
These words were quite severe already.
Xiqiu couldn’t restrain her surprise either, Madam Jiang was typically gentle and pleasant, never speaking so directly without consulting Tong Xiyan or the Lady, indicating even she was greatly exasperated with this Jiang family’s pair of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
Old Madam Jiang’s face stiffened, displeased: "First Young Madam, what are you saying? If she really is in danger, Jiang Shilin will surely return, but this morning the doctor said she was fine, calling him back now would delay governnt matters, that’s not sothing to joke about." Pausing, she added, "Household won can’t bother n with every little thing, causing trouble for them."
After all, she was a senior, so Madam Jiang couldn’t speak too bluntly, she forced herself to endure it, not replying further.
Miss i, supporting Old Madam Jiang, peered over at the bed, timidly saying, "Old Madam, I think Sister seems to be..." Old Madam Jiang paused, turning to her and asking, "Seems like what?"
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