PFC Chapter 211 The Old Lady Suffers a Stroke
Chapter 211 The Old Lady Suffers a Stroke
"Oh no! Oh no! The old lady has fainted! Master, you must go and see her right away!" The magpie beside the old lady ran over to deliver the news.
"what happened?"
"After the old lady went back, she said she felt unwell and couldn't catch her breath. She kept crying, saying that she had spoiled the young master for nothing, and then she fainted. She's still having some convulsions now," Magpie explained anxiously.
"Then what are you standing there for? Hurry up and go get a doctor!"
"This servant has already sent someone to invite them from the back door. Master, you should go and see them."
Gu Ziming's brows were furrowed and never relaxed. He couldn't just leave now because Lord Zhao was still here.
"Lord Zhao, my family... well, it's all in complete chaos. You know pretty much everything. If you still want to take my elderly mother away now, then come with me. But at least let her get her illness treated first."
Lord Zhao knew that things had reached their limit. If Gu Ziming was pushed too far, he probably wouldn't have a good outcome either. He figured that the current result should satisfy the Emperor.
"I would never be so heartless. Please do as you please. However, I will still come to your residence to bother you if I need anything."
"Hmph!" Gu Ziming flicked his sleeves and strode into the backyard.
The courtyard, which had been bustling just moments before, had become somewhat quiet, but this was only relative. A crowd of onlookers still gathered at the entrance, and they were not afraid of angering the Prime Minister and being reprimanded because of their large numbers.
However, since Wang Ruyan had died with a thud at the door, everyone retreated to the bottom of the steps of the mansion gate and discussed the matter in hushed tones.
Lord Zhao saw that Prime Minister Gu was completely disregarding the situation and had left him with a mess to clean up.
"Alright, men, collect all the bodies and carry them back. The rest... the Prime Minister's residence will take care of it. Let's go." Just as Lord Zhao was about to leave, he saw the Third Prince who hadn't left yet, so he quickly went forward.
"Third Prince, this humble official must be returning now."
"Hmm." Xiao Yuheng pondered for a moment, then leaned closer to Lord Zhao and asked, "Lord Zhao, this matter is already considered a major murder case in the capital. I'm sure you will report it to the Emperor, right?"
"According to the procedure, this is how it should be done. Once I have prepared the memorial, I will submit it to His Majesty for review."
"Of course, but what I'm thinking is that since Gu Changfeng and Wang Shi have no connection with the Prime Minister's residence anymore, I hope Lord Zhao can also write that down truthfully."
Lord Zhao immediately understood the Third Prince's meaning and said meaningfully, "Your Highness is overthinking it. I will definitely handle the case impartially and will never bend the law for personal gain."
"Lord Zhao, I admire your abilities. Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could serve me?"
"Your Highness is too kind. I was just doing my best for His Majesty, and I was only trying to avoid making mistakes rather than seeking merit."
Although Xiao Yuheng appeared friendly on the surface, he knew in his heart that he had sent people to try to win over this Lord Zhao many times, but in the end he was a stubborn rock that wouldn't budge no matter what.
"Well, Lord Zhao is busy, so I must go back now, otherwise my father will probably be angry again if he finds out."
"Third Prince, please take care."
As the servants of the Prime Minister's residence cleaned and swept, the bloodstains at the entrance were washed down the steps, and the heavy gate of the Prime Minister's residence creaked shut.
The once bustling Prime Minister's residence now appears somewhat dilapidated to most people.
When they arrived at the old lady's residence in the backyard, she was indeed not feeling well. She was lying on the bed, convulsing, with drool dripping from the corner of her mouth. Gu Hanjiao was crying and calling out to her from the bedside.
"Grandmother, Grandmother, what's wrong? You can't be hurt! My mother is gone, and now I only have you left, Grandmother. If something happens to you, I'll truly have no one to love me, no one to care for me, and I'll be bullied by everyone..."
Gu Ziming and the others saw this scene as soon as they entered the room. Several concubines were also present, each wiping away tears with a handkerchief. Following them in were Gu Qingwan and her brother Gu Hanqing.
"Why did you come?"
"Father, I was delayed a bit while dealing with those officials ahead."
“My daughter’s yard is far away, and my father told me to go back, so I didn’t dare to come out,” Gu Qingwan said.
This was indeed something Xi Gu Ziming himself had personally instructed him to do. Looking at Gu Hanjiao kneeling before the bed, weeping bitterly, he didn't know what to feel.
"Where is the doctor? When will the doctor arrive?"
"Here he comes, the doctor is here."
Gu Hanjiao remained kneeling before the bed, wiping the drool from the old lady's mouth with a handkerchief, not minding the dirt.
"Doctor, please take a look at my grandmother and see what's wrong with her."
The doctor didn't delay and immediately began treatment. He frowned for a moment, then picked up a silver needle and pricked several acupoints on the old lady's head to calm her down.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Doctor, what's wrong with my mother?"
"In reply to you, sir, the old lady fainted due to a combination of anger and grief, as well as her advanced age and insufficient blood supply."
"Then why is your whole body convulsing and drooling?"
The doctor hesitated for a moment, carefully choosing his words before saying, "The old lady is quite old, and it's already a miracle that she's made it through. When she wakes up later, she will likely be partially paralyzed and unable to take care of herself, along with slurred speech, which are what we usually call stroke symptoms."
"Stroke!" Gu Ziming was somewhat surprised.
Although my elderly mother is old, she has always been in very good health, so how could this be...?
Gu Ziming voiced his doubts: "Doctor, please take another look. My mother is old, but she has always been in good health, isn't that right...?"
"The old lady's usual diet may be a bit greasy. Eating too much rich food and too much nutrition has led to overexertion, which is why she fell ill so suddenly. In the future, adults should also pay more attention to their diet. It is better for the elderly to eat some light and easily digestible foods."
"Thank you, doctor. Batu will go with you to get the prescription and present the consultation fee."
"Yes."
After everyone left, Gu Ziming asked, "Magpie, can you tell me what happened to the old lady?"
After tidying up, Magpie knelt down and explained, "The old lady loves braised pork knuckle, braised lion's head meatballs, and roast duck the most. If she doesn't get any meat at every meal, she'll throw a tantrum all day."
"Then why didn't you all try to dissuade them! You've all failed in your duty! Take them all away and sell them off. What use are you if you can't even take care of your master!"
"Master, spare me! Master, spare me! It was Madam who said that since the old lady is finally enjoying a comfortable life, we shouldn't obstruct her too much. Going along with the old lady's wishes is more important than anything else, so..."
Aunt Rou wiped away her tears and said, "Cousin, please calm down. Aunt needs people right now. If you send them away, who will take care of her? Besides, these are the people Aunt is used to using."
"If it weren't for Aunt Rou pleading for you, I would have sent you all away today!"
"Thank you so much, Auntie. Thank you so much, Auntie." Magpie quickly kowtowed.
"Alright, go down and prepare the medicine for the old lady."
"Yes, this servant will go right away." Magpie hurriedly lifted her skirt and ran out with a bent back, afraid that her master would change his mind and sell them off.
“This Wang Ruyan, she…” What could Gu Ziming say? She’s already dead; he couldn’t possibly whip her corpse to vent his anger.
Gu Hanjiao, hiding in the corner, squinted mischievously. She pinched herself hard where no one could see, then knelt on the ground and cried.
“Father, it was all my mother’s fault for being confused. I, as her daughter, will make amends for her mistakes.”
"Repay? How does Second Sister plan to repay?"
“Sister, I know that you hate me now because of what my mother did, and even hate Grandmother, but Grandmother is still our grandmother. Please let your younger sister stay and serve Grandmother.”
"Is my second sister not planning to get married?"
Gu Hanjiao bit her lip and said, "I dare not hope for anything else anymore. Now I only hope that my grandmother can get better and that my father and sister can forgive me."
“My sister is so filial. Her own mother has already passed away, yet she is still here worrying about her grandmother’s health. I wonder if Wang Shi, who knows this in the afterlife, would feel gratified.”
"My mother...my mother is dead?" Gu Hanjiao looked at Gu Qingwan in disbelief.
"Second Miss, please accept my condolences. Madam... oh no, I mean Wang Shi, she did indeed commit suicide at the gate of the mansion." Aunt Rou explained, "Sigh, why can't things be discussed properly? Why do they have to tarnish the reputation of the Prime Minister's mansion before they're satisfied? Isn't this just asking for trouble for the Second Miss?"
Gu Ziming interrupted everyone's conversation: "Alright, since Second Miss wants to take care of the Old Madam, then stay here. You are not allowed to go anywhere except here and your own courtyard, and you are not allowed to go out. Do you understand?"
"Thank you, Father. I will serve my grandmother with all my heart and not cause you any trouble." Gu Hanjiao knelt on the ground, seemingly devout, but if you could see into her eyes, you would know that they were full of hatred.
The humiliation you have inflicted on me today, I will repay you tenfold in the future!
"Since everyone is here, and there have been some recent changes at home, Aunt Li and Aunt Rou will be in charge of handling things at home for the time being. Aunt Rou is feeling unwell, so she can assist her from the side."
"Yes."
"From now on, there will only be one young master in this household, and that is Gu Hanqing. He will be our eldest young master, understand? I don't care what people say about the family outside, but if I find out that any rumors are spreading from inside the family, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"Yes."
Just then, Magpie and the others brought out the medicine they had brewed. Gu Hanjiao quickly wiped away her tears, not caring that the bowl had burned her fingertips.
"Second Miss..." Magpie whispered worriedly, "Second Miss, be careful not to burn your hands."
"It's alright. Grandmother's health is the most important thing. This medicine can't be drunk cold, otherwise its effectiveness will be greatly reduced."
Gu Hanjiao picked up the spoon and kept blowing on the steam in the bowl, then took a small sip, her eyebrows furrowing.
"That's about enough. Come here, Magpie, help me lift Grandma up a bit so she won't choke."
The magpie quickly did as instructed.
"Second Miss, why don't you let me do it?" said Aunt Rou.
Gu Hanjiao dodged Aunt Rou's hand that was about to take the bowl and said, "Aunt, please don't try to take it from me. I promised to serve my grandmother, and I will definitely do it. I hope you can grant my request."
Aunt Rou said awkwardly, "Second Miss, what are you saying? I just wanted to help."
"Thank you for your kindness, Auntie. I can manage on my own."
Seeing that they couldn't be of much help, Aunt Rou and Aunt Li exchanged glances and went out together, while Gu Ziming and the others sat in the outer hall.