Chapter 28: 028 Wish to Speak

 Chapter 28: 028 Wish to Speak

The main room was dim and empty, not a soul in sight.

A faint smell of blood and decay lingered in the air. Even with the veil and the face cover, the nauseating stench still made its way into Chu Qianchen’s nostrils.

Chu Qianchen furrowed her brows, thinking: Could it be that I’m too late?

She looked around, then instructed, "Hu Po, don’t touch anything in this room."

Hu Po quickly complied, her voice tight, and followed Chu Qianchen deeper into the house.

The layout of the row houses was simple, each one the same. The front was the main room, with doors on both sides leading to the kitchen and the inner rooms where people slept.

Chu Qianchen pushed open a door to the inner room and immediately spotted a person lying on the bed. The smell of blood grew stronger.

"Cough, cough..."

The woman on the bed let out weak, intermittent coughs, her body trembling with each fit. The sound was enough to make one’s heart ache.

Hearing the door open, she lifted her head to look, revealing a pale, sickly face, stained with dried blood, the spots scattered across her skin were chilling to see.

Even though the person lying there now seemed like a different person compared to six days ago, Chu Qianchen instantly recognized her. It was Mei’er.

She was still alive!

"Mei’er?" Chu Qianchen called tentatively.

Mei’er, unable to see Chu Qianchen’s face because of the veil, still recognized the voice. With great effort, she asked, "Second Miss?"

Her voice was so weak it was barely audible, like a faint mosquito’s hum. She was hanging on by a thread, and her breathing was so shallow it was almost impossible to see the rise and fall of her chest.

Chu Qianchen stood at the door, staring at Mei’er, who was just a few paces away, for a long time without speaking. It was so long that Mei’er thought she might be hallucinating, perhaps because she was about to die.

After a while, Chu Qianchen finally spoke, her first question being: "Do you regret it?"

Regret?! Mei’er’s pupils contracted. Her face paled even more, and she trembled as she said, "I, I... the servant..."

At first, she had only thought she had caught a common cold, but within just a few days, her condition had worsened to the point of near death. She wasn’t stupid, and soon she understood the truth.

This... this was an attempt to silence her!

But what good was regret?

She was almost dead anyway!

"Miss, I... cough, cough!"

Mei’er tried to say something, but before she could finish, she suddenly covered her mouth and began coughing violently. With the cough, two streams of bright red blood sprayed from her nose, the scene gruesome and terrifying.

"Miss!" Hu Po quickly moved to shield Chu Qianchen, remembering what the second miss had said—this disease spreads through the blood!

"It’s fine." Chu Qianchen smiled, observing Mei’er lying on the bed through her veil.

Mei’er had a few scattered red rashes on the back of her hand, but her face was still smooth and untouched.

Patients infected with "Seven-Day Fever" exhibited different initial symptoms. For example, Chen Mama’s early symptom was a rash, while Mei’er, according to Chen Mama, had first experienced a nosebleed. However, all patients with this disease had some form of red rash, whether on the face, body, or limbs. Some had numerous rashes, while others only had a few isolated ones.

Had it not been for the prominent rashes on Chen Mama’s face and neck, Chu Qianchen might not have noticed them at all. Once the rash broke and bled, it would have become troublesome.

"Mei’er, let me take your pulse first."

Chu Qianchen walked over to the bed where Mei’er lay.

"Miss…" Hu Po hesitated, wanting to stop her, but ultimately didn’t dare. The second miss had become increasingly determined lately, and even Madam couldn’t persuade her, let alone herself. Hu Po gritted her teeth and followed.

Chu Qianchen placed a handkerchief over Mei’er’s wrist and, through the fabric, carefully checked her pulse.

Soon, she withdrew her hand and said, “You can still be saved.”

The moment those words left her lips, a glimmer of light appeared in Mei’er’s dull eyes.

No one wanted to die if they could live!

"Second Miss…" Mei’er whispered, her voice trembling.

She had witnessed Chu Qianchen revive the fourth young master, who had been on the verge of death. To Mei’er, Chu Qianchen was like a life-saving straw. "Please…"

"Do you regret it?" Chu Qianchen asked again, her tone calm.

The veil hid her face, but Mei’er, though not particularly smart, suddenly understood. Her eyes widened in shock.

"I’ll tell you everything!"

"Please, Miss, save me!"

The two sentences seemed to drain all the strength Mei’er had left. She strained to lift her upper body a little, but as soon as the words left her mouth, her frail body collapsed back onto the bed.

"Hu Po, go fetch the additional medicine," Chu Qianchen instructed. "Tell the medicine shop to prepare it and bring it back."

Chu Qianchen wrote out a prescription with a charcoal pen and, after giving Hu Po a few more instructions, added, "Also bring back some soft cakes that can be easily digested."

Hu Po, still worried, glanced at her miss and, despite her concerns, hurried off.

Following Chu Qianchen’s instructions, Hu Po removed the old outer garment and veil she had worn outside, placed them aside, and washed her hands with mugwort water she had brought along. Then, she quickly rushed to Jishi Medical Hall, the local medical hall.

Meanwhile, Chu Qianchen did not remain idle. She first needled Mei’er to stop the nosebleed and coughing before asking, "Tell me."

Once the silver needles were removed, Mei’er felt much lighter. What had just moments ago been suffocating discomfort now disappeared, and she felt like she could breathe easily again.

It was as if she had come back to life! 

Mei’er was even more convinced of Chu Qianchen’s medical skills and did not dare to hide anything. She spoke quickly, "It was Cui Mama."

With a complex look, she glanced at Chu Qianchen. It was well known that Cui Mama had always been by Concubine Jiang’s side. 

Behind the veil, Chu Qianchen’s expression was calm and steady.

As far as she knew, when Concubine Jiang had traveled to the capital to seek refuge with the Old Madam, Cui Mama had already been serving her and was one of her most trusted confidantes.

In fact, Concubine Jiang was much closer and more trusting of Cui Mama than of her own daughter.

Chu Qianchen had suspected from the beginning that this matter would somehow be tied to Concubine Jiang.

In her previous life, Concubine Jiang had been like the sky to her—gentle and kind. Even when she had been driven out of her home, she had thought Concubine Jiang had no choice in the matter.

But now, Chu Qianchen truly didn’t know what kind of person her biological mother was anymore.

(End of chapter)