THOJ Chapter 59: Waking Up
Shortly after, a young man bearing an uncanny resemblance to
Shiyan departed from Kaiyang Wang Palace, clutching a silver note. He swiftly
mounted his horse and made his way directly to Luo Mansion.
The Luo Mansion was bustling at the moment. Divine Doctor Li
had entered Commander Luo's room, dismissed everyone, including Luo Sheng, and
had been inside for some time. A line of concubines stood on the veranda while
a row of sons stood in the courtyard, all appearing anxious.
"Why hasn't Divine Doctor come out yet?" A woman
in a lilac-colored dress craned her neck to peer inside, but all she could see
were the carvings on the door panel.
Another concubine furrowed her brow and reassured,
"Given Master's serious condition, it's expected that Divine Doctor won't
come out quickly. Sixth Sister, don't worry."
Sixth Concubine glanced to her left and right, then lowered
her voice and asked, "Third Sister, do you think Divine Doctor might harm
Master with a needle?"
"What do you mean?" Third Concubine was taken
aback.
With a worried expression, Sixth Concubine wrung her
handkerchief, saying, "Consider this: Divine Doctor initially had no
intention of treating Master, but he yielded to Miss's coercion and came to
attend to Master. Now that no one is watching him, what if—"
"Sixth Sister, don't speak nonsense!" Eldest
Concubine, who had stood behind Sixth Concubine at some point, sternly
reprimanded her upon hearing her increasingly outrageous words.
Sixth Concubine wrung her handkerchief anxiously.
"Eldest Sister, I'm just worried."
"If you're worried, you might as well ask Third
Miss." Eldest Concubine replied.
Sixth Concubine was so terrified that she didn't even dare
to wring her handkerchief again and immediately fell silent. Even with all her
guts, she wouldn't dare to ask Third Miss. Miss had punished her to kneel over
an abacus when she was just eight years old.
In contrast to the prevailing anxiety among those gathered,
Luo Sheng remained notably composed. She sat quietly under a tree in the
courtyard, sipping her tea.
"Biaomei, don't worry. Divine Doctor's miraculous hands
will surely heal Gufu[1],"
Sheng Sanlang reassured Luo Sheng.
Luo Sheng nodded slightly: "I'm not worried." She
had done all she could; now, it was a matter of fate. After all, Divine Doctor
Li wasn't an actual deity. If the Palace of the Underworld insisted on claiming
Commander Luo, there would be no way to prevent it.
Of course, if Divine Doctor Li were to come out and declare
that Commander Luo was beyond cure, she would seize the opportunity while
sending Divine Doctor Li off to leave this mansion lest she be caught up in an
unpredictable fate if this pillar of the family, Commander Luo, were to fall.
Luo Sheng glanced at the people in the courtyard without
revealing any emotions. It didn't matter if people thought of her as
indifferent or ruthless. If Commander Luo couldn't be saved, she couldn't
shoulder the fate of these people. At most, she could look for an opportunity
to help Luo Chen, who was far away in Jinsha County.
The thought of that young boy with a tough facade but a soft
heart softened Luo Sheng's heart.
All the masters of Luo Mansion had gathered in Commander Luo's
courtyard. When the gatekeeper heard that Shiyi came from Kaiyang Wang Palace,
he was momentarily stunned before finally inviting Shiyi. He then quickly
relayed the news.
"A person from from Kaiyang Wang Palace?" Hongdou
rushed over with doubts after receiving the news.
"Wangye ordered me to deliver this," Shiyi
politely handed a small wooden box to Hongdou.
Hongdou reached out to accept the wooden box and opened it.
She couldn't help but express her surprise, saying, "Didn't my Miss say
the debt was settled?"
Shiyi, not fully comprehending Hongdou's statement,
responded simply, "My Master instructed me to deliver it. Please accept
it."
"I'll accept it. Although my Miss is not short of
money, she doesn't mind having more," Hongdou remarked with a smirk.
Seeing that Shiyi maintained a serious expression, she couldn't resist rolling
her eyes. "Your Master doesn't feel distressed. Why should you be?"
Shiyi was startled. Wasn't this maid a bit too casual with
him?
Shiyi had always been a man of few words. Even though he
felt Miss Luo's maid was odd, he chose not to dwell on it. He clasped his fists
and said, "Farewell."
Hongdou was even more puzzled and mumbled, "The emperor is not worried, but his eunuchs
are.[2]
It's not your money, so why the long face?"
Shiyi's brows twitched, wanting to tell the young maid that
the idiom, the emperor is not worried,
but his eunuchs are, was not used this way. But he ultimately chose to stay
silent. He cupped his hands and turned to make his way to the door.
"This glutton is a bit strange—" Hongdou mused to
herself.
Shiyi abruptly halted in his tracks and turned around, his
expression blank. "I'm sorry, but I don't know you, and the 'glutton'
you're talking about must be my Third Brother."
He could tolerate anything else but wouldn't bear the
reputation of "glutton" for his elder brother. Being called a glutton
by a young maid, Third Brother was really something. Was it because the food in
the Palace didn't taste good, or perhaps the salary was too meager to dine at
restaurants?
It was only after Shiyi had departed that Hongdou came back
to her senses. "Third Brother?" she muttered with a pout. Men are
truly something. It's only been a short while, and he's already denying that he
had previously licked a big bowl of noodles clean enough to use as a mirror.
Back in the courtyard, Hongdou hurried over to Luo Sheng's
side and whispered, "Miss, Kaiyang Wang sent you some silver."
Luo Sheng raised her eyebrows. Could it be that her request
for the number plate had frightened him into paying the previously waived debt?
He really was quite cautious.
"Put it away," Luo Sheng instructed calmly.
Pingli glanced at Luo Sheng, deep in thought. He thought he
heard the words "Kaiyang Wang," but he wasn't entirely sure.
The room's door was abruptly pushed open at that moment, and
Divine Doctor Li emerged.
The concubines on the veranda surged forward instantly,
their questions pouring out urgently: "Divine Doctor, how is Master?"
Encircled by a group of women, Divine Doctor Li's expression
instantly darkened.
A slight cough echoed through the air, and the concubines
retreated hastily to their original positions with terrified expressions, their
movements astonishingly swift.
Approaching, Luo Sheng inquired, "Divine Doctor, how is
my father?" All in all, Divine Doctor Li had been inside for about two
hours.
"He will be able to wake up in an hour." Divine
Divine Doctor Li said lightly.
"Really?" Several voices chimed in at once.
Divine Doctor Li didn't bother to pay them any attention and
walked toward the courtyard gate with a stern face.
Pingli respectfully cupped his fists at Divine Doctor Li.
"Divine Doctor, please stay."
"Why are you asking me to stay?" Divine Doctor Li
questioned impatiently.
"Godfather is gravely injured. Could Divine Doctor
please wait until he awakens before departing?" Pingli implored.
Divine Doctor Li furrowed his brow. "Do you doubt what
this old man said?"
Pingli hurriedly clarified, "I wouldn't dare to doubt
Divine Doctor. It's just that Godfather's condition is quite dire, and he will
require careful attention upon awakening—"
Divine Doctor Li interrupted him impatiently, "Any
doctor can handle the rest."
Speaking of this, Divine Doctor Li glanced at everyone and
finally fixed his eyes on Luo Sheng and warned, "This is a one-time
exception. From now on, no one from Luo Mansion will come to this old man's
door."
Luo Sheng showed no displeasure on her face and respectfully
saluted Divine Doctor Li. "Divine Doctor, take care."
Divine Doctor Li snorted coldly and left without looking
back.
"This old man really—" Hongdou began to comment.
"Hongdou, don't be rude," Luo Sheng reprimanded
Hongdou, then entered the room.
In the blink of an eye, the room was filled with people
anxiously waiting for Commander Luo to regain consciousness. Time passed, and
finally, the middle-aged man lying on the bed began to open his eyes.
"You're awake," Luo Sheng was the first to speak.
Following her, Luo Ying and the others chimed in,
"Father."
"Godfather, how do you feel?" Pingli and the rest
inquired, looking concerned.
All the concubines: "Sob sob… Master is finally
awake."
Commander Luo looked around, his mind still foggy from being in a coma for a long time. Finally, his eyes settled on the young and handsome Sheng Sanlang.
Comments
Post a Comment