When Prince Jin met He Changdiâs gaze, he could see faint grief reflected in his unreadable depths.
âYour Highness, there are some things I canât tell you now, but I can promise you this: thereâs a reason behind why I absolutely have to go to the northern border!â
By the time He Sanlang left Yuehong Restaurant, it was already past 1pm.
Prince Jin stood by the window and watched as his best friendâs carriage disappeared around the corner of the street. He then turned away, appearing to be in deep thought.
......
When Chu Lian finished her breakfast, she immediately headed to Matriarch Heâs courtyard to give her daily greetings.
All the ladies of the Jingâan Estate were gathered in Qingxi Hall, except the bedridden Countess Jingâan.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
The moment Chu Lian entered the hall, Matriarch He immediately turned to look at her. When she saw her dressed in light blue, she recalled that He Sanlang had also been wearing the same colour when he had dropped by Qingxi Hall on his way out this morning. Matriarch He smiled.
Excluding her two nieces, Chu Lian was the youngest in the family. After she greeted the matriarch, she was pulled up to Matriarch Heâs side.
âLianâer, have you gotten used to living here in the estate these past few days?â Matriarch He spoke in a warm, friendly tone, tinged with that special kindness the older generation always seemed to have. It was the kind of tone that made others want to draw closer to an elder.
Chu Lian nodded and looked at the matriarch, her eyes crystal-clear and moist. âYes, I have. Granddaughter-in-Law thanks Grandmother for her concern.â
âSanlang went out so early today, Iâm afraid he wonât be back until evening. Why donât you and your eldest sister-in-law come over to eat with Grandmother for the midday meal?â
Chu Lian nodded and agreed.
After sitting at Qingxi Hall for about an hour, she went to visit Countess Jingâanâs courtyard together with Madam Zou.
Even before they entered, they could hear Countess Jingâan coughing terribly.
Madam Zou frowned; it was at this moment that Countess Jingâanâs personal maidservant, Miaozhen, stepped out to retrieve some medicine.
When Miaozhen spotted the two mistresses standing at the entrance, she greeted them. âEldest Young Madam, Third Young Madam, good morning.â
âWhat happened to Mother? Why does it seem like her condition has worsened since yesterday?â Madam Zou asked Miaozhen with her brows drawn together.
Grimacing, Miaozhen replied, âThis servant doesnât know either. The medicine appeared effective at first. During the past few weeks, Madam could even get out of bed and occasionally walk about. However, these days, the medicine seems to have stopped working completely. Even though Madam has been drinking it regularly, thereâs been no change to her condition.â
While standing next to Madam Zou, Chu Lian dipped into her memories and tried to recall what she had read in the novel. There had been no mention of Countess Jingâanâs exact illness. However, looking at the symptoms, if it wasnât pneumonia, then it was most likely tuberculosis. In this era, there was almost no chance of treating illnesses like those; they could only extend their lives for a bit with medicine.
âGo ahead and brew the medicine. Iâll go in to look at Mother with my sister-in-law.â
By the time they finished visiting their mother-in-law, Madam Liu had already gone to sleep from exhaustion. Her face was extremely pale. Even while sleeping, she still looked haggard from her extended illness.
They heard from Miaozhen that Madam Liu hadnât had a proper meal in days. She couldnât keep anything down due to her sickness.
She had been able to eat those pastries that Cook Zhou had made previously, but now that Cook Zhou had passed on, Countess Jingâan wasnât able to stomach eating anything else.