When she heard that Lord Zhuang had been poisoned, Zhu Qingyu grabbed Miss Zhuang's hand and ran inside with her.
"What exactly are the symptoms? How do you know it's poison?"
The two of them ran quickly. Though Miss Zhuang was flustered, her thoughts were still clear, and she explained briefly as they ran:
"Father started getting a headache and stomachache after lunch today, and he vomited—there was blood in it, and it was black. I read in a book that black blood means poison."
By the time Zhu Qingyu arrived, Lord Zhuang was lying there barely breathing, and the servants in the house seemed shocked, running around in confusion without knowing what to do.
Mrs. Zhuang was directing a servant to fetch a doctor, saying:
"Hurry to the Hui Medical Hall and ask Lord Zhu to come! Ride a horse! Quickly!"
The servant agreed and was about to leave when Miss Zhuang pulled Zhu Qingyu inside:
"Lord Zhu is here!"
Mrs. Zhuang's face lit up as if she'd seen a savior. She took Zhu Qingyu's hand and led her in:
"Sister!"
Zhu Qingyu strode in quickly and said:
"Miss Zhuang just told me the situation. First, induce vomiting—bring warm water."
Miss Zhuang ran in right behind her:
"I already induced vomiting for Father just now. I read in a book that when someone's poisoned, you have to make them vomit first."
Zhu Qingyu went to Lord Zhuang's bedside and took his pulse. Perhaps because Lord Zhuang hadn't eaten much, or because Miss Zhuang had acted quickly enough, Lord Zhuang looked rather awful, but his pulse had actually steadied.
Mrs. Zhuang and Miss Zhuang both stared at her anxiously. Zhu Qingyu stood up:
"Give Lord Zhuang more warm water—have him drink as much as he can. What did he eat for lunch? Is any of it left? Let me see?"
Miss Zhuang had not only performed first aid immediately but had also saved what Lord Zhuang had eaten. The moment Zhu Qingyu asked to see it, she had it brought right up.
After examining it, Zhu Qingyu said to Miss Zhuang, who was standing nearby:
"You did very well, and you handled it in time. If you'd waited even a little longer, once the arsenic took full effect, it would have been dangerous. But from Lord Zhuang's pulse, the symptoms aren't deep—most of it must have come up. I'll write a prescription. Take it three times a day, decocted in water. If he makes it through today, he'll be fine."
When Miss Zhuang heard that the symptoms weren't severe, only then did the fear set in. She gripped the table, her hands trembling, her legs weak, her voice shaking:
"Thank goodness I read the book you gave me—otherwise I wouldn't have known what to do. And thank goodness you came when you did."
After finishing the consultation, she stayed until Lord Zhuang had drunk his first dose of medicine. Not long after, he got up and vomited everything out again.
Mrs. Zhuang was terrified, thinking the poison was flaring up again.
Zhu Qingyu reassured her:
"Don't be afraid. This means the medicine is working. Once he's vomited it all out, he'll be fine."
Once Lord Zhuang had settled down and fallen asleep, Zhu Qingyu thought there was no point in discussing the budget today—she'd wait until Lord Zhuang recovered—so she rose to take her leave.
Mrs. Zhuang walked her to the door, and couldn't hold back her tears as she spoke:
"We owe you so much today. I won't hide it from you—these days, I live in constant fear. We've been in Jiangning for only a few months, and things like today have happened at least five times. Either the boat sank when we boarded it, or the horse bolted when we rode it, and now today, poison. His promotion has made him too many enemies. Ah, I shouldn't be saying all this. Oh—isn't that your third sister?"
The Governor's mansion and the Jiangning Weaving Bureau were next to each other. While Zhu Qingyu was talking with Mrs. Zhuang, Zhang Ruohua stood at the entrance of the Jiangning Weaving Bureau, looking over in this direction. Who knows how long she'd been watching.
Zhu Qingyu said goodbye to Mrs. Zhuang and walked toward Zhang Ruohua. When she reached the gate of the Jiangning Weaving Bureau, she didn't go in, and said to Zhang Ruohua:
"Third sister, were you waiting for me?"
Zhang Ruohua bit her lip, looking like she might cry:
"Sister-in-law, you haven't come home for days. Did you and Second Brother have a fight? Second Brother is no good—I'll go scold him. Won't you come home today?"
When Zhu Qingyu had been in Yangzhou before, she hadn't stayed home every day. Sometimes when the clinic was busy, she'd sleep at the Yangzhou clinic.
But this time, Zhang Ruohua felt that something was different. Though her second brother wouldn't say a word about it, she had a feeling that this time, her sister-in-law wasn't coming back.
Zhu Qingyu regarded Zhang Shen as family, and she regarded Zhang Ruohua as family too. But whether to sever ties or continue as family—that was for Zhang Shen to decide.
Until Zhang Shen made that decision, Zhu Qingyu felt it was better not to come back, to avoid wavering and going back and forth, causing everyone pain. So she said:
"Third sister, it's not your second brother's problem—it's mine. Don't blame him. I've been busy lately. I'll come to see you in a while."
Seeing her about to leave, Zhang Ruohua quickly tugged at her sleeve:
"But Second Brother has been sick for days—he can't even get out of bed."
Zhu Qingyu stopped in her tracks and turned to walk inside:
"Several days? Then why didn't you come get me! Hurry, take me to him!"
Because she had just witnessed Lord Zhuang being poisoned, when Zhu Qingyu heard that Zhang Shen had been sick for days and couldn't get up, her mind immediately jumped to the worst.
Lord Zhuang was making waves with his salt law reforms in Jiangning, and beneath him, Zhang Shen had been sent here. The Jiangning Weaving Bureau needed to turn losses into profits, so reform was the only way forward.
Throughout history, reformers who stood in the way of vested interests rarely came to a good end.
Zhu Qingyu was very worried that Zhang Shen, like Lord Zhuang, had been ambushed by enemies. Otherwise, how could he be so ill that he couldn't even get out of bed?
Zhang Ruohua led Zhu Qingyu to the door of the main room:
"Sister-in-law, Second Brother is still asleep. I won't go in."
Sleeping in broad daylight—that wasn't Zhang Shen's style. He must be very ill indeed.
Zhu Qingyu grew even more worried and pushed open the door to the inner room.
Zhang Shen was indeed lying in bed, his face pale, so still from a distance that he seemed lifeless.
Zhu Qingyu's heart leaped with alarm. She hurried over, sat on the edge of the bed, and took his hand to check his pulse.
Zhang Shen opened his eyes, groggy, and when he saw Zhu Qingyu, he sat up abruptly, staring at her wide-eyed, as if in a dream. He didn't dare speak, afraid that if he did, the dream would break and she'd run away.
Zhu Qingyu felt his pulse was all right, then reached out and touched his forehead, asking:
"Where do you feel unwell? Any pain? Do you have a fever?"
Feeling the warmth of her palm, her gentle concern, Zhang Shen finally realized it was really her—not her from a dream.
Only then did he dare to speak:
"N-no, I'm fine. I stayed up too late balancing the accounts last night—didn't sleep until dawn. I was too tired during the day, so I slept a little."
She felt his forehead—no fever—and hearing his explanation, Zhu Qingyu began to suspect that Zhang Ruohua had learned a trick or two and deliberately fooled her into coming to see her second brother.
But it was good that Zhang Shen was all right.
Zhu Qingyu made to get up:
"Then get some more sleep. I'll head back now."
Seeing her about to leave, Zhang Shen quickly grabbed her sleeve:
"Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival. Will you come back for dinner? I—Ruohua misses you very much."
Zhu Qingyu looked at his hand on her sleeve, gently trying to pull it free, and replied:
"Some other time."
Zhang Shen held her sleeve tight, not letting go, and asked again:
"Qingyu, when will next time be?"
Zhu Qingyu replied:
"Jingyan, when you've stopped grieving over this matter, when you're willing to be family with me again, then we'll share a meal. Or, if you'd rather sever ties completely, that's fine too."
With that, Zhu Qingyu rose and left, the torn sleeve slipping from Zhang Shen's grasp as she walked away from him.
The moment Zhu Qingyu stepped out of Jiangning Imperial Silk Factory, at the same time, a thousand miles away, in Yongfu Manor behind the Royal Temple, another question was asked:
"Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival. Will you come home for a meal? Your mother and grandmother miss you dearly."
And another voice answered:
"Father, let's make it another time. Once the Empress Dowager has cooled her anger and approved my marriage to Qingyu, once I've brought her home as my bride, then we'll all sit down and eat together. Or else, I will take monastic vows and cut myself off from this mortal world for good—that would also be acceptable."
