The Prime Minister’s Darling - Chapter 48
Chapter 48: 48 Intimacy
Soon, the door was pulled open from the inside.
The room was eerily quiet. All the previously lit candles had been extinguished, and the light was somewhat dim.
The old doctor collapsed on the floor, drained of all energy, as though he had just returned from the dead.
Truthfully, he did not save the person himself, he had merely assisted by carrying a box and lighting a few lanterns and candles. However, he was the only one who witnessed Gu Jiao bring someone back from the brink of death in the King Yama Hall.
Before today, he had never experienced such a terrifying ordeal, nor did he believe he would ever face something similar in the future.
The housekeeper beckoned the maids to help the old doctor up, while she herself moved towards the bed with small, unsteady steps. To her surprise, a young girl, appearing to be a village damsel, was sitting on the edge of her young master’s bed.
This was the bed of the Marquis Residence’s Young Master!
Where did this wild girl come from to dare defile the Young Master’s bed!
The housekeeper was about to reprimand her when she unexpectedly noticed that it wasn’t the girl who insisted on being on her Young Master’s bed but that the Young Master… was holding the girl’s hand.
The housekeeper had grown up alongside the Young Master and thus was very familiar with his temperament. … Oops, character. His traits included being aloof, indifferent, and avoiding close contact with others. He never even held hands with his own mother or sister.
The housekeeper, suspecting her eyes were playing tricks, took another closer look. She confirmed that it wasn’t the maid being clever, it was indeed the Young Master who had grabbed her hand. The grip was so tight that it had turned the girl’s hand red.
Surprisingly, the girl didn’t wince in pain and shake her hand free…
The Young Master had fallen asleep once more. Yet, his breath and complexion were drastically different from when he had been unconscious, allowing the housekeeper to realize that he had improved.
“Ah, how is it possible? Just a moment ago he still seemed…” the maid who just entered the room had her eyes wide open.
“Shut up!” The housekeeper silenced her immediately. During Lunar New Year, if she dared to utter a word suggesting the Young Master had died, her mouth would be torn apart!
“Ahem, she is my assistant.” the old doctor explained.
So, she was a medicine assistant from Huichun Hall.
The housekeeper looked somewhat appeased and asked in a low voice, “Did our Young Master wake up just now?”
“Yes.” Gu Jiao nodded, turning towards her, “He woke up for a while, had some medication, and fell back asleep.”
As Gu Jiao turned her face towards the housekeeper, a large birthmark on her left cheek became visible. She had appeared to be a little beauty from a side view, what a pity…
She had been contemplating the fact that if the Young Master fancied this girl, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to keep her as a concubine.
The Young Master seemed to be sleeping comfortably; his brows relaxed. The housekeeper couldn’t remember the last time the Young Master had a good sleep. He was typically restless while sleeping, often panting for breath, or was troubled with sweating and chest pain.
Not wanting to disturb him, the housekeeper stood silently by the side.
Gu Jiao had been preoccupied with the rescue and hadn’t had a chance to see his face. Now that she took a closer look, she was taken aback by his handsome features.
This was an incredibly beautiful patient! So handsome that it was almost illegal!
Fine then, considering your good looks, I will allow you to hold my hand.
The floor beneath her was heated from below, the warmth spread evenly and comfortably, not too dry.
Gu Jiao was overtaken by fatigue, her head started nodding off slowly. She finally let herself collapse in sleep after countless nods.
The old doctor and the housekeeper both jumped in shock to see Gu Jiao actually sleeping by the Young Master’s pillow. The sight left both of them speechless. The old doctor lost his voice in the shock!
The housekeeper’s mouth twitched uncontrollably in irritation. Allowing you to hold her hand was a favor, how dare you sleep by the Young Master’s pillow! You’ve taken advantages of our kindness!
Now, the housekeeper couldn’t care less about disturbing the Young Master. She hurriedly went to pull Gu Jiao up. But as she reached out her hand, the sleeping Young Master seemed to sense something and woke up abruptly.
He was frail and lean, with skin thinner than most people, the green veins under his skin clearly visible.
He glanced coldly at the housekeeper.
The housekeeper shuddered from the glance, stumbling back several steps!
The Young Master of Marquis Residence was notoriously hard to handle. He was temperamental, indifferent, and moreover, he unabashedly took advantage of his illness. Everyone refrained from crossing him, and he had no qualms infringing on the norms.
Not a single maid in his room had been able to serve for an entire month. If they weren’t chased away by him, they were frightened away.
The housekeeper was the trusted aide of the Marquise’s wife; else she would have been driven away countless times by him.
Knowing that she couldn’t confront him head-on, the housekeeper gave a forced smile and said softly, “Young…”
The Young Master: “Out!”
Housekeeper: “Yes!”
The housekeeper exited nimbly.
The old doctor was at a loss: Should… should I leave as well?
No one responded!
Poor old doctor!
The Young Master looked at the girl, sound asleep by his pillow. Her face was turned towards him, one cheek was pressed into chubby folds, and her mouth was slightly puckered – she appeared somewhat cute.
The side of her face that was exposed had a birthmark on it.
The Young Master named Gu had an aversion to anything with flaws and rejected any personal proximity.
Except for this time.
He didn’t find her repulsive. Seeing her sleeping, hearing her breathing nearby, he was struck with an irresistible urge to get close to her.
Ordinary people might have hesitated, but Young Master Gu was no ordinary person. From his birth, he had lived like a man waiting to die; such a person could hardly be expected to follow societal norms.
He found comfort in her proximity and decided to close the distance.
Young Master Gu moved closer to her, still holding her hand and didn’t let go. He weakly lifted his other hand, adjusted her side of the blanket.
Afterward, he snuggled up next to her and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
When Young Master Gu woke up, Gu Jiao had already left. He flew into a rage and tore several antique paintings from the previous dynasty, highly treasured by his father.
—
After leaving the villa, the second boss asked about the condition of the Young Master at Marquis Residence.
Gu Jiao didn’t respond at first, but asked, “What did the Imperial Doctor say?”
The second boss hadn’t been idle outside and had gleaned some information from the Imperial Doctor, who was quite generous to share all he knew, “…he mentioned a deficiency of heart qi, stagnation of blood, it’s a heart ailment.”
“What about Doctor Li’s opinion?” Gu Jiao asked.
The old doctor had also examined the Young Master’s pulse when he had fallen asleep. He appeared thoughtful and said, “It should be a heart disease.”
Gu Jiao remained silent. In reality, her diagnosis was similar to theirs. In terms of modern medical terms, the Young Master suffered from congenital heart disease.
This illness was dreadfully difficult to treat during ancient times.
Merely using medicine was not enough; it required surgery that was more complicated than Xiao Liulang’s operation, and she didn’t possess the current requirements for such an operation.
“Miss Gu, is there a cure for this?” asked the second boss.
Gu Jiao took a moment to consider, then replied, “I have left him some medicine for now; let’s stick to conservative treatment.”
