CHAPTER 1631: CHAPTER 1606: ACROSS A DISTANCE

"One says they’re busy with political affairs, another claims to be too sick to spare time. Now, neither of you are busy, nor sick anymore, is that it?"

She was not afraid of being overheard and raised her voice further, "You don’t feel a bit of heartache when the rod isn’t hitting your own son; what stomping the seedlings? Nonsense! Who’s implicating whom, does no one have a clear count in their heart?"

After saying this, she covered her face and cried sorrowfully, wailing, "My poor Rong’er, it was just this spring that he passed by on horseback, and his horse lost its footing and trampled a few stalks of seedlings. The farmer who was transplanting seedlings just planted two more to replace them, you said you wanted to make compensation, and the farmer laughed at you for being a rich fellow who doesn’t know thrift; it’s just two seedlings, and you thought to make compensation, now the seedlings have grown to rice ready to harvest and accused for riding over seedlings..."

She stretched her neck and shouted towards the yard over there, "Who offended someone at the court, and got people bought to falsely accuse my son! You don’t defend his innocence, but put him as a scapegoat, you hit him, humiliate him, I accept it, who told him to lose his father early and has to rely on uncle and aunt to live, but you shouldn’t plot against his life, it’s clearly said to beat with rods, yet you used a big rod like a court staff, do you mean to take his life? Do you expect his death to satisfy your wishes, and earn praise for upholding justice?"

The elderly maid had passed through the courtyard door and heard these words, she couldn’t help but turn back to stop it, but was firmly held by Eldest Granny Wang’s maid, Eldest Granny Wang also pushed her towards that side, crying as she pushed, "Please be understanding, nurse, the entire back of husband is injured, he’s been in a coma from last night until now and still hasn’t woken up, mother-in-law stayed up all night with him, my mother-in-law has only this one son, husband’s injury feels as if her heart is being gouged out..."

"But you can’t talk nonsense either..."

"Let’s wait until husband wakes up to discuss, husband’s life or death is unknown now, talking reason to mother and mother-in-law at this point won’t work, as a mother, whose heart wouldn’t be concerned with their child?"

This sentence made the elderly maid’s expression change dramatically, she looked at Eldest Granny Wang fixedly for a moment, then forcefully pushed the maid aside and turned to leave.

After she had walked away, Eldest Granny Wang wiped her tears, turned around with the maid, and locked the courtyard door.

These words soon reached the main courtyard and study.

Wang Ji didn’t expect things to escalate further from that side, he couldn’t help but stand up and walked around twice, asking, "Weren’t you sending someone over? Why did so many words come out instead?"

Madam Wang closed her eyes before saying, "Master should invite Imperial Doctor Chen to the house."

Wang Ji’s face looked grim, after a moment he said, "Someone has already been sent out to invite him; just not sure if he is on duty today, if he is, we might have to wait longer."

"We can wait, I’m afraid they can’t wait over there." Madam Wang couldn’t help but complain, "Master was too harsh this time, Older sister-in-law only has this one son, if something happens..."

Wang Ji’s face turned ashen, unable to speak; how could he have known Wang Rong couldn’t withstand it, thinking just a beating would do the trick, only for him not to endure?

However, he was indeed angry at the time, he sighed, "Now it’s too late to say anything, Wang Da, that concubine son, even went and knelt at the Eastern Palace gate, this is utterly malicious."

Madam Wang also sighed, "Let’s wait until Wang Rong recovers to settle this account, but Rong’er always valued his concubine brother, I fear he won’t be willing by then."

"Can he have his way? This is the Wang Family, and must prioritize the bigger picture."

In the room, Manbao and Doctor Ding were listening keenly to Mrs. Wang scolding, prying into all of the Wang family’s secrets.

Wang Da stood obediently to the side, as the legitimate mother finished venting and moved to the side room to rest, Concubine Tian, Wang Da’s birth mother, promptly poured tea for her to soothe her throat, then quietly stated, "The medicines have been brought into the room with Imperial Doctor Zhou and the others."

Mrs.Wang nodded her head, wiped her tears dry, and instructed Ms.Tian, "Pack a thicker sum of gift money, to send off Imperial Doctor Zhou later."

Concubine Tian agreed, turned around, and went to do it.

Only mother and son remained in the room, Mrs.Wang then asked Wang Da, "How did you plead with the Crown Prince?"

Wang Da whispered, "Son just said that the Crown Prince has a life-saving grace to brother, and in the future we brothers will devote ourselves to the Crown Prince; even if brother... the Crown Prince would gain a kind reputation, why not do it? The Crown Prince agreed after hearing this."

Mrs.Wang breathed a sigh of relief, reached out and patted Wang Da’s hand, saying, "You’ve done well."

"It’s not difficult, mother. I took your cue about Imperial Doctor Zhou, but can she really handle it?"

Mrs.Wang couldn’t help but shed tears again, she pressed her eye corners and said, "We can only try, don’t underestimate her due to her young age, her medical skills are renowned, not only did she cure the Crown Prince, she’s treated the Empress and Emperor before, when His Majesty was gravely ill earlier, even your uncle quietly prepared for the worst, yet she managed to save him."

She continued, "Even such an urgent illness of His Majesty could be cured, your big brother... should also be possible, right?"

Even Mrs.Wang herself wasn’t highly confident, truly the injury of her son was too dreadful to behold.

She had raised him for over twenty years and had never let him suffer such punishment, when he was young and disliked studying, she merely smacked his palms a few times at most, how could they dare beat him with such a large court staff?

Mrs.Wang wiped her tears, tidied up her expressions, and went to the main courtyard to visit her son in a pitiful state.

Caring for wounds in summer, especially such extensive injuries, is quite difficult, requiring a very clean environment and careful nursing.

These are all matters Manbao had taught Zheng Gu, and now Zheng Gu was instructing the Wang family servants how to take care.

Manbao administered a round of acupuncture, hastening the effect of the medicine, and after half an hour, Wang Rong’s fever subsided, noting the medication was effective, Manbao was satisfied and issued another prescription to their family and said, "This is an oral decoction, to be taken an hour later with warm water and Jishi Hall’s Chinese ginseng powder, which is used to stop bleeding."

Jishi Hall’s Chinese ginseng paste and powder aren’t made solely from Chinese ginseng, despite the name, they contain other medicinal herbs, all being rather costly, especially the Chinese ginseng brought from Lingnan, hence quite expensive.

Only the well-off Wang family could afford to use them in large quantities, though excessive usage isn’t beneficial, Manbao imposed usage limits for them.

She stayed at the Wang family until afternoon, and Wang Rong finally regained consciousness, after checking his pulse Manbao told Mrs.Wang, "We’ll leave it at this for today, the external wounds have been dealt with, it is enough to leave a doctor to monitor him."

Mrs.Wang hurriedly personally escorted Manbao out, and as she was getting on her carriage, the main courtyard door was knocked, it turned out they had invited Imperial Doctor Chen.