Yet that wonderful atmosphere only lasted until the following morning.

Ying Chun tiptoed into the room, tilted her head to listen, and upon hearing no movement, smiled and quietly closed the door. She took up an embroidery hoop and sat down to one side to stitch a floral pattern. Now that the young miss finally no longer needed to be so busy, she had grown so thin that all her clothes had to be remade. Although there were embroidery women overseeing that matter, the smaller pieces were still handled by the maids themselves, and they were all quite capable of making summer garments as well.

After busying herself for a while, she glanced at the water clock, and Ying Chun frowned, setting down her work. It was already past the hour of Chen, and ordinarily the young miss would have been up and busy for quite some time by now. As the young miss herself had said, some habits once formed are not easily changed — even if she let herself relax a little, it should not be to this extent.

The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. Ying Chun put down the embroidery hoop and walked to the bedside. She lifted the curtain and hooked it back, then looked at the young miss sleeping soundly. She bit her lip and called softly, “Young miss, it’s time to get up.”

Hua Zhi did not stir at all.

Ying Chun could not help clutching the front of her own clothes. Trembling, she reached out and held her hand near the young miss’s nose — there was breath, there was breath!

She exhaled several long, heavy breaths, then continued to call out, “Young miss, young miss, it’s time to get up, young miss, young miss…”

Bao Xia came in carrying water, smiling before she even spoke. “Has the young miss slept her fill today?”

Ying Chun turned around, her face filled with panic. Without saying a word, tears streamed down her cheeks.

Bao Xia had never seen Ying Chun like this. Frightened, she set the basin down with a thump and rushed over, asking as she came, “What’s wrong, what’s wrong, is something wrong with the young miss?”

“I — I can’t wake the young miss up.”

Upon hearing this, Bao Xia shoved her aside and stepped forward, pressing firmly on the young miss’s philtrum. When she saw that the young miss showed not the slightest reaction, her mind went blank for a moment. She scrambled and tumbled toward the door, crying out with all her voice, “Someone come — go fetch Divine Physician Yu, quickly, go fetch Divine Physician Yu!”

Those words shattered every bit of peace in the courtyard. A maid who had been cheerfully washing clothes dropped straight to the ground in shock, and before she could even get back up, a younger maid had already gone flying out like the wind. Bao Xia then immediately sent people to carry word to the other courtyard residences.

What else was there to do? What else did she need to do? Bao Xia yanked at her own hair, then turned and ran back into the room.

Right — she had to stay with the young miss. She had to be by the young miss’s side.

The first to arrive was Bailin, with Zeng Han clinging to his back. After them came Hua Pingyu, who had been about to leave with his wife to pay a visit to her family. Hua Pingyang came next; Hua Yizheng had to be carried over — several consecutive days of travel had left his entire body so sore and aching that he could barely lift his hands or feet, and in his urgency he had come by sedan chair.

Looking at his granddaughter, who appeared to be peacefully asleep, Hua Yizheng was supported by someone as he sat down at the bedside and called out sharply, “What happened? Who kept watch last night?”

Ying Chun dug her fingers into the bed frame and pressed herself almost flat against the bed frame. Even as she was jostled this way and that by the anxious members of the Hua household — young and old — she did not move aside, and promptly replied, “It was this servant, Old Master. Last night, after the young miss returned home, she was very happy. She even had this servant prepare water for a bath. After that she went to bed. This servant did not hear a single sound all through the night — not even the slightest. This morning, when this servant noticed the young miss was sleeping late, she only thought the young miss was too exhausted, and never imagined, never imagined that…”

Ying Chun wept until she could barely speak. She had not thought so much into it — the young miss had finally seen her family return home, and she had only assumed the young miss was sleeping in because she had finally let herself relax.

“It is all this servant’s fault, this servant deserves death. If only this servant had been a little more careful, we would not have discovered it so late. It is all this servant’s fault…”

No one could bring themselves to blame a maid who had been so considerate of her mistress — least of all the men of the Hua family. While they had been away, it was Zhi’er and her maids who had held this household together.

Hua Yizheng struck his own thigh hard, then turned and instructed, “Go wait at the main gate. The moment Divine Physician Yu arrives, bring him straight here.”

“Yes.”

Divine Physician Yu arrived with remarkable speed, and needed no one to guide him. Gu Yanxi had come on horseback with him on his back, and carried him directly to Hua Zhi’s bedside.

Without needing to be urged, everyone immediately stepped aside, holding their breath and watching tensely as Divine Physician Yu took her pulse.

The faint, faltering pulse — on the verge of ceasing entirely — made Elder Yu furrow his brow deeply. He had anticipated the situation would not be good, but he had not expected it to have deteriorated to this degree.

“Were there any abnormalities in the eldest young miss’s behavior beforehand?”

The several maids all tried hard to recall. Ying Chun shook her head. “There were not. The young miss was simply a little happier than usual…”

“She drank wine.” Hua Yizheng suddenly interrupted the maid. “Could that be related?”

“How much did she drink?”

“Not much. Altogether it should have been about a single cup.”

Divine Physician Yu thought for a moment, then shook his head. “That should not be the cause. A small amount of wine is not harmful to the body. I’m afraid it is still the problem this old physician mentioned previously — the eldest young miss has likely let go of that driving force within her.”

Everyone fell into silence. This was an inescapable, hopeless cycle. Everything she had done was for the sake of bringing her family home — yet the very moment her family returned, it spelled the beginning of her decline. No one was willing to make that choice, and Hua Zhi had not even given them the chance to choose. In the span of a single night, she had simply, cleanly, collapsed.

Looking at the small, frail shape bundled beneath the quilt, Gu Yanxi’s voice seemed to be wrung out from between his teeth. “Please think of something you can do.”

Elder Yu smiled bitterly. “This old physician treats illness — yet the eldest young miss’s symptoms have not yet fully manifested. That is precisely what makes this so difficult to handle.”

“You have a set of life-saving golden needles…”

“The golden needles cannot be used until the very last step.”

Gu Yanxi understood. Yes — those were for saving a life at the final moment, to be used only at the last extremity. Hua Zhi had not yet reached that point. That was a good thing — a good thing!

He drew in a deep breath and looked at the others in the room. “There is no need for so many people here. Elder, please have everyone else disperse.”

Hua Yizheng looked back at his eldest son, whose face was drawn tight; at his daughter-in-law, who looked as if she were on the verge of fainting from weeping; at his youngest son, whose sash had been tied on the wrong way; at the wives of the other households, every one of them wearing an expression of deep worry; and at all the children, both large and small, who had been thrown into a panic. He did not know who to ask to leave.

He sighed, and with trembling limbs Hua Yizheng rose to his feet. “All of you, go outside.”

Zhu Shi clutched at her husband’s sleeve and shook her head desperately, her tears scattering with the movement. She did not want to go — she wanted to stay with Zhi’er.

Hua Pingyu revealed a tenderness he rarely showed in front of others, and firmly guided his wife toward the door with an arm around her shoulders. At first Zhu Shi resisted, but when she felt the hand on her shoulder trembling, she suddenly covered her mouth and burst into open, anguished sobs. That was their daughter lying in there.

Everyone else, seeing this, gradually followed them out one by one, save for Ying Chun and Bao Xia who remained to attend. Bailin and Zeng Han exchanged a glance, and like two soldiers who had formed an alliance, found an inconspicuous corner and crouched down together, gazing fixedly in the direction of the bed — an expression that softened one’s heart to look at.

At this moment Gu Yanxi had no attention to spare for them. His voice hoarse, he asked, “Is there anything I can do?”

“Your yang energy is strong — stay by her side and keep her company.” — so that those malevolent spirits might not draw near. Swallowing that last thought unspoken, Elder Yu took silver needles from his medicine chest and pierced Hua Zhi’s ten fingertips. Beads of blood emerged, yet they congealed and would not fall. He steeled himself and pressed a second needle through — only then did the blood begin to trickle down in a thin stream.

Note: Bloodletting is an ancient form of treatment that was practiced for many, many years.