It moved!
Jun Beiyue’s finger had actually moved—this was a gesture Imperial Physician Gu knew better than anyone else!
It was the index finger of his right hand—the finger that had worn a scorpion-shaped ring for years. That scorpion ring wasn’t merely a symbol of status; it was the master tiger tally commanding all of Jun Beiyue’s troops, and more than that, a lethal weapon in its own right!
The moment Jun Beiyue so much as twitched that index finger, a deadly hidden weapon capable of killing silently would shoot forth in an instant.
And now he was making that very motion!
What could this mean?
Imperial Physician Gu was struck dumb with shock, his mouth opening and closing without a sound coming out. Was His Highness about to wake?
Surely His Highness’s fortune would hold—once his meridians stabilized and his internal energy recovered, he’d wake up soon, wouldn’t he, rather than sinking into an endless, indefinite coma!
Imperial Physician Gu’s reaction immediately drew everyone’s attention!
“It moved!” Yingzi couldn’t help but cry out, wild with joy at once. “Master moved! Master’s about to wake up!”
Everyone was overjoyed—but then, in that very instant—
“My lord, Beiyue moved, Beiyue moved!” Madam Gu cried out in delight, so overwhelmed she didn’t even notice her husband’s expression.
But just as Madam Gu placed a hand on Clan Head Gu’s arm, his vision suddenly went black, his hands going limp—he dropped Jun Beiyue in that very instant, and collapsed at the same moment himself!
“My lord!”
“Master!”
“Father!”
Such a sudden turn of events set off a chorus of startled cries. Gu Meiting and Gu Suying rushed forward at once to support him, while Yingzi and Imperial Physician Gu moved even faster—one caught Clan Head Gu, the other scooped up Jun Beiyue!
“My lord has exhausted too much of his internal energy, his vitality is severely damaged—quickly, help him back to his room,” Physician Hua urged anxiously.
The two daughters had no time to spare for Jun Beiyue now, hurrying off with the servants to escort Clan Head Gu, while Jiang Chen followed after Gu Meiting.
Madam Gu was torn between the two, but in the end she stayed behind. “How is Beiyue? Has he recovered? Are there signs he might wake?”
Imperial Physician Gu took his pulse at once, both startled and delighted. “Madam, wonderful news! His Highness’s pulse is stable, his internal energy has recovered a full ninety percent, everything about him is completely normal! Clan Head Gu truly is remarkable!”
Madam Gu’s heart sank with worry despite the good news—her husband had clearly given his all, and who knew how long it would take him to recover his own internal energy? If, heaven forbid, Jun Beiyue never woke up, that would be equivalent to the Gu clan losing its very pillar!
No small number of families on Liuxian Island had been steadily growing their influence over the years, eyeing the Gu clan patriarchy, given it had no male heir to inherit!
Should this news ever leak out, the Gu clan would surely face endless trouble!
Thinking of this, Madam Gu glanced at Jun Beiyue’s now-still finger and asked quietly, “That, just now… was that a sign he’s about to wake?”
Imperial Physician Gu hesitated, seeming to want to say something, then held back. By all normal logic, if his finger could move, that should mean he had at least some awareness!
But despite everything that had just happened—even that loud commotion when he’d been dropped—if His Highness were truly conscious, he should have woken up by now!
Seeing Imperial Physician Gu’s hesitation, Yingzi grew anxious at once. “He wasn’t hurt from the fall, was he!”
Hearing this, Madam Gu’s face immediately went pale, and she didn’t dare ask any further.
Imperial Physician Gu said nothing more either, his brows knitting tightly as he examined Jun Beiyue’s eyes—and at that look, all the hope from before was instantly doused in cold water.
His eyes were still rolled back, showing only white. No good.
Seeing Imperial Physician Gu’s expression, Madam Gu couldn’t help but step back several paces. “You… take him back to his room first. I’ll have Physician Hua examine him again in a moment. I need to go check on my husband first.”
Yet Imperial Physician Gu hurriedly stopped her, speaking with great certainty. “Madam, rest assured, His Highness may not be awake yet, but he will absolutely not remain unconscious for long! Before, he was caught in a state of inner-demon derangement while unconscious. But now, with his meridians and internal energy restored, his finger moved—which proves conclusively that Master is no longer caught in that derangement, but is simply in an ordinary state of unconsciousness!”
Imperial Physician Gu paused, as if he wanted to reassure Madam Gu of something more, then continued, “Madam, a purely ordinary unconsciousness, so long as the brain itself hasn’t been damaged, will absolutely not turn into an eternal sleep. He might very well wake up as early as tomorrow!”
Hearing Imperial Physician Gu speak with such conviction, some color finally returned to Madam Gu’s ashen face, and she nodded. “Get him back to his room quickly. I’ll come by with Physician Hua in a little while.” With that, she hurried off.
Once she had gone, Yingzi immediately asked, “Are you sure?”
Imperial Physician Gu didn’t answer, only shooting him a look, and hurried back to the room at once. Once the door was securely shut and Jun Beiyue settled, Yingzi finally asked quietly, “What’s going on?”
Imperial Physician Gu’s old brows knit deeply, shaking his head repeatedly. “Yingzi, this place—it’s dangerous.”
“What do you mean!” Yingzi didn’t understand. The Gu clan had spent no small effort over the years trying to persuade their master to return, even had Madam Gu personally beg him several times.
“Didn’t you see that Jiang Chen’s attitude just now?” Imperial Physician Gu said seriously.
At these words, Yingzi froze at once—how had he not thought of that?
In such an urgent situation, even Madam Gu herself had spoken up personally, and yet Jiang Chen had somehow managed to stay silent and do nothing—and most notably, even in the face of his defiance, Madam Gu had simply let it go.
What could this possibly mean?
It meant that, whatever the reason, Madam Gu was unwilling to offend this eldest son-in-law of hers!
And this eldest son-in-law’s attitude just now had made his resentment and wariness toward His Highness abundantly clear!
Small wonder, really—for a Gu clan with no male heir, Clan Head Gu was surely already advanced in years. No matter how little favor Jiang Chen might have enjoyed before, he’d endured all these years and had long since become Clan Head Gu’s right-hand man!
If Jun Beiyue never appeared, Jiang Chen would sooner or later come to control the Gu clan’s power entirely.
Jun Beiyue was undoubtedly a thorn in his side!
If Jun Beiyue woke up, it wouldn’t matter—Prince Yao had weathered every storm imaginable in his life; would he really fear a petty schemer like Jiang Chen?
But what if Jun Beiyue didn’t wake? Or what if it took a long while yet before he did?
With Clan Head Gu’s internal energy now unable to recover anytime soon, Jiang Chen would become the strongest in internal power within the entire Gu clan!
Wouldn’t he then look for some way to eliminate Jun Beiyue as early as possible?
Yingzi’s brows furrowed as well, and he slammed his hand down hard on the table. “Damn it, who would have thought we’d end up afraid of a coward like this! You’re telling me the mighty Gu clan is actually afraid of its own son-in-law!”
He said this angrily, but then added seriously, “Old Gu, tell me honestly—can Master really wake up?”
“Yes!” Imperial Physician Gu answered without the slightest hesitation. “He will, without a doubt. It’s only a matter of time. Before, I couldn’t make any promises—but now I can guarantee it. Yingzi, until Master wakes, we need to yield in everything, step by step—don’t let them find an opening, understand?”
Yingzi nodded very solemnly. “Fine. Even if it comes to being struck in the face, we’ll endure it first, and let His Highness deal with him properly once he wakes! I’m going to write to Her Highness the Consort right now—finally, some good news!”