The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity-Chapter 504 - 471: Granting Her the Status of a Legitimate Daughter (Part 2)
After hearing Aunt Qiu’s words, Su Yu no longer stubbornly tried to deal with Song Wei. She went before the Duke and said she had uncovered a secret of the Song family but needed to travel to Ningzhou to find some witnesses.
Duke Su did not suspect anything and allowed her to leave the residence directly.
However, less than half a day passed before someone returned with news. They said a large group of black-clad assassins had appeared near Mile Mountain, all targeting the Fourth Young Master. Fortunately, the eldest young lady happened to pass by and shielded him from a sword, but now she is seriously injured and hanging by a thread. They asked the Duke whether he wanted a doctor to be sent over.
The words "assassination" made Duke Su’s eyelids twitch twice, and he looked at the messenger, "How is Little Four?"
"The Fourth Young Master is well, but the eldest young lady, she..."
Duke Su originally had no intention of caring about the daughter’s life or death, but then he thought about her being Little Four’s savior, which vexed him, "Take the household doctor to tend to her injuries."
The messenger was just about to leave when Duke Su suddenly changed his mind, "Forget it, I’ll go myself."
Afraid that the Duchess would start weeping and wailing again, Duke Su ordered the news to be sealed and not to let her know for the time being. He found an excuse and left the residence, heading straight for Mile Mountain.
...
Fahua Temple’s chambers.
Su Yu had fallen into a coma due to severe blood loss, and Master Xu Yun was taking her pulse.
Su Yaoqi was sweating nervously outside. When the door finally opened, he hurriedly asked, "Master, how are her injuries?"
"Very severe," Master Xu Yun sighed, "If she doesn’t make it through the night, I’m afraid..."
"She will, Brother Shiming has already gone down the mountain to fetch a doctor. The eldest sister... the female donor can surely pull through."
Master Xu Yun looked at him, "How could just a trip down the mountain attract an assassination?" 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
Su Yaoqi shook his head, "Disciple does not know." Perhaps someone is targeting his father and using him as leverage.
Su Yaoqi increasingly felt that he had become his father’s weakness.
Master Xu Yun patted his shoulder, "Keep a good watch. If there’s anything unusual, come to the Zen Temple to find me immediately."
Su Yaoqi thanked him, watched Master Xu Yun walk away, and then pushed the door open to go inside.
On the plain and simple bed, Su Yu’s face was pale, and her eyes were tightly shut, showing no signs of waking.
The corner of the quilt was stained red with blood from her chest, looking somewhat shocking.
Since Su Yu was a young lady, and the wound was in a sensitive area, neither Su Yaoqi nor Master Xu Yun conveniently examined her wound, only fed her two hemostatic pills.
Thinking back to the thrilling assassination at the foot of the mountain, Su Yaoqi pressed his lips tightly, "Eldest Sister, you must wake up."
Otherwise, if anything happens, he would live with a guilty conscience for life.
The person on the bed was very quiet, her breathing barely audible.
After an unknown time, the doctor Brother Shiming had invited finally arrived on the mountain. He brought a lot of herbal pills and powders, which were hastily prepared based on Shiming’s description of the injuries.
Shiming took detailed considerations, knowing that neither anyone in the temple nor the doctor he invited could conveniently apply the medicine to the female donor. So, he specially invited a peasant woman from below the mountain.
The doctor checked Su Yu’s pulse, diagnosing similarly to what Master Xu Yun had said.
Su Yaoqi felt increasingly guilty, "Doctor, is there a way to save her?"
The old doctor stroked his beard, "In a moment, I will give the golden sore medicine to this lady to apply for her. As for whether she can pull through, that depends on her fate."
Su Yaoqi took one last look at Su Yu, and said to the peasant woman, "Thank you, female benefactor."
Afterward, the few of them exited, leaving the peasant woman to unbutton Su Yu’s clothes and clean and apply medicine to her wound.
When all this was done, Duke Su also arrived on horseback.
Upon his arrival, he walked briskly to Su Yaoqi, carefully scrutinizing his son to make sure he was fine before finally letting out a sigh of relief, asking him, "What exactly happened?"
Su Yaoqi could only shake his head and say he did not know.
Indeed, he did not know who had done this, only vaguely feeling that it might be related to his father’s dealings again.
Now wasn’t the time to discuss the assassins; Su Yaoqi thought of Su Yu still unconscious inside and said to Duke Su, "Father, it was Eldest Sister who saved me. If not for her today, your child would be undoubtedly dead."
Su Yu had only mentioned in the morning that she was going to Ningzhou. Shortly after leaving the city, she happened to encounter an assassination attempt on Little Four and then just happened to save his son?
Duke Su was not someone easily fooled, and made no secret of his skepticism, "Are you sure she saved you and wasn’t just playing some self-sacrificial trick in front of you?"
"Father, how can you say such things?" Su Yaoqi pointed to the room door, "Both Master Xu Yun and the doctor from the mountain have examined her. She is already on the brink of death from excessive blood loss. Who would go to such lengths for a self-sacrificial act?"
Having stayed by Master Xu Yun’s side for nearly a year, Su Yaoqi had achieved a state of tranquility and detachment. That he could explode in such a setting showed how much those words had enraged him.
Duke Su chose to yield, "Alright, alright, don’t get agitated, it was my fault, okay? I shouldn’t have misunderstood her good intentions."
Though he said that, he still had doubts in his heart and gave a glance to the household doctor he brought along.
The household doctor understood, pushed the door open, and went in to examine Su Yu. Fifteen minutes later, he came out to report at the moon gate.
The Duke asked him, "How are the injuries, are they faked?"
"No," the doctor shook his head, "The young lady is indeed seriously injured. If not for timely blood-stopping, she might have long been dead."
The Duke squinted, "Is she really so kind?"
A daughter he couldn’t even remember before she came to recognize kin, could she truly repay evil with good?
Though the Duke didn’t quite believe it, the fact that Su Yu was severely injured was undeniable, and Little Four said she blocked the assassin’s blade for him, which was also a fact.
The household doctor didn’t know how to respond, so he remained silent.
After a while, he heard the Duke ask, "When will she wake up?"
The household doctor shook his head, "Hard to say."
After all, being a woman of delicate health suffering such grievous injury without dying instantly was already a miracle.
"So, she cannot be moved back to the manor before she wakes up?"
The household doctor advised, "If the Duke doesn’t have urgent matters, it’s best not to move her, the young lady’s condition is too weak, any jostle could easily claim her life."
"Alright, I understand."
The Duke returned to the door of Su Yu’s room. Su Yaoqi had not left, and he looked quite anxious.
The Duke consoled him, "What’s done by the doctor has been done, so don’t worry too much. If fate doesn’t intend to end, she’ll naturally wake up."
Su Yaoqi lowered his head, "If she doesn’t wake up, the burden of a life will be on me, and I fear my conscience will not rest easy."
The Duke said again, "Your sister has great fortune and is not so easily perished."
Su Yaoqi sighed, "I will go to the main hall to chant her scripture, hoping she wakes up soon."
Seeing his son about to leave, the Duke called him, "Little Four!"
Su Yaoqi did not turn back, "Father, please help take care of Big Sister here."
It was only today that he deeply realized that his father, apart from being kind to him, treated everyone else, even lives, with the same coldness.
Su Yaoqi left, half to chant scripture for Su Yu, the other half to escape.
He couldn’t persuade his birth father to show a kinder face to other children, so he could only stay away.
Su Yu never woke up, and Su Yaoqi spent the whole night in the main hall chanting for her. Even when Duke Su personally came to ask, he didn’t go back to sleep.
The Duke, fearing the assassination might repeat, slept leaning against a pillar not far from Su Yaoqi.
Waking at dawn, he found Su Yaoqi no longer in the hall.
He hurried out, caught a little monk, and asked where Shikong was. After learning Su Yaoqi had gone to the retreat to see the injured female benefactor, his heart eased. He went to the pool to wash his face, then followed to see his son.
Last night Su Yu had a fever, thankfully a farming woman discovered it in time and persistently gave her cold compress which gradually brought it down, but even so, she still had not woken up.
Shiming had consulted a doctor yesterday who had since descended the mountain, so Su Yaoqi had to let the household doctor brought by the Duke look.
The household doctor repeated, the patient had not yet passed the critical period, and a few days of observation were needed.
Su Yaoqi asked, "Is there any rare medicinal herb that could help her, if so, just name it, I’ll find a way."
"In the current state of the young lady, strong medicine won’t do her well, only gentle nourishment can help," the household doctor said, "If she can get through today after having a fever last night, she should be out of danger."
Su Yaoqi had just gone in to check, Su Yu’s complexion was worse than yesterday. If the doctor hadn’t said she still had a breath left, Su Yaoqi would almost have thought she was dead.
When the Duke arrived, Su Yaoqi was talking to the household doctor. Seeing his father, he halted.
"How is she?" The Duke looked towards the household doctor.
"Still hasn’t woken up yet, needs rest and observation."
In fact, whether Su Yu lived or died, the Duke didn’t care much, at most he had lost a chess piece, he only cared about Little Four’s reaction.
Seeing Little Four’s anxious look, he relented, "Since she saved you, once she wakes up and returns to the manor, I’ll give her the treatment of a legitimate daughter, and not let her be bullied again, this should put your mind at ease, right?"
