The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 85 - 84

Chapter 84

While the cafeteria was in chaos, many people ran around frantically looking for the teachers of the Imperial Academy. However, there was no sign of any teachers or the academy’s doctor. As time passed, the tension continued to build.

“How’s it going? Has anyone found a teacher?”

Shouts of inquiry echoed among the young masters and young misses, each asking the others. They had been searching for the teachers for a long time but hadn’t found any. It was an unusual situation.

“No one here. Has anyone checked the Fang Rong Hall side?”

“We did, but we didn’t find any teachers or doctors!”

“In that case, let’s go to the headmaster’s office!”

Many nodded in agreement and sent representatives to run to the headmaster’s office in the central building. When they arrived at the central area of the Imperial Academy, where the headmaster’s office was located, their backs were drenched with sweat from running. The young masters stood panting heavily at the door.

After catching their breath, one of them opened the door to the headmaster’s office and found that all the teachers and staff of the Imperial Academy had gathered there. This was why they couldn’t find a single teacher!

“T...teachers!”

The faculty turned to look at the caller with puzzled expressions. Some frowned slightly at the students’ lack of manners for opening the door without permission.

“What urgent matter could cause such haste?” One teacher asked sternly, his aged face reflecting a serious demeanor typical of a scholar who valued etiquette. His eyes scanned the students with a disapproving gaze.

“M...Miss.” the student stammered, struggling due to his lingering breathlessness. He took a deep breath to finish his sentence. “M...Miss, something has happened to her!”

Miss?

The teachers’ expressions immediately became serious. The Imperial Academy had many members of the royal family, nobles, and officials’ children studying there. Therefore, the title ‘Miss’ wasn’t uncommon. They didn’t know which young miss was having trouble, and could only hope it wasn’t Miss Fei Yang, the beloved daughter of Duan Wang...

“What happened!?” The headmaster, who oversaw the Imperial Academy directly, asked in a stern voice, his face showing clear concern. If anything happened to anyone, it would not bode well for the academy.

“Headmaster, it’s Miss Fei Yang. She suddenly fainted! Not only that, but she also has a terrifying rash on her face and hands. It looks quite severe...”

Bang!

Crash!

Pwoosh!

Before the young man could finish explaining, there were sudden sounds of something hitting the floor, porcelain shattering, and tea being spat out. When he looked up at the source of the sounds, he saw that all the teachers’ faces had gone pale.

The headmaster, who had been seated moments before, had already stood up. In his haste, he knocked his chair over backward, causing it to crash to the floor. Several teachers who had been drinking tea dropped their cups as their hands became weak, shattering them on the floor. Some even spat out their tea in shock, coughing and thumping their chests to recover from their choking.

“Cough, cough!”

“Wh...which young miss?” The headmaster stammered, barely able to believe what he had just heard. He silently prayed that he had misheard.

However, it seemed the heavens were not merciful. When the student repeated his answer, it was like a thunderbolt striking the heads of everyone in the room, confirming the truth they all dreaded!

“Headmaster, it’s Miss Fei Yang!”

The knowledgeable teachers were momentarily dumbstruck, their minds blank. The only thought they could muster was the image of Duan Wang’s wrath, ready to explode if anything happened to Miss Fei Yang...

This was bad!

Disaster was coming to the Imperial Academy!

Everyone in the room exchanged knowing glances before bitter smiles appeared on their faces. As the teachers regained their composure, they swallowed hard and rushed out of the room. “Go, go! Where’s the doctor!? Hurry and check on the young miss!”

“Where is Miss Fei Yang!? Take us to her quickly! If we’re late and something happens, it’ll be terrible!”

The elderly teachers’ anxious voices created another wave of chaos among the faculty. They hurriedly followed the student who had delivered the news, rushing towards the cafeteria with worried expressions. Each face reflected a mixture of emotions, but the most prominent was the pallor of someone who could see their own impending doom.

Meanwhile, in the lounge beside the cafeteria, many people were gathered outside the room, watching the events unfold without crowding inside. Inside the room were only Mu Qingxuan, Su Baimiao, Wan Ningtong, and Jiao Fangniang, attending Meng Liting. Meng Liting lay unconscious on the wide bed behind a screen, her skin alarmingly red and covered in thick rashes, leaving no clear patches. The face that was once beautiful was now entirely covered in red rashes, unrecognizable from before.

"Why hasn’t the doctor arrived yet? Miss Fei Yang’s condition is worsening. If this continues, it won’t be good!"

Jiao Fangniang paced around the room, grumbling in agitation, her beautiful face reflecting genuine worry. The sudden turn of events had her heart sinking instantly.

Wan Ningtong was just as shocked. She bit her lip, trying to maintain her calm composure, and kept peering out, hoping to see the arrival of a teacher or doctor whom they had sent for earlier.

Su Baimiao, too, feigned worry. She glanced at Meng Liting’s deteriorating condition with hidden delight before masking her malicious intent, maintaining a worried facade that seemed genuinely concerned for Meng Liting.

“This won’t do! I’ll go and find the doctor myself! If we let more time pass, it will only get worse!”

Su Baimiao gripped the hem of her skirt tightly, as if she had made a decision. She spoke to everyone in a serious tone, her gaze fixed on the figure on the bed, filled with a mix of worry and a genuine desire to help. Her long eyebrows knitted together tightly.

"I’ll go with you! I don’t want to just sit around doing nothing either."

Jiao Fangniang approached Su Baimiao, requesting to join her. Su Baimiao didn’t object, and the two women quickly left the room to find the doctor urgently.

Mu Qingxuan, who was checking Meng Liting’s pulse, frowned deeply. The heat emanating from Meng Liting’s body seemed to be increasing rapidly. She turned to Wan Ningtong, her face filled with worry.

“Young Miss Wan, could you please fetch me some cold, wet clothes? Miss Fei Yang’s temperature is rising; we need to use cold compresses to alleviate her symptoms.”

“Alright! I’ll get them immediately.”

Wan Ningtong nodded and quickly left to find the items Mu Qingxuan requested. She, too, did not want to sit idly by and was willing to help in any way she could.

Once the room was empty, Mu Qingxuan went to adjust the screen for more privacy. The worried expression on her face vanished, replaced by a calm demeanor. Her peach blossom eyes followed the direction Su Baimiao had gone with a strange look. After ensuring no one else was entering the room, Mu Qingxuan turned back inside.

Meanwhile, Su Baimiao and Jiao Fangniang had left to find a teacher. When they reached a fork between the buildings, Su Baimiao grabbed Jiao Fangniang’s arm.

“Let’s split up to find someone; it will be faster that way!”

Su Baimiao spoke with a serious expression, nodding to the right. "I’ll go this way."

"In that case, I’ll go the other way," Jiao Fangniang quickly agreed, not thinking much of it. The two of them then split up to find someone to help Meng Liting as quickly as possible.

After parting ways, Su Baimiao walked towards a nearby building. As she entered a room inside, she glanced around to ensure no one was nearby. Once certain she was alone, she immediately opened the door and stepped inside.

The room was filled with rows of wooden cabinets, each with multiple locked compartments used by students of the Imperial Academy to store their belongings while attending classes. Su Baimiao hurriedly searched for a specific name tag. After checking three rows, she found the one she was looking for. She pulled out a set of keys she had secretly taken from the academy’s caretaker and unlocked the compartment.

Within moments, she opened the compartment and placed a small cloth bag inside. Then, she locked it again as if nothing had happened. Su Baimiao exited the room with a calm expression, her face revealing a cold smile and her eyes glinting with a frosty light. Everything was going according to her plan!

Su Baimiao laughed inwardly with satisfaction as she walked away from the building. After a short distance, she noticed a group of young misses approaching. Quickly, she changed her expression to one of anxiety and joined the group in their search for a teacher.

Duan Wang Palace

At the gates of Duan Wang Palace, a thin figure hurriedly approached to report something to the guards. His face showed clear signs of agitation.

"Something has happened! Report to Duan Wang immediately that something has happened!"

The urgent voice caught the attention of the guards at the gate. They glanced at each other briefly before lowering their spears to block the path of the thin man who was approaching while making a commotion.

"Stand back at once! This is not a place for you to cause a disturbance!" One guard said sternly, his face fierce, intending to intimidate the newcomer. The thin man recoiled in fear, taking several steps back.

"P...please, soldiers...d...don’t reprimand me yet," he stammered, his voice trembling as he reached his shaking hand to pick up the badge at his waist and show it to the soldiers.

"I...I’m...fr...from...th...the Imperial...a...academy."

The guard took the badge and examined it briefly. Seeing the authentic seal of the Imperial Academy, they returned the badge and softened their expressions considerably.

"Why have people from the Imperial Academy come here?"

"I...I was ordered by the headmaster to report to Duan Wang Palace. Ri...right now, something has happened to M...Miss Fei Yang!"

As soon as the guards at the gate heard this, his knees nearly buckled. Their stern faces showed a level of panic they’d never displayed before. Outsiders might know that Duan Wang doted on Miss Fei Yang, but none knew it as well as they did. Given Duan Wang’s love and affection for his daughter, even the smallest incident happened to the young miss could trigger his wrath, striking fear into everyone!

"Wha...what happened!?"

"I...I don’t know for sure, b...but...today, Miss Fei Yang suddenly...fa...fainted and has y...yet to regain consciousness!"

The thin man stammered, his eyes reflecting a deep-seated fear. With such an incident, no one could bear the wrath of Duan Wang Palace!

Upon hearing the details, the guards became even more alarmed. One of them decided to go and report the situation to Duan Wang immediately to prevent any serious mistakes.

Anything involving Miss Fei Yang could not be delayed!

Imperial Academy

Soon, the teachers and doctors of the Imperial Academy arrived at the lounge beside the cafeteria, which was surrounded by curious onlookers. As the teachers approached, the crowd parted respectfully to let them through.

Entering the room, they found two figures standing beside the bed behind the screen. When the headmaster circled the screen and saw Meng Liting lying unconscious on the bed, his heart sank. Her skin was an alarming red, and red rashes covered every visible part of her body—her hands, neck, and face. Although the headmaster had no medical knowledge, he could see that Meng Liting’s condition was critical.

This was bad!

If this continued, it would be disastrous!

"Doctor! Quickly, check on the young miss!"

At the headmaster’s call, three elderly doctors hurried to examine her. Seeing her condition, they were equally alarmed. One of them checked her pulse and found it weak, almost as if it could stop at any moment, increasing the pressure on them significantly.

Wan Ningtong and Mu Qingxuan, who had been pushed aside, stepped out to wait with the other teachers in the outer room.

"Now that the doctors are here, I hope Miss Fei Yang will be alright," Wan Ningtong said softly, her face deeply worried. If anything happened to Meng Liting, it would be as if she had witnessed a death right before her eyes!

Mu Qingxuan did not respond. She merely glanced at the screen with a peculiar look for a moment before lowering her eyes slightly. "She will be alright..."

Inside the room, the teachers wore tense expressions. The doctors treating Miss Fei Yang were equally pressured because her condition was quite severe. They had to work together to the best of their abilities to save her life.

As the situation unfolded, a servant of the Imperial Academy rushed in to report to the headmaster with a panicked look.

"Headmaster! People from Duan Wang Palace have arrived! He is currently in your office!"

Thud!

The headmaster collapsed to his knees instantly, his aged face turning pale as if he had seen a ghost. The man, in his fifties, now appeared to have aged another ten years.

"Ho...how did he get here? We didn’t send anyone to inform Duan Wang Palace about what happened. How could he find out so quickly?"

The headmaster mumbled in confusion. Earlier, after the incident, he had instructed all the teachers not to notify Duan Wang Palace just yet, to wait and see how things developed. Who had dared to defy his orders and bring trouble upon themselves!?

The other teachers looked equally shocked. People from Duan Wang Palace arriving so quickly suggested they were deeply concerned. How would they explain this situation to them?

The headmaster tried to regain his composure, taking deep breaths before slowly asking the servant who had come to report, "Who did...Duan Wang Palace send?"

"Du...Duan Wang came himself, sir!"

Thud!

This time, it wasn’t just the headmaster who collapsed; every teacher in the room fell to their knees, stumbling in different directions. Many of them almost wanted to faint from the shock.

Duan Wang Palace didn’t send anyone; Duan Wang came himself!

It was as if the grim reaper had arrived!

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