Chapter 326 Everything Went Smoothly

Su Wan only kept two doctors behind to assist; the rest were all driven out.

Mother Gu’s hand, clasped tightly with Gu Baozhu’s, was trembling. Her chest felt heavy as if she couldn’t catch her breath. Her lips opened and closed again, and her clouded eyes stared fixedly at the tightly shut door.

Her mind was filled with the image of Gu Qingsong bleeding continuously, soaking his clothes and the bedding in red, lying there lifeless. It was as though time had rewound and dragged her back to eight or nine years ago, when she first heard the dreadful news of Gu Qingsong.

“Madam, the Young Lady will save him. Don’t worry,” Mo Yuan said in a cold, hard voice, not one adept at offering comfort.

“I… I never wished for him to die.” Tears welled up in Mother Gu’s eyes. She had waited so many years for this person. Upon hearing he was still alive, she had been overjoyed. Yet learning that he had built another family and achieved great success—it was impossible not to feel resentment in her heart.

The two of them had endured hardship together and spent over a decade as husband and wife. He was the father of her child, so naturally, she hoped he would live well and have a good life.

Her child had become successful, and their days were prosperous, which had broadened her heart.

After the sorrow and heartbreak came a sense of release.

Everyone was moving forward, and life had to go on.

She had never, ever imagined that Gu Qingsong would die saving her and her daughter.

“This was just an accident,” Mo Yuan said.

Mother Gu said nothing more, only held Gu Baozhu tighter in her arms.

The doctors moved in and out, carrying out basins of bloodied water and cloth soaked through with fresh blood.

Mother Gu felt cold all over. She pressed her hands together in prayer, pleading for the Bodhisattva’s protection.

Gu Baozhu’s braids were disheveled, her hair tie long since fallen off. Her gaze was vacant as she stared at the door, her thoughts in a muddled haze, still lingering on the moment when Gu Qingsong fell from the wall and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

She had always wanted to have a father like the other children. But her own father had brought sorrow and heartache to her mother, and she didn’t know what to do. Instinctively, she had followed her mother’s feelings and rejected him, thinking he didn’t love them enough. If he truly did, he wouldn’t have gone and become someone else’s father.

Yet over this recent period, she had often seen him sitting atop the wall outside the window, watching her from afar. The coldness in his eyes would melt under the sunlight. He seemed to want to approach her, but hesitated, maintaining his distance out of concern.

Seeing him like that, Gu Baozhu would feel an unexplainable surge of anger rise within her. She would shut the window and step away from it.

But over time, she seemed to grow used to it. Sometimes she would secretly glance out the window. When he was there, she would feel uncomfortable. When he wasn’t, she would feel a faint sense of disappointment.

After Second Brother entered the palace, she had forgotten about him. After moving to a new home, she had never seen him again.

She never expected that he would suffer serious injuries to save her and her mother.

He must… like them, right?

Tears welled up in Gu Baozhu’s eyes as she silently thought to herself: if he wakes up, then if he wants to see her in the future, she’ll let him. She won’t hide from him anymore.

The waiting was always so agonizing, every moment dragging like a year.

From noon until twilight fell in all directions.

In the dim room, a candleholder was lit. The flickering little flame seemed to scorch those keeping vigil outside.

Mother Gu went from being full of hope, to anxious, uneasy, and then to despair.

No longer holding out hope.

With a creak, the tightly shut door opened.

A glimmer of light sparked in Mother Gu’s eyes. She wanted to step forward and ask about the situation, but after standing for so long, her legs were numb. When she moved a step, they were both numb and painful, weak as if they had lost all feeling, as though she were stepping on soft cotton. Her whole body tilted forward, about to collapse.

Mo Yuan caught her in time and helped her to the doorway.

The doctor looked utterly exhausted, his eyes bloodshot and his clothes splattered with fresh blood.

Mother Gu and Gu Baozhu saw it, and their hearts sank heavily.

In the doctor’s eyes was an unconcealed mix of astonishment and excitement. Before they could ask, he spoke first: “For now, his life has been snatched back.”

“For now?” Mother Gu asked in confusion.

“If the Young Lady hadn’t taken action herself, no one could have saved him. It was like snatching someone straight from the hands of the King of Hell. He’ll still need to be observed for a few more days.”

The doctor was filled with admiration and reverence. “I’ve never seen such exquisite medical skill—opening up a man’s chest and then stitching it layer by layer. If I hadn’t witnessed it with my own eyes, no matter who said it, I would never have believed it.”

That scene had been overwhelmingly shocking, even for them as doctors.

There were cases of opening the abdomen recorded in medical texts, but they had always regarded them as fantastical tales.

They never imagined it could truly be done.

“You may go in and take a look. For the specifics, you’ll need to ask the Young Lady.” The doctor stepped aside to let them through.

Mother Gu pressed her lips together and entered the room nervously. The heavy scent of medicine immediately hit her, laced faintly with the smell of blood.

Her hand was gripped tightly by Gu Baozhu. Holding her breath, Mother Gu stepped into the inner chamber.

Gu Qingsong lay on the bed, his face utterly bloodless, deathly pale to the point of being frightening.

Su Wan finished cleaning everything up. When she looked over and saw Mother Gu’s pale face and Gu Baozhu on the verge of tears, she spoke softly, “He’s stable for now. If the wound doesn’t worsen and no other complications arise within three to five days, then he’ll be considered out of immediate danger.”

Mother Gu nodded stiffly. She wanted to ask something, but when she saw how exhausted Su Wan looked, with her complexion clearly not well, she held back. “You’ve worked hard. Go and get some rest.”

“I’ve already told Doctor Chen everything that needs to be watched for. He’ll handle the care.” After performing such an intense surgery, Su Wan’s nerves had been tightly strung until now. Finally able to relax, she felt physically and mentally drained. A sharp pain throbbed in her head, and she didn’t try to push through it. “I’ll go find something to eat first.”

Mother Gu gave a slight nod.

When Su Wan stepped out of the room, a breeze brushed across her face. She took a deep breath and stretched her body. Her joints cracked audibly, and her stiff limbs finally relaxed.

In her heart, she wasn’t too optimistic. This was, in the truest sense, the very first surgery she had ever performed in this world. The lack of medical equipment and medication meant that even if she had managed to snatch Gu Qingsong back from the brink of death, it was the complications that followed that would be the real threat.

Su Wan’s stomach was growling with hunger. She instructed a maid to fetch some food from the kitchen, while she herself returned to the main residence to prepare for a bath.

She had broken into a sweat, and the sticky discomfort was unbearable.

Suddenly, her steps halted.

She saw Gu Huaizhi hurrying toward her. Her numb brain began to stir into motion, and she quickly walked up to him. “Why are you back? How are the Empress Dowager and Ji Wufeng?”

Gu Huaizhi’s expression was grim, and his pitch-black eyes seemed to be churning with a storm. But the moment he saw Su Wan, he steadied his emotions and said in a low voice, “The Empress Dowager has become a cripple. Ji Wufeng’s crimes were confirmed with her help. He’s now imprisoned in the Imperial Prison, awaiting exile.”

“Everything went smoothly?”

“Smoothly.”

“My parents—have they returned? Where are they staying now?”

Su Wan felt lightheaded and unwell all over. “I’ll go visit them tomorrow.”

She paused for a moment, then looked at Gu Huaizhi’s calm expression and hesitated before saying, “Your father had an accident. He’s still not out of danger. He’s in the east wing. Do you want to go see him?”

Gu Huaizhi had come back precisely for this matter. No matter how he felt about Gu Qingsong, the man had saved his mother and sister. Deep down, he was grateful.

“I’ll take you back to your room first.” Gu Huaizhi gently caressed her cheek, his gaze soft. “You’re worn out.”

Su Wan lifted her foot slightly. “I stood all afternoon—my legs are sore… ah…”

Gu Huaizhi scooped her up into his arms. “Get some proper rest. Leave everything else to me. Father-in-law and Mother-in-law are staying at the Regent’s Residence. I’ll take you there first thing tomorrow morning.”