Chapter 45

“Mother, you must believe me! How could I possibly do such a thing? I’ve always been studying at the Guozi Jian, and I usually live there! I have no idea where you keep your gold, silver, jewelry, and treasures!”

Xia Yuanxiu knelt on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing.

“Sigh! Yuanxiu, everything I have will belong to you and your siblings in the future. If you ever need money, just tell me. Why would you go to such lengths?”

Yan Meili helped Xia Yuanxiu up and spoke earnestly.

“Mother, if I really did such a thing, I would hide it. Why would I leave it exposed for you to see? Don’t you agree?”

Xia Yuanxiu helped Yan Meili sit in a chair, patiently trying to reassure her.

“Mother, I know you wouldn’t do such a thing, but don’t you find it strange that this happened last night?”

Yan Meili held Xia Yuanxiu’s hand, filled with doubt.

“Madam! Something is wrong, the sixth young lady is possessed!”

A maid’s voice could be heard shouting from outside.

Yan Meili immediately stood up, sensing something was off. This time, it seemed that Xia Jinlan was in trouble again.

“Is the doctor here? It’s probably just a nightmare!”

“I’ve already sent for Dr. Sun from Xinglin Hall!”

“Good, I’ll go check on her right away!”

Yan Meili grabbed Xia Yuanxiu and rushed out of the room, heading toward Xia Jinlan’s courtyard.

Dr. Sun arrived with his apprentices, carrying a medical bag. The maids led him into the room where he saw Xia Jinlan tied up with ropes. He was momentarily stunned but quickly regained his composure, instructing the maids to untie her. Four strong women held her limbs, allowing Dr. Sun to take her pulse.

“Let me examine her properly!”

Dr. Sun focused on taking her pulse when a maid hurriedly entered the room and said:

“Madam, my sixth young lady is fine now. She came here to thank you and offer her respects!”

“Tell her to leave, and not to disturb us!”

Yan Meili snapped at the maid.

“Yes!”

The maid quickly retreated.

Dr. Sun frowned. It seemed that Madam didn’t like the sixth young lady very much.

In the courtyard, Xia Qingqing had freshened up and was standing next to Xia Jinlan’s father, Xia Jinxing.

“Father, Mother doesn’t seem to like me. I’ll return to my courtyard.”

“Qingqing, I’m sorry, go back to your own place for now. I’ll go check on her.”

Xia Jinxing was helpless.

“Let’s go, Xiao Suo.”

Xia Qingqing, with Xiao Suo’s support, slowly left the courtyard.

“Xiao Suo, Dr. Sun is inside checking on the sixth young lady! I saw her being restrained by four strong women like a wild woman!”

“It’s fine! That sixth young lady just needs a good beating. Once she’s beaten a few times, the phlegm in her throat will come out.”

“Xiao Suo, you know medicine too. If you helped her, perhaps you could cure her!”

Xiao Suo looked at Xia Qingqing with admiration.

“Sigh, Xiao Suo, you think too much. Let’s go back to our courtyard.”

Xia Qingqing patted Xiao Suo on the head.

“Dr. Sun, how is my daughter?”

Yan Meili asked when she saw Dr. Sun frowning deeply, as though he was struggling to find a solution.

“Madam, the sixth young lady has phlegm blocking her chest. It’s possible to beat her and make her spit it out, but…”

Dr. Sun seemed uneasy.

“How should we beat her?”

Yan Meili looked at him with confusion.

“Beating requires a method. If you hit her too hard, she will get hurt and the phlegm won’t come out. If you hit too lightly, it won’t help. I don’t dare do it myself, after all…”

Dr. Sun smiled awkwardly.

“Dr. Sun, who do you think is suitable?”

Yan Meili asked urgently.

“Madam, you are her mother. You are the most suitable to do it!”

“Me?”

Yan Meili looked around, noticing her son and daughter standing in the room.

Everyone else avoided looking at her, shaking their heads.

Who in their right mind would dare hit Xia Jinlan? Once she woke up, she would seek revenge on whoever hit her. She was an unreasonable, barbaric person.

“Fine, I’ll do it!”

Yan Meili stood up and walked toward Xia Jinlan.

“Madam, this is how you do it!”

Dr. Sun demonstrated on one of his apprentices, pulling up the apprentice’s collar and giving him a harsh slap, then kicking him in the stomach. The apprentice dropped to the ground, pretending to vomit, before standing up again.

Yan Meili understood.

“Okay, I get it now!”

She stepped forward, ordered the maids to release Xia Jinlan, and grabbed her by the collar, preparing to strike.

“Aaahh!”

Xia Jinlan suddenly bit down hard on Yan Meili’s arm, refusing to let go.

“Ah!”

“It hurts so much! Help!”

Yan Meili gritted her teeth in pain.

The maids rushed forward, trying to pry Xia Jinlan off her.

“I’ll give her an injection!”

Dr. Sun quickly pulled out a silver needle and pricked Xia Jinlan’s acupuncture point on her head.

With a “thud,” Xia Jinlan’s eyes closed, and she collapsed onto the bed.

“Hiss.”

Yan Meili, clutching her bleeding arm, gasped in pain.

Dr. Sun quickly took out some hemostatic powder and gauze, helping to bandage her up.

“Dr. Sun, Xia Jinlan fainted!”

Yan Meili was still concerned for her daughter.

“Madam, it’s just a temporary faint. Once she wakes up, she will start acting crazy and bite again. Maybe someone else should do it?”

Dr. Sun suggested.

“Let me do it!”

Xia Jinxing rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward.

“Get lost! Go find your Xia Qingqing, Qingqing. I’ll handle my own daughter!”

Yan Meili glared at him.

“Okay!”

Xia Jinxing reluctantly shrank back.

“Sigh, didn’t Madam just mention the sixth young lady, Xia Qingqing? She has a natural talent for medicine. My father encountered her in the palace and took a liking to her. He taught her massage techniques and even gave her his own nine-turn silver needles. If Xia Qingqing were to use the nine-turn silver needles and follow the technique I demonstrated, the sixth young lady’s illness would be cured quickly!”

Dr. Sun deliberately mentioned Xia Qingqing, hoping she would be the one to do the beating.

“Ah? Nine-turn silver needles!”

Xia Yuanxiu suddenly remembered the silver needles he had ordered his subordinates to burn earlier that day.

At the time, Xia Qingqing had said they were the needles Dr. Sun had given her, but they didn’t believe her and thought they were for harming someone. They didn’t realize they were Dr. Sun’s special life-saving needles.

“Young Master, you’ve seen the nine-turn silver needles?”

Dr. Sun looked at him in surprise.

Xia Yuanxiu smiled bitterly.

“I had someone burn them. I didn’t know Dr. Sun still had them.”

Yan Meili was so angry that her chest hurt. Her son was truly foolish—why burn the silver needles?

“Never mind, let Xia Qingqing come and do the massage. Time is tight. If we wait too long, the sixth young lady will wake up! Everyone else, leave!”

Dr. Sun waved his hand, ushering everyone out.

Hearing Dr. Sun’s words, everyone hurried out of the room, fearing they would be bitten by Xia Jinlan.