RPDPHW Chapter 28

“Madam, your illness stems too much from your heart. Though I can suppress your ailment for now, if you continue to let your thoughts run wild, I fear the disease will relapse once again.”

After finishing the acupuncture treatment, Gu Qingyin helped the Fifth Madam tidy her clothes and spoke in a calm tone.

The woman leaning against the bed was, without a doubt, a true sickly beauty. Though she was the General’s Fifth Concubine, she wasn’t much older than them. At that moment, with her slightly disheveled appearance and delicate demeanor, she exuded an alluring charm. Any ordinary person, upon seeing her, would surely want to cradle her in their arms and cherish her. But Gu Qingyin, unfazed by such beauty, remained composed as she carefully fed her the first dose of medicine brewed from the Fire Poison Ganoderma.

Dan Wenshu took the bitter concoction straight from Gu Qingyin’s hand without so much as a frown.

After years of illness, she had long since grown accustomed to the taste of such bitter medicine.

“I have troubled you once again, Doctor Gu. My body is truly failing me. You already treated me once last year, and yet here I am again. I fear I won’t have much time left.”

“Madam,” Gu Qingyin gently wiped the medicine stains from the corner of Dan Wenshu’s lips with a handkerchief, her voice soothing. “Don’t overthink things. Your heart is burdened far too heavily. Right now, I could prolong your life by another three to five years, but if you continue dwelling on such thoughts, I’m afraid that by next year, even the best medicine will be useless to your condition.”

“Cough, cough…” Dan Wenshu took the handkerchief from Gu Qingyin and covered her mouth. When she lowered it, a patch of fresh blood stained the fabric. “See? “With a body like mine, even your finest medicine would be wasted on me.”

“To be honest, if not for Ziyan pleading with me relentlessly, I wouldn’t have used this medicine on you at all.” Gu Qingyin sat beside her, gently patting her back to ease her breathing. “I understand that birth, aging, sickness, and death are all part of life and cannot be forced. But have you ever considered how much pain Ziyan would be in if you were to die?”

Dan Wenshu’s hand trembled slightly.

“You and I both know how she feels about you. “So why not give her a chance?” Gu Qingyin’s voice softened. “And in doing so, give yourself a chance too?”

Dan Wenshu lowered her gaze and said, “Why does Doctor Gu believe I should give her a chance? Putting aside the fact that we are both women, my status as a concubine alone creates a divide between us that is wider than a thousand mountains.”

“For years, the General has never once set foot in your courtyard. I understand that with your temperament, you would never pine for him. Yet, in less than a year, your illness has worsened to such an extent—there must be a reason. If it weren’t because of Ziyan, then why is it that you refuse to see her and only her?”

Seeing Dan Wenshu remain silent, Gu Qingyin continued, “I am a physician, but if I cannot cure the illness in your heart, then all my treatments will be in vain. That is something I cannot bear. Please, Madam, do not torment yourself like this.”

A long silence followed before Dan Wenshu finally let out a heavy sigh. “Doctor Gu, you don’t understand. With my frail and broken body, I should not become a burden to her. The norms of society are unyielding—if there were truly something between us, how would she ever be able to stand her ground in the General’s residence? Among all the young masters and ladies in this household, the general values Ziyan the most. The First Madam also relies on Ziyan to solidify her position here. I cannot let her be condemned by the world because of me.”

Hearing these words, Gu Qingyin understood.

Some emotions are not rejected because they are unwanted—but because they cannot be acted upon.

Perhaps it was precisely because she cared too deeply that she had fallen into such distress and sickness.

“I see,” Gu Qingyin sighed. “Madam, your condition does not allow for emotional turmoil.” Just remember—nothing is more important than your own happiness. Nothing matters more than your life.”

Dan Wenshu finally allowed a faint smile to appear. “Thank you, Doctor Gu, for your understanding.”

Without forceful persuasion or pressing questions, Gu Qingyin’s gentle approach did not make Dan Wenshu uncomfortable.

The reason she was willing to confide in Gu Qingyin was simple—she knew that Lin Ziyan was always indifferent toward others. There was no one around her whom she truly trusted.

Except for Doctor Gu.

And someone whom Ziyan trusted was someone Dan Wenshu could trust as well.

“There are still two more doses of medicine to be taken later. As long as Madam does not overthink or exhaust herself, the coughing of blood should be able to stop.”

Gu Qingyin helped Dan Wenshu lie down and was about to let her rest when Xiaohong, the maid who had served Dan Wenshu for years, came in to report.

“Madam, the Third Miss is here.”

Dan Wenshu’s brows furrowed slightly before knitting together tightly. She replied coldly, “I will not see her.”

“But…” Xiaohong glanced at Gu Qingyin before continuing, “The Third Miss said that the guest insisted on coming to find Doctor Gu. They refuse to leave unless they see the doctor…”

Hearing this, Gu Qingyin immediately understood—Lin Ziyan had likely brought Zhong Shujin here. However, instead of rushing out to meet Zhong Shujin, she gently helped Dan Wenshu sit up and asked kindly, “Are you sure you don’t want to see her? I heard that she hasn’t seen you in three months.”

Dan Wenshu sighed. “Doctor Gu, I thought you understood.”

Knowing that Dan Wenshu was determined to refuse, Xiaohong hesitated before speaking up, unable to hold back her concern. “But… the Third Miss is injured this time. She lost a lot of blood, yet she acted as if nothing had happened. I tried to persuade her to tend to her wounds first, but she wouldn’t listen…”

Dan Wenshu’s expression tensed, her eyes filled with worry.

In the end, she let out a long sigh. “Let her in.”

Then, with Gu Qingyin’s assistance, she stood up, carefully selecting a bright and elegant dress before taking the time to fix her appearance. Only after ensuring she was properly dressed did she walk toward the outer room, accompanied by Gu Qingyin.

Even though Dan Wenshu usually forced herself to avoid Lin Ziyan, the moment she saw her, the longing she had suppressed for so long surged up uncontrollably.

Especially when she noticed the fresh bloodstains on Lin Ziyan’s body—her heart clenched with pain.

“Cough… cough, cough, cough…”

Sure enough, in her excitement, she started coughing up blood again.

“Shu’er!”

Lin Ziyan, who had been calmly waiting with Zhong Shujin in the outer room, had managed to keep her composure—until she saw Dan Wenshu coughing up blood. Her expression changed instantly. Forgetting all formalities, she quickly stepped forward, wrapping her arms around the frail, trembling figure, helping her regulate her breathing as she asked anxiously, “Qingqing, why is she still like this?”

Gu Qingyin took a step back, making space for Lin Ziyan to take her place beside Dan Wenshu. She answered, “Madam must not let her emotions fluctuate too drastically. Perhaps she was startled by the sight of your bloodstains.”

With that, Gu Qingyin turned toward the guilty-looking Zhong Shujin, who was nervously wringing her hands at the side. Without hesitation, she reached out and pinched Zhong Shujin’s ear, scolding her, “Why did you hit so hard? What did she ever do to you, hmm?”

She didn’t even need to ask—she could already guess where Lin Ziyan’s injuries came from.

Zhong Shujin yelped in pain, tilting her head up as her ear was tugged. She quickly grabbed Gu Qingyin’s wrist and threw a pleading look at Lin Ziyan.

“Hey! Say something to help me out here!”

If Lin Ziyan hadn’t assured her that she wouldn’t tattle Qingyin, she never would have dared to come here with her to find Qingyin so soon after their fight!

“Mm, we were just sparring,” Lin Ziyan said calmly. “When masters exchange blows, it’s inevitable to get a few minor injuries.”

Only after hearing that did Zhong Shujin dare to pry Gu Qingyin’s hand away. She looked at her pitifully and tried to defend herself.

“See? She said it was just sparring! I didn’t mean to hit her that hard. Don’t be mad, okay?”

She had originally wanted to say that Lin Ziyan simply wasn’t skilled enough and deserved to lose. But when she saw Gu Qingyin’s slightly angry expression, she wisely swallowed those words.

Dan Wenshu, who was being supported by Lin Ziyan, frowned slightly. She put some distance between them and, looking at the bloodstains on Lin Ziyan’s clothes, scolded with a hint of distress, “You got injured and didn’t even apply medicine? Instead, you came here just to wait around—what kind of behavior is that?”

“Miss Zhong insisted on coming here to find Qingqing. I had no choice but to bring her along. “Since I was coming anyway, I figured I could also get some medicine from Qingqing while I was at it,” Lin Ziyan replied with a soft smile, lowering her gaze obediently.

Zhong Shujin opened her mouth, wanting to correct Lin Ziyan’s misleading words, but before she could speak, Gu Qingyin shot her a warning glance. She quickly swallowed her words and closed her mouth obediently.

“Then I’ll trouble Madam to help Ziyan apply some medicine.” Gu Qingyin took out a bottle of ointment and placed it on the table. “I’ll go check on the medicine that’s being prepared.”

Without waiting for Dan Wenshu’s approval, she grabbed Zhong Shujin’s arm and dragged her out of the room, heading toward the corridor where the medicine was brewing.

“Qingqing, I wasn’t the one who insisted on coming to find you! I knew you were here treating someone, and I didn’t want to disturb you. It was her who said she could bring me to you, so I reluctantly agreed…”

“Reluctantly?” Gu Qingyin raised an eyebrow at that explanation, clearly unimpressed. She turned back and pinched Zhong Shujin’s cheek. “What, did you get addicted to fighting today? Do you think you, the great Leader Zhong, are undefeated in the world? If Ziyan hadn’t held back, do you really think you’d be standing here in one piece? You’d already be full of holes!”

Zhong Shujin pouted but didn’t try to break free from Gu Qingyin’s grasp. Instead, she lowered her eyes and muttered pitifully, “You only care that she’s bleeding, but I’m bleeding too… and you don’t seem to care about me at all.”

Since Lin Ziyan wore light-colored clothing, the bloodstains on her were easy to spot. But Zhong Shujin’s clothes were dark, so no one had noticed her injuries.

Gu Qingyin froze for a moment. Then, without hesitation, she let go of Zhong Shujin’s cheek and grabbed her left hand instead, rolling up her sleeve to check.

Sure enough, her entire arm was already soaked in blood.

At this, Gu Qingyin became genuinely angry.

“You know you’re injured, yet you still insist on fighting?! “If you don’t even care about yourself, how do you expect others to care for you?”

Hearing this, Zhong Shujin’s stubborn streak flared up as well. She immediately yanked her hand back, hiding it behind her, and replied coldly, “Oh.”

Gu Qingyin was speechless.

Even with her usual patience, Zhong Shujin’s attitude was truly testing her limits.

Nearby, Xiao’er, who was tending to the medicine, saw the tense exchange and awkwardly called out, “Doctor Gu, weren’t you here to check on the medicine?”

Gu Qingyin took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She responded, “Mm. You can leave now; I’ll take care of it from here.”

Hearing this, Xiao’er quickly got up and hurried away.

Gu Qingyin sat down on a wooden stool, still wearing a cold expression. She opened the small stove, checked the brewing medicine, and added some herbs and hot water. Yet when she glanced up, Zhong Shujin was still standing in the same spot, arms crossed, face tense and silent. Finally, Gu Qingyin couldn’t hold back anymore and shouted, “Come here!”

Only then did Zhong Shujin lift her chin arrogantly and stride over.

Now, Gu Qingyin fully realized just how stubborn Zhong Shujin could be. But she had no choice—she could only sigh, press Zhong Shujin down onto the stool, and wordlessly roll up her sleeve. She cleaned the wound and bandaged it without saying another word, then left her sitting there while she turned back to the medicine stove.

After a long silence, it was Zhong Shujin who finally broke first.

“Last night, you could’ve treated my wound without taking off my clothes too, you know…” she mumbled.

Scooting a little closer, she tugged on Gu Qingyin’s sleeve, her voice soft and coaxing, “Alright, don’t be mad anymore, okay? I know I was wrong. I admit it, alright? I’ll even go apologize to Ziyan later, just don’t ignore me anymore…”