Palace Fighting: Naive Concubines' Ascent to Power-Chapter 392: Progress

Lian Changhe and Lian Wanzhen saw him and hurriedly surrounded him, but he only spoke once he reached the courtyard, "The doctor is still treating."

Lian Changhe was anxious, "How can he still be treating, is he still inserting needles?"

Lian Musu nodded.

Lian Changhe looked towards the main house with both heartache and disappointment and could not help stepping forward, wanting to open the door but not daring to, hesitating.

Lian Musu turned his gaze away from his father and asked Lian Wanzhen, "Where is Xiao Bao?"

"Xiao Bao and Uncle Ma had something to attend to and have gone out." Fearing his older brother’s blame, Lian Wanzhen quickly added, "He’s also trying to find our little sister, saying there’s a lead, don’t worry, big brother."

Lian Musu asked in surprise, "What lead?"

Unable to resist, a smile broke across Lian Wanzhen’s face, and he gleefully explained the clues Lian Bao had shared with them, concluding with, "Our little sister is now living with Clan Uncle after moving house; we just need to find Clan Uncle to find her. Xiao Bao said it will be soon, telling us not to worry."

Lian Musu felt disappointed but did not show it, wishing it were as simple as his second brother believed. This was probably his younger brother’s way to comfort them, especially to comfort their mother.

Such a claim was untenable; otherwise, his younger brother would not still be searching for them. He would ask himself when he returned.

Not dwelling on this issue, he nodded and then asked, "Why is Mother unconscious at this moment, has her condition worsened?"

This was his puzzle; inside the main house, seeing the old doctor and Miss Lih so focused, he did not disturb them to ask aloud.

Lian Wanzhen nodded but then hurriedly shook his head, saying, "Big brother, Mother’s illness has indeed worsened. Before you left home, Mother could still eat half a bowl of rice per meal, but now she can only drink porridge. Before, she was awake more often, but now she spends more time asleep, looking drowsy every day, big brother, I..."

The tall, resolute-faced man choked up and couldn’t continue, his throat tight.

Watching his own mother visibly withering away and being powerless to help, he and his father coaxed her daily to no avail. Mother, not wanting them to worry, would feign happiness. Every time he saw Mother’s weak smile, he wanted to wipe away tears.

But as a man, he could not cry.

Lian Musu looked at him with eyes filled with sorrow, patting Lian Wanzhen’s shoulder without offering any comfort.

Lian Changhe saw this, turned back, and walked over to them, stretching out his hands to pat each one, "You have worked hard, bearing the sins associated with possessing the jade, had Father not back then..."

Before he could finish, Lian Musu cut him off, "Father, if you had handed over the prescription back then, our family might well be underground by now."

Lian Changhe sighed deeply and walked back to the courtyard, going up to linger by the gate.

His wife had analyzed this with him from the beginning; not to mention the ancestral warnings, even if the prescription had been given, they probably still wouldn’t have been left unharmed.

From the schemes of the Guo family, in cahoots with government officials and the He family, setting traps step by step, aiming to devour the Lian Family, it was evident that these wolves and dogs had no intention of letting them go.

The prescription was unique to their family. Giving it away would mean losing their only means of protection; the Guo family would not let them go, preferring to eradicate them completely to make the secret prescription bear the Guo surname. That was their true goal.

If not for his wife’s broad knowledge and astuteness in gradually testing and uncovering their tricks, they might have been completely devoured.

It was also thanks to his wife leading their sons, keeping those dogs under the Guo household at bay, that they barely survived to this day.

How fortunate had he been in this life to have married a lady of such insight, yet he was helpless to protect her, and she had suffered alongside him, their little daughter still missing.

He felt a deep sense of guilt and sorrow, but he could not fall now. His wife had held on for so long, and now it was his turn.

Lian Musu and Lian Wanzhen looked at their father, exchanged glances, and suppressed their sighs.

Although their father appeared rough and carefree, he was in fact, very meticulous, taking care of their mother in every possible way. He saw to it that she was well taken care of daily, protected from the wind and the sun, ensuring she could recuperate with peace of mind.

Whenever their mother was unwell, it seemed their father suffered a hundred, a thousand times more, evident from the increasing grey hairs on his head.

Lian Wanzhen felt supported, and it eased his discomfort greatly. Previously, his mother had been his pillar, and after her collapse, his father took that place, though he wasn’t as reliable as his elder brother. Now that his brother had returned, he felt reassured.

Lian Musu diverted his gaze, signaling him to continue.

Lian Wanzhen composed himself and continued, "Brother, mother was rendered unconscious by that old man... the doctor. After that doctor arrived, he pressed several acupoints on mother and told her she was too tired and needed a good sleep and to disregard everything else. Strangely enough, mother usually frowned in her sleep, but after the doctor’s visit, her frown eased, and she seemed to sleep sweetly."

If it weren’t for this, he would have beaten that old man until he was searching for his teeth on the ground, never allowing him to treat his mother like a hedgehog with all those needles.

Hearing this, Lian Musu felt relieved, as if he had grasped something crucial.

Remembering that Wu Sheng was still outside, he called Lian Wanzhen to bring him back, looked at the main house, and pondered for a moment, feeling that the situation inside might not improve any time soon.

He looked at his father, who sat squatted by the gate, shook his head, walked towards the kitchen, and rolled up his sleeves to start cooking.

With so many mouths to feed, even if they could endure, his mother would need to eat once she awakened.

Qian Chen observed Lian Musu’s slightly limp left foot, his expression shifting slightly, then tied his sword to his waist and also headed to the kitchen to help.

As night fell, the darkness deepened, and lights were lit all around the courtyard.

The door of the main house creaked open, Divine Doctor Huang emerged first, followed by Lih Qingshu, who gently closed the door behind them.

Everyone in the courtyard looked over simultaneously. The treatment inside had lasted for two whole Shichen; apart from the lighting, Lian Musu had entered once, the rest of the time everyone waited outside.

Qian Chen’s expression changed slightly upon seeing Lih Qingshu, but he remained in his place.

Lian Changhe approached anxiously with Lian Wanzhen and Lian Musu following closely behind.

Divine Doctor Huang, with a teasing tone, led the people a bit further away from the main house and upon seeing Lian Wanzhen, touching his chin tuft said, "Young man, still want to challenge?"

Lian Wanzhen’s face reddened, immediately flustered. If it weren’t for the fact that the old man’s needle made him feel both itchy and numb, he wouldn’t have trusted him to treat his mother.

Lian Changhe stepped forward and bowed apologetically, "Doctor, my son was too offensive earlier, please do not take offense. How is my wife now?"

His voice carried urgency.

Lian Musu glanced at Lian Wanzhen and realized that his younger brother had probably acted recklessly earlier.

Feeling Lian Musu’s gaze, Lian Wanzhen felt guilty. It wasn’t his fault, after all. As soon as the old man entered, he headed straight for his mother’s room, checked her pulse after one look, pressed her acupoints without a word, and he had thought the old man meant his mother harm...