Chapter 277

Chapter 277 Xie Run's gaze fell on the maid at the front, and her tone grew heavier. "What is it?!" The maid was so frightened she fell to her knees, crying out, "I'm afraid it's a caesarean..." The maid couldn't remember the long string of technical terms Xie Jiang had used, only catching the two words "caesarean section." In ancient times, those two words were no different from torture and murder. Not just the maid—the entire Qingsong Compound was shaken with fear. Even the imperial physician who had been treating the Princess Consort alongside Xie Jiang was startled. When Xie Run entered the bedchamber, she could still hear the two of them arguing. "Absolutely not!" "Although Divine Physician Xie once performed a caesarean section, how can the Princess Consort be treated like an ordinary woman and take such a great risk?" Xie Jiang didn't waste words and asked directly, "The child won't come down, and there's continuous bleeding. If we delay any longer, her life will certainly be in danger." "Sooner or later she'll die. With my method, there's still a chance of survival. If not... then you do it?!" The imperial physician's face flushed red with anger. "Isn't a caesarean section also a near-death gamble?" "If something happens to the Princess Consort, who will bear the responsibility?!" Xie Jiang never indulged anyone. She said coldly, "Then you keep stalling and let her die from the delay?!" The imperial physician was left speechless, his face red with embarrassment. Xie Jiang said coldly, "Every breath you waste, she's one step closer to danger." "Instead of dawdling and killing her, you might as well take the gamble—at least there's still a chance!" "Whether to do the surgery or not, you decide for yourselves." With that, Xie Jiang plopped herself down on a stool, showing not a trace of fear. Nanny Li and the others stood by, faces full of anxiety and confusion. The imperial physician stood in place with a complicated expression. Just as Xie Run was about to enter, she heard the Princess Consort shout through a face covered in sweat, "Do it!" Nanny Li cried out in anguish, "Mistress!" The Princess Consort was in such pain that the veins on her neck bulged, her face as pale as if coated in lead powder, drenched in sweat. She endured the pain and said, "Don't hesitate. I want to live!" "Divine Physician Xie, just go ahead. Even if it's a near-death gamble, for that one chance at survival, I must try!" Just then, the Second Miss in the side chamber suddenly began to cry. The Princess Consort's gaze slowly shifted toward the side chamber. "Nanny, go check on Duanjing..." Nanny Li wiped her tears. "This servant will go soothe the Second Miss right away. Mistress, rest assured... don't worry." Nanny Li hurried to the side chamber to comfort the Second Miss, crying as she coaxed, "The Second Miss has always been well-behaved and never cries at night. Could it be that she somehow knows the Princess Consort is in danger and is worried?" The wet nurse and maids attending nearby heard this and began wiping their tears as well. Once the Princess Consort had made up her mind, Xie Jiang began setting up the surgical site. Xie Run quietly asked her, "Big Sister, how confident are you in this?" Even knowing that Xie Jiang carried the Female Lead Halo and had never failed a surgery in the original script, Xie Run couldn't help but worry at this moment. Worried for Xie Jiang, worried for the Princess Consort, and even more worried for herself. Xie Jiang glanced at her. "Don't worry. I'll do my best." Hearing the words "don't worry," Xie Run inexplicably felt at ease. "Big Sister, if you need any help, just say the word. I'll fully cooperate." Xie Jiang didn't stand on ceremony and shooed almost everyone out, keeping only the imperial physician as her assistant. Xie Run knew that the most important thing for surgery at night was lighting. She immediately had people search the storerooms for candles and light them. Basin after basin of bloody water was carried out from the bedchamber, sending chills down everyone's spines. Everyone held their breath, straining to hear any sound from the bedchamber, but it was eerily quiet. When the abortifacient had been administered, they could at least hear the Princess Consort's pained groans and the occasional words of comfort from the maids and matrons. But now, during the caesarean, it was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Many felt uneasy and doubtful. Is the Princess Consort... even still alive? Xie Run couldn't afford to let her guard down. When she received word from Qiuxiang that the Eldest Young Master had left through the East Corner Gate, she felt the world go dark before her eyes. "Qiuxiang has always been steady. If she suddenly left the residence with the Third Young Master, it's probably not on her own initiative—it must have been arranged by Fang Yuan'er beforehand." That Fang Yuan'er could predict there would be a military disturbance at Prince Jing's residence didn't surprise Xie Run. She just hadn't expected Fang Yuan'er to have someone take the Third Young Master and slip out of the residence quietly. If the child was safe, then one could only sigh in relief at their good fortune. If not... Xie Run suddenly felt a surge of hatred that made her teeth itch. Fang Yuan'er and Wan Linlang—how could these two be so good at causing trouble? Xie Run said, "Send word to Guard Jin. Have him take men immediately to search for the Third Young Master." "Now that the crisis at the residence has been resolved, there may be those trying to fish in troubled waters..." Xie Run said decisively, "In that case, wake up everyone in all the courtyards and have them search their own grounds." "Then gather all the household guards into one group and send them out in all directions to search for the Third Young Master." "Yes!" As the orders went out one by one, Xie Run's mood grew increasingly complicated. The night was especially hard to get through. When the morning light streamed in through the window, Xie Run's head drooped, and she startled awake again. She forced herself up despite her exhaustion. "What time is it?" Dantao replaced the strong tea on the table and said softly, "It's quarter past the Hour of the Rabbit." "How is the situation at the Princess Consort's place?" Dantao shook her head. "Doctor Xie said no one is allowed in casually, and we servants wouldn't dare to pry." "It's quiet inside—can't hear a thing." Xie Run said, "Given the current situation, no news is the best news." She then asked, "Have you found the Third Young Master?" "We haven't found the Third Young Master, but we did find the Eldest Young Master." Xie Run's eyes, now tinged with red, looked at Dantao in confusion. "The Eldest Young Master?!" "What trouble has he stirred up now?!" "The news just came in. I saw you were sleeping, so I didn't disturb you," Dantao said softly. "The wet nurse caring for the Eldest Young Master heard a commotion in the front courtyard, so she quietly took two maids and carried the Eldest Young Master through the second gate into the inner courtyard." "Who would have thought—when they passed by Wangyue Pavilion, she tripped and fell. Both of them ended up covered in bruises, and the Eldest Young Master's leg seems to be broken. The household physician is examining him now." Xie Run looked at Dantao calmly. "I sent word to the rear courtyard telling everyone to stay put, but I forgot to pass a message to the front courtyard." "The new wet nurse has a soft temperament and no strong opinions—where would she get the resolve to carry the Eldest Young Master into the inner courtyard?" Dantao nodded. "That's exactly what I was wondering. I've already sent someone to ask." The timing of it all was too coincidental. Xie Run secretly suspected it might be Consort Sun's retaliation, but without a shred of evidence, she kept her thoughts to herself. "Once the examination is done, have the household physician come to Qingsong Courtyard to report on the Eldest Young Master's condition." "I'll go arrange that right away." Dantao glanced at the tea on the table. "It's already dawn now, mistress—perhaps you shouldn't drink that..." Xie Run wasn't used to staying up like this either, but she picked up the freshly brewed tea and took a sip. The bitterness numbed her tongue. "I have no choice but to drink it. I need to wait for word from the Princess Consort." No sooner had she spoken than a cold gust of wind swept in through the doorway. By the time Xie Run reacted, Prince Jing, clad in full military attire, had already strode in. "What's the situation in the household?"