nucmednet Chapter 228 Proposal
Chapter 228 Proposal
Seeing his haggard appearance, Madam Xing wanted to find him a doctor, but for some reason, Xiao Zhiheng refused to see a doctor no matter what.
As she visibly grew thinner and thinner, Madam Xing was so anxious that she kept shedding tears.
He went to Old Madam Xiao and cried to her. Old Madam Xiao was also shocked to hear this. She hadn't seen her eldest son for a long time. He used to like to come to her house, but he hadn't come these days.
Madam Xiao also felt worried, so she went to the main courtyard to see her son.
When Xiao Zhiheng learned that his mother was coming, he actually set up a screen by the bed in the room, refusing to meet her and only willing to talk through the screen.
Madam Xiao also found it strange, but she couldn't refuse a patient's request, so she only spoke a few words to Xiao Zhiheng through the screen.
"Eldest daughter, if you're sick, seeing a doctor and getting some medicine would help. Why are you so stubborn and refusing to see a doctor?"
Xiao Zhiheng knew his own body best. His health had been deteriorating day by day, and he could already sense that his days were numbered.
I felt despair and sorrow in my heart, and hearing my elderly mother's concern for me made my heart ache even more.
He thought to himself that even the emperor couldn't cure his illness, let alone him; he figured he was doomed to die.
Thinking back to that day, and the woman he had slept with indiscriminately, he hated himself for sleeping with her in the first place, for his momentary lapse in self-control had led to this disaster.
He originally wanted to find out who had harmed him, but after learning about his illness, he lost all his spirit and became extremely depressed.
But he still tried to cover it up, only coughing twice and saying...
"Don't worry, Mother. I know my own body well. I'm fine. I just caught a cold. I'll be fine after resting for a while."
Xiao Zhiheng was very concerned about his reputation. If the news of his hidden illness were to spread, he would rather be dead. Therefore, he had to cover it up no matter what.
Seeing that he was indeed insistent, Madam Xiao didn't say anything more, gave him a few more instructions, and then got up to leave.
Madam Xing was still crying and begging the master to see a doctor, but the person behind the screen stopped responding.
Madam Xiao naturally understood the character of the child who had crawled out of her womb. Her eldest child cherished his health the most, and would take some nourishing medicine even when he was not sick. He valued his life very much. In the past, when he caught a cold, she would be so anxious that she would ask the doctor to give him medicine.
Today is indeed a bit unusual.
She quietly summoned Xiao Zhiheng's closest servant and inquired about the master's recent condition. The servant, named Qinghe, was unaware of the details and only felt that the master's symptoms did not resemble a cold.
So she told the old lady about some of his symptoms. As she listened, Madam Xiao realized that this was not a cold at all!
Isn't this a symptom of a hidden illness?
When she was a teenager, before she became a nun and lived at her parents' home, her older brother had the same symptoms. They searched for famous doctors everywhere but couldn't find a cure. In the end, she watched helplessly as her brother's body festered and he died.
This incident left an indelible scar on her heart when she was young, and now it has to happen again.
She now understood why Xiao Zhiheng refused to see a doctor. This eldest son was also a very proud person, and if a doctor were to examine him, he would be able to see the reason behind it.
She clenched her fists tightly, a sense of sorrow rising in her heart.
The next day, he went to the palace to see Consort Xiande, wanting to ask if there were any good imperial physicians in the palace who could treat him.
Hearing what Madam Xiao said, Consort Xiande was shocked again and again, but she also said with a bitter face that this disease was incurable. There were emperors in the previous dynasty who died from this disease, and the imperial physicians were helpless against it.
Thinking that all she could do was wait for death, Old Madam Xiao felt a pang of sadness and pain, but quickly accepted this fact.
However, she did not expose Xiao Zhiheng's lie, because there was no cure, so she might as well die with dignity.
Time flies.
The results were released very soon.
The top scorer in the high school entrance exam was Qiao Anlan.
The second-place winner was Zhou Quanshu, and the third-place winner was Xiao Zhijie.
Xiao Chengyan failed again this time, showing no improvement whatsoever.
Madam Xing was so angry that she went mad in the room. She called Xiao Chengyan over and beat and scolded him severely, feeling only resentment towards her son for being so useless.
With her father ill and her son failing his exams, Madam Xing has been wanting to curse at almost everyone she meets these past few days.
The Qiao family was overjoyed. Lai Da's son, Lai Daoyun, only passed the imperial examination this time, but it was still a step forward, so he was naturally happy.
The Qiao family even hosted a banquet for Qiao Anlan, sending out invitations like snowflakes.
Originally, the Qiao family had fallen from grace, and the nobles and officials they had associated with had severed ties with them. Now, however, they were all astonished to hear that the newly appointed top scholar was the Qiao family's lost eldest son.
They all changed their usual indifferent attitude. Some who hadn't received an invitation even brought gifts to visit, hoping to build a relationship with the top scholar.
Qiu Rui was also extremely happy, but she felt inexplicably uneasy. Now that Qiao Anlan had become the top scholar in the imperial examination, his status was even more prestigious than before. He would be a respectable official in the future. How could she, a mere maid, be worthy of him?
Perhaps a daughter of an official would be a better match.
Not only can they help Qiao Anlan in her career, but they can also discuss poetry and literature with her.
As for myself, it really wasn't a good choice, and I felt somewhat disheartened and wanted to leave.
He packed his bags and planned to bid farewell to Qiao Anlan after he returned that evening, and set off for his hometown the next day.
After entertaining a large group of guests that evening, Qiao Anlan indeed came to Qiu Rui's room. Ever since Qiu Rui moved into the Qiao family home, Qiao Anlan would come to Qiu Rui's room every night to have dinner, and the two would chat together, which was very heartwarming.
Tonight was no different; because I was busy with guests, I arrived well past dinner time.
Seeing that there was still food on the table, indicating that Qiu Rui was still waiting for him, he felt a little embarrassed.
"You haven't eaten yet? Are you waiting for me? It's my fault, I should have sent someone to tell you so you could eat first. I completely forgot, damn it."
He then slapped his head twice as an apology.
Qiu Rui smiled and said it was nothing, and then asked someone to reheat the food and bring it up again.
Qiao Anlan seemed very happy today. She sat down and ate some more with Qiu Rui. Just as the two finished eating, Qiu Rui was still thinking about how to say goodbye. She had gone over her words in her mind four or five times, but she just couldn't open her mouth.
Qiao Anlan was also feeling uneasy. He had come today to say something: he wanted to propose to Qiu Rui in person.
He had been afraid of delaying her and hadn't dared to do this before, but now that his legs were no different from ordinary people's and he could speak normally, and now that he had become the top scholar in the imperial examination, he finally became bolder.