"Dr. Sun, how is she?" In a bedchamber of the Lou Mansion, Lou Baili anxiously inquired as Sun Huaiyi put away his acupuncture needles.
Sun Huaiyi sighed, his expression grim. He took Wang Lanzhi's withered hand to check her pulse again, then sighed once more.
"Lord Lou, I'm afraid my limited skills are of no use here. The old madam already suffered from dementia and is advanced in years. This brief moment of lucidity, coupled with such a tremendous shock, has wounded her spirit deeply. She seems to have lost the will to live."
Lou Baili looked at Wang Lanzhi with a pained expression. She remained motionless as before, completely unresponsive, not even moving her eyes.
"Alas," Lou Baili let out a long sigh. His mother was finally paying the price for his mistakes, but the cost was far too great.
Ever since fainting from the grief of learning about Qingzhi's death, Wang Lanzhi had been in this state upon waking - neither crying nor smiling, neither agitated nor calm. She was like a soulless walking corpse. Maids had to force her mouth open to feed her, and doctors had to prescribe medication for her to sleep.
In just one month, the old lady who used to run about calling for Qingzhi had wasted away to skin and bones.
Her cheeks were completely sunken, just skin stretched over bone with no flesh visible, resembling a skeleton. This made her eyes appear even larger, but her gaze was murky and vacant, a chilling sight to behold.
Everyone knew that Wang Lanzhi was slowly dying.
Though she still breathed and her heart still beat, she was no different from a living corpse, surrounded by an impenetrable aura of death.
Sun Huaiyi packed up his medical kit and bowed to Lou Baili. "I shall take my leave, my lord." As he walked out, he found Lou Yuhuan leaning on a cane by the door, having stood there for who knows how long.
"Old Master!" Sun Huaiyi bowed again.
"Dr. Sun, there's no need for formalities," Lou Yuhuan said, reaching out to steady him. He then looked into Sun Huaiyi's eyes and asked, "Tell me honestly, how much time does my wife have left?"
"Well..." Sun Huaiyi hesitated, knowing many nobles considered such talk taboo. He feared incurring their wrath.
Lou Yuhuan sensed Sun Huaiyi's concern. "Don't worry, Dr. Sun. I'm prepared for the worst. Please, speak freely."
Sun Huaiyi bowed again, keeping his head low. Steeling himself, he answered truthfully, "The old madam has at most one month left."
The man before him remained silent for a long while. Sun Huaiyi didn't dare raise his head, anxiously awaiting a response. Finally, Lou Baili's voice came from behind: "Yan Cui, please see Dr. Sun out."
"Yes, sir," a young woman's voice replied.
Sun Huaiyi felt immensely relieved. He bowed to both men, saying "I take my leave," and followed the maid called Yan Cui towards the mansion's exit.
Only father and son remained. Lou Baili looked at Lou Yuhuan's grief-stricken face and opened his mouth to say, "Father..." but found himself at a loss for words.
Lou Yuhuan gazed into the distance. After a long while, he murmured, "That direction... it's southwest, isn't it?"
"Yes."
Lou Baili understood the meaning behind this seemingly random question. Lingshan Town was under the jurisdiction of the Baoji County Government, which lay to the southwest. That was where Qingzhi had spent the last few years of his life.
"After Ming'an finishes his exams, let's go there as a family," Lou Yuhuan said heavily. "We'll bring your mother's ashes with us."
"Father!" Lou Baili's eyes suddenly reddened.
"If your mother were still conscious, she would want this. To be buried in the green mountains alongside Qingzhi - she would ask for nothing more."
Lou Yuhuan gazed long at the sky in that direction. The light and clouds reflected in his eyes, revealing boundless sorrow.
"Baili, you should go now. Ming'an will be here soon, and it's your turn to teach him today. Don't tell him about any of this mess. The metropolitan examination is in a few days; we shouldn't affect his mood." Lou Yuhuan turned back, earnestly instructing his son.
After Lou Baili left, Lou Yuhuan entered the room.
One month left. They had been husband and wife for a lifetime, and now Wang Lanzhi was dying. He didn't know how much longer he himself would live.
Liu Ming'an finished his classes at the Imperial Academy and came to the Lou Mansion as usual, entering the familiar study.
For the past few dozen days, three generations of the Lou family had taken turns tutoring him, not just in academic subjects and composition, but also in the ways of officialdom, principles of conduct, and the current political situation.
Liu Ming'an studied diligently, his mindset quite different from before.
However, today Liu Ming'an sensed that Lou Baili seemed preoccupied as he lectured, his words sometimes disjointed and inconsistent.
When the lesson ended, Liu Ming'an returned to his residence on Late Winter Road. As expected, he found Zhou Yi waiting at the door with a jug of wine.
For many days now, Zhou Yi had appeared punctually at this time. Liu Ming'an had grown accustomed to it.
He opened the door and let Zhou Yi in without saying much. Zhou Yi sat down on a stone bench in the courtyard. Liu Ming'an brought out cups, which Zhou Yi filled. Then, regardless of whether Liu Ming'an drank or not, Zhou Yi downed cup after cup until he was thoroughly drunk.
Liu Ming'an frowned at Zhou Yi, who looked much more haggard. He wanted to say something but ultimately swallowed his words.
Because he knew nothing he said would make a difference.
About a month ago, Zhou Yi had suddenly shown up at his courtyard with wine. Liu Ming'an had happily gone to greet him, wanting to chat, but found Zhou Yi in a daze, ignoring him and focused solely on drinking.
"Brother Zhou, what's happened?" Liu Ming'an had asked with concern, seeing Zhou Yi's unusual behavior.
"Brother Liu, I'm in a bad mood. Don't ask. I just want to drink some wine here and leave when I'm done," Zhou Yi had replied listlessly, eyes downcast. After that, he didn't speak another word until he drank himself into oblivion.
Of course, Liu Ming'an wouldn't let Zhou Yi sleep in the courtyard. He half-dragged, half-carried him to the empty room that was always available, wiped his face, took off his shoes, tucked him in, and only then returned to his own room.
Everyone has moments of dejection, and everyone has secrets. So although Liu Ming'an was curious, he didn't pry further, thinking that given Zhou Yi's typically carefree and energetic personality, he'd probably feel better after sleeping it off.
But this time, Liu Ming'an had guessed wrong.
The issue troubling Zhou Yi was clearly much more serious than he had imagined.
When Zhou Yi showed up with wine for the third day in a row, Liu Ming'an was beside himself with worry.
"Brother Zhou, I consider you my own brother. What's happened? Won't you tell me? Maybe we can figure something out together?" Liu Ming'an had pleaded, humbling himself to get Zhou Yi to open up.
Zhou Yi had paused in his drinking and turned to look at Liu Ming'an for a moment. A bitter smile crossed his lips. "Brother Liu, why don't you have a drink with me?"
Liu Ming'an had quickly agreed, thinking Zhou Yi might confide in him after drinking. But he was wrong again.
"Brother Liu, forget it," Zhou Yi had stopped Liu Ming'an from pouring more, hugging the wine jug to himself. "You still have to take the imperial examination. You can't risk getting drunk and muddled. Let me drink alone!"
"Brother Zhou!"
Liu Ming'an had been desperate. In his heart, Zhou Yi was his closest friend, like an elder brother. He couldn't bear to see him so dispirited.
"Brother Zhou, how about I skip the Imperial Academy tomorrow and we go fishing instead?" Liu Ming'an had suggested. Zhou Yi loved fishing so much; perhaps it would cheer him up.
"No!" Zhou Yi had shouted vehemently, flatly refusing. "I'll never go fishing again, not for the rest of my life!"
Liu Ming'an had noticed how Zhou Yi emphasized the words "fishing" with particular force.
After that, Zhou Yi came with wine every day, drinking himself into a stupor and falling asleep where he sat. Liu Ming'an would have one cup with him, then carefully carry him to bed once the wine was gone. They had fallen into a kind of unspoken routine.
Tonight was no different. Zhou Yi drank quietly while Liu Ming'an sat with him after finishing one cup.
Soon the wine jug was empty, and Zhou Yi was drunk. Liu Ming'an went to Zhou Yi's side, put his arm over his shoulder, and helped him towards the room.
"Bastard! You bastard!" the semi-conscious man cursed over and over. Liu Ming'an's ears were growing numb from hearing it so often.
"Brother Zhou, who on earth has offended you? Won't you tell me? Even if I can't help directly, I could ask the Lou family to intervene on your behalf. If you'd just tell me..."
Liu Ming'an coaxed gently, as if soothing a child, hoping Zhou Yi might reveal the truth in his drunken state.
"Bastard! You're a bastard! I hate you..."
Zhou Yi was still immersed in his own thoughts, cursing incoherently.