NWAFAM 102: Shoutai Pills

He had indeed never seen someone so disgraceful before.

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Since he had agreed to come and take a look, Yu Jinnian was fully committed. Unlike some people who, with the heart of a scoundrel, assumed the worst of him, fearing that he was here with an ulterior motive—to find a chance to take revenge for that beast. Therefore, along the way, their eyes were wide as copper bells, as if they wanted to devour him whole.

Yu Jinnian didn’t take him to heart. After entering the room, he first smelled the aroma of food. Then, he saw a few dishes on the table. However, judging by the scene, a few flower rolls lay quietly on the plate, the bowls and cups were clean, and it seemed the master hadn’t had the good fortune to enjoy a bite.

The maid guiding the way pulled open a veil, and behind it was the couch where Qi Wenjun rested.

The room hadn’t seen sunlight for days, making it slightly stuffy and very uncomfortable.

On the embroidered mattress lay a pale young lady, her brows furrowed, and her eyes closed, looking extremely weak. Yu Jinnian recalled seeing Qi Wenjun in the backyard just two days ago. Though she had looked a bit frail back then, she wasn’t nearly this bad. With a smile, he quickly walked to the side of the couch, gently held Qi Wenjun’s hand, carefully tucked the corner of the quilt, and softly called, “Sister,” saying, “The doctor is here to see you.”

Qi Wenjun seemed to sense something, her eyelashes fluttered slightly, but perhaps she was too weak. Her dark lashes struggled like a dying butterfly for a moment before she managed to open her eyes briefly to glance at Huan Xiao. Soon, they drooped onto her pale eyelids, falling silent.

Huan Xiao hurriedly made way for Yu Jinnian: “Young Master Yu, please come and take a look.”

Yu Jinnian glanced around and noticed that the two maids attending to Qi Wenjun both looked extremely frail—one with a waxy complexion, the other with dry, coarse hair. They didn’t resemble servants in a high-ranking official’s household, or perhaps they were treated poorly in the manor. He then turned his gaze to the person lying in bed—her cheeks were thin. He frowned and asked, “What has Madam been eating these past few days?”

Huan Xiao shook her head and sighed, “What can she eat? When she’s feeling better, she eats just a bite or two. When she’s unwell, we’re grateful if she can swallow a few spoonfuls of porridge. I keep telling her not to worry, but Sister is naturally one to overthink, always having this and that on her mind. How could she have an appetite?”

Another maid chimed in, “This morning, Madam only said her heart felt uneasy, her body weak, and that she was very stuffy. So until now, she has only had a small bowl of thin soup. These past two days of grief—” She cut off mid-sentence, glanced furtively at Qi Wenjun, then shook her head, “…It’s nothing, I misspoke.”

But even if she didn’t say it, anyone with a bit of sense could guess.

Ji Hong brought over a low stool and placed it by the bedside. Yu Jinnian smiled at him before sitting down and instructed Huan Xiao to bring out Qi Wenjun’s arm so he could take her pulse.

Ever since entering the room, Lu Yanjia had been skeptical. Now, seeing Qi Wenjun weakly lying on the sickbed, he finally realized the severity of her illness. Despite his inner awkwardness, he was still afraid that something might happen to her, and even more afraid that the illness was caused by him. So, he no longer dared to stop Yu Jinnian from examining her.

When Qi Wenjun’s sleeve was lifted, Yu Jinnian couldn’t help but hold his breath. The bruises on her wrist were not injuries that a noble lady should endure, and shockingly, there were also two rope marks. He cursed Lü internally but had to calm himself down and focus. Closing his eyes, he quietly felt the pulse under his fingers.

The moment he saw Qi Wenjun, several guesses quickly formed in his mind. Now, he just needed to confirm or dismiss them one by one. His fingers applied varying pressure on three different positions on her wrist, corresponding to the pulse diagnosis he had memorized, like a rapidly spinning Ba Gua chart gradually aligning with the correct positions.

But after a moment, Yu Jinnian frowned lightly.

He opened his eyes and asked Huan Xiao and the other maids, “How did Madam faint just now? Did any of you see it?”

The maids responded in quick succession: “It happened when the little madam was persuading her to eat a bit more. Madam suddenly felt dizzy and, wanting to get up to pour herself some tea, stood up but immediately collapsed. It scared us all half to death!”

Huan Xiao nodded in agreement: “Yes, that’s exactly what happened.”

“And before that, or in the past few days, did Madam experience anything unusual?” Yu Jinnian checked the pulse on her other hand. “Did she often complain of dizziness, chest tightness, fatigue, or forgetfulness? Or perhaps, headaches and nausea?”

At his prompting, Huan Xiao suddenly understood: “No nausea, but Sister did frequently mention that she felt absent-minded lately, couldn’t remember where she left her books, and felt tired after just a few steps. So this illness had already taken root!”

Yu Jinnian stood up and, after quietly apologizing, pinched Qi Wenjun’s eyelids open, startling Huan Xiao with a cry. Before she could recover, he had gently pressed Qi Wenjun’s chin, making her open her mouth. He quickly and hurriedly glanced at her tongue.

Her eyelids were pale, her tongue light in color, and her nails showed no blood, which, along with the symptoms of dizziness and fatigue mentioned by Huan Xiao and the maids, indicated blood deficiency. However, this fainting wasn’t just due to blood deficiency; more likely, it was caused by her recent loss of appetite and weakened state. But this was only part of the issue. Her sudden standing likely caused a temporary lack of blood flow to her brain, leading to the fainting.

These factors combined caused her sudden collapse.

However, this wasn’t the main issue. If it were just a case of blood and qi deficiency, she would naturally recover after waking up. Paying more attention to her diet and taking a few supplements would suffice. But what was more concerning now was…

Yu Jinnian furrowed his brow, deep in thought. When he looked up again, he seemed hesitant. He glanced at Lu Yanjia, who was still watching him like a hawk. Internally, Yu cursed, “Do you think I’ll make your wife disappear or something?” Outwardly, he cleared his throat, called over a maid with a wave, and the two retreated to a corner to whisper.

Lu Yanjia took a step forward, but Ji Hong blocked him, saying, “Stay calm.”

“…”

Yu Jinnian didn’t discuss much with the maid, only asked about some specific details of the patient’s condition, things that weren’t appropriate to talk about in front of those two men. Naturally, Young Master Yu, who was deeply engrossed in diagnosing the illness, overlooked the undeniable fact that he himself was also one of the “men.”

So, when the maid heard Yu Jinnian’s questions, a flush instantly crept over her ears.

However, seeing Yu Jinnian’s courteous demeanor, without any intention of being improper, she suppressed her embarrassment and whispered in reply, “That… that kind of thing, we servants wouldn’t know everything. But in these past few months, our lady has been unwell, and also because…” She glanced at Huan Xiao secretly before continuing, in a voice as soft as a mosquito, “Because the little madam has been more favored, so it’s been several months since my lord has come to our lady’s room.”

She sighed softly, “When he does come, it’s usually because our lady has displeased him in some way… In short, it’s not for that.”

Yu Jinnian nodded, his thoughts turning once more.

The maid then lowered her voice even further and said, “As for her monthly periods, they do come, but irregularly. And although our lady never used to suffer from abdominal pain, lately, she has complained of some discomfort. Maybe she ate something bad, or perhaps she caught a cold. A month or so ago, we even called in a doctor, who said there was some blood stasis, so he prescribed some blood-invigorating medicine. But there wasn’t much improvement. The periods did come a little after taking the medicine, but very slowly… Later, since the pain never got better, we just let it be.”

Hearing this, Yu Jinnian felt a chill in his heart and hastily asked, “How much… how much blood-invigorating medicine has she taken?”

Seeing the deep furrow in Yu Jinnian’s brow, the maid thought the situation was dire and hurriedly replied, “Not much. After all, blood-invigorating medicine can be harmful, and our lady dislikes the bitterness. Every time she smells it, she wants to throw up, so she hasn’t taken much. Little Sir, is the medicine wrong?”

“It’s hard to say. Sister, please don’t hide anything from me. Tell me exactly about Madam’s periods—are they heavy or light, bright red or dark? When do they come, and when do they go? Explain everything in detail.”

Though she was still embarrassed, the maid dared not hide anything and explained the situation truthfully. When Yu Jinnian heard that Madam Lü’s periods had been irregular in the past few months, often just a trickle, he fell into deep thought. After pondering for a while, he returned to the bedside and politely said, “Allow me to check Madam’s pulse again.”

The maid dared not refuse and quickly exposed her lady’s wrist from under the covers, nervously watching the young doctor.

After checking the pulse, Yu Jinnian slowly stepped back to Ji Hong’s side, the frown never leaving his face. Lu Yanjia, unable to bear his impatience any longer, asked irritably, “If you have something to say, say it! Why beat around the bush? Is there something wrong with Wenjun’s illness?”

He never seemed to show much concern for his wife on normal days, but now that she was seriously ill, he was suddenly anxious. Wasn’t it a bit too late for that?

Yu Jinnian gave him a sidelong glance and, in a bad mood, replied, “There is indeed something wrong. Your wife’s pulse is thin and slippery, like a string of pearls rolling beneath my fingers. It’s weak, indicating extreme exhaustion. Coupled with the ill effects of the blood-invigorating medicine, the fact that she’s not worse off is already a miracle.”

Ji Hong, who had been sick for a long time and had read several medical texts, immediately caught the meaning behind these words and showed a hint of surprise on his face. Lu Yanjia, on the other hand, prided himself on his scholarly integrity and had little interest in anything outside of the classics. Hence, he was completely ignorant of medical matters. Seeing the two of them looking so calm, he grew more frustrated and asked, “What exactly is the illness?”

“Please speak plainly, Little Sir. What exactly is my sister suffering from?” Huan Xiao also looked worriedly at Yu Jinnian.

Yu Jinnian sighed, “A slippery pulse, if what the maids said is true… this pulse indicates pregnancy.”

“What…” A startled voice suddenly rang out in the room.

Everyone turned their attention, and it turned out that Qi Wenjun had woken up at some point during the conversation. She was struggling to sit up, propping herself up with one arm. Already extremely weak, the slight movement drained her face of what little color it had regained, leaving her pale as paper. Huan Xiao rushed to help her, but Qi Wenjun gently pushed her away, staring fixedly at Yu Jinnian. “Say that again, Little Sir. What did you say about my pulse?”

Thinking she hadn’t heard clearly, Yu Jinnian repeated himself, “It’s undoubtedly a pregnancy pulse. Congratulations, Madam—”

“—Impossible!” Qi Wenjun suddenly interrupted, startling Yu Jinnian into falling silent and taking a step back. She shook her head incessantly, muttering, “Impossible, you must have made a mistake!”

She raised her head and glared at Yu Jinnian, “I just had my period. How could I be pregnant?”

Puzzled, Yu Jinnian thought to himself, most women would be overjoyed at the news of pregnancy. Why was Madam Lü so shocked and distressed? He explained, “What you experienced wasn’t your period, but a condition known as *baolou*. Some pregnant women experience light bleeding early in pregnancy, but if the bleeding is infrequent, there’s no need to worry. As the pregnancy progresses and the fetus stabilizes, it will naturally improve.”

Just as Huan Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, Yu Jinnian added, “However, since Madam is physically weak and has taken some blood-invigorating medicine, this must be taken seriously. Madam will need to take great care in the future; otherwise, there’s a risk of miscarriage.”

Qi Wenjun stared down at her abdomen in disbelief, lightly touching it with her hand, but kept murmuring, “How can this be?”

Huan Xiao, confused, said, “To be honest, Little Sir, we have consulted other doctors before, including some well-known local physicians, but none of them diagnosed pregnancy. How could it be all of a sudden…”

Yu Jinnian smiled faintly and replied, “It’s not that the previous doctors were unskilled, nor that I’m particularly brilliant. The fetus develops over time, and to detect it, you usually need to wait at least two months. Moreover, the doctor must be aware of the patient’s history and use a comprehensive approach. My diagnosis today was based on many factors. It’s no fault of the earlier doctors; I was just fortunate to catch it at the right time.”

Lu Yanjia, who had been standing dumbfounded for a long time, finally snapped out of his stupor. His expression shifted from skepticism to overwhelming joy as he clumsily turned around before rushing to Qi Wenjun’s bedside. Grabbing her hand tightly, he exclaimed, “Did you hear? You’re pregnant!”

Qi Wenjun closed her eyes, pulled her hand out of his grip, and leaned back weakly. With a cold smile, she said, “It’ll be gone sooner or later anyway.”

Lu Yanjia’s eyes flared in anger, ready to burst, “What nonsense are you talking about?”

“And what if I did?” Qi Wenjun lifted her chin, meeting his gaze without a hint of fear.

“You…” Lu Yanjia, mindful that she carried the Lü family bloodline, barely managed to restrain his anger. After taking several deep breaths, he forced a smile and swore solemnly, pointing to the sky, “Wenjun, rest assured, this one will be born safely.”

Qi Wenjun let out a cold “heh,” dismissing his words.

Lu Yanjia stood up immediately, ordering his servants to prepare some of her favorite dishes, saying, “Whatever the madam likes, make it.” His behavior was a stark contrast to his earlier indifference towards her.

It was just a small mass of flesh, barely formed, and yet it had the power to make a man change so drastically.

Yu Jinnian found it amusing and interjected, “At this time, neither medicine nor food should be taken lightly. Especially the abdominal pain—it’s the biggest taboo for early pregnancy. Madam already suffers from both blood and qi deficiencies, and now the fetus is drawing from her energy and blood to grow. If she weren’t so weak, she wouldn’t be in such a fragile state. Right now, the fetus is still small. If it doesn’t get enough nourishment, there’s a risk of miscarriage. She must be watched carefully—any more mistakes would be disastrous.”

Lying on the bed with her back to the group, Qi Wenjun muttered softly, “It’s just another worthless disaster, destined to come and go for nothing.”

Lu Yanjia snapped, “Qi Wenjun!”

Sensing the tension, Huan Xiao quickly intervened, soothing the couple with soft words. She covered Qi Wenjun with a thin blanket, urging her to rest, and spent considerable effort persuading Lu Yanjia to leave the room. He finally left after throwing down a harsh parting remark: “Just take care of yourself and the child!” When both of them had finally calmed down, Huan Xiao, filled with guilt, led Yu Jinnian and Ji Hong into the outer room, pouring them tea. “Little Sir, please don’t take offense. My sister speaks harshly, but she has her reasons.”

“Oh?” Yu Jinnian hummed in acknowledgment while instructing a maid to bring him paper and ink.

Just as Huan Xiao was about to grind the ink for him, another hand, smooth and white like jade, reached over. That hand picked up the inkstone, added water, and ground the ink carefully before preparing the brush and handing it to the young doctor.

“Watch your sleeve,” came a voice as deep as thick ink, slowly spreading out.

Huan Xiao snapped back to reality and said, “It’s not that Sister Wenjun dislikes the child. It’s just… this isn’t her first pregnancy. She’s had two before, but both… both didn’t survive.” She sighed and shook her head in sorrow. “One of the children was already full-term. She was about to give birth to a lively baby, but then—” Her voice caught, and she continued with a bitter tone, “He… he kicked her in the stomach without any reason and caused her to miscarry.”

There was no need to clarify who *he* was.

Huan Xiao, furious, clawed at the edge of the wooden table, leaving deep, white crescent marks on its surface. “That poor child hadn’t even left the womb when its leg was broken by its father’s kick. It barely lived an hour after birth, without even opening its eyes before dying.”

What Yu Jinnian had expected to be a simple story turned into a shocking and grotesque revelation. He was so stunned that he didn’t even notice the ink dripping from his brush onto his hands. When he finally looked down, he hurriedly grabbed some paper to wipe it off, only to make an even bigger mess. Ji Hong gently took his hand, using a sheet of paper to absorb the excess ink before dabbing a handkerchief with tea and carefully cleaning Yu Jinnian’s fingers.

Yu Jinnian felt a surge of anger and was about to curse when, outside, a parrot began screeching: “Scoundrel! Scoundrel! No good! No good!”

How fitting.

Huan Xiao forced a bitter smile. “Did I frighten you, Little Sir? You can just pretend I was spouting nonsense. Don’t mind me.”

Yu Jinnian didn’t know how to respond and awkwardly muttered, “I truly didn’t expect this…”

Huan Xiao sighed quietly, as if talking to herself, “Who could have?”

Ji Hong finished cleaning Yu Jinnian’s hand and spread a fresh sheet of paper on the table. Yu Jinnian, deep in thought, wrote down the first character: “ginseng.” His mind buzzed with the thought: after hearing something so horrifying, how could he possibly *not* take it to heart?

Men who acted like beasts in fine clothing, like Lu Yanjia, were no rarity. However, encountering someone as vile as this Lord Lu, who appeared virtuous but was so brutal towards his wife and children—it was a first for him. Lu Yanjia, who presented himself as an upstanding gentleman, was nothing more than a devil in human skin.

The sad truth was, this world was filled with such devils. They walked among people with impunity, while the rest could only pray they wouldn’t fall victim to them. Sadly, Qi Wenjun and Huan Xiao didn’t have that kind of luck. As wives and concubines, they were trapped, unable to escape or cry for help, their lives stagnant like foul water slowly festering over time.

But even knowing this, Yu Jinnian was powerless to change anything. With a heavy heart, he wrote down *shou tai pills* along with other herbs like rehmannia and eucommia for Qi Wenjun. Since she had suffered miscarriages before, he decided to supplement the original prescription with additional herbs to strengthen the pregnancy and prevent another loss.

“This prescription, *Taiyuan Drink*, will help nourish blood and boost energy. You should prepare it fresh each day, taking it morning and night,” Yu Jinnian explained. “This second prescription is for the *shou tai pills*. Have it made into pills for convenience. Given that you’ll be traveling soon, boiling medicinal herbs may be troublesome on the road, so these pills will make things easier.”

Huan Xiao accepted the prescriptions gratefully, bowing as she said, “Thank you very much.”

Yu Jinnian still had more he wanted to say, but when he saw the fatigue in Huan Xiao’s weary, cautious eyes, he realized that saying more wouldn’t make much difference. To the grand world of the Daxia Empire, they were just two pitiful women. And for them, even leaving Lü’s residence wouldn’t necessarily bring happiness or fulfillment.

Some people are born into privilege, while others are fated never to dream. Unfortunately, Qi Wenjun and her sister belonged to the latter group.

Putting down his brush, Yu Jinnian said quietly, “I’m just a humble doctor with limited abilities, but if you ever need help, I will do what I can. However, you must also think carefully about how you want to live this life.”

Huan Xiao tucked the prescription into her sleeve, a bitter smile on her face as she said, “How else could we live? The world teaches us: obey your father before marriage, follow your husband after marriage, and when your husband dies—”

She paused, lost in thought, then continued in a distant voice, “Obey your son.”

Yu Jinnian frowned, about to say something, when he saw Huan Xiao suddenly brighten with a fleeting smile. But the moment was short-lived, as her smile quickly faded back into the worry she carried for Qi Wenjun.

Before they could dwell any longer, a group of servants burst into the room, shattering the tense atmosphere—they had arrived with the food, as per Lu Yanjia’s earlier orders. Yu Jinnian, still feeling responsible for his patient, examined each dish carefully to ensure there was nothing harmful to a pregnant woman. Only after confirming this did he allow the food to be brought in.

One of Lu Yanjia’s personal attendants, who had been by his side for years, stopped abruptly and glanced over them, his posture full of arrogance. He clasped his hands behind his back and said, with exaggerated decorum, “You two, this is our madam’s bedroom. It’s inappropriate for you to linger here for too long. Even though our madams are married, they still have their reputations to uphold.”

Yu Jinnian shot him a look that clearly said, *nonsense*. *You didn’t care about propriety when you urgently called me to treat her, but now that the job’s done, you want to nitpick about decorum?* The hypocrisy was almost laughable.

But Yu Jinnian wasn’t the type to argue over trifles. Instead, he extended his hand, waving it in front of the attendant.

The man, confused, asked, “What do you mean by this?”

Yu Jinnian grinned through gritted teeth, “What, you won’t pay me after the treatment?”

The attendant hesitated for a moment, as if he’d just remembered the matter. He maintained his fake, courteous smile, though Yu Jinnian couldn’t help but think of his master’s similarly false appearance. Disgusting. The attendant reluctantly pulled out a small silver bead from his waist and tossed it into Yu Jinnian’s hand, muttering under his breath, “You’re just a third-rate doctor, money-grubbing as always.”

But Yu Jinnian’s ears were sharp. He immediately shouted, “Hold it!”

Duan Ming, looming large and intimidating, blocked the servant’s path with a raised arm, preventing his escape—though the pose wasn’t exactly dignified.

The servant, almost lifted off the ground by the scruff of his neck, dangled there with only his toes touching the floor. He had served Lu Yanjia for years and had even slapped the faces of new concubines, but he had never been treated with such indignity. Embarrassed and furious, he blurted out, “What now?!”

Yu Jinnian toyed with the silver bead in his hand, smiling sweetly, “This little bit? What do you think I am, a beggar?”

Duan Ming, who usually wore a gentle smile, now looked every bit like a ferocious god of death. With his hand on the hilt of his blade, he glared at the servant, who turned pale. Frozen in place, the man’s face flushed with frustration as he glanced at Yu Jinnian, his expression torn between submission and defiance.

After a long moment, he spat out, “You’re nothing but a money-grubbing—”

Yu Jinnian tilted his head slightly. “Hmm? A money-grubbing what?”

Duan Ming lowered his voice to a menacing growl, shaking the sword in his hand for effect, “Why waste words with him? If he’s still rude, I’ll just kill him.”

“Ahh!” The servant yelped as he felt a chill on the back of his neck, catching a glimmer of cold steel out of the corner of his eye. Any remaining bravado vanished instantly. No longer daring to act high and mighty, he fumbled to empty his pockets, tossing a small, gaudy money pouch toward Yu Jinnian’s feet, shouting, “That’s all! I swear!”

Once Duan Ming released him, the servant practically dissolved into the ground, bolting away in a flash.

Yu Jinnian picked up the ugly, garish pouch, weighing it in his hand. It was heavier than expected but too bulky to carry comfortably in his sleeve. After considering his options, he suddenly turned and, in one swift motion, slipped both the pouch and his hand into Ji Hong’s robe, giving it a good, messy rub.

Ji Hong stifled a breath and quietly held Yu Jinnian’s wrist, murmuring, “What are you up to now?”

Yu Jinnian pouted, “It’s too ugly to carry. I’m giving it to you.” Then, with a mischievous grin, he added, “Hey, don’t move. We’ll buy some sweets with it later. Don’t want to lose it.”

The bulging money pouch stuck out awkwardly against Ji Hong’s elegant, dignified attire. With his gold-trimmed black robes, Ji Hong looked like a scholar from an ink painting, dignified and poised. Duan Ming sneaked a glance at his master, fully prepared to step in and take over managing the money.

But Ji Hong merely opened his mouth without saying anything, and then, surprisingly, walked out with the unsightly bulge still in his robes, without so much as a word.

Duan Ming could hardly bear to look.

As they crossed the threshold, Yu Jinnian heard the faint sound of ink being ground behind him. He instinctively turned back, spotting a familiar figure—it was Huan Xiao. She glanced around cautiously before pulling out a sheet of paper from her sleeve, her expression serious as she carefully spread it out. Although Yu Jinnian was too far away to make out the details, something about the slight tremor in her hand as she held the brush caught his attention.

Moments later, Huan Xiao took a deep breath and began writing.

When she finished, she dropped the brush as if it had burned her fingers and hastily tucked the paper back into her sleeve.

Only then did she exhale deeply, as if she had been holding her breath for far too long.