Chapter 429: Taking the Blood of the Heart
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
The shock on Xiang Hualan’s face was very authentic. So it was not that difficult to lie in front of these people after all.
“This… this is a contagious disease… If you get infected…” Xiang Hualan didn’t finish her sentence, but everyone understood.
“But Grandmother, don’t worry. Miss Su, who saved me yesterday, is a highly skilled doctor. She also helped Grandmother regain consciousness. Why don’t 1 ask her to take a look at Younger Sister?”
In this era, leprosy was the equivalent of an extremely contagious terminal illness. Old Mistress Xiang didn’t think that Su Ying had the ability to completely cure her, but Xiang Shule was her beloved granddaughter, so she was unwilling to give up even if there was a glimmer of hope.
“Then I’ll have to trouble Miss Su.”
Su Ying was invited to the door of Xiang Shule’s room. Her face was covered with a strange cloth and she was wearing gloves. Even her eyes were covered with some unrecognizable thing.
Su Ying gestured for Xiang Hualan and the others to wait outside the door, then entered the room alone.
The door was pushed open. Xiang Shule heard the commotion and raised her head in shock. When she saw Su Ying, who was fully covered in protective gear, she subconsciously retreated. She was unwilling to admit that she had contracted the damned leprosy, but subconsciously, she felt that she was doomed. She was afraid. She was afraid that if she was sent to the mountains outside the city, only death awaited her.
“Don’t come over! Don’t come over!”
Su Ying looked at her indifferently. “I’m here to cure your illness. If you don’t want to die, then behave yourself.”
“Cure…”
While Xiang Shule was still in a daze, Su Ying stepped forward to take her pulse and check the red spots on her body. In the end, it was confirmed that she was infected with leprosy.
Su Ying took out a bottle of medicine and told Xiang Shule to take it. “This medicine can relieve the symptoms on your face.”
Xiang Shule looked at the medicine on the table and didn’t touch it. She didn’t trust Su Ying.
However, Su Ying’s words quickly broke down her defense. “If you don’t want to be sent away, then listen to me.”
Xiang Shule’s eyes were filled with fear. She couldn’t care about anything anymore. She grabbed the medicine on the table and swallowed it.
After watching her take the medicine, Su Ying left the room.
When Xiang Hualan saw Su Ying coming out, she went forward and said, “How is it? What kind of illness is she infected with?”
Old Mistress Xiang and the others also looked at Su Ying with hopeful expressions.
“It’s definitely leprosy.”
Even though they were already mentally prepared, when they heard Su Ying’s diagnosis, Old Mistress Xiang and the others were still so shocked that they fell back into their chairs.
“However, it’s not completely hopeless.”
Old Mistress Xiang raised her eyes and said, “This is leprosy. Even the Imperial Physicians in the palace can’t do anything about it. What can you do?”
“I don’t know if the Imperial Physicians in the palace have a way, but I do have a method passed down from my ancestors that 1 can try.”
When Old Mistress Xiang and Second Mistress Xiang saw that Su Ying didn’t seem to be joking, they also became serious. “Miss Su, what method do you have?”
“I have a formula here. It requires the blood of the heart from the patient’s blood sister to be used as a drug delivery vehicle to inject the medicine into the body to cure the disease.”
“What did you say? The blood of the heart from a blood sister?”
Su Ying’s answer surprised everyone in the room.
It wasn’t that Second Master Xiang’s family didn’t have any concubines in his household, nor did these concubines have no children, but none of those children had lived past the age of three. So until now, the second branch of the Xiang family had only one son and one daughter, both of whom were born to the Second Mistress Xiang. Therefore, Xiang Shule didn’t have any blood sisters at all.
Of course, other than Xiang Hualan.
Although they were not from the same mother, they could be considered blood sisters.
The Second Mistress Xiang came back to her senses and knelt in front of Xiang Hualan to plead.
“Lan’er, please save your younger sister. She’s the younger sister you’ve doted on since she was young. Can you just watch her get into trouble and ignore her?”
Xiang Hualan looked at the pleading Second Mistress Xiang and did not make a sound. She only raised her eyes to look at Old Mistress Xiang. “Grandmother, it’s fine if it’s blood from other places, but this is the blood from the heart. If the blood from the heart is taken, my life will be in danger at any time. Does Grandmother want to force me to save Younger Sister?”
Old Mistress Xiang felt very conflicted and her face sank. Although Xiang Hualan was not her biological child and she did not care about her life or death, it was undeniable that Xiang Hualan was indeed capable and could bring benefits to the Xiang family.
However, on the other side…That was her biological granddaughter. The First Prince had previously promised her that as long as she broke off the engagement with Xiang Hualan, he would propose to Xiang Shule.
Old Mistress Xiang did not hesitate for long before she raised her head sadly. “Lan’er, as long as we pay more attention when we extract the blood from the heart, you will definitely be fine.” She turned to Su Ying. “Miss Su, is that right?”
“Of course not,” Su Ying said icily. “This is equivalent to exchanging a life for a life. The risk is extremely high, so whether you save her or not is entirely up to you.”
When they heard Su Ying’s words, everything became very clear to the Xiang family. If they wanted Xiang Shule to live, then Xiang Hualan might die.
“My time is limited, and I will be leaving by tomorrow night at the latest. All of you should make your decision as soon as possible.”
Second Mistress Xiang stood up and said, “Can you guarantee that you can cure Le’er’s illness?”
“I can.”
There had never been a doctor who could say with such certainty that he could cure leprosy like Su Ying. This made Old Mistress Xiang and the others subconsciously believe Su Ying’s words.
“Lan’er, I beg you. Please save your younger sister on account of your Second Aunt taking care of you for so many years…” The Second Mistress Xiang knelt in front of Xiang Hualan and pleaded again.
The scales in Old Mistress Xiang’s heart had long been tipped in Xiang Shule’s favor. “Lan’er, you know that if it wasn’t for your younger sister who saved you when you fell into the water back then, you wouldn’t have lived until now. Grandmother won’t force you. It’s up to you.”
The old woman told Xiang Hualan to make the decision herself, but Old Mistress Xiang’s sharp gaze seemed to be warning her. If Xiang Hualan dared to refuse, the old woman would definitely not let her off lightly.
Xiang Hualan felt extremely awful inwardly. The family she had always trusted was now asking her to die without hesitation!
Xiang Hualan clenched her fists in her sleeves, but she still gritted her teeth and said, “Fine, fine. I agree to save her, but 1 have a request.”
When the two of them heard Xiang Hualan’s consent, smiles flashed across their eyes. “Just tell us. If you have any requests, just say it.”
“I have to take back the things in my storage room.”
Old Mistress Xiang and Second Mistress Xiang exchanged looks. Xiang Hualan was about to die, so what was the point of taking those things?
Old Mistress Xiang felt that there might be a trick to this. “Grandmother has always kept those things for you. They definitely won’t fall into the hands of other people.”
“Grandmother, many of those things were left behind for me by Father and Mother. I still don’t know what the outcome will be, but I just want to take a look. It can also be considered as leaving a memory for myself. If Grandmother and Second Aunt change their minds and are unwilling to treat Younger Sister, 1 will personally send Younger Sister to Leper’s Mountain and assign people to take good care of her.” Xiang Hualan’s expression was sorrowful, making people feel that she really just wanted to leave a memory for herself.
However, Old Mistress Xiang still had her doubts..