What was Su Qingcheng's identity? The Regent King's consort!
With such an identity, wouldn't she be a noble and dignified lady? Now, sitting so brazenly at the entrance of their King's manor, whose reputation was she jeopardizing?
These guards naturally sided with their own general. Moreover, in the eyes of common people like them, Su Qingcheng's impression remained from the past. This only made them look down on her even more.
"Oh, isn't this the dignified Regent King's consort? Why are you so shamelessly sitting in front of our General's manor? Are you trying to be difficult and refusing to leave?"
Several guards surrounded Su Qingcheng with mocking gazes. Because of her status, they dared not go too far, so they could only resort to verbal taunts.
But Su Qingcheng paid no heed to their words, remaining seated calmly, her expression unchanged and her heart unfazed.
Seeing her lack of reaction, the guards grew anxious and issued a threat:
"If you insist on staying here, we won't be polite!"
Even with the guards putting on their fiercest expressions, Su Qingcheng remained composed in her spot, completely ignoring them.
She was a consort, after all, with the Prime Minister's manor backing her. How could these mere guards dare to lay a hand on her?
Su Qingcheng was fearless. Furthermore, she had silver needles hidden in her sleeve. If it came to a fight, it was uncertain who would fall first!
When the guards' threats and intimidation failed, they were helpless and could only let her be.
Turning back to the General's manor, after the young servant had left to the imperial palace to summon an imperial physician, General Shangguan and his wife had been guarding their legitimate son's side, never leaving him.
The child was still being looked after by the wet nurse, so they could not intervene and could only watch anxiously.
It would take at least the time it took for an incense stick to burn for the imperial physician to be summoned from the palace and return.
General Shangguan overlooked this point and did not notice it at all.
Half an incense stick's time quickly passed amidst everyone's anxious waiting, and the situation began to show signs of change.
"Ge... General! Madam!"
The wet nurse, who had been caring for the child, suddenly stood up in a panic, looking nervously at the couple.
"The young master's complexion seems a bit off!"
Upon hearing this, their faces instantly changed, and they rushed to the cradle to look at the child within.
Generally, children at a hundred days old begin to fill out, becoming fair-skinned, plump, and very cute.
However, General Shangguan's legitimate son, due to his serious illness, still had the wrinkled appearance he had before, but his skin had become exceptionally pale.
Normally, the child would cry out a few times. At this moment, the child in the cradle had his eyes tightly shut, his little mouth pursed tightly, and only his little nose flapped incessantly, as if he were struggling to breathe.
Not only that, but the pale, tightly clenched fists also showed signs of bluish-purple color, which was exceptionally jarring.
General Shangguan quickly reached out and unwrapped the child's swaddling clothes, clearly seeing that the small child's entire body was tinged with a bluish-purple hue.
Moreover, the child's breathing at the tip of his nose was becoming increasingly rapid and shallow, and his body temperature was clearly decreasing.
Seeing this, the Madam panicked and quickly took the child into her arms, attempting to transfer her own body heat. But ultimately, it was in vain.
Rapid breathing, a body tinged with bluish-purple.
All these signs, Su Qingcheng had predicted them all!
Even though General Shangguan was unwilling to believe her from the bottom of his heart, he now had no choice but to face the facts and accept them.
And Su Qingcheng's latter words suddenly flooded into the General and Madam's minds: It could be life-threatening!
The Madam was flustered, her hands holding the child trembling uncontrollably.
She cast a worried glance at the child in her arms, tears welling up in her eyes, and looked at General Shangguan with disappointment that was akin to anger.
"Are you satisfied now? The consort personally came to diagnose our child, and you, you actually drove her away!"
Recalling the scenes from before, the Madam was both angry and anxious, crying out and scolding General Shangguan.
"Now that the child is truly in trouble, if anything happens to him, I won't live either!"
With that, the Madam buried her face in her hands, holding the child and weeping, completely heartbroken.
Hearing his wife's scolding, General Shangguan dared not retort. His expression was very grim, and his heart was also anxious.
But mere anxiety was of no use. The imperial physician he had sent for was likely still on his way and wouldn't arrive anytime soon.
Moreover, the imperial physicians had already stated they were helpless. Even if they were invited now, what difference would it make?
At this critical juncture, General Shangguan finally awoke, realizing how foolish a decision he had made.
Looking at his son, who was in grave danger, and his wife, who was in tears, he finally felt remorse.
Gritting his teeth, General Shangguan, who had always been resolute and had never bowed his head to anyone, finally gave in.
"Madam, please do not fret. I will go immediately to invite the consort to treat our child. Even if I have to kneel and apologize, I will not say a word of refusal!"
With that, he left the room without looking back.
The guards knew that the General and his wife were anxious about the young master's condition at this time, so the guards who had driven Su Qingcheng away earlier had not reported this matter.
As a result, General Shangguan was completely unaware that Su Qingcheng was still sitting at their doorstep.
To show his sincerity, General Shangguan personally selected gifts and, with a few attendants, set off for the consort's manor to apologize and request her presence.
As soon as they opened the door and walked out of the General's manor, they saw Su Qingcheng, who was still sitting on the steps at the entrance, looking bored.
In reality, Su Qingcheng was also anxious at this moment, but it was of no use, as they had already driven her away.
Suddenly seeing General Shangguan leading a group of guards out, she was startled and quickly stood up, retreating a few steps.
Upon seeing this scene, Su Qingcheng's first thought was: would they not let her stay here and specifically bring people to drive her away?
General Shangguan, who was equally stunned, had not expected that he had spoken harshly to Su Qingcheng and had driven her out of the manor in a most unpleasant manner.
The other party had actually stayed at the doorstep, refusing to leave for a long time.
He instantly understood the reason behind this and felt even more ashamed!
Before the other party could react, General Shangguan, with a stern face, knelt down before Su Qingcheng with a "plop."
At this, everyone present was stunned!
Su Qingcheng's mind went blank on the spot. She stared blankly at General Shangguan, unable to speak.
She had indeed considered in her heart that they would eventually change their minds and invite her back to diagnose the child.
However, a general with an iron will, a man who had weathered half a lifetime of vicissitudes, suddenly kneeling before her was completely beyond her expectations!
Not to mention the other guards of the General's manor, their eyes were almost popping out in shock. Those who were quick to react had already knelt down with General Shangguan.
Among these guards, some were veterans who had followed General Shangguan for over ten years. They had never seen their General show such humble weakness!