Chapter 568: Chapter 199 Relapse_3
Qi Qing shook his head, "Ever since the great fire at Fengle Building, rumors have spread throughout the capital. It was not until Yu Tai returned to the Board of Rites Office that the rumors finally ceased."
Cui Min’s heart tightened.
He had heard those rumors too, which all claimed Qi Yutai had gone mad.
"Now that it has just stopped recently, if something happens to Yu Tai again..."
Qi Qing looked at Cui Min, "I’m afraid it’s not appropriate."
"I will surely cure the Young Master as soon as possible..."
"Before long, the Tianzhang Platform ritual, the grand ceremony in the palace, all the officials of the Imperial City will be there."
Qi Qing spoke slowly, "My son, needs to appear before the public."
Cui Min felt his heart skip a beat.
The Tianzhang Platform ritual was less than two months away.
In such a short time, could Qi Yutai really regain his sanity?
He looked toward the bed.
Qi Yutai had struggled for a long while, finally exhausted, ceased thrashing, but his bloodshot eyes still looked around in terror, sometimes lucid, sometimes delirious.
Cui Min curled his fingers.
He had not an ounce of confidence.
"I understand this is difficult."
Qi Qing began despondently, "A parent’s heart is worn down for the sake of their child, such is the pity of all the world’s parents."
"Envoy Cui also has children, you ought to empathize more deeply with this old man."
Like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, Cui Min could no longer speak.
Gentle and kind words.
Yet they were such a terrifying threat.
If he could not cure Qi Yutai... If he could not heal Qi Yutai by the festival on the fifteenth of August, his own children, might end up in an even worse state than the current Qi Yutai.
Qi Qing held a handkerchief, coughed a few times while looking down, light red traces staining the snow-white cloth.
He raised his hand, and the waiting steward at his side hurried to help him stand up.
"Envoy Cui, I leave Yu Tai in your hands."
He patted Cui Min on the shoulder, then slowly departed, his back thin and stooped, like a gnarled piece of ancient wood moving oddly along.
Cui Min hunched over, watching his receding figure, feeling as if something inside him was draining away with the desolate figure, leaving only an empty shell behind.
From behind came the sound of Qi Yutai clapping, accompanied by alarmed and angry shouting.
"There’s a dog! A big dog! It’ll bite! Help, help!"
Cui Min closed his eyes.
For a moment, he felt an all-encompassing chill.
...
The night grew thicker, so dense that not a single star could be seen. The world seemed to become a giant void, eager to swallow everything.
After this intense darkness, a grayish white gradually appeared on the distant horizon, as if the dark color was being blown away little by little.
When Cui Min came out, it was almost Mao Time.
Qi Yutai’s maidservant escorted him to the door, and after Cui Min gave her some instructions, he walked towards the carriage waiting in front.
Half an hour earlier, Qi Yutai had finally fallen asleep.
When faced with an episode of madness, even someone frail can suddenly grow much stronger. Although Qi Yutai was not robust, he was young and uncontrollable in his madness, and because of his status as the Grand Preceptor’s son, the servants in the room dared not stop him forcefully, inevitably resulting in injuries.
Cui Min’s face also bore a scratch, a bloody mark from Qi Yutai’s nails.
He carried his medical box onto the carriage waiting at the door. His confidant saw the blood on his face and was shocked, asking, "Envoy, has Young Master Qi truly had an episode?"
Cui Min remained silent.
It was more than an episode; this time Qi Yutai’s symptoms were clearly much worse than before. He had tried every method, but none could soothe Qi Yutai. If it weren’t for Qi Yutai’s eventual fatigue and falling asleep, it was uncertain how much longer the ordeal would have lasted.
Cui Min’s face was extremely grim, and his confidant suggested, "Young Master Qi’s symptoms seemed to be improving before, and suddenly he had an episode. Could it be that he was stimulated again, leading to imbalance?"
"No."
He had also asked Qi Qing about Qi Yutai’s illness; Qi Qing would not conceal anything. In these days, Qi Yutai’s outings were always accompanied by others, and nothing unusual had occurred.
"That’s strange, could it be that he never fully recovered?"
Cui Min’s gaze was heavy as he looked down.
He had examined Qi Yutai’s pulse, and it was indeed different from before. Originally, although Qi Yutai suffered from his mental disorder, aside from a weak pulse, he was indistinguishable from a normal person.
Now, Qi Yutai seemed to be suffering from a nourishment deficiency in the brain and spinal marrow. That was why no matter what medicine he used or acupuncture he performed, Qi Yutai showed no response.
What was he to do now?
Agitated, Cui Min could not help but lick his dry, chapped lips. He had been busy all night, not even sitting down for a sip of water.
The Qi Family had given him a final deadline, Yu Tai must appear lucid before the crowd at the grand ceremony. But now he could not even find a lead, the previous prescriptions were ineffective for Qi Yutai’s current condition, and he had no idea how to produce a new prescription...
A new prescription...
Suddenly, a figure flashed through his mind, and Cui Min’s eyes lit up.
Lu Tong—
He was not without recourse. When he had cured Qi Yutai before, to prepare a fallback for himself, when Lu Tong accused him of stealing medical recipes, he only suspended him from duty. The reason was that if Qi Yutai relapsed one day, at least there was one person who could be of use.