The two of them took Superintendent Wei’s carriage to the Imperial Palace.
As Superintendent Wei was, after all, the head of the Huaqing Palace, no one at the palace gate dared to stop or inspect his carriage, and the group easily entered the palace.
Strictly speaking, Huaqing Palace did not belong to the Imperial Harem; men from outside could enter. However, without the Emperor’s summons, Superintendent Wei still needed to give notice entry.
But by the time he went to give notice, the Emperor was almost unconscious. His condition was very bad, his face was swollen, and he was having difficulty breathing, as if he might stop breathing at any moment.
"Your Majesty!"
With no time to waste, Superintendent Wei hurriedly brought Gu Jiao and Xiao Liulang in.
This was Xiao Liulang’s first time witnessing Gu Jiao rescue a patient. The scene of the surgery she performed on Gu Chenglin in Bishui Alley had been too bloody, and Gu Jiao had shut the door, not allowing Xiao Liulang to enter.
Gu Jiao walked over to the bright yellow Dragon Bed with her first-aid kit, expression calm and composed. "Light the lanterns."
"Quick! Light the candles!" Superintendent Wei hurriedly commanded.
All the candles were lit and the oil lamps were adjusted to the brightest. The dim Sleeping Palace suddenly became brightly lit.
Dressed in a green gown, slender and graceful, Gu Jiao stood alone in the enormous hall, small, yet radiating a dazzling brilliance and aura.
Xiao Liulang watched her intently. It was a serious demeanor he had never seen before. It seemed a little unfamiliar to him, yet it was also mesmerizing.
"Mr. Xiao, I apologize." Superintendent Wei awkwardly smiled at Xiao Liulang. It was time to undress His Majesty; no more spectators could be permitted.
He signaled to the palace maids to set up a screen in front of the yellow Dragon Bed, so that Xiao Liulang could see only the shadows projected onto the screen.
"Is His Majesty alright?" Superintendent Wei asked anxiously. "He was just fine a moment ago. How did it suddenly get this serious? It was only a few sips of water, right?"
This was a case of dry drowning, a form of drowning. Even if it just involves choking on a bit of water, everything would seem normal after getting ashore. However, after returning home, symptoms such as difficulty breathing, lips turning blue, lethargy, coma, suffocation, and even drowning death can occur.
This condition generally affects young children and people with weak constitutions, although it occasionally happens in people with strong constitutions. It occurs primarily when not much water gets into the lungs, not affecting alveolic gas exchange, but causing spasms of the larynx, closure of the glottis, and brain hypoxia.
Gu Jiao climbed onto the Dragon Bed, undid the Emperor’s sleeping robe, knelt next to him and cleared the residues from his mouth and nose. She also performed chest compressions on him.
It was fortunate that His Majesty had promptly invited Miss Gu over. Otherwise, in such a serious situation, the Imperial Physicians would have been helpless.
The Emperor soon fell asleep.
Superintendent Wei planned to invite Gu Jiao to rest in the side hall, and he would stay and watch over the Emperor. However, just as he was about to speak, he suddenly didn’t know how to address her.
When he first met her, he thought she was unmarried, and habitually called her Miss Gu, especially as the second landlord and the people at the Medical Hall addressed her in the same way.
The second landlord addressed her this way because he felt the couple were not truly married, whereas the people at the Medical Hall did so because their landlord did.
In any case, everyone now referred to her as Miss Gu. Even though they knew she was married, it seemed the term ’Miss Gu’ had become an identity for her. No one had changed the way they addressed her, and it did not seem inappropriate. It was indeed a strange phenomenon.
The screen was removed, and Gu Jiao returned to Xiao Liulang’s side and sat down.
Xiao Liulang saw the fine beads of sweat on her forehead and handed her a handkerchief.
His original intention was to give it to Gu Jiao so she could wipe her own sweat. But perhaps he had handed it a bit too high, which caused Gu Jiao to misunderstand that he was going to wipe it for her.
Across the little tea table, Gu Jiao extended her forehead toward him.
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