Chapter 42: Fever
"Jingshu, Jingshu—" The person in his arms was burning hot, his sleepwear soaked through with sweat, his face flushed red—clearly running a high fever. Jiang Chenghan was extremely worried.
Yan Jingshu frowned uncomfortably, not opening his eyes, only letting out a weak murmur, "...Hot, so hot..." As he spoke, he reached out to push the blankets away.
Jiang Chenghan quickly pressed his hand down, wrapping him tightly in the quilt before grabbing an outer robe from the clothes rack, throwing it on, and hurrying out of the room toward the front courtyard.
After finding Zheng Er’s room in the front courtyard’s side quarters and waking him, Jiang Chenghan ordered him to fetch a physician immediately, Then he turned and went to the kitchen, filling a basin with water before returning to the bedroom.
By now, Wenjin and Wenxiu had already been roused by Jiang Chenghan’s movements and were hovering anxiously by Yan Jingshu’s bedside, unsure what to do. Seeing Jiang Chenghan return, they quickly stepped aside.
Jiang Chenghan didn’t speak to them, only set the basin on the small table by the bed, took a towel, soaked and wrung it out slightly, then placed it on Yan Jingshu’s forehead. He then tucked the quilt back around him where it had loosened.
Watching Yan Jingshu suffer, Jiang Chenghan’s brow furrowed tightly, his heart filled with worry and guilt, his expression grim. Wenjin and Wenxiu didn’t dare even breathe loudly, standing silently by, waiting for his instructions.
After changing the towel seven or eight times, Yan Jingshu’s body began to shiver, and Zheng Er still hadn’t returned with the physician. Jiang Chenghan grew frantic.
He stood up, took his token from the cabinet beside the clothes rack, and handed it to Wenjin. "Take this to the front and give it to Zheng Hu. Tell him to bring it to the Governor's residence, give my name, and request Physician Zhou."
Wenjin hurriedly took the token, acknowledged the order, then lifted her skirts and rushed out.
Jiang Chenghan then told Wenxiu to fetch another basin of water while he returned to the bedside, wiping Yan Jingshu’s sweat and replacing the towel.
"...No… don’t… Chenghan… don’t… die…" Yan Jingshu’s fever worsened, his mind delirious, as if trapped in a nightmare. He tossed his head weakly, murmuring incoherently, tears even leaking from the corners of his eyes.
Jiang Chenghan’s heart ached unbearably. He quickly grasped Yan Jingshu’s hand and leaned closer. When he finally made out the words, his eyes widened slightly.
Still lost in the nightmare, Yan Jingshu clutched Jiang Chenghan’s hand so tightly his knuckles turned white, leaving deep fingermarks on the back of Jiang Chenghan’s hand. "...Don’t die… don’t… I’m back… I’ll save you… I won’t… let you die again…"
Jiang Chenghan stood frozen for a long moment, only snapping back to attention when Wenxiu returned with the water. Suppressing the storm of emotions inside him, he bent down and whispered into Yan Jingshu’s ear, "I’m here. I’m not dead. It’s alright, don’t be afraid. I’ll never die. I’ll always stay with you. Don’t be afraid…"
He kept speaking, over and over without pause, until his throat grew dry. Only then did Yan Jingshu gradually calm down. Though the fever hadn’t broken, his brow relaxed slightly, and he stopped murmuring in delirium—though his grip on Jiang Chenghan’s hand remained tight.
Seeing Yan Jingshu settle, Jiang Chenghan straightened, then lowered his head slightly, gazing at the unconscious man with an inscrutable, complicated expression.
"Sir, Zheng Hu has brought Physician Zhou from the Governor's residence," Wenjin’s slightly breathless voice suddenly announced.
Jiang Chenghan snapped out of his thoughts. "Quick, bring him in."
Soon, Zheng Hu entered with a middle-aged man in his fifties, dressed in a slate-blue cotton robe.
Still held by Yan Jingshu, Jiang Chenghan couldn’t rise to greet him. "Please forgive me, Physician Zhou. My fulang fell ill suddenly and severely, forcing me to disturb you so late. Thank you for coming."
"Commandant Jiang, you’re too kind. Healing the sick is a physician’s duty—how could it be a bother?" Physician Zhou replied quickly. He naturally recognized Jiang Chenghan, a favored subordinate of Kou Shijun. Though he’d been dragged from bed in the middle of the night, this wasn’t the first time, and Jiang Chenghan’s polite words dispelled any lingering displeasure.
As he spoke, Physician Zhou opened the medicine chest he’d brought, taking out a pulse pillow. Jiang Chenghan adjusted Yan Jingshu’s wrist to allow the examination.
After a long moment, when Physician Zhou withdrew his hand, Jiang Chenghan couldn’t wait any longer. "Physician Zhou, how is he?"
"Commandant Jiang, rest assured. Your fulang’s condition is not serious—just a seasonal fever, compounded by mild travel fatigue, which made it seem severe. I’ll prescribe a formula to dispel the cold and regulate his qi, along with some nourishing dietary advice. With proper care and timely medicine, he’ll recover swiftly."
Hearing this, Jiang Chenghan finally relaxed slightly, a trace of relief appearing on his face. "Then I truly thank you, Physician Zhou. I’m deeply grateful."
"No trouble at all, you’re too kind, Commandant Jiang." With that, Physician Zhou stood up and went to the nearby desk to write the prescription.
Once the prescription and dietary list were written, Jiang Chenghan took a glance before handing them to Zheng Hu. He then instructed Wenxiu to fetch silver as payment for Physician Zhou and gave some to Zheng Hu as well, telling him to first escort Physician Zhou back to the Governor's residence before stopping by the pharmacy to buy the medicine.
Since Jiang Chenghan had been constantly wiping Yan Jingshu’s sweat and cooling him down, even though the medicine hadn’t been taken yet, Yan Jingshu’s condition didn’t worsen. He remained deeply asleep, but his expression had grown much calmer.
Before long, Zheng Hu had yet to return with the medicine, but Zheng Er finally arrived with a physician in tow.
By the time Jiang Chenghan realized Yan Jingshu had fallen ill, it was already midnight, and all the medical halls in the city had long closed. Zheng Er had rushed to nearly every medical hall in the city before finally managing to knock one open, promising a hefty sum of silver to secure a physician. Naturally, this had delayed things considerably.
Jiang Chenghan understood and didn’t blame him. As for the physician, since he had already been brought over, Jiang Chenghan had him examine Yan Jingshu as well. The diagnosis turned out to be no different from Physician Zhou’s.
After this physician also wrote out a prescription, Jiang Chenghan paid the consultation fee and had Zheng Er escort him back. As for the prescription, seeing that it was nearly identical to Physician Zhou’s, Jiang Chenghan didn’t send anyone to buy more medicine based on it.
An hour later, Wenjin carefully carried in the freshly decocted medicine. Jiang Chenghan took the bowl, tested the temperature—finding it still a bit too hot—and blew on it. Once it had cooled enough, he scooped some with a spoon and tried to feed it to Yan Jingshu.
Half-asleep, Yan Jingshu sensed something at his lips and instinctively opened his mouth. Jiang Chenghan quickly poured the medicine in, but the next moment, Yan Jingshu frowned, turned his head, and spat it all out, mumbling pitifully, "...Bitter... Don’t want it..."
Who would have thought Yan Jingshu would become like a child when sick, unable to bear bitter medicine? Jiang Chenghan didn’t want to force him, but for Yan Jingshu’s speedy recovery, he had no choice but to make sure he drank the entire bowl.
Afraid Yan Jingshu would spit it out again, Jiang Chenghan simply lifted him up, then drank the medicine himself in one gulp. Lowering his head, he pressed his lips to Yan Jingshu’s, pinching his chin to keep him from pulling away. Using his tongue to part Yan Jingshu’s teeth, he slowly fed him the medicine drop by drop.
Wenjin and Wenxiu, standing to the side, flushed crimson at the sight. They exchanged an awkward glance before both lowered their heads, not daring to look further.
After finishing the medicine, worried that the bitter taste would linger uncomfortably in Yan Jingshu’s mouth and thinking he needed hydration after sweating so much, Jiang Chenghan had Wenjin pour a cup of plain water. Then, just as before, he fed it to Yan Jingshu mouth-to-mouth.
Wiping the damp traces from Yan Jingshu’s lips, Jiang Chenghan didn’t lay him back down. He handed the cup to Wenjin and dismissed the two maids, telling them to rest and that their service wasn’t needed for now.
Once Wenjin and Wenxiu had left, Jiang Chenghan remained sitting with Yan Jingshu cradled in his arms, leaning against the headboard and closing his eyes. Still concerned about Yan Jingshu’s condition, he didn’t truly sleep, only resting his eyes while occasionally reaching out to check Yan Jingshu’s temperature.
Unnoticed, the darkness outside gave way to dawn. Hearing birdsong from beyond the window, Jiang Chenghan jolted awake. After shaking off his drowsiness, he looked down again.
By now, the feverish flush on Yan Jingshu’s face had faded, his complexion returning to normal. Still uneasy, Jiang Chenghan touched his forehead—confirming the fever had indeed broken—and finally relaxed completely.
Having held the man all night, his body had grown stiff, and it was nearly time for him to report for duty. Carefully, Jiang Chenghan laid Yan Jingshu back down on the bed.
Having burned through half the night, Yan Jingshu was thoroughly exhausted and didn’t stir despite being moved.
Once Yan Jingshu was settled, Jiang Chenghan got out of bed. Stretching his limbs, he went to wash up. After changing clothes and having a quick breakfast, he fed Yan Jingshu another dose of medicine. Then, instructing Wenjin and Wenxiu to take good care of him and to summon him from the Governor's residence if anything happened, he finally left home.
Since Yan Jingshu’s fever had subsided and his illness wasn’t severe, Jiang Chenghan hadn’t planned to request leave. Yet the moment he arrived at the Governor's residence and met Kou Shijun, he was asked about Yan Jingshu’s condition—and then granted a day off to tend to him.
Though Jiang Chenghan hadn’t mentioned Yan Jingshu’s illness, the entire residence already knew after he had summoned Physician Zhou the previous night. When questioned, Physician Zhou hadn’t concealed the matter, so Kou Shijun had learned of it early.
Seeing that nothing urgent was happening at the residence that day, Jiang Chenghan thanked Kou Shijun and left, heading straight back home.
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