Chen Changsheng knew that the teachers of the Thirteen Divisions of Radiant Green and Xu Yourong had both come to Wenshui to personally treat the chief branch First Master, but he still decided to personally take a look.
Just as he had said to the steward of the old estate, he had absolute confidence in his medical skills.
Even if everyone concluded that the chief branch First Master had not been poisoned, but was suffering from an incurable disease, he still had to personally see it to believe.
He gazed at the unconscious middle-aged man. He wanted to find some trace of Tang Thirty-Six on his face, but he realized that it was rather difficult.
Perhaps it was because he was too thin, or perhaps it was because his face was covered in gold.
He sat on the bed and began to take his pulse. After a quarter of an hour, he took out a golden needle and inserted it into the man's meridians, beginning to make even more detailed observations.
This time, he took a rather long time. Even when the winter sun was at its zenith, his fingers were still gripping the end of the golden needle, trembling rhythmically.
The door to the room was tightly shut, cutting off all sight from the outside. No one knew what was going on inside.
Nanke stood in front of the door, her face expressionless and motionless.
Whether it was the embroidered stool that Madam Tang personally brought over or the precious tea that the maid offered with both hands, she did not even glance at them, much less speak.
At the very beginning, when they saw the Pope enter the First Master's room, the people of the chief branch could not help but reveal expressions of joy. In their view, since the Pope could refine the Cinnabar Pill that could revive the dead, his medical skills were assuredly superb. Even if the Sacred Light technique could not save the First Master, feeding the First Master a Cinnabar Pill was enough. But as time passed, the people gradually grew anxious. Some of the bolder maids wanted to sneak a peek, but they were frightened back by Nanke's gaze.
After an unknown amount of time, the tightly shut door finally opened and Chen Chang Sheng walked out from within.
Madam Tang went up to greet him. She had been very calm the entire time, but now, she could no longer suppress her emotions. Her face was both nervous and hopeful.
Seeing Madam Tang's expression, Chen Changsheng took back what he wanted to say.
After such a long time of probing with the golden needle, he had a very comprehensive understanding of the Tang First Master's condition, but the more he understood, the stranger he found it. There was indeed no poison left in the Tang Family First Master's body, nor were there any symptoms of being poisoned. It was just that his meridians were gradually withering and his vitality was constantly fading.
The problem was that he could not find the cause of the illness. Naturally, there was nothing he could do about it. Furthermore, there was something strange. In the depths of Father Tang's liver meridian, he could faintly sense a cold aura. However, the aura was very faint and he could not trace its source. It could be an old illness from many years ago, or it could be …
"Has Master Tang ever injured his waist before?" he asked Mrs. Tang.
Mrs. Tang seriously recalled and shook her head. "I've been injured many times, but I've never hurt my waist."
Chen Chang Sheng suddenly noticed the puzzled expression on Nanke's face and asked: "What's wrong?"
Nanke looked at him and said, "I think I smell something."
Chen Chang Sheng thought to himself, could it really be so? He turned around and led her into the room, saying, "Smell it carefully."
Nanke sniffed the air like a puppy and moved her feet, getting closer and closer to the bed.
Finally, she stopped at the bedside, looked at Chen Chang Sheng and nodded.
Chen Chang Sheng understood her meaning.
Madam Tang was extremely intelligent. Although she did not understand Nanke's specific meaning, she understood. Her face instantly paled and her body swayed.
Chen Chang Sheng looked at her and shook his head.
A determined expression appeared on Madam Tang's face. She steadied her mind and steadied her body.
At this moment, the sound of wailing suddenly came from outside the door. It sounded like the voices of men and women, old and young.
"The heavens have opened their eyes! Master, you can finally be saved!"
"His Holiness the Pope's benevolence is as benevolent as the heavens! I, Hu San, am willing to work like an ox or a horse for His Holiness!"
"Master, hurry up and wake up!"
Hearing these voices, the maids of the inner residence revealed expressions of disdain. The housekeepers were even more enraged. If not for the fact that the Pope was present, they would probably have cursed out loud. They hatefully said, "These shameless people aren't really concerned about the Master, they're just afraid that the Master will be saved by His Holiness and then deal with them!"
Chen Chang Sheng had grown up in a Daoist temple, so he had never seen the dangers of a noble clan's old estate. He couldn't help but stare blankly.
"In this half year, Tang 'er has been praying for Father in the ancestral hall, and I was also in a rush to treat the Master's illness. It was unavoidable that I neglected the servants and disturbed His Holiness.
This is truly disrespectful, "Madam Tang said apologetically and invited him to the study in the next room to rest.
The study was very quiet. The distant and emotionless wailing could not be heard.
Besides Madam Tang and him, only Nanke followed him in.
Without outsiders present, Madam Tang finally revealed her true emotions. Her eyes slightly red, she said, "I thank His Holiness for his benevolence, and I ask that Your Holiness save the Master's life. The Tang clan's property can be given to the second branch. I only hope that the Master can live and that Tang 'er can be released."
Chen Chang Sheng replied, "Be at ease. Everything is for the safety of the Master and Tang 'er."
Madam Tang looked into his eyes and confirmed that he was speaking the truth. Only then did she truly relax. "Today, perhaps I will have to borrow His Holiness's divine might like the sea."
Chen Chang Sheng understood her meaning and said, "Madam, please feel free to use it."
… …
… …
By the time he returned to the Daoist church, it was almost dusk. The setting sun shone on the Wenshui River, and Chen Chang Sheng once more went to the shore.
The grass in the back garden had already been repaired, leaving no trace of last night's assassination attempt.
Archbishop An Lin, Guan Feibai, and the others followed closely at his side, unwilling to see a repeat of last night's situation.
In a short while, Linghai Zhiwang returned, bringing with him the latest news.
Madam Tang, in the name of offending the Pope, had three second-class stewards and ten-some servants beaten to death and seven or eight maids driven away.
During the execution, Linghai Zhiwang had stood on the side and said nothing, so no one dared to speak.
The steward of the Tang clan's old estate had an extremely nasty expression, but in the end, he still maintained his silence.
After hearing what had happened in the Tang clan's main branch, Guan Feibai felt very depressed.
Just like Gou Hanshi and the majority of the Mount Li Sword Sect disciples, he had come from a poor background. Other than his eldest brother, he had a natural aversion to all the descendants of the great clans. Thus, at the Ivy Festival in the capital, he had disliked Tang Thirty-Six's conduct.
He had not imagined that the poor had their own hardships, and the great clans also had their own hardships. Moreover, it was even darker, and the relationship between family members was even more cruel and merciless. If the Tang First Master really did die of illness and Tang Thirty-Six was imprisoned in the ancestral hall, just how difficult would Madam Tang's widowed life be?
"I have to think of a way to get that fellow out as quickly as possible," he said to Chen Chang Sheng.
Chen Chang Sheng thought a little more.
Besides rescuing Tang Thirty-Six from the ancestral hall, he also had some progress on the Tang First Master's illness.
But to resolve these two matters, he still needed to see the Tang clan's attitude.
He said to the Archbishop of Wenshui, "Make arrangements. I want to see the Tang Old Master tomorrow."
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