Chapter 436: Refusal
Chapter 436: Chapter 436: Refusal
Gu Kaiyuan wanted to curse. He had already rejected him so obviously, yet such a smart person was actually playing dumb with him here. He took a deep breath before saying, "Although Nanny Pang knows some medical skills, she cannot handle all symptoms. I’m afraid she might offend the noble person by then. If your elder didn’t live too far away, I could let her make a trip, but what if she fails to cure him..." He had already put it this way, so surely this person wouldn’t be oblivious to what a rejection was.
However, he still misjudged human nature. No matter how upright Xu Zitian usually was, he was willing to cast aside his pride for his loved ones.
"I know this puts you in a difficult position," Xu Zitian said, knowing he had to tell the truth. "That is my mentor. He currently lives in Shangjing. He is old, and it is not easy for him to travel back and forth, so I can only trouble Nanny Pang to make the trip.
"But rest assured, I will arrange for people to accompany her throughout the journey. I won’t let Nanny Pang suffer.
"I can also guarantee you right here that as long as Nanny Pang is willing to make this trip, regardless of whether she can cure him or not, I will owe you this favor.
"In the future, if you need anything, as long as it does not violate the law, I will do my best to fulfill it."
Gu Kaiyuan really wanted to sneer, but he also knew that the man before him was not someone he could afford to offend. Although the other party was just a minor County Magistrate, he had a much bigger backer behind him.
"I will have to ask Nanny Pang about this. She is not a servant of our family; here, she is free to come and go as she pleases," Gu Kaiyuan said.
"Oh? Isn’t she a servant of the Bai Family?"
Gu Kaiyuan smiled bitterly and shook his head. "Lord Xu, you must be joking. She is my wife’s master. In her early years, due to certain circumstances, she received a favor from my mother-in-law, which was why she was willing to come out of retirement to help take care of my wife. To the outside world, they may seem like master and servant, but in reality, she is our elder."
When Nanny Pang first arrived, she had handed over her deed of servitude. However, Bai Suihe hadn’t registered any of these documents with the local authorities, so Gu Kaiyuan figured Xu Zitian wouldn’t be able to dig up anything. Previously, Bai Suihe had examined the other servants’ deeds, which were all genuine, but Nanny Pang’s copy was handwritten by the nanny herself. It was only after asking his mother-in-law a few days ago that Gu Kaiyuan learned she had annulled Nanny Pang’s slave status many years ago.
It was just that Nanny Pang was solely interested in medicine in this life. Not wanting to be as busy as typical physicians, she simply stayed at a villa under Mrs. Bai’s name to diligently study her medical skills. Her arrival this time was because Bai Suihe had been implicated by the Gu Family. Fearing that there might be something wrong with her daughter’s body or the fetus in her womb, Mrs. Bai had written a letter asking Nanny Pang to come out of seclusion.
"I see." Xu Zitian also felt that Gu Kaiyuan had no reason to lie to him about this matter. However, this made things a bit difficult. People with true ability usually had rather eccentric temperaments. Since Gu Kaiyuan and his wife couldn’t dictate Nanny Pang’s actions, Xu Zitian had no way to leverage them.
"I wonder if you could invite the nanny out for a moment? I will personally make the request."
Only then did Gu Kaiyuan send someone to fetch her. Fortunately, the one serving tea by his side today was his wife’s maid, Zisu. This girl had always been quite clever and could let his wife and the nanny make preparations in advance.
When Bai Suihe heard this request, her first reaction was, "We’re not going. It’s so far from here to Shangjing; it would be too exhausting."
Nanny Pang, however, fell into deep thought. "If I remember correctly, Lord Xu’s mentor is Grand Tutor Lu. His illness is rather tricky."
"Nanny, do you know what illness Grand Tutor Lu has?" Bai Suihe asked.
"I heard other doctors mention it before." After all, she had spent the past few days discussing medicine with them quite often, and they would bring up various complicated diseases. This Grand Tutor Lu was a famous figure, and his disciples had been seeking medical help everywhere, a fact already well-known throughout the medical community.
"Then what disease does he have?" Over the past few days, Bai Suihe had become thirsty for knowledge about various symptoms, to the point of completely putting Xu Zitian out of her mind.
"Coincidentally enough, it’s wasting-thirst syndrome!"
"So that means diabetes." Bai Suihe blinked. "I wonder how serious it is?"
There were many types of diabetes, and most could still be controlled.
"Even the Imperial Physicians in the palace have no solution, so we are naturally helpless as well." The moment Nanny Pang realized who the patient was, she knew Xu Zitian had made this trip in vain.
The Imperial Physicians in the palace had already done a very good job. Being able to keep it under control for so many years was already brilliant enough. According to what she had heard, Grand Tutor Lu had a rather strong appetite. It could be said that his worsening condition was entirely his own doing. Even if a Divine Doctor were alive today, they wouldn’t be able to save a patient who refused to follow medical advice.
"We haven’t encountered a case like this yet," Bai Suihe said. "Nanny, do you have a prescription to deal with it?"
In the modern era, this was also a relatively tricky disease, but as for ancient traditional Chinese medicine, she truly didn’t know much about its effectiveness.
"There is no prescription for a complete cure. He can only change his lifestyle and diet, which entirely relies on the patient’s own perseverance..." Nanny Pang explained a great deal about this illness, making Zisu, who had come to deliver the message, a bit anxious.
Eventually, she couldn’t help but step forward to interrupt them. "Madam, Nanny Pang, Master is still waiting for our reply. Nanny, are you going to see him?"
Only then did Nanny Pang stand up. "Let’s go see him then. It’s better to make some things clear in person."
Bai Suihe also stood up. "I’ll go with you."
Nanny Pang didn’t refuse. She could tell that Madam wasn’t adept at managing domestic affairs. Although she had been teaching her, Bai Suihe wasn’t nearly as invested in it as she was in medicine. However, as long as they cultivated some capable people by her side, Madam wouldn’t need to do everything herself anyway. It was just that dealing with government officials would be inevitable in the future. Xu Zitian was considered a relatively amiable person, so starting with him would be a good way for Madam to familiarize herself with the process.
The two of them arrived at the reception hall. Seeing Xu Zitian sitting in the seat of honor, they stepped forward to greet him.
Since Xu Zitian was asking for a favor, he hurriedly said, "No need for formalities. It was presumptuous of me to pay a sudden visit today."
After exchanging some pleasantries, Xu Zitian finally explained his purpose for coming.
"It’s not that I want to reject you, My Lord, but the elder you mentioned should be Grand Tutor Lu, right?" Nanny Pang asked.
Xu Zitian nodded. He wasn’t surprised that Nanny Pang knew about this. After all, he and his fellow disciples had been seeking medical help for some time, and probably every physician in the Rong Dynasty knew the news.
"If it is Grand Tutor Lu, I can tell Lord Xu directly that I have no cure for his condition."
Xu Zitian was somewhat disappointed, but he still wanted to make an effort. "Nanny, you haven’t even seen my mentor yet. How can you make such a conclusion?"
"We physicians share the same knowledge, and everyone has researched Grand Tutor Lu’s pulse and symptoms extensively." Nanny Pang felt there was nothing wrong with speaking frankly. Since they were seeking a good doctor with such fanfare, Grand Tutor Lu’s illness was no secret.
"Actually, the solutions provided by the Imperial Physicians are already the best. If he wants to prevent his condition from worsening, it primarily relies on the patient himself.
"He absolutely must not consume any of the forbidden foods. Otherwise, even a Divine Doctor would find it difficult to save him."
Xu Zitian had heard many such statements before. However, his mentor only had this one hobby. If he truly wasn’t allowed to eat what he wanted, it would be exactly as his mentor had said—he might as well just die, for life would hold no more joy.