Chapter 137
e head maidservant stopped taking him lightly and answered with a hint of desperation and hope.
"I see," Fan Xian said after some silence, "Her Ladys.h.i.+p really does suffer from fatigue of the lung."
Hearing him say something they already knew after all that, the head maidservant bit at her bottom lip and resisted the urge to kick him out. Ye Ling’er stared at him menacingly. Feeling somewhat embarra.s.sed, Fan Xian lowered his head.
He didn’t dwell on it for long, however, and walked over to the desk. Picking up a brush, he started to write a prescription. The head maidservant read it over and discovered it was still the tonic made from lilies, except with two extra doses of beautyberry, gardenia ash, and one extra dose of skullcap. She frowned and asked, "The skullcap is bitter-cold. It suppresses fire and strengthens yin energy, but it also hurts the harmonious qi. Can it really be used here?"
Having been around an ill person for so long, this maidservant had picked up a lot from the different doctors over the years. She couldn’t be more familiar with the prescriptions. Fan Xian looked at her, somewhat impressed. He then explained, "If the patient has a st.u.r.dy const.i.tution, there shouldn’t be any problems. We first hit the ailment with something strong, and then we can proceed slowly from there."
The head maidservant looked at Fan Xian crossly and said with some anger, "The Lady has fatigue of the lungs and her body is weak; how can she withstand that?"
Fan Xian chuckled; he did not get angry. He said, "Since she has already begun to cough up blood, it’s a sign that the disease is moving on to advanced stages. Therefore, we must first strengthen her body before giving her medicine."
"Give her medicine or strengthen her body; which one is it exactly?" Ye Ling’er was already getting confused.
Fan Xian cleared his throat, "From now on, have her Ladys.h.i.+p drink a bowl of goat’s milk every day. Make sure it’s fresh." He had heard of this remedy in his past live. It happened to actually be effective. He then asked, "How is the Lady’s diet?"
The head maidservant was still thinking about goat’s milk. Hearing Fan Xian’s question, she answered proudly, "Light congee and small-portioned vegetables daily. She doesn’t consume any meat."
Now Fan Xian really got angry. She was already so sick. How could they do this? Preventing a frail girl from eating well absolutely would not pa.s.s! Only after noticing his younger sister and Ye Ling’er eyeing him strangely did he realize his anger was unreasonable. Given Lady Lin’s status, no one would suspect her diet as the problem. Laughing at himself, he asked, "Why is that?"
The three ladies stared at him like he was an idiot. Those with fatigue of the lungs should avoid all forms of meat; everyone should know that.
Regardless, it wasn’t part of Fan Xian’s education, so he insisted. "The Lady must eat well. Don’t leave out the oils and meats anymore. The goat’s milk is a must. Overall, her food must be diverse. If she can’t handle too much at the moment, give her a steamed mixture of barley and mountain yam. Then break apart some dried persimmons and mix that in as well. After a month, we can move on to my prescription."
As he said that, everyone else in the room frowned; they didn’t dare to listen to him.
At that moment, the old nanny who had stopped the three of them earlier came in. For some reason, she looked as if she had just done something physically demanding. Supporting her waist, she said in a weak voice, "Why have you come in?" The head maidservant welcomed her with a smile and explained, "This is the doctor brought in by Miss Ye. The Lady