In a moment of impulse, I forcibly kissed my brother's best friend.

"Oh, right, go and get some high-proof liquor." Xie Wanqing continued.

The only option is to try physical cooling, but the tubes are not working.

The academy and its lecture hall.

Although Cui Yutang had drunk a bowl of herbal medicine, he was still somewhat listless. He sat at his desk, holding a book in his hand, his gaze occasionally drifting to the window.

The pear blossoms bloomed even more profusely, and when the wind blew, the petals fell in a flurry.

"Brother Yutang, could you please ask the Master for leave on my behalf?"

Zhou Xuan'an's anxious voice pulled him back to reality. He turned his head and saw that Zhou Xuan'an's face was pale, and he was hurriedly packing his book bag.

"Brother Xuan'an, what happened? Why are you so flustered?" Cui Yutang frowned.

"Yi Ge..." Zhou Xuan'an's voice trembled, "She has a high fever, I have to go back!"

Cui Yutang felt a buzzing in his mind.

He suddenly stood up, and the book fell to the ground with a "thud".

"I send you--"

"No need!" Zhou Xuan'an rushed out the door, his voice carrying far, "I'm leaving first!"

Cui Yutang stood there, watching the figure disappear at the end of the corridor.

Cui Yutang wanted to follow, but suddenly realized that his identity was inappropriate, and couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly, though his long eyelashes trembled uncontrollably.

He felt trapped in the classroom, behind him was his favorite teacher, Mr. Xiao's class. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't absorb a single word.

She has a high fever; it could be fatal. He was terribly panicked. "Oh, right, Physician Zhao!"

During a short break between classes, he instructed Baoyu to take his visiting card and ride quickly to invite the retired imperial physician Zhao.

West Courtyard of the Zhou Mansion.

When Zhou Xuan'an rushed into the embroidered room, he saw his mother wiping his younger sister's forehead, palms, and soles with white wine. Xie Wanqing's forehead was covered in sweat, her face more anxious than ever before, muttering, "I hope physical cooling works... This damned era..."

"Mother!" Zhou Xuan'an rushed to the bedside and saw his sister's flushed face. His heart sank. "What did the doctor say?"

"The medicine that doctor prescribed isn't working!" Xie Wanqing's hands kept moving, her voice trembling. "The fever just won't go down! Go to Renxintang and get Doctor Chen; he's an expert at treating high fevers! Then go to Baohetang and get Doctor Liu; he's skilled in acupuncture! Hurry!"

"I'll go right now!"

Zhou Xuan'an rushed out of the mansion.

He hurriedly walked halfway there and happened to run into Baoyu, who was leading Physician Zhao.

Dr. Zhao, carrying a large medicine chest, rode on the same horse as Bao Yu. His long white beard was ruffled by the wind, and he was clearly quite old and had been through a lot.

"Young Master Zhou, it's so good to have met you!" Bao Yu hurriedly dismounted.

"This is Physician Zhao, who has retired from the palace. His Majesty asked me to invite him for you."

Zhou Xuan'an excitedly grabbed Physician Zhao's hand.

"That's great, I'll go thank you, Master, later." With that, he hurriedly left with his horse.

Xie Wanqing wrung out the handkerchief again and placed it on her daughter's burning forehead. Her fingertips trembled almost imperceptibly when they touched the alarming temperature.

"Yige..." she whispered, her voice choked with emotion, "My darling, you have to hold on..."

The person on the bed did not react, only breathing heavily and hotly.

Yu Chun brought in a freshly boiled glass of cold water, her eyes red-rimmed: "Madam..."

"Cold water won't work, go get some more liquor!" Xie Wanqing said sharply, her hands trembling violently. "She'll be alright...she definitely will..."

But deep in my heart, fear, like a cold vine, slowly coils around me.

In this era, a bout of pneumonia can be fatal.

A high fever can really take away the person she cherishes.

The morning classes at the academy have ended.

Cui Yutang was the first to leave the lecture hall, but he didn't know where to go.

He stood in the corridor for a long time, his face pale, until Baoyu came looking for him, panting.

"Master, Physician Zhao has already left with Young Master Zhou... I'm exhausted." He glanced at his master's unwell expression.

"Don't worry, with Physician Zhao here, Madam Xie will be fine."

Cui Yutang paused for a moment, but his pale face showed no sign of easing.

After taking the pulse, Physician Zhao frowned: "The heat toxin is attacking the heart, and it's coming on fiercely. If the internal heat doesn't subside within an hour after I give you this medicine, it will be dangerous."

Then he took out silver needles: "I will administer acupuncture first to stabilize the heart pulse."

One silver needle after another fell. Xie Yige frowned in her unconscious state and let out a soft groan.

Xie Wanqing held her daughter's other hand tightly, her nails digging into her palm until blood seeped out.

One hour later.

Physician Zhao took the patient's pulse again and finally breathed a long sigh of relief: "The fever has subsided a bit. It's good that it's gone; there's hope."

Xie Wanqing's legs went weak, and Yu Chun quickly supported her.

"Continue the medication, once every two hours." Doctor Zhao noticed the handkerchief in Xie Wanqing's hand and smelled a strong odor of alcohol. He seemed quite interested.

"What is this?"

"Alcohol can cool the body, I'm just trying it out," Xie Wanqing said.

Physician Zhao felt the coolness of the handkerchief, and his eyes lit up. "Madam Zhou, if you continue using this method, combined with my medicine, your daughter should be able to get through this ordeal safely."

As he spoke, Physician Zhao wrote down the prescription, "The night is the most critical time; someone must stay by your side at all times. If the fever spikes again, call me immediately."

"Arrange me a nearby guesthouse; I will stay at your esteemed residence tonight."

"Thank you, Physician Zhao. I'm so glad you came today..." Xie Wanqing felt truly fortunate.

"I have retired from the Imperial Medical Academy. From now on, you can just call me Doctor Zhao." Doctor Zhao smiled gently.

"Besides... I was only asked to do this, so you don't need to thank me," Physician Zhao said meaningfully.

Although Xie Wanqing had doubts, she did not ask any questions. After seeing the doctor off, she slumped down beside her daughter's bed, holding the still burning hot hand and burying her face in her palm.

His shoulders trembled slightly.

Zhou Xuan'an walked in with red eyes: "Mother, Doctor Zhao said my sister will be fine, so you don't need to worry."

"If your damn father doesn't come back soon, I'm going to divorce him." Xie Wanqing was even more furious when she thought of her wretched husband who was nowhere to be found at the crucial moment.

Zhou Kaizhi, who was visiting friends in Jiangnan, knew nothing about it, but he still sneezed several times in a row.

Zhou Xuan'an was embarrassed and dared not utter a sound.

As dusk fell, Xie Yige's fever finally subsided.

She slowly opened her eyes, and before her was the familiar tent ceiling and her mother's red eyes.

"Mother..." Her voice was terribly hoarse.

"You're awake!" Xie Wanqing hugged her tightly. "It's good that you're awake..."

Xie Yige weakly curved the corners of her mouth, wanting to comfort her mother, but she didn't have the strength.

My gaze swept across the room and I saw my brother standing by the door like he was on guard duty after doing something wrong, his eyes red as well.

"Brother, is anyone sick at your academy?" she asked softly, as if suddenly remembering something.

Zhou Xuan'an was stunned. Had he heard correctly? She called him "brother"?

"It seems not..."

"Oh, right, my roommate and good friend Cui Yutang doesn't look too well, but he should be fine."

Xie Yige secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It's good that he's alright. Being sick is so painful, and she... couldn't bear to see him suffer like this.

With this thought in mind, I drifted off to sleep again. I could still faintly hear my mother scolding my brother.

"You're not allowed to take your sister to crowded places anymore, because there are more infectious diseases in crowded places."

"Mother, I know I was wrong..."

Then she fell into a deep sleep again.