After being forced into a marriage with a wealthy family, the virtuous wife caused a huge uproar.

"Father, since Lord Gu has said so, please let Madam Gu take a look," Luo Zhengyu pleaded.

He had never heard that Madam Gu was a doctor, but Gu Ce trusted her medical skills, so they shouldn't be too bad.

"Alright." The old prime minister nodded.

He was promoted to prime minister at the age of twenty-eight, and from his first day in court, he served three emperors. The officialdom is unpredictable and full of ups and downs; he experienced too much and knew the importance of opportunity.

If he were to leave in the next few days, his eldest grandson would observe mourning. At this time, his eldest grandson's official rank was only fifth grade. Even if he returned to court after observing mourning, he would still only be a fifth grader. If, as Gu Ce said, he persisted longer, and waited until his grandson was promoted to the position of Vice Minister, he would still be a third grader after observing mourning and returning to court.

This is very important to the grandson. If he misses this opportunity, he doesn't know how many more years he will have to wait, or even a lifetime.

Rong Yingluo sat down on the edge of the bed, and Gu Ce laid Prime Minister Luo's hand flat so that she could take his pulse.

However, after Rong Yingluo took her pulse, her brows furrowed more and more tightly.

The pulse was extremely slow and so weak that it was almost undetectable, only beating once every long while, like water dripping weakly from a leaky roof.

This indicates that the stomach qi and the qi of the body's defenses have been exhausted, and the circulation of qi and blood is almost stagnant. This is a sign that the vital energy has been depleted, which is commonly known as "the oil has run out and the lamp has burned out."

They can only hold on for about ten more days, then they will surely die.

After a long while, Rong Yingluo withdrew her hand and stood up.

"Mrs. Gu, how is it?" Luo Zhengyu asked anxiously, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"Uncle Luo, the old prime minister is suffering from both qi and blood deficiency, and is on the verge of being beyond the reach of medicine. Judging from the current situation, he has at most ten days left."

After Rong Yingluo finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Luo Zhengyu's face instantly turned completely pale, and although his lips moved slightly, he couldn't utter a sound.

Ten days. Father only has ten days left.

"Father!" Luo Zhengyu rushed to the bedside, grabbed his father's hand, his eyes reddened, and he began to cry softly.

The old magistrate, on the contrary, was calmer than him.

"Uncle Luo, I haven't finished speaking yet, don't rush to cry." Rong Yingluo was speechless; this was too much.

Shouldn't he have been mentally prepared? The imperial physicians must have given them an accurate diagnosis.

"Mrs. Gu, you still have a way, don't you?" Luo Zhengyu felt as if he had grasped a lifeline when he heard this.

Rong Yingluo remained silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Prime Minister, are you willing to endure some hardship?"

A strange light flashed in Luo Zhengyu's eyes: "You really have a way?"

The old prime minister slowly turned his gaze and stared at the woman who was unbelievably young.

Rong Yingluo did not answer Luo Zhengyu directly. Instead, she took out a small celadon bottle from her sleeve, uncorked it, poured out a dark brown pill, and held it in her palm.

The pills were only the size of soybeans, yet they emitted a pungent, spicy odor that involuntarily invigorated anyone who smelled them.

"What kind of medicine is this?" Luo Zhengyu stared excitedly at the small pill.

"My master named it 'Xuyang Dan' (Continuing Yang Pill), which is made by using a century-old wild ginseng as the main ingredient, along with twelve other highly warming herbs such as aconite, cinnamon, deer antler, and sulfur. My master only made three of these pills, and this is the only one I have."

Its function is to forcefully stimulate the body's Qi and blood, to solidify the Qi and blood that has not dissipated, and to prolong life.

"After taking it, you will feel a burning pain all over your body. But if I combine it with my acupuncture technique and administer the treatment three times in a row, I can ensure that the old prime minister lives for another year." Rong Yingluo calmly explained her treatment method.

"Is there any danger?" Luo Zhengyu thought of the burning pain his father would suffer and was afraid that his father would not be able to withstand it and would die on the spot.

"Generally speaking, there is no danger to his life, but he will suffer some pain. However, I cannot guarantee 100% that the old prime minister will be able to pull through. After all, there is always a chance of something going wrong."

The old prime minister's health is really too weak. You should reconsider before making a decision." Rong Yingluo didn't give a definitive answer, leaving herself some room for maneuver.

Luo Zhengyu finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Father, what do you think?"

It would take my father's approval.

The old prime minister closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time. When he opened them again, a sharp light appeared in his cloudy eyes: "Young Madam Gu, I have gambled countless times in my life."

At the age of thirty, I bet that I could leave the Northern Cang Kingdom alive.

At thirty-five, I bet the late emperor wouldn't kill me.

At forty-seven, I gambled away the crown prince's life, yet I managed to escape unscathed.

I've won every time I've gambled. Today, I'll gamble again.

When Prime Minister Luo learned that there was still a glimmer of hope, his spirits lifted, and he spoke with much more strength.

A person's life is all about spirit and energy.

If he doesn't gamble, he only has ten days to live. If he loses, he will die today, which is no different from dying ten days later. If he wins, his grandson will have the opportunity to be promoted to a third-rank official.

He stretched out his withered hand, his fingers trembling slightly, but he held it out firmly: "Give me the medicine."

"Father!" Luo Zhengyu's voice changed.

"Zhengyu," the old prime minister said firmly, "if you're afraid, go outside and wait."

Luo Zhengyu gritted his teeth and stood still, his chest heaving violently.

Rong Yingluo glanced at him and softened her voice: "Uncle Luo, if the old prime minister wants to win this round, he cannot have any distractions. Your presence in the room will interfere with my acupuncture treatment, so it would be better if you waited outside."

Luo Zhengyu clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. Finally, he turned abruptly, strode out, and gently closed the door behind him. Only three people remained in the room.

Rong Yingluo held the pill to the old prime minister's lips, and Gu Ce brought over a glass of warm water from the side.

The old prime minister swallowed the pill with water, his Adam's apple bobbed, and then he lay back on his pillow.

At first, nothing changed.

Rong Yingluo sat on the edge of the bed, quietly counting her pulse.

About fifteen minutes later, the old prime minister's brows suddenly furrowed, and a fine layer of cold sweat seeped from his forehead.

His fingers gripped the blankets tightly, and his face quickly went from pale to an unnatural flush, as if fire was burning from beneath his skin.

"Hmm." The old prime minister let out a muffled groan, the veins on the side of his neck bulging, and his whole body convulsed violently like a fish thrown ashore.

"Husband, hold him down," Rong Yingluo ordered.

Gu Ce immediately grabbed the old prime minister's shoulder with such force that the old prime minister could not move.

Rong Yingluo took out silver needles from her needle case, heated the needle tips over a candle flame, and then quickly inserted them into three major acupoints on the old prime minister's head: Baihui, Tanzhong, and Qihai.

After three needles, the old prime minister's convulsions subsided slightly, but his face became increasingly red, as if magma was surging within him.

"Husband, hold his legs down again," Rong Yingluo ordered without looking up.

Gu Ce immediately changed position, pressing his hands firmly against the old prime minister's knees. The old prime minister's body was still trembling uncontrollably.

His lips trembled incessantly, yet he uttered no sound. The integrity of a veteran official who had served three dynasties was, at this moment, entirely transformed into the suppressed resentment of clenched teeth.

Rong Yingluo then took out five fine gold needles from her needle case and inserted them one by one into the five acupoints on the old prime minister's body.

With each needle insertion, the old prime minister's breathing became more rapid. When the fifth needle was inserted, his chest suddenly bulged, and he let out a suppressed roar before collapsing softly onto the bed.

As time went by, his breathing gradually calmed down, and the flush on his face faded little by little.

After waiting for a quarter of an hour, Rong Yingluo took the old prime minister's pulse again. This time, her brows were slightly more relaxed than before.

The pulse changed from a leaky roof to a pecking sound.

She withdrew her hand, got up, walked to the table, picked up a pen, and wrote down a prescription.

"Uncle Luo, you can come in now." Rong Yingluo put down her pen and called out towards the door.

Luo Zhengyu immediately came in and went to his father's bedside to check on him.

"Father, how are you feeling?"