It's a pity that before Minister Yu could visit Zhou Shuren to thank him during his break, Shuren fell ill that very night. This time, it wasn't pretense to start his year-end leave early—it was a real illness.
The illness came on suddenly. In the middle of the night, Zhulan woke up from a dream when her hand touched the boiling kettle, startling her awake. Only then did she realize her husband's forehead was scorching hot. When she touched his neck, it was burning as well, and her heart sank. She quickly called the maid on night duty to send for the steward and summon the Imperial Physician.
The Imperial Hospital has physicians on duty overnight, and the Zhou family dared not delay in requesting one. By the time the Imperial Physician arrived, Zhulan was already using physical cooling methods on Zhou Shuren, during which Shuren woke up.
