Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 487 - 438 Tuberculosis

Chapter 487: Chapter 438 Tuberculosis
"Mr. Li? Is Mr. Li home?"
An anxious voice rose from outside the house. Li Ang raised an eyebrow. It was almost dark—who would come knocking at this time?
"Who’s there?"
He stepped out of the study to see an anxious-looking man in grey standing at the gate, vaguely familiar to him.
Behind him, parked by the roadside, was a carriage emblazoned with the logo of Liu Guang Bank.
"Housekeeper Jin?"
It took Li Ang a moment to recall who the man was—the steward of Jin Wusuan’s household.
"What’s the matter?"
"Mr. Li, my master has fallen ill."
Housekeeper Jin spoke urgently, "Half a month ago, he felt chest tightness, shortness of breath, and his voice was hoarse. The household doctor prescribed medicine to moisten his throat and clear his lungs, which seemed to help a lot. But today, he started coughing again, first with blood-tinged phlegm, then incessant hemoptysis..."
"Take me there."
Li Ang didn’t hesitate and immediately responded.
His dealings with Jin Wusuan were strictly business, and they had once had a falling out over the Nie Family case. But Jin Wusuan had one virtue: he always kept his promises.
Li Ang demanded that all industries involved with degreasing cotton, soap, and perfume could not employ child labor and must provide standard protective gear, masks, and gloves for all workers, setting maximum working hours and minimum wages per day.
These regulations were difficult to implement, even with the intervention of the Yu Kingdom’s Court. Yet Jin Wusuan, through his years of skilled maneuvering in the business world, had found ways to fulfill Li Ang’s demands, providing some degree of livelihood protection for the laborers in the production chain, even at the cost of doubling expenses.
In conscience and reason, Li Ang didn’t want to see anything happen to Jin Wusuan.
"I’ll go too," Li Leqing added.
The rapid growth of Jin Wusuan’s Liu Guang Bank to become the largest in Yu Country within a mere two to three decades could not have happened without the tacit support of the Emperor and Empress. Even the commoners of Chang’an, who were prone to "recklessly criticizing court politics," knew this bank was actually the Emperor and Empress’s private money bag. Whether it was for palace repairs, travel outside the capital, or organizing weddings and dowries for the Princes and Princesses, Liu Guang Bank was inevitably involved. This was done to avoid accusations from the scholars that the Emperor and Empress were being wastefully extravagant.
In some respects, Jin Wusuan, the richest man in Yu Country, was like a "servant" to her family, and a very capable one at that. If such a valuable servant fell seriously ill, it was fitting for the master’s family to pay a visit.
"Teacher, may I come along?"
Ouyang Shi’s eyes sparkled as she raised her hand to ask.
Hemoptysis was a serious clinical symptom, and she was curious about how Jin Wusuan, who usually lived a life of luxury, could suddenly fall ill.
Seeing Li Ang and two others board the carriage, Chai Chai hesitated for a moment between staying home to eat and joining them. He chose the latter.
With the carriage now full, the esteemed steward of the mighty Gold Mansion, who could make the business circles of Chang’an tremble with a stomp of his foot, was forced to ruefully squeeze in at the front with the Coachman.
"Manager Jin, how much blood did your master cough up today? What color was the blood? Did it contain any foam or pus?" Li Ang asked rapidly.
Ouyang Shi, sitting beside Li Leqing and Chai Chai, provided an explanation. "Hemoptysis specifically refers to bleeding from the respiratory tract or lung tissue below the throat, which is then coughed out through the mouth. It’s important to distinguish this from bleeding from the nasal cavity, oral cavity, pharynx, or from vomiting blood.
"Vomiting blood points to upper respiratory tract bleeding, with the source in the esophagus, stomach, or duodenum. The color is typically dark red or deep red and may be mixed with food.
"Blood phlegm containing pus often appears in conditions like bronchiectasis, pneumonia, and lung edema. Pure blood could indicate pulmonary infarction. Pink, frothy sputum might suggest left heart failure..."
Manager Jin sat at the front, trying his best to describe Jin Wusuan’s illness.
The more he listened, the more grave Li Ang’s expression became.
CREAK—
The carriage stopped in front of the spacious and imposing entrance of Gold Mansion. Li Ang jumped down from the carriage, his brow furrowed, and stepped through the main gate. Led by Manager Jin, he met Jin Wusuan.
He was wearing a brocade robe, sitting on a long bench made of exotic rambutan wood, his complexion pale, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest of the wooden chair.
By his side stood two concubines, one serving him tea and water, the other holding a crystal-clear jade bowl, filled with phlegm and blood.
The other concubines, with no tasks at hand but still wanting to express concern for their husband, could only silently wipe away their tears.
According to rumors, Jin Wusuan was a man of deep passion. After his wife of many years passed away from illness twenty years ago, he had left the position of his chief wife vacant, despite matchmaking efforts by the elite.
"Mr. Li."
Jin Wusuan used the table for support as he stood up, nodding his head respectfully, his voice hoarse. "Princess Guanghua."
Princess?
The concubines paused in their tear-wiping, casting curious glances at Li Leqing.
"Please sit."
Li Ang glanced at the phlegm in the jade bowl, asked Jin Wusuan to sit down first, then took out a face mask, gloves, and a stethoscope from his medicine chest, donned them, and began to ask questions and examine the patient.
Coughing, hemoptysis (blood-streaked phlegm), intermittent chest pain, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, and a hoarse voice...
"Do you need to see the medical records?" Jin Wusuan’s voice was hoarse. "Several renowned doctors have been in residence at my estate. They’ve examined me and said it was due to qi obstruction, internal phlegm turbidity, and toxic pathogens congregating..."
"No need," Li Ang shook his head. "Lie down. I’ll use the Mind Threads directly."
"Alright." Jin Wusuan nodded and signaled with a wave of his hand for the concubines and servants to leave the room. Only two silent guards remained.
Judging by their fluctuating auras, both were Cloud Patrol Monks.
Li Ang took out the Mind Threads from the medicine chest, sterilized them, and slowly inserted them into the chest of the richest man in Yu Country.
The two guards twitched at the corners of their eyes and wanted to approach, but after a glance from Jin Wusuan, they remained stationary.
Li Ang closed his eyes. He very carefully released his Telekinesis to advance the Mind Threads. Simultaneously, through the Mind Threads, he spread his Spiritual Sense to observe the condition inside Jin Wusuan’s chest.
Abnormal secretion of bronchial mucus, pleural effusion, lung masses, enlarged lymph nodes... and it had metastasized, compressing the trachea...
Li Ang observed the nodule-filled lung through his Spiritual Sense. He silently withdrew the Mind Threads and turned to Ouyang Shi. "Go prepare the microscope. Make sure to take precautions."
"Oh, alright."
Ouyang Shi put on a mask and gloves, took out the microscope from the bottom of the medicine chest, and under Li Ang’s instruction, placed Jin Wusuan’s sputum smear under the microscope for examination.
"Did you find any tuberculosis bacillus?" Li Ang was changing his mask and gloves, asking in a focused tone.
Ouyang Shi pursed her lips tightly and, after observing for a long while, replied solemnly, "No. It’s not tuberculosis."
The two exchanged glances, both falling silent.
Tuberculosis, a chronic contagious disease caused by the tuberculosis mycobacterium, can lead to cough, chest pain, difficulty breathing, and coughing up blood. In Yu Country, it was also known as consumption. Sufferers often coughed themselves to death.
But, if it isn’t tuberculosis, then these symptoms would point to another, far more terrifying disease.