"Brother!!!"
Sima Zhao's roar rang throughout the Grand General's Residence.
Sima Zhao lunged forward, seemingly trying to grasp something, but Sima Shi no longer responded. His cries alerted those outside, and physicians immediately rushed in, eight or nine of them in all. They hurried to Sima Shi's side and began examining him.
Only moments later, they withdrew their hands.
"Save my brother! Hurry!!"
Sima Zhao shouted.
The physician looked fearfully at Sima Zhao and said quietly, "The Grand General has no pulse... General Who Conquers the West, the Grand General's life was already hanging by a thread. None of us expected him to hold on until now... please accept our condolences."
Sima Zhao's mind went utterly blank. He glared hatefully at the physicians before him. "If you cannot save him, I'll have you all accompany..."
Halfway through his words, Sima Zhao suddenly remembered something and banished the anger from his face.
He remained silent for a long time.
"Leave."
The physicians hurriedly bowed in thanks and hastened out of the Study.
Sima Yan sobbed too hard to speak, but Sima Zhao slowly wiped away his own tears. At that moment, Sima Zhao felt a panic unlike anything he had ever known.
Never in his life had he been so afraid. It was as though someone had drawn something out of his very bones. His whole body felt out of joint, as though his feet were no longer touching the ground, and his legs went weak.
He closed his eyes, repeatedly recalling the things his elder brother had instructed him to do.
Father was gone... and now my brother was gone too.
From now on, everything would depend on me.
Father's last wishes and my brother's last wishes would all fall to me to carry out.
*Gao Rou, Lu Yu, Cao