Qi Yue walked over in a few steps, reaching out to check A’Hao’s pulse. Thank goodness, thank goodness…

She breathed a slight sigh of relief, then looked at A’Hao’s lower body covered with an outer garment, which should be her mother’s clothes. Qi Yue lifted it, and the sight of bloodstains everywhere made her mind instantly heat up.

“Young Madam, it looks severe, but she wasn’t beaten much—only ten strikes. This is out of respect for the girl being by your side…” a nearby matron said with a smile.

Qi Yue looked at her, her chest rising and falling violently.

“Call for a physician…” she squeezed these words out from between her teeth, one word at a time.

The matron giggled and pointed outside with her chin.

“Do we need Young Madam’s orders? Madam is most compassionate. When the household maids are punished, she always calls for a physician at the same time…” she said.

Qi Yue turned to look and indeed saw a white-haired, trembling old man walking in, carrying a medicine box on his back.

The old man squinted and first took A’Hao’s pulse.

“No problem. Qi and blood are flowing in reverse. She’ll be fine after resting for a few days.” He said matter-of-factly in his familiar slow manner, then actually got up to leave.

“Look at her wounds!” Qi Yue said angrily. How could there be another such physician who made diagnoses without even looking, as if they all had divine sight.

The old man looked at Qi Yue with his dim old eyes, his expression strange.

“Look?” he asked. “This lady wants this old man to look at the girl’s wounds?”

“Of course.” Qi Yue couldn’t help but feel her veins bulging with anger. She could handle disinfection and wound cleaning, but she didn’t have iodine, iodophor for disinfection, or tetanus shots and other essential medicines. Since this physician often came to treat patients, he should be very skilled at handling such wounds…

“How ridiculous! What kind of person do you think this old man is?” The physician became angry instead, his face flushed red as he glared. “A woman’s body, and in such a private place, you actually… actually want this old man to…”

Qi Yue was stunned. What was this about?

It seemed she had read in novels and seen on TV that ancient physicians treating women always did so through curtains, and even Baoyu’s maid Qingwen had to cover her hand with a handkerchief when being examined. A’Hao’s wound was on her buttocks, which was even more private than hands… She just hadn’t expected this to be real.

“You’re a physician! Why talk about distinctions between men and women?” she said urgently.

The old man snorted and looked at Qi Yue with some arrogance and disdain, having no interest in continuing to talk to this ignorant person.

“…There’s nothing to see about rod punishment…” he said, taking out a porcelain bottle from his medicine box and setting it down. “Golden wound medicine. Apply it.”

With that, he wobbled away.

Qi Yue was helpless, but then remembered she still had anti-inflammatory medicine enough to treat A’Hao’s wounds. She angrily grabbed the porcelain bottle and turned to see the sturdy matrons watching the commotion.

“Why don’t you quickly carry her back!” Qi Yue shouted.

Only then did the matrons reluctantly take a door plank and carry A’Hao back. A’Hao’s parents wanted to follow but didn’t dare, until Qi Yue spoke up and they entered.

A’Ru and A’Hao’s parents were crying and wanted to tend to their daughter, but they saw that Qi Yue had already put strange things on her hands and face, crouching beside their daughter to clean the wounds.

“Young Madam, this won’t do…” A’Hao’s parents knelt down crying.

“It’s fine, I am… let me do it.” Qi Yue looked back at them and said, then began examining bit by bit.

Large areas of tissue bruising on the buttocks, swelling that had spread to the thighs, ruptured blood vessels causing subcutaneous bleeding…

This was just a fourteen or fifteen-year-old child…

Qi Yue struggled to control her emotions, keeping her hands steady while cleaning and debriding the wounds.

The pain of cleaning the wounds made the unconscious A’Hao moan in agony.

“I didn’t… I didn’t… it wasn’t me…” she murmured.

Qi Yue’s tears couldn’t help but flow down her face covered by the mask.

Having already seen Qi Yue clean her younger brother’s wounds, A’Ru could remain somewhat calm, following Qi Yue’s instructions to pass the needed instruments, cotton, and gauze.

A’Hao’s parents were still kneeling on the ground, gradually stopping their crying and staring in amazement at this young madam skillfully cleaning their daughter’s wounds.

“Cold compress, watch her, especially whether urination is normal.” After cleaning the wounds, Qi Yue applied the medicine the physician had given, covered it with cotton and gauze, stood up, removed her gloves and mask, and headed outside.

A’Ru reacted and chased after her, kneeling and hugging her legs.

“Young Madam, you can’t go…” A’Ru cried.

“Saying she broke something! Saying she privately ran to the Prince’s room! Such blatant lies that even a fool wouldn’t believe! How shameless of them to say such things!” Qi Yue said angrily, truly furious to the point of trembling.

“Young Madam, Young Madam, for the sake of A’Hao taking a beating, please bear with it…” A’Ru cried. “A’Hao has already suffered. Please don’t let her suffering be in vain…”

A’Hao’s parents also came out of the room, kneeling and kowtowing.

“Young Madam, when servants do wrong, they must be punished. Punishment follows rules, but your questioning would be unreasonable.” A’Hao’s mother cried. Though she was weak by nature, having lived in the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion for so many years, she had seen all sorts of situations and understood very clearly.

“It must be A’Hao’s fate to have this tribulation. Despite repeated warnings, she still went out and was caught by someone…” A’Ru cried, shaking Qi Yue’s legs. “This is all her destiny.”

Destiny! Destiny! Qi Yue angrily spat, but couldn’t withstand A’Ru’s crying and A’Hao’s parents’ kowtowing, so she flung her hand and went into the room.

As the sky gradually darkened, A’Hao woke up for a while in the middle, looking in good spirits, just crying about her innocence.

A’Ru sighed, and A’Hao’s parents comforted her. A’Hao’s father, being a man, couldn’t stay overnight and went back early. A’Hao’s mother received Qi Yue’s permission to stay and accompany her daughter.

“Keep applying cold compresses tonight to reduce the swelling. Take shifts sleeping.” After checking A’Hao again, Qi Yue said, “I’ll take the 3 AM shift…”

What did 3 AM mean? A’Ru and A’Hao’s mother looked confused.

“Young Madam, you absolutely cannot take a shift,” A’Ru quickly interrupted.

“Yes, how could we let you keep watch? Besides, it’s just a few rod strikes. More than half the servants in the mansion have been beaten. It’s just for show, to teach a lesson. Each time there’s a physician to examine them, and they recover after a few days.” A’Hao’s mother said with a smile, while bowing to Qi Yue. “Young Madam doing this would be too much honor for us.”

The conscious A’Hao also struggled to lift her head.

“Young Madam, A’Hao is fine, just my bottom hurts…” she said with a pout.

This made Qi Yue couldn’t help but smile. She reached out to touch A’Hao’s head.

“Tomorrow I’ll make you a delicious sweet treat. Sweets can relieve pain,” she smiled.

“Really?” A’Hao’s eyes lit up at the mention of food.

A’Hao’s mother watched in stunned silence. Where was there any trace of a mistress’s manner? She seemed just like a mother…

No wonder her daughter had refused to leave initially, insisting on enduring hardship in this dead-end Qiu Tong courtyard.

After comforting A’Hao, Qi Yue returned to her room.

“You must watch her carefully, especially her temperature, breathing, and urination. If there’s any abnormality, come get me immediately.” Before leaving, Qi Yue instructed A’Ru again.

“Young Madam, I’ve noted it down. Please go sleep quickly. Everything will be fine.” A’Ru said with some amusement.

Qi Yue looked back at their room, where A’Hao was talking quietly with her mother sitting beside her. Though her face was pale and she looked weak, her spirits seemed good.

Hopefully everything would be fine. Qi Yue took a deep breath and left. After simple washing and changing clothes, she found herself unable to sleep. The courtyard was completely quiet, but sounds of singing, dancing, music, and laughter carried on the night wind.

Presumably that Prince was living it up again with song and dance. Qi Yue angrily spat, pulled over the blanket and was about to get in bed when she heard commotion outside.

“…bring water…”

“…I’ll go pour some…”

It was A’Ru and A’Hao’s mother speaking in low, anxious voices.

Qi Yue threw on clothes and went out.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, opening the door.

A’Ru and A’Hao’s mother in the courtyard were startled.

“We disturbed Young Madam. We truly deserve death.” A’Hao’s mother hurried to kneel in apology.

“It’s fine, it’s A’Hao…” A’Ru began to speak.

Before she could finish, A’Hao’s moans came from the room.

“It hurts so much, it hurts so much…”

“This child can’t bear pain…” A’Hao’s mother smiled somewhat embarrassedly at Qi Yue. “I’ll take her home tomorrow to avoid her crying and disturbing Young Madam…”

Qi Yue’s expression grew slightly stern, her brows furrowing as she listened to A’Hao’s low cries of pain.

“My stomach hurts so much…”

When these words reached her ears, Qi Yue’s face immediately changed.

“Why would her stomach hurt?” she cried out softly, no longer paying attention to the two people in the courtyard and rushing straight to A’Hao’s room.

A’Ru and A’Hao’s mother were startled and hurried to follow.

When Qi Yue entered the room, she saw A’Hao curled up like a shrimp. She had wounds on her buttocks and was originally lying face down, but now the pain had made her turn to her side, hands crossed in front of her, trembling all over and crying out in pain.

“A’Hao…” Qi Yue walked over quickly and before she could speak, A’Hao began vomiting violently. She didn’t even have time to lean over, just vomiting right on the bed.

“Young Madam, please go out quickly, it’s very dirty…” A’Hao’s mother said hurriedly.

Before her words finished, she saw Qi Yue run out.

Young masters and mistresses are always particular about cleanliness… A’Hao’s mother thought, while she and A’Ru hurried to find sheets to change for A’Hao. Before they could act, the door banged open and Qi Yue returned, carrying a box.

Seeing this box, A’Ru’s heart couldn’t help but skip a beat. Before she could speak, Qi Yue had already opened the box and sat beside A’Hao, completely ignoring the mess beneath her.

A’Hao’s mother’s eyes went wide. My God, only parents could be so unconcerned about such things! Then she saw Qi Yue holding a strange object with two ends in her ears and one end exploring A’Hao’s stomach…

“Miss A’Ru, what is Young Madam holding?” she couldn’t help but ask stammering.

A’Ru ignored her and nervously stepped forward, listening to Qi Yue ask A’Hao where it hurt, here or there…

“Young Madam, could it be…” she couldn’t help but ask.

Qi Yue put down the stethoscope, her face slightly pale. She reached out to lift A’Hao’s clothing and clearly saw a purple bruise on her left ribs.

“Wasn’t it rod punishment? Who hit you here?” she asked in a trembling voice.

A’Hao’s face was covered in sweat from pain.

“…It was… them… when they were dragging me… when I struggled… they kicked me…” she said intermittently.

Qi Yue’s hands trembled.

“Go get your physician here,” she said.

“At this hour?” A’Hao’s mother said. “No need. It’s just pain. When it hurts a lot, one will vomit. Young Madam, don’t worry…”

“Go quickly!” Qi Yue suddenly shouted, startling all three people in the room.

A’Ru said nothing and ran out at full speed.

Not to mention how much effort A’Ru expended to finally bring back the physician who had come during the day, half the mansion was disturbed, but A’Hao couldn’t care about any of this at the moment, dragging the physician to rush into Qiu Tong courtyard.

The old physician had been sleeping soundly and was in a bad mood at being disturbed. Entering the room, he saw Qi Yue pacing back and forth, looking anxious, repeatedly muttering strange words about “no abdominal ultrasound” and such, making him even more irritable.

“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?” he said with a long face.

“Physician, you, you quickly examine her. Is this… is this internal bleeding…” Qi Yue immediately rushed over shouting when she saw him, startling the old man.

“What internal bleeding.” The old physician snorted, shaking his sleeves to avoid this strange woman by several steps, muttering as he walked toward A’Hao who was still curled up on the bed. “Just took a beating with rods and making such a fuss. Never seen such a girl, acting as precious as a wealthy young lady…”

He muttered as he sat down and reached out to check her pulse, suddenly his face changed.

Seeing the physician’s expression change instantly, Qi Yue’s heart finally sank completely.

“Injured internal organs. Incurable condition. Prepare for the funeral.” The old physician shook his head, released his grip and stood up.

The room fell completely silent. Everyone except Qi Yue stared blankly at the old physician. A’Hao stopped crying out in pain too, looking at the physician before her eyes rolled back and she fainted.

Qi Yue smiled bitterly. The physicians here all had this same blunt habit…

Just as A’Hao fainted, A’Hao’s mother also let out a wail and collapsed to the ground.

“How could this be?” A’Ru shouted in a trembling voice, no longer able to control herself, shaking like a sieve.

“Physician, can you diagnose specifically which organ has closed internal bleeding?” Qi Yue grabbed the old physician who was about to leave and asked urgently.

“Clo… sed… what closed what?” The old physician stared in confusion.

“Which specific organ is injured?” Qi Yue asked.

“Is it necessary?” The old physician glanced at her. “No matter which one, it’s still death…”

“You…” Qi Yue looked at him frowning. “Why must it be death? Just perform surgery to repair it…”

Before she could finish, the old physician shook off her hand.

“This old man will show you a way,” he said, pointing outside with his hand.

Qi Yue was overjoyed.

“…Go burn incense and kneel in the courtyard, pray to the divine physician Hua Tuo, see if his spirit might appear…” the old physician continued.

Damn it! Qi Yue was doused with cold water.

“Are you even a physician? How can you be like this?” she shouted.

“I’m not a physician. Divine physician Bian Que wasn’t a physician either. When he saw Duke Huan of Qi, he left without treating him. Really not a physician.” The old physician snorted, slowly dropping this line, shouldered his medicine box and left.

Qi Yue was nearly driven to fainting by this old man’s words. Who said ancient people were simple? This was clearly trying to anger someone to death without compensation!

In the room, A’Hao’s mother and A’Ru’s crying grew louder and louder, sounding particularly eerie in the dark night.