Madam Xie quickly learned about the prefect’s young master falling ill, because ever since learning of the Rao family’s breach of faith, she had been busy selecting another family for Chang Yuncheng. She had been socializing more with the ladies of the prefectural city to inquire about which families had daughters of suitable character and appearance. However, the condition that they couldn’t be below the Rao family’s status directly excluded many people from Madam Xie’s consideration.

She had invited the prefect’s wife to visit, which was during the young master’s second bout of stomach pain, and the prefect’s wife politely declined.

Learning that the prefect’s wife’s beloved son was unwell, Madam Xie naturally wanted to visit and offer her concern.

The carriage had just arrived at the prefect’s mansion gate when the doors opened and a carriage rushed out in panic.

“That’s the prefect’s wife’s carriage,” Madam Xie quickly lifted the curtain. “Are they going out?”

Nanny Su hurried forward to inquire.

The carriage was suddenly blocked, and the prefect and his wife, who were sitting inside following the physician’s instructions not to let their son move or curl up, nearly fell over. The son in their arms cried out in pain from the jolting.

“What are you doing?” the prefect roared angrily.

Nanny Su, who had walked up to the gate, was startled by this shout.

It seemed they had come at… an inopportune time?

“This is from the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion, our madam…” Nanny Su hurriedly bowed and spoke.

The four words “Marquis Dingxi’s mansion” reached inside the carriage, and the prefect and his wife felt their hearts turn bitter.

Isn’t this just adding to their troubles?

It’s all because of you people that she now refuses to even come to the door, and yet you still come! You still come to join in the commotion. If she finds out about this and refuses to treat him, what will we do!

“Get lost, get lost!” the prefect’s wife suddenly lifted the curtain and cried out, “Stay away from our family! Don’t harm us anymore!”

The carriage left both urgently and not daring to go too fast, leaving the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion carriage standing outside the prefect’s gate.

The prefect and his wife hadn’t gotten out of the carriage, hadn’t even said a single polite word face-to-face, but instead cursed…

Cursed and told her to get lost!

Madam Xie sat in the carriage, her face pale and her whole body trembling.

Bastards! Bastards!

Had the prefect and his wife gone mad? Gone mad?

Nanny Su’s face was also pale. As Madam Xie’s personal servant, she usually walked out with more dignity than the ladies and misses of ordinary families. This kind of head-on public scolding was a first for her. Seeing the gazes from the prefect’s mansion gatekeepers, Nanny Su was momentarily mortified with shame and anger!

“What’s wrong with the master and madam?” she gritted her teeth and took a deep breath, trying to save face for herself.

The men at the gate snorted.

As servants of the prefect’s mansion, they naturally shared their master’s animosity.

If it weren’t for the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion that day, why would they have driven away that divine physician Qi? That’s right, their prefect’s mansion would never do such a thing. They were coerced by the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion!

Now this coercion had nearly cost their young master his life. This wasn’t just coercion anymore – this was practically making them enemies!

“Our young master is going to Qianjin Hall to seek divine physician Qi’s treatment!” the gatekeeper said loudly with raised eyebrows, pointing with his hand. “You leave quickly, don’t let divine physician Qi know you were here. If you delay our young master’s treatment, can you bear the responsibility?”

Madam Xie in the carriage heard every word clearly, and her vision couldn’t help but darken.

Bastards!!

What does your family’s young master have to do with me! How is it that your words make it sound like I’m the one who made your young master sick!

The people at the prefect’s mansion had indeed all gone mad!

Qianjin Hall! Divine physician Qi!

Madam Xie gasped and closed her eyes, her hands clenched tightly.

Bastards!

The prefect and his wife didn’t care whether the Marquis Dingxi’s wife had been angered to death outside their gate. In their eyes now, there was only their son. Whoever dared to block their way, the red-eyed couple would fight them to the death.

The prefectural yamen runners cleared the way, stopping in front of Qianjin Hall, frightening the queuing common people to scatter like birds and beasts.

Had Qianjin Hall caused trouble again? Why had the officials come?

The guiding disciples, A’Ru and others busy in the main hall, and those being treated for wound cleaning and care all froze, looking toward the door.

“Doctor, doctor, save him!” the prefect’s mansion steward led the way, supporting his hat and running in sweating.

“How can we help you?” the guiding disciple asked in a trembling voice. If it weren’t for daily training and frequent use, he really might not have been able to say these words.

If it were any other time, the steward would have kicked this blocking disciple away long ago.

Blind thing, can’t you see who’s come? This is the third-in-command of Yongqing Prefecture! Why isn’t your manager quickly kneeling to welcome us!

“We’re from the prefect’s mansion. Our young master has severe abdominal pain. Please have Madam Qi treat him,” the steward, being well-experienced, quick-witted, and appropriately responsive, said simply and efficiently.

Seeking medical treatment?

The disciple was stunned before reacting.

“Emergency case,” he hurriedly called out.

The people at the nursing station also came to their senses.

“Stretcher, mobile bed,” A’Ru called out.

The disciples hurriedly pushed a bed from the side. The main hall resumed its busy activity.

“This, I’m not urgent, treating the master’s child is more important…” several people in line hurriedly dodged aside, and even a few having their wounds treated wanted to give way, but were caught by A’Ru with mixed laughter and tears.

“Emergency cases have Madam Qi to see them, it has nothing to do with you,” she said.

Only then did everyone sit down uneasily.

Qi Yue and Liu Pucheng had already come out upon hearing the commotion.

Seeing the young woman who came out, though they hadn’t met before, they could recognize her at a glance.

The prefect’s wife felt somewhat ashamed and stepped forward to perform a grand bow.

“Madam Qi, please save my son. I, I’ll kneel down to apologize to you…” she said tearfully.

Qi Yue quickly stopped her.

“If I can treat him, I naturally will. Don’t be anxious,” she said, putting on gloves and beginning the consultation.

Upon hearing that he had eaten a silver spoon, she was also startled.

“Can’t it be expelled?” she asked, reaching out to gently begin examining the young master’s belly.

As soon as she touched him, the young master let out an even louder wail, frightening everyone into shuddering.

“It can’t be expelled,” the prefect said, relaying what the physician had said. “Madam Qi, please quickly cut open his belly and take it out.”

Cut open the belly and take it out – saying it so simply…

Qi Yue frowned.

She had no idea where the foreign object was, so how could she cut it open? This wasn’t a game.

She didn’t speak, and the emergency room fell silent with suffocating tension.

“Madam Qi, just cut it open. We won’t blame you, we won’t treat your life-saving as murder,” the prefect’s wife cried.

The prefect also nodded.

“Yes, since we’ve brought him here, we trust you, Madam Qi. You can cut as you wish,” he also said in a trembling voice.

Qi Yue was torn between laughter and tears.

“How can I cut as I wish?” she shook her head and took a deep breath, her hand slowly sliding down from the young master’s throat. “Opening up the chest and belly isn’t that simple. Bleeding, infection, complications – every moment is extremely dangerous. Moreover, the young master ate a foreign object, but where exactly is it now? I can’t see it. If I can’t see it and don’t know where to cut, I can’t just cut here to look, and if it’s not there, cut there to look. That way, before finding it, the young master’s life would be gone.”

The prefect and his wife immediately looked despairing.

“Then, then what can we do?” the prefect’s wife immediately collapsed to the ground, clinging to the mobile bed where the young master lay and wailing.

“We can only try,” Qi Yue said. “You must tell me now exactly when he ate it, how big the object was, when the pain started, and every reaction. You must try hard to remember everything and tell me completely.”

The child in agony couldn’t cooperate, the parents foaming at the mouth with anxiety didn’t know. All the servants, maids, and attendants were questioned. The little cousin, one of the instigators of the incident, was also dragged over by his family, who were equally scared out of their wits.

“It was a bet. I lost and didn’t dare to eat it, but Yu’er ate it and won,” the little cousin cried. “It was the day before the birthday.”

When this date was reported, the prefect’s wife nearly fainted.

“It’s already been six days,” Qi Yue calculated. “With such severe abdominal pain, and the silver spoon not being very long, it must have passed through the stomach and reached the intestines.”

A human anatomy chart was quickly hung up in the ward, and Qi Yue pointed it out to them.

“Then, then Madam Qi, please quickly take it out,” the prefect’s wife said urgently, unable to understand these twists and turns.

“But which section… I can’t see it, and I can’t search for painful spots by pressing…” Qi Yue looked at the chart and frowned, murmuring. She couldn’t help but want to grab her hair again. “Don’t worry, don’t worry, let me think, let me think.”

Except for the child’s cries of pain, the room fell silent again, with everyone’s eyes fixed tightly on this woman in the ugly white gown.

“Such pain must mean the intestinal wall has been worn through. After so many days, it should have been expelled by now. If it can’t be expelled, it must be stuck…” Qi Yue looked at the anatomy chart, her hand slowly moving over the abdominal intestinal area. “…The silver spoon isn’t too long, the most likely place for it to get stuck…”

Her hand stopped. Liu Pucheng and others could only see the winding intestines.

“The duodenum,” Qi Yue murmured, tapping heavily here with her hand, as if making a decision. “We can’t delay anymore, I’ll take the gamble.”

She turned around to look at everyone in the ward.

“I will now perform emergency abdominal surgery to remove the intestinal foreign object and repair the damaged intestinal wall,” she said.

The disciples acknowledged.

“Now I’ll give you the pre-surgical briefing…” Qi Yue stood before the prefect and his wife. “The surgery…”

“Madam Qi, we understand. Sign, right? Sign. You don’t need to explain,” the prefect said, raising his hand. “This kind of thing doesn’t need your explanation or signature anyway. A gentleman’s word is his bond – I trust you.”

Qi Yue smiled. See, who says there’s no change? There has been change. Everyone is no longer so suspicious and resistant to surgery.

“It’s still better to explain clearly,” she said. “This doesn’t take much time, and moreover…”

She smiled again.

“I’m not afraid of anything, because I trust myself and have a clear conscience. But you don’t understand. I’m not saying this for my peace of mind, but for yours,” she said.

The prefect and his wife looked at her and nodded solemnly.

This was still abdominal surgery, and the surgical participants were no longer so unfamiliar. A’Ru and Zhang Tong’s surgical reactions had also improved considerably – at least they no longer trembled and dared to look at the opened abdominal cavity.

“…This is the duodenum?” Zhang Tong asked while holding open the abdominal wall so Qi Yue’s surgical field wouldn’t be obstructed.

Qi Yue nodded and slowly lifted the descending part of the duodenum to begin palpating.

Dear God, please bless us, let it be here, let it be here!! It must be here!!

She didn’t want to have to drag out the entire intestine bit by bit to search…