Five days later, the patients in both wards were recovering smoothly. Qi Yue had Hu San craft crutches and a wheelchair. The wet nurse could already walk a few steps slowly with the crutches, and the prefect’s son had gotten out of bed to move around and pass gas. Qi Yue said they could be discharged and return home.

“What about this tube?” the prefect and his wife asked fearfully, pointing at the drainage tube in their son’s abdomen.

“Once his bowel movements are normal, in another three or four days, I’ll come to the mansion to remove it for him,” Qi Yue smiled.

But the prefect and his wife refused to leave no matter what.

“It’s just three or four days anyway. We’ll stay here. We feel more at ease here,” they said.

“I was worried you wouldn’t be comfortable here, since it can’t compare to your home…” Qi Yue smiled.

“We’re comfortable here. This place is quite good,” the couple said in unison with firm resolve. There were disciples called nurses who came to check on them regularly, give medicine, and two physicians who came to see them personally three times a day – morning, noon, and evening. What to eat and drink was carefully written down and explained, how to turn over, how to sit up, how to cough, how to breathe – all these detailed instructions made their eyes dazzle.

Go home? Home would be comfortable, but relying on those servants and maids, how could it compare to the peace of mind they had here?

Qi Yue’s original intention was to accommodate the ancient people’s habit of not staying in hospitals. Since they were comfortable with it, she naturally had no objections.

Coming to the other side, the wet nurse’s family also disagreed with being discharged.

“My mother isn’t well yet. Let’s stay a few more days,” the wet nurse’s son said hurriedly, even paying ten days’ worth of hospital fees at once, as if afraid of being kicked out.

Qi Yue was torn between laughter and tears and had to let them all stay another three or four days before they reluctantly left the hospital.

But the ward didn’t remain empty.

“Sir, you don’t need to be hospitalized for this. You can go home and apply the medicine yourself,” Zhang Tong and A’Ru were trying to persuade a middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man wore silk clothes with his trouser legs rolled up, revealing a wound on his leg.

“How can that be? My injury is so severe!” the man shouted, pushing Zhang Tong aside and striding toward the back courtyard. “What if I die or have my leg amputated? I’d better stay in the hospital. You can watch over me properly for peace of mind…”

He walked faster than they did – hardly looking like someone about to die.

Zhang Tong and A’Ru were torn between laughter and tears.

“Are you worried I don’t have money?” the man huffed and gestured.

The servant following behind immediately grabbed a disciple, holding up two bags of money and clamoring to pay for hospitalization.

“There’s really no need to spend money on hospitalization,” Qi Yue also tried to persuade. “If you’re afraid to apply medicine yourself, we provide home visits for changing dressings…”

“I want to be hospitalized,” the man refused no matter what. “Don’t tell me that officials can stay here but we can’t?”

Qi Yue was helpless.

“Fine, fine then,” she said with a shrug. “Since you want to spend money to buy peace of mind, then buy it.”

Only then was the man happily arranged for hospitalization.

“Master, the prefect’s advertisement is really powerful…” Hu San couldn’t help but grin widely.

Indeed, though reluctant, she had to admit this fact.

“If the prefect would also send a plaque with gongs and drums, that would be even better…” Hu San said with some longing.

This comment made everyone laugh.

“You really dare to dream,” everyone laughed.

“Why wouldn’t I dare? If it were any other time, it’s not unheard of, it’s just…” Hu San said with some defiance, looking at Qi Yue.

It’s just that Qi Yue’s relationship with the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion…

In this Yongqing Prefecture, at the end of the day, the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion was still the most powerful. Giving Madam Qi face meant not giving face to the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion.

The common people could disregard the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion’s face, but these noble families were all connected…

Everyone understood this point.

“This is already quite good. Look, the wards now have people staying in them, not empty like before,” Liu Pucheng walked over with a smile, then looked at Hu San. “Hu San doesn’t need to worry about the daily sterilization money being wasted anymore.”

Everyone burst into laughter again, and the atmosphere became lively once more.

Yes, things would definitely get better and better.

Qi Yue smiled as she watched the high-spirited and energetic disciples.

Working the night shift, Qi Yue was awakened early in the morning by the sound of firecrackers.

“What’s happening? Who’s celebrating so early?” she walked out of the room and asked.

The disciples who had been awakened in the courtyard also came out.

The firecracker sounds were getting closer.

“Eh?” someone tilted their head to listen with a surprised expression. “Master, it seems like they’re coming toward us.”

With gongs and drums thundering and firecrackers crackling, this was the second time since the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion celebrated Chang Yuncheng’s imperial reward that Yongqing Prefecture had been stirred up by such festive sounds.

This time it was in front of Qianjin Hall.

How interesting. Last time it was the Marquis Dingxi’s heir who brought the excitement, and not long after, the heir’s former wife had stirred up excitement again. Were this couple perhaps competing to see who was more capable?

If so, it wouldn’t be a bad story of marital harmony, but unfortunately, the word “former” had been added before “wife,” making this scene somewhat bizarre. This wasn’t marital harmony but a contest.

However, spectators don’t fear high stages. Ever since the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion arrived, life for the people of Yongqing Prefecture had become quite flavorful indeed.

In front of Qianjin Hall, it was as bustling as boiling water.

Qi Yue and her disciples came out to see two officials carrying a plaque, behind and beside them a band playing vigorously, children laughing and weaving through the crowd. The prefect and his wife stepped forward with smiles and bowed.

Qi Yue was momentarily stunned.

“Miraculous Healing Hands.”

She looked at the plaque, at the celebrating crowd around her. Everything seemed to slow down, like a black and white silent film. She could see everything around her, everyone’s expressions and movements, but couldn’t hear what they were saying.

Hu San was shouting – from his lip movements, it really was a plaque, really was a plaque, Master…

A’Ru grabbed her arm, trying hard to control her emotions to avoid losing composure.

Liu Pucheng had already stepped forward to return the bow.

Qi Yue looked up at the sky – it was azure blue.

I said I could do it, that no matter where I was, I could live well and stand tall.

She took a deep breath, stepped forward to return the bow to the prefect and his wife, and joined the laughing crowd.

Such a grand gesture from the prefect’s mansion quickly spread throughout Yongqing Prefecture, naturally not missing the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion.

“Sister, did you hear?” Chang Huilan stepped into Chang Shulan’s room, saying excitedly.

Chang Shulan quickly waved her hand, and her personal maid carefully went out to guard the door.

“I heard, I heard it. Listen – the firecrackers are so loud we can hear them from here,” she smiled.

The two sisters held hands and listened intently, as if they could really hear the festive sounds.

“Sister-in-law is truly capable,” Chang Huilan sighed.

“Yes, she said she could live whatever kind of life she wanted,” Chang Shulan said, looking at the green scenery outside the window. “As long as she wanted it herself.”

“I really want to go out and see,” Chang Huilan said with some longing as she looked outside.

In Chang Yunqi’s room, a maid saw the window was open and hurried forward.

“Why was the window opened? Didn’t the young master say not to open windows?” she scolded the serving maids in low voices.

Before the little maids could speak, Chang Yunqi’s voice came from inside the room.

“Leave it open. I’m happy listening to it,” he said.

The maids looked at each other in confusion.

Listening to what?

In Madam Xie’s room, the sound of breaking porcelain rang out continuously before finally quieting down.

“Good, good. They want to give face to that lowly wretch, they want to slap the face of the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion,” Madam Xie said with an iron-blue face and trembling hands, while the maids below silently and hurriedly cleaned up the scattered fragments.

“They’d better not regret it!” Madam Xie shouted again.

The prefect and his wife had heard the same words from the prefect before they left home.

“I say, Hezhi, don’t be confused,” the prefect pulled the magistrate’s hand.

As a superior, he felt it necessary to advise his impulsive subordinate.

“If you want to thank her, just give more money. Why make this plaque and deliver it with such fanfare?” he said.

“Money?” the magistrate smiled slightly. “Madam Qi doesn’t lack money, does she? Sir, don’t you know this?”

The prefect had personally gone to collect the dowry, and later claimed to have dutifully followed through to see Madam Qi’s home.

That dowry had practically carried away half of the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion – surely he wouldn’t have forgotten?

The prefect nodded, then quickly shook his head.

“Dowry is dowry, and Madam Qi has the imperial edict for the divorce. But after the divorce, there’s no more imperial edict. She’s ultimately just a woman. How can she compare to the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion? You must understand this point clearly and not do anything foolish,” he said earnestly.

The magistrate nodded and smiled.

“Exactly. I want to give Madam Qi what she wants but doesn’t have,” he said solemnly. “What does it mean to repay kindness? Adding flowers to brocade isn’t repaying kindness – sending charcoal in snow is repaying kindness.”

Watching the magistrate stride out the door, while the magistrate’s wife, already changed into formal attire, also came out.

“Hezhi, don’t regret this. That’s the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion – a starved camel is still bigger than a horse! You must weigh the pros and cons!” the prefect stamped his foot.

“Regret?” the magistrate’s wife curtsied slightly to the prefect. “I wonder if when you were saved by Madam Qi’s treatment of your precious son, did you regret it, sir?”

The prefect was stunned by the question. Regret? How could he regret? Was she saying he would have preferred his son to die?

That was his son! His own son!

The magistrate and his wife didn’t look at the prefect again as they left.

Regret?

How could they regret?

News that Madam Qi had cured the magistrate’s son quickly spread among the wealthy families, and they finally took this abandoned former daughter-in-law seriously.

That’s right – this wasn’t simply specializing in treating bruises and injuries, but specializing in treating incurable diseases!

Those conditions that other physicians had pronounced death sentences on, this Madam Qi could cure.

Once was luck, twice was coincidence, but three times could only be skill.

Bringing the dead back to life!

Who dared say they would never fall ill in their lifetime? Who dared say their entire family, relatives and friends would remain healthy and worry-free their whole lives? But smart people still had to prepare for the worst.

And this Madam Qi was the essential person for the worst-case scenario.

Look – when the magistrate’s mansion requested her services, she was already unwilling to make house calls. It was only when the magistrate and his wife personally begged her face-to-face, speaking countless kind words, that their young master received treatment. They truly lost face, suffered fright, and owed a huge debt of gratitude that couldn’t be repaid. If they had been kind from the beginning, if they hadn’t listened to the Marquis Dingxi’s wife then, if they had driven away the Marquis Dingxi’s wife instead, where would there be such trouble?!

Between the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion and Madam Qi, which would you choose?

I choose life!

Although everyone couldn’t stand on equal footing with the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion, they were fairly matched. At most, there would be some obstacles in their careers, but they were all families with deep roots who had weathered generations – what obstacles hadn’t they seen? These obstacles couldn’t kill them, but when it truly was a matter of life and death, the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion couldn’t help.

Weighing the pros and cons, which was more important?

The wealthy families of Yongqing Prefecture almost instantly made their decision.

The glory that the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion had gained from Chang Yuncheng’s military achievements was instantly forgotten. Military achievements were his accomplishments and had nothing to do with these people!

The firecracker sounds hadn’t yet dispersed when people kept arriving at Qianjin Hall to show their support. Behind the lively crowd, the Marquis Dingxi stood behind a tea house window, peering out through the window lattice on his tiptoes.

There was no one else in the tea house – everyone had run out to watch the excitement.

The Marquis Dingxi clung to the window lattice and saw Wang Tongye standing in front of Qianjin Hall.

Wang Tongye was smiling like a flower, pointing and chatting with people who had come to watch the excitement.

That immortal old fool!

What was he doing standing there! What business was it of his!

The one standing there should be him! Should be him, the Marquis Dingxi! Him!

The Marquis Dingxi gripped the window lattice tightly, his teeth grinding audibly.

Originally it should have been his – enjoying this thousandfold gratitude, enjoying everyone’s envy…

Instead of skulking in the back like this, watching the excitement like a thief.

If not for that incident, all of this should have been his.

He had a son earning imperial rewards outside, a daughter-in-law earning merit inside – how limitlessly glorious the Marquis Dingxi should have been!

But now, it was gone.

Everything had started from that incident.

Marrying what auxiliary wives! Marrying auxiliary wives!

That incident… had ruined everything! Ruined all the wonderful life he should have had!