After dark clouds had hung overhead for half a day, snowflakes began falling from the sky.

The Gansu garrison commander, wearing a thick leather coat, hurried into the official hall where four or five military officers were already waiting to greet him.

“It’s getting colder and colder,” he sighed.

A young maid ran over from the side to hand him a hand warmer.

“Sir, how was it? Any news from other places?” Everyone couldn’t be bothered to join him in lamenting the weather and asked one after another.

The commander shook his head and sat down.

“This is really strange,” he said, frowning. “No news anywhere.”

Everyone immediately sighed and looked worried.

“Is the Prince’s message reliable?” the commander asked again. “When exactly did his wife set out? How is it that there’s still no sign of anyone at this time?”

Everyone calculated the time.

“Oh dear, sir, the roads haven’t been safe lately. Could it be that…” someone couldn’t help but say in a low voice.

This immediately drew a chorus of disapproval.

“What are you saying!”

“The Prince’s wife travels with many guards, and officials escort her wherever she goes. What blind fool would dare cause trouble!”

Everyone scolded this crow’s mouth.

That was true – the crow’s mouth nodded repeatedly.

“Where exactly is she coming from, when is she coming, is she coming here or has she gone somewhere else,” the commander pondered for a moment.

Chang Yuncheng was the deputy garrison commander here, a Military Strategy General, but given his family background, military achievements, and the Emperor’s favor, everyone naturally wouldn’t treat him merely as a Military Strategy General.

It was estimated that in about half a year, Chang Yuncheng wouldn’t be here anymore – he’d be commanding a garrison at some major town.

This time he had gone to visit several places. Who knew if he’d still come here for New Year this year? If he settled elsewhere, his wife would naturally follow.

“The letter only said the Prince’s wife was coming, nothing else,” someone answered.

Everyone frowned again.

“Um, didn’t they say the Prince got divorced?” someone asked quietly. “How is there a young mistress again?”

Everyone exchanged glances.

“The divorce was long ago – can’t he remarry?” the commander coughed and waved his hand. “Don’t talk about such irrelevant things. The Prince surely wouldn’t get his own wife wrong – whatever he says she is, that’s what she is.”

That was true, everyone nodded.

“It’s better to be prepared than unprepared, whether she’s coming here or settling somewhere else,” the commander said. “Keep sending men out to search, expand the range. Since the Prince is from Yongqing Prefecture, send people in that direction to meet her. Also prepare housing and such, clean it thoroughly, and arrange it to be… elegant,” the commander gestured as he spoke, these rough men couldn’t find the right words. “Make it luxurious. Women from the south are different from ours here – they’re very refined… And carefully select the servants too…”

Everyone acknowledged and went off to their tasks.

Troops of soldiers galloped through the streets, and pedestrians scattered to make way.

A’Hao waved her hand to disperse the nonexistent dust, expressing her dissatisfaction.

“Who knows what they’re so busy running around for all day!” she said.

“Of course they’re busy if they’re running around – who would want to be idle if they could rest?” Qi Yue laughed, pulling her cloak tighter and looking up at the sky. The scattered snowflakes had turned into a heavy snowfall, landing on her nose tip and instantly melting into water drops.

They had been here for three days now. Hu San had finally found a suitable house and wanted her to look at it today. If she was satisfied, they could pay a deposit and rent it.

“Today is already November 23rd. Xiao Qu said counting the journey, the Prince will be back in at most half a month, which would be the twelfth month. Mistress, are we going to spend New Year here?” A’Hao counted on her fingers as she walked.

Qi Yue walked leisurely down the street. Her large hood covered her face, reducing attention from passersby, but even this most low-key cloak still drew many stares.

Outsiders were still outsiders – you could tell at a glance.

“Of course,” she said. “If the Prince doesn’t go home, naturally we won’t go home either. It’s rare that I’m now single and free, not having to serve in-laws or manage household affairs. I have money and leisure – let’s play to our heart’s content.”

A’Hao loved the mention of playing and nodded eagerly.

Just as they were talking and laughing, a man charged toward them from the front, walking fast and forcefully without watching where he was going, crashing right into them.

Qi Yue and A’Hao couldn’t dodge in time and were knocked off balance.

“Hey, you…” A’Hao quickly supported Qi Yue and turned to shout.

Before she finished speaking, the man roared angrily.

“You stop right there!”

A’Hao was so frightened she couldn’t finish her words.

He knocked into people and still acted fierce? Qi Yue also turned to look.

The man reached out and grabbed a tall, thin man.

“Qiao Minghua! Do you have no humanity!” he shouted.

The grabbed man turned around.

Qi Yue saw he was about thirty-two or thirty-three years old, with ordinary features. Whether due to the local color scheme or something else, his complexion looked ashen. Now being grabbed by this man, his expression remained blank.

“…My brother is dying, and you still have the mood to go out shopping and eating!” the man continued shouting.

The grabbed man remained expressionless.

“It’s not me who’s dying, so why can’t I shop and eat?” he said blandly.

The man trembled with anger, raising his big fist. The surrounding people couldn’t help but duck their heads, but his fist didn’t fall.

“Qiao Minghua! You’re a military doctor! A military doctor! Are you just going to watch my brother die?” he shouted hoarsely. “Are you worthy of your salary?”

The man called Qiao Minghua smiled slightly.

“I told you to amputate the leg, but you wouldn’t listen. I’m not sending him to his death – you’re sending him to his death,” he said.

“Amputate the leg! He’s a soldier! If you amputate his leg, he becomes useless! He’d rather die!” the man shouted.

Qiao Minghua brushed off the hand grabbing his arm.

“So it’s death either way – what are you so anxious about?” he said.

With that, he turned and continued walking.

“Qiao Minghua!” the man shouted angrily behind him, his body trembling but helpless.

He was a soldier – there was nothing to be done. Soldiers naturally got injured easily. These sporadic encounters with the Eastern Tartars were still manageable, but when there was large-scale fighting, that was truly tragic. The people here were used to it. Everyone just cast sympathetic glances, shook their heads, sighed, and dispersed.

The snow was falling heavier and heavier. People on the street quickened their pace. The man seemed oblivious, standing still in place, letting snowflakes cover his body.

“This big brother.”

A voice spoke behind him.

The man stood woodenly without moving.

“I’m also a doctor – do you remember me?” the female voice continued.

Only then did the man slowly turn around to see a woman standing before him, wrapped in a cream-white fur cloak with gold trim. She was slightly raising her large hood with her hand, revealing eyes bright as moonlight on a cold river.

That day Qi Yue had been wearing a face veil – how could the man recognize her?

“Three days ago at the city gate, we met. You said you were looking for a doctor, but when you saw I was a woman, you refused,” Qi Yue said with a smile.

The man remembered and looked at her, showing some recognition. But his recognition was that no wonder this woman had been acting strangely with her face covered that day – with such looks, she certainly needed to avoid attention.

He lowered his head, ignored her, and started walking.

“Big brother, since you can’t get anyone else to treat your brother, why not let me try? It’s not giving me a chance – it’s giving your brother a chance,” Qi Yue said. “You won’t lose anything. If I can’t cure him, I won’t charge.”

The man stopped and looked at Qi Yue again.

This beautiful woman was a doctor?

He remembered that day, the man he had mistaken for a doctor had called this woman… master…

When A’Ru heard the news and came with the medicine box and Xiao Qu, Qi Yue was already standing in front of this family’s alley.

The house was low and old. In this deep winter, there were actually children in thin clothes running from the alley entrance, hiding behind broken doors and shivering as they watched her.

“Come in, this way,” the man said, pushing open a door.

Qi Yue stepped forward, followed by A’Ru and Xiao Qu.

The courtyard was also shabby. They went straight into the room.

Inside, an old woman was keeping watch by the bed and crying. Hearing the commotion, she turned around.

“Dachun, did you find a doctor?” she asked in a trembling voice.

The man called Dachun hesitated, glanced at Qi Yue, and lowered his head with a grunt.

The old woman was overjoyed. Her gaze fell on Qi Yue and the others. Though she didn’t know what these two women were doing here, she still respectfully bowed to Xiao Qu.

“Doctor, doctor, please save my child,” the old woman cried.

Xiao Qu looked embarrassed.

“I’m not a doctor, I’m not a doctor,” he quickly waved his hands.

The old woman was stunned.

Not a doctor? She quickly looked at Dachun, who was looking at the woman.

The old woman also looked over and saw the woman had already positioned herself beside her grandson’s bed.

“Where does it hurt?” Qi Yue asked, putting on gloves.

“The leg… the leg is rotting, and he’s not doing well either…” Dachun said.

Qi Yue could already see the soldier on the bed. This wasn’t really a soldier – he was just a half-grown boy.

She bent down to examine him.

The old woman was stunned.

“This, this woman is a doctor?” she stammered.

Dachun grunted affirmatively.

“How can a woman be a doctor?” the old woman shouted, looking at Qi Yue in amazement.

“Women can be doctors too,” Qi Yue turned to smile at her.

This woman’s smile was beautiful, and most importantly, she showed no disgust.

Regardless of whether she could cure him, the old woman immediately felt anxious.

The room was quiet for a moment, with only Qi Yue and A’Ru’s medical discussion that no one else could understand.

“How is it?” Dachun asked in a trembling voice.

“No problem. It’s an infection caused by an old blood clot in the left lower leg,” Qi Yue said, opening her medicine box and scanning the tools inside. “A debridement and a penicillin injection, and it’ll be fine.”

No problem? What did no problem mean?

Both Dachun and the old woman were stunned.

“No need to amputate the leg?” Dachun asked in a trembling voice.

Qi Yue looked down at the wound.

“It’s quite serious, but with penicillin available, debridement should be enough,” she said, looking around. “Come, step back a bit. I’m going to perform a small operation on him.”

What was an operation?

Though full of questions, seeing this woman’s confident demeanor, Dachun helped the old woman step back obediently.

A’Ru began administering anesthesia, elevating the left hip, and laying out surgical drapes.

These simplest surgical instruments were all prepared with the medicine box, enough for two or three procedures.

Seeing the knife cut into the leg, the old woman couldn’t help but cry out.

“This is surgery – medical treatment. Please don’t disturb the doctor,” Xiao Qu, as a pseudo-assistant at Qianjin Hall, did his job of explaining.

Dachun was a soldier and wasn’t as sensitive to blood and flesh. Seeing the woman’s skilled movements and focused expression, he nodded and comforted the old woman.

The old woman at this border location was indeed mentally stronger than people from peaceful inland areas. She soon stopped questioning, and the scene became quiet.

Cutting open the blood clot, clearing the fluid and necrotic tissue, washing the cavity, stopping bleeding, drainage, and suturing – the half-hour operation was complete.

A’Ru injected a dose of penicillin.

“Alright, wipe his forehead and such. The fever should break by this afternoon. Find a doctor to prescribe some medicine, and he’ll be fine after resting for a couple of days,” Qi Yue said, removing her gloves.

What? He’d be fine?

The old woman and Dachun looked at her in disbelief. They hadn’t paid attention to the other words – their ears were full of those three words.

“When he’s better, pay me my fee then,” Qi Yue smiled at them. “I live at…”

She realized she didn’t know where she lived and quickly looked at A’Ru.

“West City, Dry Well Alley, third house from the east,” A’Ru quickly said.

The courtyard gate closed. The old woman and Dachun stared blankly at the street gate for a moment, then looked back at the bed in the room.

Hadn’t they been told to prepare for his funeral by this afternoon?

Would he really be better by this afternoon?

What had just happened?

Were they dreaming?

They looked toward the courtyard again. Snow was falling rapidly, quickly covering the footprints, as if no one had ever been there.

Author’s Note: Writing is such happiness!!! After going on a trip, I’ve come to realize this truth!!!