The people at the Marquis Dingxi’s residence had barely slept all night. By dawn, Madam Xie’s condition had stabilized slightly, but it was still far from optimistic.

“There’s nothing more I can do. You should make preparations early,” Imperial Physician Zhou said in a low voice.

Marquis Dingxi had stayed up all night, his complexion looking terrible. Hearing these words, he slumped down dejectedly.

Inside the room, Chang Yuncheng had been half-kneeling by Madam Xie’s bedside all night. At this moment, it seemed as if all his strength had been drained away.

Imperial Physician Zhou walked out of the room. Though he hadn’t slept all night, he wasn’t particularly tired—for an imperial physician, staying up all night was a very familiar thing.

Under the guidance of two little maids, he went to the guest room to rest.

“If the young madam were here, everything would definitely be fine…”

“That’s right, definitely fine…”

The conversation between the two maids caught Imperial Physician Zhou’s attention.

He had already found it somewhat strange.

Yesterday, when he said that the Marchioness wasn’t doing well and was respectfully invited to rest, he heard the little maids outside the door running around in chaos, whispering excitedly about the young madam coming, each one acting as if they’d been injected with chicken blood…

The young madam came? Shouldn’t the young madam be living at home?

Moreover, with the madam being ill, why would they be so excited about the young madam coming? Shouldn’t they be this excited about hearing that a doctor had come instead?

“Your young madam doesn’t live at home?” he couldn’t help but ask.

The two little maids were startled and lowered their heads.

Inquiring about other people’s family affairs was indeed inappropriate, and Imperial Physician Zhou also felt he had been presumptuous. Just as he was about to change the subject, one of the little maids boldly turned around and spoke.

“We don’t have a young madam anymore,” she said.

Don’t have a young madam anymore? What did that mean?

Imperial Physician Zhou was stunned for a moment, but this time he didn’t ask further.

“From what you’re saying, the young madam you mentioned is a doctor?” he changed the subject and asked.

This topic was indeed the right one. Both little maids turned around, their eyes bright.

“Yes, the young madam is very capable.”

“The young madam is a divine physician…”

Imperial Physician Zhou laughed. Of course, he found it purely amusing.

Divine physician—who in this world would dare call themselves a divine physician, especially in front of an imperial physician?

However, he couldn’t stoop to arguing with little maids.

“Oh, a divine physician,” he said casually. “I wonder what makes her so divine?”

The little maids became even more animated.

“The young madam can cut open people’s stomachs and sew them back up.”

“No matter what illness. Those diseases that all doctors say can’t be cured, the young madam can cure them all.”

“The young madam has needles in her hands. While embroiderers sew clothes, the young madam sews people’s lifespans…”

Imperial Physician Zhou, who had originally thought the little maids were just vaguely repeating the words “divine physician,” was stunned. He hadn’t expected them to speak so specifically.

“…The prefect’s son had his stomach kicked by a horse, and they said something inside his stomach was broken. It was the young madam who cut open his stomach and sewed it back up… Now the young master is living well, and riding horses and fighting doesn’t hinder him at all…”

“Oh no, that’s not right. The earliest case was A’Hao—she had such a long scar on her stomach, and it was the young madam who opened it up and sewed it back together.”

The two little maids became more and more excited as they talked. They had walked quite far before turning back to see that Imperial Physician Zhou hadn’t followed, which scared them into running back with pale faces.

“Is everything you said true?” Imperial Physician Zhou was brought back to his senses by the two maids’ apologetic voices. He completely ignored their apologies and asked urgently.

The two maids nodded.

“It’s true. If you go ask around the city, who doesn’t know?” they said in unison.

There was actually such a skill?

Imperial Physician Zhou lowered his hand from stroking his beard and immediately turned to walk outside.

“Hey, sir, you…” the two little maids hurriedly called out.

“I’m going out for a stroll,” Imperial Physician Zhou said.

A stroll? At this time?

“But our madam is still…” the maid hurriedly caught up.

“Your madam is just like that. There’s no need for further treatment,” Imperial Physician Zhou waved his hand dismissively.

As an imperial physician who moved among the homes of the wealthy and powerful, he never knew what it meant to read people’s expressions.

What?

The two maids stood there dumbstruck.

The news that the Marchioness was beyond help quickly spread throughout the Marquis Dingxi’s residence.

“So this woman really is done for,” came a voice from a remote courtyard.

Concubine Zhou turned from the window, looking at the maid before her with a smile.

The maid nodded.

“That’s what the imperial physician said, and he’s already gone out,” she said with a smile.

The smile on Concubine Zhou’s face gradually spread.

“After all these years, I’ve finally waited for this moment,” she said slowly, clasping her hands together. Due to her excitement, she gripped so tightly that her long pinky nail actually broke off. As she spoke, she straightened her clothes. “Quickly, help me with my makeup. At a time like this, how can I not go and see this with my own eyes?”

The maid responded and hurried over to serve her.

“However, the Marquis still wants to invite the young madam,” she thought of something and said in a low voice. “He says the young madam will definitely be able to save her.”

Concubine Zhou’s hand, which had been adjusting the red hairpin on her head, stopped.

Right, there was still that woman…

Concubine Zhou slowly lowered her hand.

“Yes, there’s still that woman,” she said slowly. “Madam Xie’s death this time is truly worth it.”

The little maid didn’t understand and looked at her in confusion.

“Tell me, if the young madam doesn’t save the madam this time and the madam dies, will everyone blame her?” Concubine Zhou asked.

Ah?

That won’t happen, will it? Well, maybe a little?

The little maid thought to herself.

“Not saving someone is completely different from trying to save them but failing,” Concubine Zhou reached up to remove her red hairpin, saying with a smile.

“The young madam is kind-hearted and definitely won’t stand by and watch someone die,” the little maid said from the side.

Concubine Zhou nodded.

“Exactly,” she smiled slightly at her reflection in the mirror. “She won’t stand by and watch someone die.”

She turned to look at the maid.

“Do you want to earn a large sum of money?” she asked with a smile.

The maid was stunned for a moment, her eyes lighting up.

“Concubine, who doesn’t want to earn money?” she laughed.

Concubine Zhou smiled slightly.

“What if the price is very high?” she asked.

By this point, if the little maid still didn’t understand, she really wouldn’t deserve to survive in the Marquis Dingxi’s residence.

“Well, that depends on whether it’s worth it,” she said with bright eyes, hesitating for a moment.

Concubine Zhou beckoned her over and whispered something in her ear. The maid looked shocked.

“Do you think it’s worth it?” Concubine Zhou asked with a smile.

The maid’s expression changed repeatedly. Finally, she gritted her teeth and knelt down to kowtow.

“Thank you for your generosity, Concubine. This servant will earn this money,” she said.

When the sun was high, Qi Yue was also hurriedly leaving home. She had overslept.

Last night she had thought all night about the affairs at the Marquis Dingxi’s residence. She always felt that Chang Yunqi’s words were strange. Could it be that he had poisoned or somehow harmed Madam Xie? However, judging from the symptoms she had seen yesterday, it definitely wasn’t caused by poison. Never mind, there was an imperial physician there. No matter what, he would be much better than herself—a surgeon who wasn’t good at internal medicine and had lost all kinds of instrumental assistance.

“Drink your porridge,” A’Hao chased after her, shouting.

Qi Yue had a piece of flatbread in her mouth and was stuffing several notebooks into her bag.

“I’ll eat at work,” she said.

A’Hao stamped her feet behind her.

“Who told you not to wake her up,” A’Ru came out from behind, saying.

“I saw that she slept so late, I felt sorry for her and wanted to let her sleep a bit more,” A’Hao said aggrievedly.

“Alright, alright, it’s fine. The cafeteria food is also good,” A’Ru reached out to pat her reassuringly, then hurried out herself.

Just as she stepped outside, she saw Qi Yue standing outside the door.

Qianjin Hall was close to here, so they usually walked. At Qi Yue’s pace, she should have already left the alley by now. How come…

Then A’Ru also froze, seeing Chang Yuncheng standing in the alley.

“I feel that if I were to speak up, it would truly be… bullying others too much,” Chang Yuncheng said. He smiled, but this smile looked worse than crying.

Qi Yue also smiled.

“Actually, even if you did speak up, it wouldn’t matter,” she said. “As a son, it’s human nature.”

She spoke and smiled, turning back to look at A’Ru.

“This is already quite good. Given your personality, you should have beaten me up first and then dragged me there, right?”

A’Ru didn’t find it funny and frowned with a bitter expression.

Chang Yuncheng looked at Qi Yue.

“Yueniang, if it were someone else, I would indeed do that,” he raised his head to look at Qi Yue. The journey, worry, mental exhaustion, and grief—all these emotions intertwined, covering his entire being with a layer of gray. “But for you, I really can’t bring myself to say it.”

Qi Yue looked at him and nodded.

“Thank you for thinking this way. At this time, you can still think this way. Thank you,” she said.

She looked at Chang Yuncheng, bowed slightly, lifted her feet, and brushed past him.

Chang Yuncheng didn’t move and didn’t speak again.

A’Ru lowered her head and followed. Qi Yue stopped again.

“Although I wasn’t able to examine her properly, I actually specialize in surgical operations—all obvious flesh wounds. For your mother’s condition, it’s better to have other doctors examine her,” she turned back and said. “Because if it’s not a condition that can be solved by surgery, you know that I don’t know how to use medicine or diagnose pulses. I really can’t help at all.”

Having said this, she lifted her feet and turned out of the alley.

Only then did Chang Yuncheng turn around, looking at the empty alley.

So, despite everything, she still said it. She still didn’t want to leave him with any regrets.

A’Ru quickened her pace to catch up with Qi Yue.

“Really, it can’t be treated?” she asked in a low voice.

Qi Yue stopped in her tracks and turned to look at A’Ru.

A’Ru felt somewhat unnerved being looked at with such a wronged expression.

“What, what’s wrong?” she asked stutteringly.

“A’Ru, you actually don’t trust me?” Qi Yue looked wronged, reaching up to cover her heart. “What kind of person am I in your eyes?”

A’Ru was flustered, confused, anxious, embarrassed, ashamed, and guilty all at once.

“I, I, no, no,” she stuttered helplessly and simply raised her hand to slap her own face.

Qi Yue laughed heartily again, reaching out to pull down her hand.

“Alright, let’s go quickly,” she laughed, striding forward.

Before they reached Qianjin Hall, they saw a disciple running out.

“Master,” seeing Qi Yue, he immediately shouted loudly, “Master, at Santai Village three li outside the city, there’s an emergency.”

Emergency. Qi Yue quickly responded and hurried into Qianjin Hall.

“…Male, forty-five years old… pierced through the leg by a plow blade…” the disciple said loudly.

In the hall stood a child trembling all over, unable to straighten his back due to violent running and panting.

“This is the patient’s family member. He came to request emergency treatment,” the disciple pointed and said.

Qi Yue nodded, looking at the emergency care cart in front of the courtyard. Everyone was already prepared.

“Let’s go,” she said, grabbing her own medicine box.

Seven or eight people rushed out of Qianjin Hall, and the cart bearing red lanterns with the words “Emergency” also rushed over from behind. Everyone, including the child, got on, and the driver cracked his whip, racing through the streets.

Seeing this cart, people on the road moved aside one after another.

There was also a cart that obviously belonged to a wealthy family, whose driver also hurriedly moved toward the roadside.

“What’s going on?” the master in the cart called out unhappily.

“Sir, it’s Qianjin Hall’s emergency cart,” the driver quickly said.

The cart fell silent.

Watching Qianjin Hall’s cart disappear down the street, a small woman who had been standing under a shop’s eaves finally emerged. A trace of a smug smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. She looked around before turning to blend into the crowd and walk away.