Many people rushed in, with screams growing louder and louder in their ears.

“An Jinzhong! Look what you’ve done!”

“An Jinzhong, what’s happened to my son?”

Old Physician An retreated several steps, looking at the man before him in a daze.

Men were shouting, and beside them women were running around frantically, rushing toward the bed.

“Heavens, Kun’er! Kun’er!”

“Little Prince, Little Prince!”

“You quack doctor! You said you could cure him!”

Women’s cries and wails, and someone rushed forward, beating and shaking him.

Old Physician An felt difficulty breathing. He retreated step by step, looking at the bed.

On the bed with its brocade flowers, that small infant was pale and limp-limbed.

How could this be?

It couldn’t be…

The medicine he used was correct…

“An Jinzhong!” Prince Julu grabbed his collar, eyes red with fury, shaking him violently. “This prince listened to you! Listened to everything you said! You said you could cure him! This prince heard it clearly! Tell me, what’s happening now?”

I don’t know… I don’t know…

I should have been right…

I was right…

“Can you cure him or not?” Prince Julu shouted. “Can you or can’t you?”

Can or can’t?

Can or can’t?

Old Physician An felt difficulty breathing. He turned to look at the bed where women knelt beside it, beating the bed and crying bitterly, the infant convulsing continuously…

I was right… wasn’t I?

Can… can’t…

“An Jinzhong! Can you cure him or not!”

“An Jinzhong! Say something!”

The accusations beside his ear grew louder and louder, until finally Old Physician An’s ears only heard this phrase thundering past like a roar, and before his eyes was only that child lying on the bed, continuously convulsing.

“I cannot cure him…” he finally closed his eyes.

“An Jinzhong! You must take responsibility for what you’ve said! For the sake of your face, you made my son suffer this torment! He would have been better off reborn earlier!”

“An Jinzhong! You waste!”

“An Jinzhong! Go die!”

“An Jinzhong! You deserve this lifetime, next lifetime, for all lifetimes to be despised by everyone!”

Old Physician An clutched his chest, wanting to retreat, but his body’s weakness made him suddenly wake up. He saw that Prince Julu before him was already an old man, and he himself was a person sitting in a wheelchair, unable even to retreat freely.

“An Jinzhong! What’s happening here?” Prince Julu had already grabbed his collar and demanded.

What’s happening?

An Jinzhong turned his head to look.

The people who had followed in at the door all looked in terror at the bedside, while A’Ru crouched on the ground, trembling all over.

“It’s split open! It’s split open!” she repeated, frantically looking around. “Miss Qi! Qi Yue! Qi Yue! What should we do! What should we do?”

She had followed Qi Yue and was among the earliest to be exposed to these things. She was stronger than Hu San, not afraid of blood and flesh. Though she couldn’t compare to disciples with medical backgrounds like Zhang Tong, she possessed nursing techniques they lacked. She had always thought she was afraid of nothing, but in reality, she was only fearless when that woman was present.

“An Jinzhong! Are you going to kill another of my sons?” Prince Julu looked at the bed, that terrifying sight making his liver and gallbladder split with fear, roaring hoarsely. He raised his hand into a fist. “If you can’t cure him, why did you try to cure him!”

His fist didn’t come down because Old Physician An raised his hand to block it desperately.

“I can cure him!” he said, looking at Prince Julu.

“You can cure people to death! You can cure nothing! You can cure? How can you cure?” Prince Julu shouted, applying more force with his hand.

But Old Physician An still blocked him.

“I can,” he said, raising his voice, his expression determined.

Prince Julu was slightly stunned. Old Physician An forcefully pushed him away, turned his wheelchair toward the bedside.

“Needle and thread!” he shouted.

Hearing the commotion, the disciples outside had already run over. The scene in the room terrified them too.

“All irrelevant people get out!” Old Physician An commanded.

The chaotic crying and screaming subsided somewhat.

Prince Julu looked at Old Physician An. Old Physician An also looked at him.

“I can cure him! Now, all irrelevant people get out!” Old Physician An said.

Prince Julu looked at him, his face ashen.

“An Jinzhong, you’ve said these words before,” he said word by word.

Old Physician An looked at him.

“I didn’t just say it before, I’m saying it now, and I’ll say it in the future, always saying it,” he said. Having said this, he no longer paid attention to these people, turned around and extended his hand. “Disinfectant, gloves.”

A’Ru was still crouching on the ground, but this had become subconscious habit. She couldn’t help but stand up.

“This is nothing, just a wound dehiscence. We’ve seen plenty on the battlefield,” a disciple came to his senses and shouted loudly, trying to comfort everyone in the room.

“Right, right,” other disciples also reacted. Master had said the first priority was to calm emotions, lest they be harmed by fear and delay the illness and themselves.

With their comfort and explanations, the atmosphere in the room relaxed somewhat.

A’Ru had already taken the disinfectant to clean Old Physician An’s hands and put on gloves.

“Old white-hair! Our Little Prince is about to die! And you still…”

Prince Julu’s attendant shouted, reaching out to strike Old Physician An.

“Get out!” Old Physician An turned and roared.

This voice was thunderous with rage, and the room suddenly fell quiet.

“The person isn’t dead yet! There’s still hope for rescue! Can be rescued! Will be rescued!” Old Physician An roared. “Irrelevant people get out!”

“Old thing, do you think you’re still the Academy Judge?” The attendant came to his senses, his face red with shame and anger.

“Get out!” Prince Julu roared.

“Right, get out!” the attendant quickly shouted again.

“I’m telling you to get out,” Prince Julu looked at him and roared.

The attendant was stunned, somewhat at a loss.

“All of you get out!” Prince Julu roared.

Now all the attendants understood, hesitated briefly, and hurriedly left.

The suffocating atmosphere in the room suddenly lightened.

Prince Julu stood there, watching the people by the bed.

“Wake him up,” Old Physician An said.

Without asking why, a disciple immediately took golden needles and performed anti-shock acupuncture. In a moment, Little Prince Sima awakened.

Here, Old Physician An had already used disinfected auxiliary materials to handle the protruding intestines.

The awakened Little Prince Sima was momentarily confused, then about to cry out. Before he could cry out, a porcelain bottle was brought to his nostrils by Old Physician An.

The smell was pungent and spicy. Little Prince Sima sneezed heavily.

A chorus of low exclamations sounded in the room.

But these exclamations were full of joy.

“It went back in!” a disciple said, pointing to the intestines that had returned to the abdominal cavity.

“…Change the thread,” Old Physician An said without stopping his work.

“Is this thread still too thin?” A’Ru asked.

Old Physician An nodded.

A disciple passed over another tray.

“Look at this one,” he said.

Old Physician An selected one from it, and accompanied by Little Prince Sima’s terrified cries, began to fly needle and thread.

Such terrifying news spread quickly.

“What? The stomach burst open again?” the Empress Dowager asked in a trembling voice.

“Yes, yes, the intestines all flowed out…” a palace maid said, trembling all over.

Terrifying! Terrifying!

Intestines, flowing out…

This palace was unlivable…

This time the Empress Dowager didn’t even have time to dry heave before her eyes rolled back and she fainted.

The Emperor’s steps were probably the fastest they’d ever been, with the eunuchs beside him all trotting to keep up.

“…has already been caught up with… said she went out for a bit…” Cai Zhong said while running.

The Emperor’s face was expressionless, showing no joy or anger. His hands were clasped behind his back, his robe corners flying as he strode rapidly.

Turning a corner, he saw Qi Yue also running toward them.

“Your Majesty…” she called out.

The Emperor stopped to look at her.

“I’ll go see the patient first. Your Majesty can settle accounts with me later!” Qi Yue shouted, running past the Emperor.

This bold woman!

The Emperor gritted his teeth and continued walking.

A woman could run so fast!

When the Emperor reached the Empress Dowager’s palace, he saw that woman standing motionless outside the door.

Dead?

The Emperor’s face darkened slightly. His hands, clasped behind his back, loosened and fell to his sides as he quickened his pace. The eunuchs had already dispersed Prince Julu’s watching attendants.

The Emperor stood behind Qi Yue.

Qi Yue sensed him, turned to look at him, her eyes glistening with tears, her expression both sad and joyful.

This was the first time seeing this woman with such an expression. The Emperor was slightly stunned.

“People must pay the price for what they do. What’s the use of crying? Being afraid now is too late,” he said indifferently.

“Who’s afraid? Afraid of what?” Qi Yue said, turning again to look into the room. “Old Physician An is doing so well.”

What? The Emperor frowned and looked over too.

The room’s door was wide open. At a glance, one could see the old man by the bed with his head lowered, concentrating on his needlework, with disciples beside him either passing scissors or wiping with cotton.

A’Ru stood at the head of the bed, holding Little Prince Sima’s hand and blocking his view.

“…The first time I assisted my mistress in surgery, I was so scared I vomited…”

“…Really, I know, though it’s not on my own body, every time I look it’s like it’s on my own body…”

“…Everyone gets scared… but, Little Prince, don’t worry, you’ll be fine…”

The atmosphere in the room wasn’t as terrifying as rumored outside. What they were doing now wasn’t facing a burst wound, but rather as if they were doing routine dressing changes and medication.

Prince Julu stood to the side with a grim expression.

“Your Majesty, look how capable they are…” Qi Yue murmured. “So you see, they are the hope, the predecessors, the great physicians…”

The Emperor frowned.

“Aren’t you going in?” he demanded in a low voice.

Qi Yue pursed her lips and only then went in.

Seeing her enter, the disciples all called out “Master,” and Prince Julu looked over with some surprise.

“Master, please take over…” Old Physician An said hurriedly.

Qi Yue walked over to look, then shook her head.

“No need, you’re doing very well. Tie a knot, it can be cut now,” she said.

Old Physician An nodded without saying more and did as instructed.

Master? Prince Julu snorted and looked this woman up and down.

So this was that so-called divine physician lady.

Divine physician? Doctor?

“How do you practice medicine? Do you become a doctor just by talking? Why weren’t you watching the patient!” he immediately darkened his face and demanded.

Qi Yue looked at him.

“Your Highness has quite a loud voice,” she said. “You came in with such a shout that you scared your son’s wound into splitting open. Is this concern or cruelty? Are you really his father?”

What?

Prince Julu looked utterly shocked.

Outside the door, the Emperor turned away, a suppressed smile at the corner of his mouth.