After the anesthetic, Little Prince Sima fell asleep, but his hand still held onto A’Ru’s without letting go.

“Pry it open,” Qi Yue said after a glance.

A’Ru smiled somewhat embarrassedly. Hu San quickly stepped forward and indeed pried it open, during which A’Ru couldn’t help but suck in cold air and hiss in pain.

Looking at A’Ru’s hand, A’Hao couldn’t help but let out a low cry.

Her hand was covered in blue and red marks from being gripped.

“Go have an imperial physician check if there’s anything wrong with the bones,” Qi Yue said hurriedly.

Hu San took A’Ru’s hand without question and walked away quickly.

Here, Little Prince Sima, having lost his support while under anesthesia, began to grow restless and anxious.

A’Hao, who was standing nearby, instinctively placed her hand over.

Little Prince Sima gripped it tightly and finally calmed down.

“He’s so spoiled,” Qi Yue frowned. “Go find a stick for him to hold.”

A’Hao couldn’t help but smile.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” she said. “Madam, you all go busy yourselves. I can’t help with other things, but I can keep him calm so he doesn’t tear the wound open again.”

Without pain pumps available and unable to use too much anesthetic, Little Prince Sima had endured a second suturing with both physical and psychological pressure – this was the only way.

Qi Yue nodded, instructed several nursing disciples about precautions, and walked out.

In the room here, both Prince Julu and Old Physician An sat quietly.

Qi Yue didn’t look at them, took the charcoal stick handed to her by a disciple behind her, and had two disciples bring over a white board.

“…Wound dehiscence is one of the postoperative complications…” she said, reaching out to write and draw on the white board while explaining.

Prince Julu couldn’t understand the drawings and didn’t quite comprehend the explanation, looking somewhat bewildered.

Old Physician An listened seriously and attentively.

The white board quickly filled with sketches showing how wounds changed under various patient reactions.

“…Coughing, breath-holding, violent movements… sudden increase in intra-abdominal pressure… then… bang…”

Qi Yue said, turning around to make a splitting gesture, still holding the charcoal stick between her fingers.

Before Prince Julu’s eyes appeared the terrifying scene he had witnessed upon entering the room. He couldn’t help but close his eyes slightly.

“This is my explanation to you,” Qi Yue said, tossing the charcoal stick over.

A disciple caught it precisely.

“Your son’s wound split open due to emotional agitation upon seeing you, excessive movement causing breath-holding and increased abdominal pressure,” Qi Yue turned to look at Prince Julu. “If he had followed medical orders, this wouldn’t have happened, so we once again saved your son’s life.”

Having said this, Qi Yue gave him a slight smile.

“No need to thank us, this is what we should do,” she said.

So a beauty’s smile wasn’t always pleasing to the eye!

Prince Julu came to understand this truth.

He looked at this woman who smiled without warmth, his face darkening further.

“What you should do? This is what you should do?” he began, looking at Qi Yue. “I heard you were treating my son, so why are you only coming now? Is this what you should do?”

“Your Highness, my master has family matters…” Old Physician An couldn’t help but speak up.

Qi Yue raised her hand to stop him.

“The Little Prince’s illness has been taken over by my disciple,” she said, looking at Prince Julu. “I’m not boasting, but this disciple of mine…”

She pointed to Old Physician An, “Has exceptional talent and superior medical skills. If he hadn’t been interrupted halfway through his career, the Little Prince’s illness wouldn’t have required my intervention from the start – he alone would have been sufficient.”

Calling him disciple repeatedly, praising his exceptional talent repeatedly!

Every word implied that Prince Julu’s family had ruined her disciple!

When Old Physician An was establishing his reputation and career, you weren’t even born yet! Yet she spoke as if she had personally trained this disciple!

However, where did this An fellow find such an ignorant, fearless, and arrogant woman who seemed to be indulged by both the Emperor and Empress Dowager?

“Whether there’s talent or not, it’s still early to say,” Prince Julu stood up, gave a cold laugh, and walked away.

He wasn’t giving face to these two people – he was giving face to His Majesty and the Empress Dowager. But if something really happened…

Then this time, no one’s face would be able to save these two people’s lives!

Prince Julu was stopped outside the sickroom door.

“This prince doesn’t care about your ridiculous medical orders. This prince only knows that this prince’s son is inside, and this prince wants to enter,” he said sternly.

The disciples at the door exchanged helpless glances.

Voices came from inside the room.

“Father, Father…”

“Little Prince, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid.”

“You’re not the one whose stomach was cut open, of course you’re not afraid!”

“Little Prince, I’ve also been cut open…”

The room fell silent, and the people outside were also stunned. Prince Julu stopped his hand that was about to push the door.

“What?” Little Prince Sima looked at the maid by the bed, somewhat surprised.

“I had a… um… something called a spleen inside my stomach before…” A’Hao said, placing her hand on her abdomen. “It was kicked and damaged, and I almost died. It was my mistress who cut open my stomach and sewed up the broken part, and that’s how I got better.”

Little Prince Sima looked at her with disbelief.

How could that be possible?

A’Hao looked around. Two disciples had gone to prepare medicine, and she was the only one in the room now.

“Little Prince, don’t tell anyone after you see this,” she said in a low voice, reaching to untie her clothes, lifting the hem to expose her bare abdomen.

Little Prince Sima’s eyes widened as he saw the scar running from this young maid’s stomach to her waist, particularly gruesome against her jade-white skin.

Being exposed before an unfamiliar man, A’Hao’s face flushed red, and she quickly lowered her clothes.

“Little Prince, look, I’m perfectly fine now,” she said. “So don’t be afraid. Just listen to our mistress, and you’ll definitely be fine. You’ll recover quickly. Our mistress is a doctor who saves people – she won’t harm you.”

“…Were you afraid then?” Little Prince Sima suddenly asked.

Compared to his earlier restlessness, his mood had calmed considerably.

“I didn’t know at the time,” A’Hao said with a red face, then nodded. “But later, after I woke up, I was very scared.”

“Does this…” Little Prince Sima extended a finger, pointing fearfully at A’Hao’s abdomen, “hurt?”

A’Hao patted it.

Little Prince Sima shuddered with fright.

“It doesn’t hurt,” A’Hao smiled, showing two small canine teeth. “It doesn’t hurt at all.”

Having said this, she lowered her voice again, looking around somewhat embarrassedly.

“But I’m still a little scared in my heart,” she said quietly.

Little Prince Sima made a sound of understanding.

“How long have you had this?”

Low conversation came from inside the room.

Prince Julu took a deep breath, withdrew his hand from the door, and walked away.

The two disciples guarding the door exchanged glances, both puzzled and relieved.

At this moment, Qi Yue was kneeling before the Emperor.

“There’s something I’ve never been able to understand,” he said, looking at the submissive woman kneeling before him, touching his brow. “Actually, you’re doing good deeds, treating illness and saving lives without any selfish motive. But why can’t you make people grateful to you? Why is it that when you’re clearly doing good deeds, you always make the other party angry? They can’t even feel grateful if they want to?”

Qi Yue hadn’t expected his first words to be about this. Upon hearing this, she couldn’t help but touch her ear.

“It seems like it really is this way,” she smiled. “Probably because I’m very annoying.”

The Emperor looked at her without smiling or speaking.

Qi Yue’s smile became somewhat awkward.

“What exactly are you rushing toward?” the Emperor suddenly asked. “Why can’t you do things calmly and leisurely?”

Qi Yue looked up at him, her expression somewhat enlightened.

Yes, indeed, she always seemed very hasty and aggressive, so very impulsive and reckless…

Yes, what was she rushing toward?

Rushing for this dream to wake up?

“You seem very bold, but what are you actually afraid of in your panic?” the Emperor said, throwing the memorial in his hand onto the table.

The sound made Qi Yue, who had been somewhat lost in thought, come back to her senses.

“Oh right,” she suddenly straightened up. “I thought of it.”

The Emperor looked at her. What new trick was she going to say?

“I’m rushing to leave the palace and go back,” Qi Yue said hurriedly.

The Emperor sighed.

“Qi Yueniang!” he said with a frown.

Before he could finish, Qi Yue interrupted.

“Your Majesty, Madam Chen seems to be in bad condition,” she said hastily.

The Emperor was slightly stunned.

Watching the woman rush out the door, the Emperor turned to look at Cai Zhong.

“Your Majesty, this old slave doesn’t know. These past days, Madam Chen has been staying home with her doors closed. This old slave didn’t have people specifically…” Cai Zhong said hurriedly while kneeling. “This old slave is negligent and guilty.”

The Emperor shook his head, indicating for him to rise.

“Go take a look,” he said.

Cai Zhong kowtowed in thanks and hurried out.

The great hall fell quiet. The Emperor reached up to touch his brow, looking toward the hall entrance.

“Your Majesty, I’m going to die.”

The Emperor frowned, lowered his hand, and the illusion before his eyes and in his ears disappeared.

“It seems this woman who has been full of lies since childhood has finally told the truth for once,” he smiled and said, lowering his hand and picking up another memorial to read. After one glance, he stopped again and frowned once more. “But what illness kills so quickly? Is it heaven’s will to die, or is it human will to die?”

Yes, what illness could be so fatal so quickly?

Qi Yue rushed toward Chen Shi’s residence.

The matter had been very sudden for her. Early this morning, after making rounds and arranging for stitch removal, Zhou Maochun had suddenly exclaimed.

“What day is today?” he asked.

A disciple told him.

“Oh no, this is bad,” Zhou Maochun slapped his leg and pulled Qi Yue along.

“What’s wrong?” Qi Yue asked in confusion.

“That Madam Chen of yours is going to die today,” Zhou Maochun said.

Qi Yue was dumbfounded.

“How is she suddenly going to die?” she asked stammering.

“She was going to die anyway, and now it’s time,” Zhou Maochun said matter-of-factly.

Qi Yue took a deep breath and understood.

“So you and she have been deceiving me all along?” she asked.

“It’s not my business. I listen to the patient – she wanted to deceive you,” Zhou Maochun waved his hand.

Qi Yue pulled him along without question, but just as they left the palace gates, she was called back, so she could only have Zhou Maochun go first.

The carriage moved quickly, jolting once, and Qi Yue came to her senses. She lifted the carriage curtain and saw Chen Shi’s residence right before her.

Zhou Maochun might deceive her about someone not being sick, but he wouldn’t deceive her about someone dying. Since he had said it, it meant Chen Shi was really going to die.

Going to die?

Before the carriage came to a complete stop, Qi Yue jumped down and rushed inside.