Qi Yue was unaware of what had happened in the marquis’s mansion.

Today was the day for the injured man to have his stitches removed. Although Qi Yue had decided not to display her medical skills anymore, she still couldn’t help but come to see.

Seeing her arrive, the injured man jumped directly down from the bed.

“Madam Qi, why haven’t you come to see me for so long?” he said with surprise, joy, and some sadness.

It hasn’t been that long, Qi Yue smiled, looking up to examine the injured man.

“Good, you’re full of vigor after just a few days. Your constitution is indeed strong,” she said with a smile, then looked at the senior disciple who had followed in. “Has your master gone out?”

“Yes, he’s been gone for several days now. It’s good that Madam Qi came, otherwise we wouldn’t know how to remove the stitches,” the senior disciple said.

“Did he go on a house call?” Qi Yue asked casually, feeling somewhat regretful. She would rarely go out in the future, and following Dr. Liu Pucheng would probably mean no chance to meet again. This doctor had left an excellent impression on her, particularly reminiscent of her mentor.

“Master didn’t say,” the senior disciple replied. “He’s been gone for several days, only saying he went to search for medicine.”

Since Liu Pucheng wasn’t there, she would remove the stitches this time. Qi Yue turned to look for A’Ru.

Hu San, quick-eyed and nimble-footed, inserted himself.

“Master, what do you need me to prepare?” he asked respectfully.

Qi Yue glanced at the small bundle A’Ru held in her arms. The large medicine box was no longer necessary to carry. Except for instruments, all the medicines were gone, so before going out she had only asked A’Ru to wrap things in cloth.

“Liquor, the stronger the better, boiled water with salt added, and cotton,” Qi Yue said.

Hu San responded and hurried off cheerfully.

“Why are you still standing? Lie down quickly,” Qi Yue said after washing her hands and putting on her mask and gloves, only then noticing the injured man had been standing the whole time.

Seeing her look over, the injured man nodded happily, propped himself on the bed with one hand, and lay down smoothly.

“Nice moves,” Qi Yue said with a smile. Was this what people with martial arts skills in ancient times were like?

The injured man lay on the bed looking at her, showing a big smile.

Hu San quickly brought the items.

“It’ll hurt a bit, bear with it,” Qi Yue said, tearing off a piece of cotton, dipping it in liquor while smiling at the injured man.

The injured man’s gaze never left Qi Yue.

“Looking at Madam Qi,” he opened his mouth to speak, but a large hand promptly covered his mouth, and the rest of his words became muffled sounds.

“Madam Qi, it’s fine. This kid isn’t afraid of pain. Do as you please,” the dark-faced big man said to Qi Yue with a grin, his hand firmly covering the injured man’s mouth.

Qi Yue’s smile was hidden by her mask, showing only her curved eyes. She said nothing more, lowering her head to begin disinfecting. Forceps and scissors worked in busy but orderly alternation.

The room quieted down, with only the injured man’s occasional sharp intakes of breath from pain. Everyone’s gaze, except for the injured man’s, was focused on Qi Yue’s hands as scissors and forceps rapidly alternated—slender hands, skillful hands…

Walking out the door of Qianjin Hall, Qi Yue turned around to look at the people who had seen her out.

“Well then, goodbye,” she said, waving with a smile.

“Safe travels, Madam Qi,” the senior disciple and all the apprentices said in unison, bowing respectfully.

As they bent down, Qi Yue could see the injured man behind them. He was being held back by the dark-faced big man, wanting to follow out but unable to.

“Madam Qi, Madam Qi, my name is Jiang Hai,” he could only wave and call out to Qi Yue.

Qi Yue smiled at him, nodded once more to the senior disciple and others, then took A’Ru’s hand to board the carriage.

As the carriage was about to enter the side gate, it was stopped by an old man.

Since this old man was known to all the mansion’s servants, he wasn’t beaten away with sticks.

Although he wasn’t beaten away, the servants and matrons who came out still blocked him, not letting him approach.

“Young Madam, Young Madam, this old man wants to ask you one question. Please let this old man say one word, otherwise this old man will die with eyes unclosed,” the old man shouted hoarsely.

This had the flavor of blocking the road to voice grievances. Qi Yue lifted the carriage curtain but didn’t immediately recognize that the old man desperately blocking the carriage was the old physician she had seen that day.

“Young Madam, Young Madam, do you still remember this old man? That night I examined your maid’s illness,” the old man saw Qi Yue show her face and hurriedly waved and called out.

“Oh, it’s you, Doctor,” Qi Yue looked at him, having basically guessed what this was about. There it is, as expected, she thought, immediately showing a delighted smile on her face. “I was just wanting to thank you.”

The old man was stunned by her words, the words he was about to shout stuck in his throat.

“Me?” he said in bewilderment.

“Yes,” Qi Yue smiled with genuine feeling. “That day my maid was clearly going to die, but we followed what you said before leaving—we worshipped the divine physician Bian Que in the courtyard. My maid and I worshipped all night, and she indeed recovered.”

What… what?

The old man stared wide-eyed.

“I’ve been saying I wanted to reward you, Doctor, but never had the time. A’Ru, quick, grab some money.”

Qi Yue said with a smile.

A’Ru responded, got down from the carriage, untied the money pouch from her body and stuffed it all to the old man.

“Young Madam, you’re joking, aren’t you?” he finally came to his senses and shouted, but where was the Young Madam’s figure?

Qi Yue’s carriage had already entered the marquis’s mansion, the side gate slowly closed, leaving only him standing dazedly in place clutching a money pouch.

“This is impossible. This is impossible,” the old man murmured, his eyes unfocused.

After the carriage entered the mansion, as Qi Yue got down and walked toward the courtyard, she heard about A’Hao’s joke from today.

“…That old physician grabbed Miss A’Hao and wouldn’t let go, completely mad. It took four or five matrons to pull him away,” Jiu Zhi described to Qi Yue with a laugh.

When she heard that A’Hao had jumped out to tease the physician herself, A’Ru’s expression had already darkened.

Qi Yue’s expression remained normal.

“Oh? Saying A’Ru should be dead? Shouldn’t be alive?” she said with a smile, with some nonchalance.

“Exactly, really crazy. How could someone perfectly fine not deserve to live?” Jiu Zhi said with a laugh, and the following maids and matrons also laughed in agreement.

“What’s wrong with this physician?” Qi Yue waved her hand with a laugh. “Better get a different doctor.”

“He was driven away immediately,” Jiu Zhi replied promptly. “I told Nanny Su to select a new physician. Someone has already been sent to handle it. I also personally went to Third Miss’s place to explain. The new physician should already be there examining the maid by now.”

Qi Yue looked at her with a smile.

“Well done,” she said.

“It’s because the Young Madam taught well,” Jiu Zhi said with a bright smile, bowing in thanks.

Speaking, they entered the courtyard. Several matrons were already waiting to report matters. After finishing business, there were people from the accounting office bringing the monthly financial reports Qi Yue had requested. Since they had never done this before, although Qi Yue had personally written the format and items, what the accounting office brought was still a mess. Qi Yue had to patiently explain everything again. After a chaotic busy period, things finally quieted down. She found an excuse to dismiss Jiu Zhi and the other maids, closed the door, and only then did Qi Yue and A’Ru ask about A’Hao.

“…I didn’t say anything, just insisted that I had good fortune. That physician got stubborn from somewhere and insisted I must have been cured by someone,” A’Hao said with her head lowered. “It’s all my fault for provoking that physician.”

When they first entered, A’Ru had already angrily poked A’Hao’s head several times with her finger. Now after hearing everything, she still couldn’t help being angry and pulled A’Hao to kneel down.

“How can you never learn from your mistakes?” This time she was really angry, kneeling down herself and solemnly kowtowing to Qi Yue. “Please, Young Madam, dismiss A’Hao. This girl absolutely cannot stay here.”

“Young Madam, Sister A’Ru, I’ll never dare again. Please forgive me this once,” A’Hao said in great alarm, immediately crying and kowtowing.

Qi Yue didn’t smile and tell them to get up as usual, but seemed thoughtful.

“A’Hao, actually changing to a different position wouldn’t be bad,” she said.

A’Hao was greatly shocked, looking up at Qi Yue with a pale face.

“Young Madam,” she instantly broke into uncontrollable sobs, prostrating herself and crying bitterly.

A’Ru, however, immediately guessed Qi Yue’s thoughts.

“A’Hao, the Young Madam is doing this for your own good,” she said quietly. “You should go.”

A’Hao looked at Qi Yue with tears streaming down her face, biting her lower lip and slowly bowing down to kowtow.

“A’Hao, listen to the Young Madam,” she said chokingly.

The next day, Miss A’Hao from the Young Madam’s service accidentally dropped a jade comb while combing hair. The Young Madam was very angry and scolded A’Hao several times. A’Hao’s arguing back angered the Young Madam even more.

“You should have gone back to rest properly after being ill,” the Young Madam directly dismissed A’Hao with one sentence.

When this news spread, it surprised all the maids and matrons in the mansion.

“This A’Hao was originally arrogant and domineering. She should have been driven out long ago…”

“A’Hao was first ill, and though she’s somewhat better now, she still can’t do much work. Those maids all saw it—every day she’s either lying down or sitting around like a young lady. What use did the Young Madam have keeping her…”

“Right, plus that physician kept insisting she was supposed to die—how inauspicious. The Young Madam definitely couldn’t keep her…”

“…I think Jiu Zhi is getting more capable, pushing her out…”

There were all kinds of discussions, but as A’Hao left the Young Madam’s courtyard and was said to cry for several days at home without eating or drinking, people gradually stopped mentioning her. Maids gaining and losing favor with their masters was very common—nothing unusual about it.

“Young Madam, Nanny Su asks which maid to pick to fill A’Hao’s vacancy,” Jiu Zhi asked.

Qi Yue leaned somewhat lazily against the window, staring at the gradually yellowing leaves in the courtyard in a daze. She felt like it had been a long time—perhaps she should return to Qiu Tong Courtyard. Maybe she could go back now. Jiu Zhi had to ask twice before she turned her face.

“No need. We have enough people. No need to add more,” she said with a smile.

There was no need to pull more people in. When she inevitably left suddenly someday, these maids who had followed her through this commotion didn’t know whether it would be fortune or misfortune for them. Better to have one less if possible.

“How can that work?” Jiu Zhi brought over tea and said.

“Why wouldn’t it work?” Qi Yue took it with a smile. “Having you few is enough. What, afraid you’ll get tired?”

“Oh my, what are you saying, Young Madam?” Jiu Zhi said with a laugh. “How can I answer that?”

“You should answer: give me A’Hao’s monthly allowance, and I’ll do two people’s work without feeling wronged,” Qi Yue said with a laugh.

“If Young Madam really dares give it to me, I really dare accept it,” Jiu Zhi said half-jokingly.

As master and servant were joking, Lan’er came in to report.

“Young Madam, Concubine Zhou’s maid has come to deliver sugar cakes,” she said, with a smiling maid behind her.

“Young Madam, these are sugar cakes newly sent from the concubine’s family home. The concubine asked me to bring you a box—Young Madam loves these,” the maid said, walking forward with some familiarity.