As soon as the words left his mouth, the Prefecture Magistrate’s body swayed, and the middle-aged woman being attended by several servants let out a shriek and rushed over.
“Physician, you’re all divine doctors, divine doctors! Please think of a way to save my son—I only have this one son!” she cried, collapsing to the ground, nearly fainting.
The physicians hurriedly directed the servants to help the woman breathe, ordering tonic soup to be brought. There was quite a commotion.
“Really no hope? How can there be no hope? He’s still fine, just a stomachache—how can there be no hope?” the Prefecture Magistrate gasped, supporting himself on the table as he questioned them.
“Sir,” a physician walked out from the inner room where screams continued—it was Liu Pucheng, walking with a slight limp as if injured. “Although the young master appears unharmed on the outside, the horse’s hooves have actually damaged his internal organs…”
The Prefecture Magistrate, having been an official for many years and seen much, was not unfamiliar with internal organ injuries.
He remembered having a subordinate bailiff who was seriously injured in his internal organs while pursuing a fugitive, carried back and died after crying out all night.
Now, his own son was actually…
“Physician Liu, Physician Liu, please think of something,” he stepped forward and grabbed him pleadingly.
His usual official authority vanished completely, and he seemed to age instantly, trembling all over.
“You all, you all please think of something…”
He looked around and bowed deeply to these physicians.
The physicians hurriedly moved aside.
“Sir, this won’t do,” everyone said.
“Sir, I’ve already given the young master wind-dispersing and qi-regulating soup, which might delay things for a day or two, but…” Liu Pucheng sighed, “you should still prepare for the young master’s funeral…”
The Prefecture Magistrate finally looked defeated, staggering back several steps, his eyes vacant.
“Sigh, delaying would be worse than not delaying—internal organ injuries are unbearably painful…”
“…Unless Hua Tuo were alive, then we might try…”
The other physicians also sighed.
Standing at the back was a small old man who had been silently listening. Everyone here was the best physician in Yongqing Prefecture. Someone of his status wouldn’t even qualify to stand here if not for the Prefecture Magistrate’s desperate casting of a wide net in his illness-induced panic, let alone express opinions in front of these experts. But just then, he suddenly raised his hand.
“Hua Tuo! Hua Tuo!” he seemed to have received some shock, shouting loudly, even drowning out the injured person’s cries from the inner room. “I know, I know!”
At this point, not only were others surprised, but he himself was so excited he couldn’t control his trembling.
“What are you saying?” the Prefecture Magistrate was like a drowning man grabbing a straw, rushing over in a few steps, pushing aside the other physicians to stand before the old man. “Hua Tuo?”
“Physician Guo, don’t talk nonsense,” a nearby physician glanced at the old man and said quietly.
“This Old Guo runs an apothecary in the south of the city,” someone else quietly introduced the speaking old man to others. “…He mostly serves the servants of wealthy families…has some reputation for treating colds and stick wounds…”
This person smiled as he spoke.
“Physicians don’t distinguish between noble and humble—what’s there to laugh about?” another physician said sternly.
The person quickly stopped smiling and showed junior disciple courtesy to this person.
“Yes, this student wouldn’t dare,” that speaking physician said quickly.
Meanwhile, the Prefecture Magistrate was already grabbing Physician Guo and asking repeatedly.
“…I once treated a patient who was kicked and injured in the internal organs, and he survived,” Physician Guo said tremblingly.
“Then you go treat him quickly!” the Prefecture Magistrate grabbed him and pushed him toward the inner room, shouting hoarsely.
“It’s not me, it’s not me,” Physician Guo shouted and waved his hands, actually being pushed several steps by the Prefecture Magistrate.
“Then who is it?” the Prefecture Magistrate could barely breathe.
The other physicians were also curious—there was actually such an expert in Yongqing Prefecture?
“I don’t know who it is!” Physician Guo shouted.
Everyone in the room choked.
“That girl was cured, but they wouldn’t tell me who cured her. This old man couldn’t find out,” Physician Guo said in one breath.
Many physicians shook their heads.
“How could such a thing happen…”
They didn’t believe it.
“Was she really cured?” a physician asked. “Didn’t you misdiagnose?”
Misdiagnosis was an accusation no physician could tolerate, and Physician Guo was no exception.
“How could I misdiagnose! I’ve treated this kind before—every one had the same symptoms, then died within two or three days. Only this one, I originally thought she was dead too, but unexpectedly I encountered her a few days ago, alive and well, even deliberately scaring me…” he said with a red face and trembling beard.
“Which family?” Liu Pucheng, who had been silent, suddenly asked.
“Marquis Dingxi’s manor,” Physician Guo said.
The room buzzed with discussion, but everyone’s opinion was still that Physician Guo’s account was unreliable.
The Prefecture Magistrate was also at a loss.
“Master, master, Marquis Dingxi’s manor might really be able to invite a divine doctor…” the Prefecture Magistrate’s wife cried out. “I’ll go beg them right now. My cousin is old friends with the Marchioness of Dingxi—I’ll go beg her…”
“Marquis Dingxi’s manor would invite a divine doctor for a servant?” the Prefecture Magistrate smiled bitterly. “Wife, do you think this is possible?”
The physicians present also thought the same and nodded.
“I didn’t lie—she was really cured,” Physician Guo saw everyone looking at him with disbelief and insisted.
“Sir,” Liu Pucheng suddenly spoke, stepping forward to look at the Prefecture Magistrate. “If it’s Marquis Dingxi’s manor, perhaps the young master really has hope.”
When Chang Yuncheng returned to Marquis Dingxi’s manor, it caused quite a commotion.
Chang Yunqi dismounted and regained his freedom, then headed straight for where Marquis Dingxi was, causing maids, pages, and servants to hurriedly avoid him all along the way.
Chang Yuncheng didn’t stop him, but maintained his composure, returning to his own courtyard first to wash and change clothes before going to Madam Xie’s quarters.
Just as he reached the gate of Madam Xie’s Rong’an Courtyard, he encountered Marquis Dingxi coming angrily.
He wore a casual gray silk robe without even a belt, obviously having come in haste. Upon seeing Chang Yuncheng, he raised his hand and slapped him.
Chang Yuncheng didn’t dodge, taking the slap directly.
“Tie him up,” Marquis Dingxi said with even greater anger.
The pages following closely behind all carried sticks and ropes. Hearing this, they lowered their heads and stepped forward.
“Who dares!” Madam Xie’s voice came from inside the gate. She didn’t need help, walking out quickly herself and pulling Chang Yuncheng behind her for protection.
Only then did the servants and maids surge forward, all kneeling and calling for the Marquis to calm his anger.
“Rebellious son!” Marquis Dingxi roared, pointing at Madam Xie. “Step aside—you’ve spoiled him!”
“Marquis, whose slander have you believed this time that you want to take it out on Cheng-ge? You don’t even ask, you just hit him and scold him. Even if he did something wrong, did you ask him? Did you personally ask him?” Madam Xie trembled with anger, speaking without retreat, tears glittering. “I spoiled him—if I don’t spoil him, who else in this entire manor cares for him even a little!”
“What nonsense are you talking! He’s driven his wife to near death, and you still want to protect him!” Marquis Dingxi shouted, looking at Madam Xie. “Or perhaps you knew about this all along?”
Madam Xie was completely confused.
“Marquis, what are you talking about! What driving his wife to death!” she asked.
“Ask your good son!” Marquis Dingxi shouted.
All the maids and servants in the courtyard withdrew outside the gate. In Rong’an Courtyard, besides Marquis Dingxi, Madam Xie, and Chang Yuncheng, Chang Yunqi and Concubine Zhou, who had come upon hearing the news, were also there.
“Does it hurt?” Sitting on the kang, Madam Xie touched the slap mark on Chang Yuncheng’s face, asking in a low voice through tears.
Chang Yuncheng smiled.
“My skin is thick—I’m just afraid I hurt father’s hand,” he said.
Madam Xie’s tears fell.
“How did you get this thick skin…” she said chokingly.
“Enough! After doing such a thing and being reported, even thick skin won’t help!” Marquis Dingxi said sternly.
“Marquis, why must you insist it was Cheng-ge who did it?” Madam Xie wiped her tears and said with raised eyebrows, her gaze sweeping over Concubine Zhou and Chang Yunqi standing in the room, sneering. “Perhaps it’s the thief calling ‘catch thief.'”
“What thief calling ‘catch thief’! How is Qi-ge a thief?” Marquis Dingxi scolded. “What does this have to do with him!”
Madam Xie sneered.
“Nothing to do with him? As a brother-in-law, why does he keep running to his sister-in-law’s place where she lives alone?” she said blandly. “It’s fine to listen to music and laugh together at home, but even when she’s away, he’s still so concerned?”
As soon as Madam Xie spoke these words, Chang Yunqi knelt down.
“Mother, please see clearly—your son only thinks of sibling affection. If there’s any impropriety, may heaven strike me with five thunderbolts,” he said, raising his hand toward heaven.
“Why make vows for no reason!” Marquis Dingxi didn’t like hearing this and gestured with his hand. “Get up—why kneel for no reason?”
Before Chang Yunqi could rise, Concubine Zhou knelt down in tears.
“Madam, back then Old Madam loved liveliness and had all the children stay with her. Properly there should have been separation between boys and girls, but Old Madam cherished Yueniang and wanted the brothers and sisters to have more affection for her, so for those two years she didn’t have them deliberately avoid each other. Qi-ge truly sees her as a sister, which is why his behavior is now improper. Please forgive him, Madam,” she said chokingly.
“What crime! What forgiveness! Shouldn’t family members be close and affectionate? Unless they’re all like this wretched boy, driving people to death—only then would it be reasonable?” Marquis Dingxi slammed the table and shouted. He originally wanted to have someone help Concubine Zhou up, but seeing all the maids had withdrawn, he rose to help her himself.
Concubine Zhou didn’t dare let him help her, quickly rising and humbly stepping back. Her sorrowful, helpless expression made Marquis Dingxi’s anger burn even stronger.
“Speak—what exactly do you want?” Marquis Dingxi directed all his fury at Chang Yuncheng.
“Investigate—we must find the murderer,” Chang Yuncheng said calmly.
“Fine! I’ll see what you can investigate!” Marquis Dingxi snorted, glancing at Madam Xie and sneering. “Now that’s what I call thief calling ‘catch thief.'”
“Marquis,” Madam Xie stood up, her face ashen, pointing at Chang Yuncheng with trembling hands. “This is your son, this is your legitimate eldest son! You haven’t asked him a single question from beginning to end, just listened to a few words from others and decided his guilt! Marquis, your heart is too biased!”