"I have a fallback plan, why invite trouble?" Qi Yue said to A Ru with a smile. "I can manage perfectly well without relying on the housekeeper; why should I strain myself? If you have backing, lean on it. If you have influence, use it. What's there to be embarrassed about? If you don't use it now, will it still be good later?"

It was no longer a matter of waking up to find everything irrelevant...

A Ru chuckled.

"But Madam will be very angry," she said worriedly.

"A Ru, you still haven't understood," Qi Yue said, watching her smile. "When someone dislikes you, it doesn't change easily. The more you try to please them, the more they will resent you. Instead of wasting smiles on someone who dislikes you, it’s better to be kinder to those who don't. Life is short; cherish what deserves to be cherished."

"But, Young Madam, Madam is still your mother-in-law in name..." A Ru murmured softly.

To the Young Madam before her, the Marquis's wife was just an irrelevant person, but in reality, to everyone else, she was Qi Yue Niang.

"That's why I'm not causing trouble anymore," Qi Yue laughed. "Didn't I just hand over the management rights and other things a mother-in-law should handle to her?"

That was true... A Ru gave a wry smile, but even though this should have been good news for the Marquis's wife, the process was far from pleasant. If this was the first time dealing with the Marquis's wife, offering to manage things would have been far better than this forced relinquishing of authority.

"That's not possible either," Qi Yue shook her head. "After being bullied to that extent, how can I still offer my cheek up to be slapped?"

A Ru laughed.

"Alright, Young Madam, you are right about everything. Tell me what to do, and that's what we'll do. Your maid will listen to you," she said with a smile.

"I won't stir up trouble, of course, but don't you dare bully me either," Qi Yue stated. "As long as the well water doesn't cross the river, we can all live in peace."

With that, she clapped her hands.

"Now that the small matters are settled, let's get on with the important business."

So, all that wasn't important business? A Ru's face darkened momentarily.

"Young Madam, we've walked so far; let's rest a bit," she quickly urged.

The Young Madam disliked carriages and sedan chairs, always preferring to walk. Of all the young ladies and madams A Ru knew, none could walk as much as she could.

This must be exhausting.

"I'm not tired. To be a physician, one must have good stamina. Sometimes a surgery takes over ten hours. If you don't have the strength to stand, how can you treat the sick and save lives?" Qi Yue laughed, tapping A Ru's shoulder. "Let's go to Qianjin Hall and ask the teachers how to begin studying medicine."

"Study what more? You already know everything," A Ru joked.

"Learn what I don't know," Qi Yue countered with a smile.

A Ru said nothing more, smiling as she called over a passing servant woman. She asked the woman to tell someone to prepare a carriage. It was essential to have a carriage when going out; otherwise, the dignified Young Madam of the Marquis’s Residence walking on the street was... too much.

The servant woman had no questions about the order and busily scurried off, delighted.

Because Hu San's irresponsible retelling had spread, those gathered outside Qianjin Hall wanting details had already dispersed. Thus, Qi Yue did not encounter a chaotic scene when she entered.

Qianjin Hall was as usual, perhaps only with a few more people coming for consultations and prescriptions.

"Isn't Huichun Hall right next door to your place? And you come here for medicine?"

"Let me tell you... I heard it from my nephew. He’s an apprentice at Huiren Hall, and he said the best physician in our Yongqing Prefecture is right here at Qianjin Hall..."

"Really? Could your nephew be a spy for Qianjin Hall?"

"Pah! Believe it or not."

Two people talking quietly by the entrance sensed someone approaching from behind them, about to pass.

"Hey, hey, line up!" One of them quickly reached out to stop them.

"I'm not here for a consultation," Qi Yue said lightly.

A Ru had already stepped forward, pushing the man's arm away.

"What are you doing? Are you blind?" she hissed softly.

Only then did the man notice the beautiful young lady standing before him, dressed in attire he had never seen before. He immediately flinched back in alarm. As he moved, the others turned to look too, all stunned for a moment before quickly making way.

Who was this young lady? Her bearing suggested she was no ordinary person. However, people from wealthy families usually summoned physicians to their homes; who would personally come to a medical hall?

The assistants at Qianjin Hall saw Qi Yue, froze for a beat, and then became flustered.

"Qi Niangzi is here!" they shouted loudly. Some rushed forward to greet her, while others hastily went inside to announce her arrival.

Only Liu Pucheng, Zhang Tong, and Hu San here knew Qi Yue's true identity. Everyone else still knew her only as Qi Niangzi, the physician from the Dingxi Marquis’s Residence.

Qi Yue smiled and greeted them one by one.

"Qi Niangzi, you were truly amazing this time..."

A bold disciple summoned the courage to speak.

They knew the Prefect’s son had been cured at the Dingxi Marquis’s Residence. If he was cured there, it could only have been by Physician Qi Niangzi. While they hadn't witnessed how this physician performed the Cesarean section, they had certainly seen how Qi Niangzi stitched up large-area wounds.

Qi Yue looked at the faces, most of whom she didn't recognize, seeing only awe and admiration in their eyes. She couldn't help but stop and speak to them with a smile.

"Everyone has their strengths; what you can do, I cannot. Everyone here is skilled," she said modestly.

A physician this humble was rare in the world. Despite possessing such divine skill, she still praised them. The assembled disciples were incredibly excited.

"Master, you've arrived," Hu San rushed out from the back hall, shouting loudly.

Qi Yue nodded with a smile.

"Master is seeing patients; come in and wait for a bit," Hu San instructed, respectfully leading the way.

His calling her "Master" came easily, but Qi Yue knew it referred to different individuals.

"Go on, go on, what are you staring at? Get back to work," Hu San glared, waving his hand at the disciples still lingering, scattering them like chicks.

These words and actions were familiar to the disciples of Qianjin Hall, but what was unfamiliar was that the one who used to be chased and shooed away was now the one doing the chasing and ushering.

This seemed like a sudden, instant change, yet no one felt the slightest discomfort.

Discomfort? Why would they feel uncomfortable! Look at the two Masters he was addressing! If you could earn that title, you could flaunt your status just as easily.

Liu Pucheng had a patient, so Qi Yue followed Hu San to the room next to his.

Zhang Tong personally brought tea.

"It's nothing fine, Young Madam, please forgive me," he said apologetically.

Qi Yue smiled, picked up the cup, and drank.

Tea—she couldn't tell the good from the bad; it all tasted the same going down. It was a waste of her father’s entire cupboard of fine tea.

Meanwhile, Hu San leaned conspiratorially toward A Ru, pulling out an object.

"Sister A Ru, look at this," he whispered.

A Ru glanced at him indifferently.

"What is it?" she asked.

"When you were doing that oral care the Young Madam mentioned, I saw how exhausting it was, so I came up with an idea these past few days and made this..." Hu San said cheerfully. "Next time there's something like that, we can save some effort."

A Ru glanced at the item in his hand but didn't take it, turning her gaze away.

"It's not hard for me to do it myself," she replied.

Hu San met a cold shoulder but was used to it. He chuckled and urged A Ru to try it.

"What is it? Let me see," Qi Yue turned her head and said.

Hu San quickly brought the object over.

"Master, I was just messing around; please don't laugh at me," he said, smiling.

Qi Yue looked at the thing he brought her, and her eyes lit up.

"Oh?" she said. "A syringe?"

Hu San instantly beamed. See? Without him even explaining, the Master instantly identified its use. The Master was indeed the Master, but this also meant he... hehe....

Qi Yue looked at the palm-sized oddity that was neither quite a pot nor quite anything else. The body was wrinkled and flat, squeezeable, and the spout was long and slender for water output.

"I got the idea from the bellows at the blacksmith's shop. I don't know if it will work; I was just playing," Hu San said modestly, though his smile stretched to his ears.

"Bring some water," Qi Yue said, suddenly interested.

Zhang Tong quickly went himself.

Qi Yue rolled up her sleeves. She used the small bellows-like object to suck up water and squirted a few times, laughing happily.

"This is excellent," she said loudly, looking at Hu San with full admiration. "It can be used not just for oral irrigation but for all sorts of rinsing needs, avoiding hand contact, saving time and effort."

As she spoke, she looked at the small bellows in her hand, and it inexplicably overlapped with the irrigators she had used in modern times.

"It really does look similar..." she muttered to herself, smiling.

"Master, does it really work?" Hu San was beaming with joy.

"It does," Qi Yue nodded. "Make a few more spares."

Hu San shouted his assent.

"Oh, right, A Ru," Qi Yue remembered this young man's wealth and looked at A Ru. "Did you bring money?"

Everyone immediately understood what she meant.

A Ru reached for the money pouch, but Hu San quickly waved his hands in refusal.

"Take it. This is for my use, so naturally, I'll pay," Qi Yue said, making it impossible to refuse.

A Ru thrust the money pouch into Hu San’s hands.

"If she tells you to take it, take it. Stop being so polite," she whispered.

Only then did Hu San chuckle and accept it.

Qi Yue, however, was left wanting more.

"If this can be made, perhaps other things can be made too?" she murmured, growing more excited the more she thought about it, rubbing her hands together.

"What else?" Hu San quickly asked.

"For instance, the siphon needed to draw out blood and organs during that last abdominal surgery... or basic surgical tools like retractors, hooks... syringes..." Qi Yue said with growing excitement.

"Are those the things the Young Madam used?" Hu San asked, as he completely couldn't understand Qi Yue's words.

Qi Yue nodded.

"I saw the Madam’s knife; it's too exquisite. Our local smiths can't make one like that," Liu Pucheng commented.

They were speaking so intently that they didn't notice he had arrived. Looking over, they quickly greeted him.

"The knife is secondary; the most crucial things are the consumables, like tubing for infusions, syringes, infusion bottles..." Qi Yue explained.

"Tubing shouldn't be too hard. As long as it’s sealed and doesn't leak, we can sew it together with hide," Liu Pucheng mused thoughtfully.

"Like a wine bladder or skin pouch?" Hu San offered.

"But I'm afraid we can't make the tubing as fine as the Young Madam's," Zhang Tong also frowned, thinking.

"I know an old leatherworker; perhaps I should go ask him to try?" Hu San suggested.

"Good," Qi Yue nodded, unable to hide her excitement. "I'll draw a diagram so he understands the required length and size."

"Good," Liu Pucheng was also very pleased.

He still remembered the incident where Qi Yue used tubing to draw blood from one person into another. If such a device could be created, then severe bleeding injuries might not be an incurable disease in the future?