Thank you for the generous reward; you really shouldn't have spent the money. I will work hard and strive to write more chapters for you all.

Dr. An was stopped at the door, which genuinely surprised him. In his entire medical career, people had always respectfully invited him in; being turned away at the threshold was a first.

“Dr. An, we are quite busy inside right now. It’s really inconvenient, I’m afraid,” the steward received him, his manner gentle and deferential, which was at least some face saved. “Let me take a look inside and see if there is anything I can help with,” Dr. An insisted through gritted teeth. This unsolicited self-insertion into a diagnosis was also unprecedented for him. The steward managed a smile. “That, I fear, would be difficult,” he said, with a hint of regret. “You see, we’ve already invited several doctors from the street. If Dr. An were to go in now, those gentlemen might feel slighted, and we would be terribly embarrassed.”

What a joke. When he had previously insisted on only letting Dr. An take the pulse in front of other physicians, did they feel embarrassed then? Dr. An stared at the steward, momentarily speechless. Fine, he would concede another step. “May I ask how the young master is doing?” Dr. An inquired. The moment the words left his mouth, he felt something was amiss again, and sure enough, the steward displayed a strange smile. “Well, I know nothing of medicine, so I couldn’t say. Dr. An has treated our young master before, so you must know better than I,” the steward replied, stroking his goatee before finally bursting into hearty laughter. Dr. An was so angry he nearly cracked his teeth; served him right for eagerly offering his face to be slapped.

This Xie family originally hailed from Shanxi as mere masons, poor wretches, who, through sheer fluke, had helped lay the city walls for the founding Emperor. Relying on the reckless audacity of being mere peasants unafraid of anything, they fought with swords and carved out a path to wealth. Now, they had transformed into a wealthy household, relying on connections and networking, and even paid for tutors to propel the younger generation into the imperial examinations. A stroke of fortune landed them a Jinshi degree, and from then on, they could claim to be a scholarly and distinguished family in name. In truth, the underlying scent of mud could never be washed away! What kind of master raises what kind of servant? Just look at the face of this steward. Even if they survive today, who knows about tomorrow. I won't go in. I'll wait. Dr. An swept his sleeve and walked away.

“Have the wet nurse express the milk, and then use this…” Qi Yue held up a syringe, drew some milk from a bowl of expressed liquid nearby, and carefully aimed it toward the infant’s mouth, injecting it slowly. “…over the next few days, feed him bit by bit. If there are any adverse reactions, such as cyanosis or vomiting, stop feeding immediately, administer artificial oxygen to the child, and call for a physician right away…” In the room, Zhao Ge’s wife and the others stared wide-eyed, fixedly watching. “Artificial respiration is done like this…” Qi Yue bent over again, demonstrating for them. The entire room watched with wide eyes, still completely dumbfounded. “Sister-in-law, you… you cannot leave without returning… Ah, no, I… I shouldn’t have stopped you from going back…” she couldn't help but say, her voice laced with pleading, looking at Qi Yue. Qi Yue smiled and straightened up. “Actually, I’m not of much use here. It’s all thanks to these doctors,” she said with a smile, pointing to the several physicians standing nearby. They dared not accept such praise; the doctors flinched, waving their hands in polite deference. Looking again at this woman, their expressions were a mixture of shock and astonishment. Was this modesty, or true humility? Everyone knew that without her, the child would never have had a chance for them to treat him, let alone her precise and timely direction on the course of treatment. This type of infant seizure disorder was critically dependent on time; one blink and the child was alive, the next blink, and he was gone. “Don’t be afraid, it’s quite simple. With these doctors here, I’m sure the young master will be fine,” Qi Yue continued smoothly. This made the doctors in the room feel prickly and uncomfortable—this was truly… truly undeserved. “However, you should also prepare yourselves mentally,” Qi Yue added. “This illness is prone to leaving aftereffects, mainly due to fluid accumulation in the brain… Uh, fluid in the brain is… is… well, you understand the medication involved, so I won’t elaborate.” That final sentence was addressed directly to the physicians. The doctors didn't fully grasp it, but since the child had been pulled back from the jaws of death, they knew the path forward for diagnosis and medication. They nodded in agreement, then immediately retracted their assent, seeking further guidance. “…Should we treat all symptoms like this?” “…Why was the head secured with wooden boards?” At first, everyone was hesitant to pry into the medical secrets of a practitioner, but as they interacted, they fully understood that this woman was genuinely sharing everything without reservation. “To pry into the Lady’s secret formulas, we are truly… ashamed…” But Qi Yue just smiled. “What do you have to feel ashamed of? The fact that you were willing to stay and take over this patient shows you respect me, which is a tremendous help. If others respect me one inch, I will respect them ten feet in return. This is what you deserve.” Such… such a noble person… The doctors didn't know how to articulate their excitement. They had been too busy treating the illness to ask questions earlier, but now they could no longer hold back, eagerly inquiring about their doubts, some even taking out paper and brushes to write down notes as they asked. Qi Yue smiled and explained everything one by one, finally satisfying the doctors to some extent. Then, she quickly moved on to demonstrating proper care for the infant to Zhao Ge’s wife and the household servants. “As the saying goes, treatment is three parts effort, and nursing is seven. This is especially true for such a young infant…” she explained, demonstrating step-by-step how to use the necessary items and manage the care routine—how to feed, how to rinse the mouth. Qi Yue herself had almost forgotten these details; they weren't learned from books but from observation as a resident physician during daily rounds. Later, specialized nurses handled these tasks, so she never expected to dust off these skills. Perhaps she should have studied nursing; it seemed like the most useful thing she could offer now. “What are you saying, Young Mistress? What do you mean by ‘nothing else is useful’? Don’t try to belittle us servants,” A'ru retorted, rolling her eyes at her. Qi Yue laughed and playfully poked her forehead.

On the fourth day, the child showed significant improvement, and Qi Yue finally breathed a sigh of relief. As the New Year approached, it was time to return, so she bid farewell. These past few days had been consumed by the treatment, and she had rested within the residence, taking meals only with Chang Yuncheng. She had not met the Xie family's female relatives or the men, other than becoming close with Zhao Ge’s wife; she still couldn't recognize the others. The farewell this time was not much different from the last—Old Madam Xie still did not appear. However, the difference was that the expressions of everyone looking at her were no longer coolly polite but openly revealed undisguised gratitude and curiosity. “You must come during the first lunar month, you absolutely must come! As for Cheng’er, I don’t care if he comes, but Yueniang must come…” The Eldest Maternal Aunt held Qi Yue’s hand, repeating this statement fervently. Chang Yuncheng stood to the side, showing a rare smile, while others watched him with greater surprise. Previously, whenever the Eldest Maternal Aunt spoke intimately, the Lord Marquis always maintained a cool demeanor. Unexpectedly, today, when she spoke warmly to him, he smiled instead. “Alright, I will come,” Qi Yue nodded. Aside from the enthusiastic Eldest Maternal Aunt and the grateful Zhao Ge couple who freely expressed their emotions, the rest of the Xie family remained reserved. After all, Old Madam Xie still had not appeared to see her off, nor had she met with Qi Yue again, which clearly conveyed her attitude toward this daughter-in-law of her maternal grandson. The debt of a life saved inspires boundless gratitude; hatred that prevents one from showing face implies deep aversion. How could two such diametrically opposed feelings be concentrated on one person? What kind of situation was this? The carriage finally departed once more. Watching the carriage recede, the physicians who had gathered behind the servants to see her off could not contain their curiosity. “Is this Lady a relative of your household? I wonder which esteemed medical family she hails from.” The servant turned back to them, wearing a look of slight arrogance and self-satisfaction. “Indeed, she is the daughter-in-law of our son-in-law’s family—the daughter-in-law of our household’s maternal grandson, from Yongqing Manor.” They had been too busy treating the illness these past few days to inquire about the Lady’s origins. Hearing this, everyone nodded in surprise. Because they had never been qualified to associate with the Xie family before, they had no idea who their few children had married. They only knew the connections must be wealthy and noble. Yongqing Manor? “Yongqing Manor truly produces divine doctors!” one physician exclaimed with excitement. “Didn’t that divine doctor appear not long ago who performed abdominal surgery to save someone near death? Ah, that one was also a woman…” “Yes, yes, I heard about that! The rumors were amazing—a woman, and from some Marquis’s residence…” “The Young Mistress of the Marquis of Dingsi’s Residence!” “Right, right, that’s her! She owns the Qianjin Hall…” “Yongqing Manor keeps producing female divine doctors! I wonder if this Lady and that Young Mistress of the Marquis of Dingsi’s Residence are from the same school…” After saying this, the physician noticed the Xie servants looking at him strangely and was instantly perplexed. “Are you all confused?” the servant frowned. “Don’t you know who our son-in-law is?” “This old man is ignorant…” several doctors quickly said, outwardly respectful but inwardly dismissive. Who their son-in-law was shouldn't matter to them… “Our Elder Young Master-in-law is the Marquis of Dingsi. Our maternal grandson is the Heir Apparent of Dingsi. Our daughter-in-law of the maternal grandson is the Young Mistress of the Marquis of Dingsi’s Residence.” The servant crooked his mouth, gestured with his shoe toe, and spoke slowly, emphasizing each word: “The divine doctor of Yongqing Manor—that is our maternal grandson’s wife…” The physicians froze on the spot, staring blankly at the servant. The servant wasn't finished, then cast a scornful glance at these doctors. “The news has spread everywhere; you really are too uninformed…” he scoffed, completely forgetting that just a few days ago, he hadn't heard this news either, and if he had, he would have dismissed it as a joke. The Young Mistress of the Marquis of Dingsi’s Residence… This Lady was the Young Mistress of the Marquis of Dingsi’s Residence… The protagonist of that widely circulated, almost mythical tale of life-saving abdominal surgery… They had personally treated the patient alongside this legendary divine doctor for five days… What had they missed? “Oh!” One physician suddenly slapped his thigh hard, shouting as if waking from a deep dream, “Young Mistress, please wait! There are several points about this young master’s condition that this old man still doesn’t understand…” As soon as he finished shouting, he bolted out, entirely lacking the slow, shuffling gait of just a few days prior. Seeing the elderly doctor take the lead in running out, the other physicians snapped back to reality. “Young Mistress, I don’t understand either! This illness might be difficult to manage…” “…Young Mistress, please explain a bit more; I feel uneasy…”