The residents of the Dingxi Marquisate barely slept all night. By dawn, Madam Xie’s condition had stabilized slightly, but it remained precarious.

“There is nothing more I can do; it is best to prepare early,” Physician Zhou murmured softly.

The Marquis of Dingxi, having stayed up all night, looked exceptionally grim. He slumped into a seat upon hearing the words.

Chang Yuncheng had been kneeling by Madam Xie's bedside all night and now seemed completely drained of strength.

Physician Zhou stepped out of the room. Though sleepless, he wasn't drowsy; for an imperial physician, staying up late was routine.

He was led by two young maids to a guest room to rest.

“If only the Young Madam were here, she would surely be fine…”

“…Exactly, she’ll definitely be fine…”

The conversation between the two maids caught Physician Zhou’s attention.

He had felt something odd for a while now.

Yesterday, after he reported that the Marquis’s wife was gravely ill and was respectfully asked to retire, he had overheard the young maids scurrying outside, whispering excitedly about the ‘Young Madam arriving,’ as if they’d been injected with fresh vigor…

The Young Madam arrived? Shouldn’t the Young Madam already be living in the residence?

Furthermore, why such excitement when the lady of the house was ill? Shouldn't the excitement only erupt upon hearing that a proper physician had arrived?

“Doesn't your Young Madam live here?” he couldn't help but ask.

The two maids were startled and lowered their heads.

Prying into a household’s affairs was indeed inappropriate, and Physician Zhou realized he had been too abrupt. Just as he was about to change the subject, one maid boldly looked back and spoke.

“We… we no longer have a Young Madam,” she stated.

No Young Madam anymore? What did that mean?

Physician Zhou paused but did not press the matter this time.

“From what you were saying, the Young Madam you speak of, is she a doctor?” he inquired, switching topics.

This topic proved correct; both maids turned, their eyes lighting up.

“Yes, the Young Madam is incredibly skilled…”

“The Young Madam is a Divine Physician…”

Physician Zhou chuckled, genuinely amused.

A Divine Physician? Who in this world dared claim such a title, especially in the presence of an imperial physician? Still, he wouldn’t stoop to arguing with young maids.

“Oh, a Divine Physician,” he said casually. “How divine is she?”

The maids became even more talkative.

“…The Young Madam can split open a person’s abdomen and sew it shut…”

“…No matter the illness, any sickness deemed incurable by all other doctors, the Young Madam can cure…”

“…The Young Madam holds needles; embroiderers sew clothes, but the Young Madam sews up people’s lifespans…”

Physician Zhou, who had expected the maids merely to echo the words ‘Divine Physician,’ was stunned that they were recounting specifics.

“…The Prefect’s young son was kicked by a horse; they said something inside his stomach ruptured. It was the Young Madam who cut him open and stitched it closed… The young master is perfectly fine now, riding and fighting without issue…”

“…No, wait, it was A’Hao first; she had a long scar across her belly, which the Young Madam opened up and stitched back together…”

The two maids chatted more animatedly. After walking quite a distance, they glanced back only to see Physician Zhou hadn't followed, startling them into running back with pale faces.

“Is what you’re saying true?” Physician Zhou, jolted back to awareness by their hurried apologies, ignored their pleas and asked urgently.

The two maids nodded.

“It’s true! Go ask anyone in the city; everyone knows,” they said in unison.

Such skill existed?

Physician Zhou lowered his hand from stroking his beard and turned to leave.

“Hey, Sir, where are you going…” the two maids quickly asked.

“I’m going out for a walk,” Physician Zhou replied.

A walk? Now?

“But our Madam is still…” the maid hurried to catch up.

“Your Madam is as she is; there’s no need for further treatment,” Physician Zhou waved dismissively.

An imperial physician who frequented the homes of the powerful never bothered learning how to read faces.

What…

The two maids stood frozen, dumbfounded.

News that the Marquis’s wife was beyond saving quickly spread throughout the Dingxi Marquisate.

“So, this woman really is finished.”

In a remote courtyard, Concubine Zhou turned from the window, smiling sweetly at the maid before her.

The maid nodded.

“That’s what the imperial physician said, and he’s already left,” she replied with a faint smile.

The smile on Concubine Zhou’s face gradually faded.

“After so many years, I’ve finally waited,” she murmured slowly, clasping her hands together. With the force of her excitement, a long fingernail actually broke. Straightening her robes, she continued, “Quickly, help me dress. How can I not go and see this with my own eyes at a time like this?”

The maid complied, rushing over to assist.

“However, the Marquis is still asking for the Young Madam…” she remembered something and whispered, “Saying the Young Madam can definitely save her.”

Concubine Zhou paused the hand resting on the vermilion hairpin in her hair.

Right, there was still that woman…

Concubine Zhou slowly lowered her hand.

“Yes, there is still that woman,” she said slowly. “Madam Xie’s death this time is truly worth it.”

The young maid didn’t understand and looked at her questioningly.

“Tell me, if the Young Madam doesn’t save the Madam this time, and the Madam dies, will people blame her?” Concubine Zhou asked.

Huh?

No, probably not. Well, maybe a little? the maid thought to herself.

“Not saving her, versus saving her but failing to cure her—the meaning is entirely different,” Concubine Zhou reached up and removed the hairpin, saying with a smile.

“The Young Madam is kind-hearted; she certainly won’t stand by and watch someone die,” the maid commented nearby.

Concubine Zhou nodded.

“Isn’t that right.” She smiled faintly into the mirror. “She won’t stand by and watch someone die.”

Having said that, she turned to look at the maid.

“You—do you want to earn a large sum of money?” she asked with a smile.

The maid paused, her eyes sparkling brightly.

“Auntie, who wouldn't want to earn money?” she laughed.

Concubine Zhou smiled faintly.

“And what if the price is very high?” she inquired.

If the maid hadn't understood by now, she truly didn't deserve to survive in the Dingxi Marquisate.

“Well, it depends on whether it’s worth it,” she said, her eyes bright, after a moment of hesitation.

Concubine Zhou beckoned her closer and whispered something in her ear. The maid’s expression shifted to shock.

“Do you think it’s worth it?” Concubine Zhou asked with a smile.

The maid’s expression flickered through various emotions, finally hardening as she knelt down and kowtowed.

“Thank you, Auntie, for the bounty. This maid will earn this money,” she declared.

When the sun was high, Qi Yue was rushing out in a panic; she had overslept.

She had spent the entire previous night thinking about the Dingxi Marquisate matters, feeling that Chang Yunqi’s words were strange. Could he have poisoned Madam Xie or done something to her? But based on the symptoms she observed yesterday, it was definitely not caused by poison. Never mind, with an imperial physician present, it was far better than relying on her, a surgeon who wasn't adept at internal medicine and lacked any instrumental support.

“Drink your porridge,” A’Hao called after her, chasing her.

Qi Yue, a piece of biscuit sticking out of her mouth, stuffed several notebooks into her bag.

“I’ll eat it at the unit,” she said.

A’Hao stomped her foot behind her.

“Why didn’t you wake her up,” A’Ru, who had followed out, said.

“I saw she slept so late; I felt bad for her and wanted her to sleep a little longer,” A’Hao replied with a wronged expression.

“Alright, alright, it’s fine. The food at the cafeteria is also good,” A’Ru said, patting her shoulder, and then hurried out herself.

Just outside the door, she saw Qi Yue standing in the alley.

Qianjin Hall was close by; they usually walked there. Given Qi Yue’s usual speed, she should have already left the alley. How come…

Then A’Ru also froze, looking at Chang Yuncheng standing in the alley.

“I feel that if I were to speak now, it would truly be pushing too far,” Chang Yuncheng said, smiling—though the smile looked uglier than crying.

Qi Yue smiled too.

“Actually, it wouldn't matter much even if you did speak,” she replied. “It’s only natural for a son to ask; it’s human nature.”

She smiled as she spoke, then looked back at A’Ru.

“It’s already commendable. Given your temperament, shouldn’t you have hit me first and then dragged me along?”

A’Ru didn’t find it amusing and frowned deeply.

Chang Yuncheng looked at Qi Yue.

“Yue Niang, if it were anyone else, I truly would have done that,” he said, lifting his head to look at Qi Yue. The fatigue of traveling, the worry, the sorrow—all these emotions intertwined, coating him in a layer of ash. “But toward you, I really cannot bring myself to ask.”

Qi Yue looked at him and nodded.

“Thank you for thinking that way. At a time like this, for you to still think that way, thank you,” she said.

She looked at Chang Yuncheng, performed a slight bow, and stepped past him.

Chang Yuncheng didn't move, nor did he say anything further.

A’Ru lowered her head to follow, but Qi Yue stopped again.

“Although I couldn't conduct a proper consultation, I specialize in surgical procedures—obvious cuts and bruises. For an illness like your mother’s, it’s better to let another doctor handle it,” she said, turning back. “Because if it’s not something solvable by surgery, you know, I don’t use herbs, nor can I take a pulse. I truly can’t help in the slightest.”

With that, she stepped forward and turned out of the alley.

Only then did Chang Yuncheng turn, looking at the empty alley.

So, despite everything, she still spoke—she still didn't want to leave him with a lingering regret.

A’Ru hurried to catch up with Qi Yue.

“Really, you can’t treat her?” she asked quietly.

Qi Yue stopped walking and turned to look at A’Ru.

A’Ru felt a chill looking at Qi Yue’s aggrieved expression.

“W-what’s wrong?” she stammered.

“A’Ru, you actually don’t believe me?” Qi Yue looked deeply hurt, raising a hand to clutch her chest. “What kind of person do you think I am in your eyes?”

A’Ru became flustered, chaotic, embarrassed, and ashamed.

“I, I, no, that’s not it.” Stuttering and at a loss, she simply raised a hand and slapped her own face.

Qi Yue burst out laughing again, reaching out to take her hand.

“Alright, let’s go quickly,” she laughed, striding forward.

Before they even reached Qianjin Hall, a disciple ran out.

“Master!” He saw Qi Yue and shouted loudly, “Master, there’s an emergency case at Sanlitai Village, three li outside the city.”

Emergency! Qi Yue immediately responded, rushing into Qianjin Hall.

“…Male, forty-five years old… his leg was pierced by a plowshare…” the disciple recited quickly.

In the hall stood a small child, trembling violently, breathless from running so hard he couldn’t straighten his back.

“This is a family member of the patient; he’s here to request emergency aid,” the disciple pointed out.

Qi Yue nodded, looking at the waiting emergency cart in the courtyard.

“Go,” she said, grabbing her medical kit.

Seven or eight people rushed out of Qianjin Hall, and the carriage, bearing a bright red lantern marked ‘Emergency,’ sped out from behind. Everyone, including the small child, boarded, and the driver whipped the horses into a mad gallop down the street.

Seeing this carriage, people on the road quickly made way.

There was also a carriage clearly belonging to a wealthy family; its driver frantically pulled his horses to the side of the road.

“What are you doing?” the master inside shouted unhappily.

“Sir, it’s the emergency carriage from Qianjin Hall,” the driver quickly explained.

Silence fell inside the carriage.

Watching the Qianjin Hall carriage disappear down the street, a young woman standing under a shop’s eaves emerged, a trace of triumphant amusement flickering across her lips. After glancing around, she melted back into the crowd and walked away.