It truly wasn't much of an issue; at any other time, if someone from a powerful family fell ill, they naturally had more opportunities than the common folk. The last time, didn't the Prefect summon every doctor in the city for his son? Naturally, everyone else waiting for treatment was left hanging, but no one dared to point fingers and accuse the Prefect of using his authority to commandeer medical help.

The common people actually understood this in their hearts and accepted it—after all, if they truly ran into a powerful noble needing a doctor, they would step aside automatically without needing to be told. But someone as arrogant as Chang Yuncheng, demanding things like this, was truly unprecedented. You commit such an act, and instead of offering an apology or saying something conciliatory, you actually declare the victim deserved to die. It was truly bullying people to the point of utter intolerance.

"Sue him!" Someone in the crowd shouted this first. The words brought a hush to the scene. Sue?

"The Great Ancestor decreed: whoever dares to harm Our people shall not be pardoned without consequence!" The surrounding common folk didn't quite grasp the nuance of such refined language, turning to look where the words came from. They saw several elderly and middle-aged men dressed in long robes—scholars, clearly. They could sue?

"The Great Ancestor himself personally issued the Three Edicts of the Grand Proclamation, permitting revered elders and literati throughout the villages and markets to critique officials! The Heir of Dingxi Marquis is a public menace, running rampant in the local community, truly despicable!" Several older gentlemen, brimming with righteous indignation, their beards and hair trembling, roared loudly. "We must report him to the Censor Official!" "Sue him, yes, sue him!" "Go to the capital and file a complaint with the Emperor!" "Exactly, take it to the Emperor!" The matter had escalated...

Qi Yue’s face turned pale. Although she didn't grasp the full implications of what these people were threatening, she knew that regardless of the era, public opinion was something the court feared—it could be channeled, but never suppressed. If this truly blew up, Chang Yuncheng would be in deep trouble... "Listen to me, it's not like that. This patient suffered excessive blood loss, fundamentally..." she shouted loudly. But at this moment, her voice was quickly swallowed by the clamoring crowd.

Because of the commotion here, Huang Ziqiao rushed over upon hearing the news, and Huang Ziqiao's companions naturally followed. Those who arrived late didn't know what had transpired; the opponents were unknown to the newcomers. Shouting, yelling, and cursing, the scene finally devolved into utter chaos. Watching the disorderly scene, Qi Yue covered her head and squatted down heavily. Bad luck! Bad luck! Bad luck! Terrible luck!!

The situation escalated to the point that the government authorities were alerted, and both conflicting parties were escorted to the yamen, temporarily resolving the immediate chaos there. However, a large crowd still gathered outside the prefectural office gates. A crowd demanding an explanation.

Although the yamen hall was sparsely populated, it was hardly quiet compared to the outside. "What madness possesses you! What business is this of yours! Do you not rest until you have utterly ruined my Thousand Gold Hall?" Qi Yue's furious voice echoed through the hall. She paced back and forth around Chang Yuncheng, like a cornered, enraged beast. "Madam Qi, Madam Qi, the Heir is anxious to save his mother; that is understandable..." the Prefect couldn't help but advise in a low voice. Maintain decorum, maintain decorum. This is his yamen hall, not the backyard of your Thousand Gold Hall... "Understandable my foot!" Qi Yue snapped. The Prefect immediately shrunk back to the side. This woman lacks decorum; he couldn't afford to lose his own. "What do you take me for, Qi Yue? You are anxious to save your mother? Because you are anxious, I should fear you? What will others think of me! Will they think Qi Yue fears power and values her own life over others?" Qi Yue glared at Chang Yuncheng, fuming. "Fearing the powerful is not a fault," Chang Yuncheng stated calmly. He had been seated since entering, his expression placid, as if nothing had happened. Fearing the powerful is not a fault; declaring a critically injured patient untreatable when they are not, that is a fault for a doctor. Liu Pucheng, standing nearby, sighed, his expression complicated. Qi Yue’s teeth ground together audibly. "I don't need you to defend me!" she said, enunciating every word. "Not when you look down on me like this!" At this, unable to contain her rage any longer, she raised her foot and kicked him hard. Chang Yuncheng remained seated, allowing her to land two kicks on his leg, motionless, without even a flicker of his brow. Even the Prefect winced in sympathy for him. This woman certainly knew where to aim; she kicked precisely at painful joints.

After kicking twice, Qi Yue turned around in anger to face the family of four kneeling nearby. The corpse was also laid out in the hall, the family of four huddled together, weeping. "You, speak with a clear conscience," she addressed the family, demanding, "What exactly do you want?" Before the family could speak, someone spoke from outside. "Speak with a clear conscience?" Wang Qingchun strode in, a cold sneer on his face. "Perhaps Madam Qi should speak with a clear conscience and tell us if you could treat him or not." He regretted leaving too early, missing the better part of the drama. Turns out there was still good entertainment! Qi Yue turned around and spat towards him unceremoniously. "You try treating him! If you can cure him, I'll call you my ancestor!" she shouted. "If you can't, you are my grandson!" This woman was too vulgar! Everyone in the hall, except for Chang Yuncheng, looked acutely embarrassed. Wang Qingchun’s face turned ashen with fury. "The issue now isn't whether I can treat him, but whether you, Madam Qi, could treat him but refused!" he glared. "I admit my lack of skill and shallow learning, but you are different—the divine physician! I admit it’s no shame if I cannot cure someone, but it is shameful if you can cure them and refuse!" "Shame on your sister's husband!" Qi Yue grabbed a nearby table, overturning the tea the Prefect had specially provided for Chang Yuncheng towards Wang Qingchun. Unexpectedly, she wasn't just talking; she was acting physically. Wang Qingchun dodged clumsily, though a corner of his robe got splashed. "You shrew!" Wang Qingchun cursed angrily. "You mad dog!" Qi Yue retorted just as fiercely. If the target hadn't been a woman, the two might have started wrestling. The Prefect wiped sweat from his brow. "Both of you, silence, silence!" he urged, needing to maintain the solemnity of the public court. "Look at your conduct. If I can cure him, I can cure him! Do you take me for an immortal? If you worship me like a deity, then I can cure him!" Qi Yue spat, waving her hand dismissively and walking away. Wang Qingchun frantically dabbed at his sleeve, his eyelids twitching with rage. "Now you say you can't cure him? Of course, you say you can't! You and your husband have such deep affection!" he sneered. "Your former mother-in-law—well, a former mother-in-law is still a mother-in-law..." As he spoke, he glanced at the grieving family. "If anyone is to blame, it's your own bad luck," he shook his head, saying, "You just happened to run into a situation where someone's own mother-in-law was sick. Who wouldn't choose to treat their own mother-in-law over treating you?" Oh, for goodness sake, this fellow really was... Qi Yue became agitated again, grabbing a stool nearby. "Getting agitated now, aren't you? Angry because you're being exposed?" Wang Qingchun yelled, cautiously defending himself. "This is the public court! Reason, not volume, wins the day. You're so aggressive, yet you dare not own up to your actions!" "Dare not own up to my actions? Wang Qingchun, you first go kneel outside the city gates, and then you lecture me!" Qi Yue yelled, brandishing the stool. "What are you doing? You're going to hit someone! You're going to hit someone! You can’t win the argument so you bring up irrelevant matters, right!" Wang Qingchun said, adopting a defensive posture. Watching the two, the Prefect felt a massive headache coming on. "Madam Qi, Madam Qi," he stepped forward. Naturally, he couldn't physically restrain Qi Yue, so he grabbed the stool instead. "Let's discuss this calmly, let’s discuss it calmly." Qi Yue angrily flung the stool away, and Wang Qingchun shook his sleeves. "The current issue is whether this person died because he could have been cured but wasn't, or if he died because he inherently could not be cured," the Prefect coughed. "We must give the populace an explanation. If these people really go to the capital to lodge a complaint, it will become a huge affair! I'm telling you, don't expect me to stop them. The Great Ancestor once issued an order: anyone who dares obstruct citizens reporting to the Emperor will be executed and their entire clan implicated!" "Of course, he couldn't be cured!" "Of course, he could have been cured!" Qi Yue and Wang Qingchun spoke simultaneously, their meanings diametrically opposed. "Madam Qi, Divine Physician Qi, why are you being so modest now? You are truly too humble," Wang Qingchun sneered. If only you weren't so full of yourself when you were dealing with me back then, so arrogantly declaring that if I couldn't cure him, it meant he couldn't be cured because you were ignorant and incompetent! Aren't you supposed to be able to cure everything? Why are you backing down now? "I am not like you. One must have self-awareness; I know what I can and cannot do, unlike you, who doesn't know your own limitations," Qi Yue retorted with an equal sneer. "That is well said. Since Divine Physician Qi dared to accept the case, she naturally knew her capabilities. What? You deny it now?" Wang Qingchun huffed. The Prefect slapped his forehead. Here we go again... "Can the two of you please stop bickering? Can this matter be resolved by talking alone?" he demanded, adopting an authoritative stance. "It certainly can!" This time, they answered in unison. "This matter must be clarified through words," Qi Yue stated. "I am the physician, and I accepted the case; naturally, my word is final." "What a joke. You say your word is final? Right now, anyone's word is final except yours," Wang Qingchun scoffed, glancing towards Chang Yuncheng's side. "A husband and wife share a bond for a hundred days—you are close relatives, so naturally, you are aligned. Madam Qi, what’s the harm in admitting it? It’s human nature. Even if it violates medical ethics, why would you rather self-immolate your medical reputation by claiming you couldn't treat him? Why go to such lengths!" "Wang Qingchun!" Qi Yue pointed at him and shouted. "It seems mere words are insufficient. We must rely on facts! Go stab yourself with a plowshare right now, and then pierce your chest with a bamboo pole, and see if I can bring you back to life!" Pah, even a madman wouldn't do that! This woman was truly driven to distraction, Wang Qingchun thought inwardly, laughing hysterically. Wonderful! This woman has finally met her match! Qi Yue was genuinely about to lose her mind. As the saying goes, it is better to offend a gentleman than a petty person—perhaps this was precisely to avoid scenes like today. He was determined to argue nonsensically with her!

Qi Yue lifted her foot, preparing to lunge forward, when a hand caught her arm. "Enough," Chang Yuncheng said. He looked at Wang Qingchun. This man, though thin, was quite sturdy, carrying the residual aura of military campaigning. In fact, the people of Yongqing Prefecture weren't very familiar with the Heir of Dingxi Marquis. Firstly, unlike other dissolute young masters, he didn't spend his days fighting chickens, playing with dogs, or causing trouble, and rarely attended large social functions. Secondly, upon reaching adulthood, he left home. As a fellow local, Wang Qingchun's understanding of Chang Yuncheng only deepened after he arrived in the capital. Mingling around the Imperial Hospital, while not a critical government office, often placed him among people associated with vital ministries, allowing him to overhear evaluations of court officials. This Chang Yuncheng, though young, had apparently earned great favor from the Emperor, according to what Wang Qingchun overheard from those high-ranking individuals. As a hereditary noble, joining the army was merely a formality to gain credentials; promotion wasn't necessary because they would never serve long-term in the military, nor would they hold key positions even if assigned—the Emperor remained cautious. But this Chang Yuncheng was different; the Emperor was quite forthcoming in promoting him, and from what Wang Qingchun heard, he was likely slated for the rank of Zongbing (Commander) in the future. Although Chang Yuncheng wasn't yet thirty, the position of Zongbing was still quite distant, but these officials looked far ahead; they didn't concern themselves with immediate matters. This man was somewhat untouchable...

Wang Qingchun felt a flicker of fear instantly. If he pushed this too far now, he would offend this powerful man. But why be afraid! If offense was to be taken, it had already been given! If things truly escalated, he held the moral high ground! Moreover, it wasn't he who caused the offense; Chang Yuncheng was bullying people with his status. Downplaying it, it's nothing—which noble doesn't rely on status? But if it were magnified, it could genuinely impede a great future. Even if the Emperor favored him, the Great Ancestor's Edicts were still displayed in the Hall of Diligent Governance; surely they had to weigh the pros and cons... If Chang Yuncheng fell, then he would be safe, and perhaps he could even gain a reputation for upholding justice and integrity. Might his position in the Imperial Hospital be advanced?

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