As he pondered, his expression shifting wildly, Chang Yuncheng merely offered a faint smile on the other side.
“No need to say more; what is there to say? Sister Qi’s medical skill needs no questioning,” he stated. “That is why I must have her treat my mother. This injured party will have to be disregarded.”
Qi Yue was so angry her feet stomped.
“You shut up!” she shouted, trying to wrench free from Chang Yuncheng’s grip.
“You shut up!” Chang Yuncheng turned and snapped back.
For him to speak to her this way… it felt like it hadn't happened in a very long time.
Qi Yue was suddenly startled into silence.
“This matter is simple enough,” Chang Yuncheng said, no longer looking at her, but sweeping his gaze over the others in the hall, finally resting it on that family. “So, what do you wish to do? Whatever you ask, I will agree to any condition.”
Agree to everything?
Does this mean he’s admitting fault? No, no, this man admitted fault from the beginning.
Should one say this means he… chickened out?
Wang Qingchun stared wide-eyed at Chang Yuncheng, shouting inwardly.
Just a moment ago, he was utterly immovable, threatening destruction if his will wasn't done, and now he suddenly folds!
No! Your Highness the Heir Apparent! Have you forgotten your status! Why negotiate terms with a lowborn commoner!
You should have insisted that the injured person deserved to die in the first place!
By saying this, aren't you implying you caused the death?
This is murder!
He thought this, and the words spilled out before he could stop them.
“Murder, the one who murdered your sister!” Qi Yue yelled, breaking free from Chang Yuncheng’s hand. “Can a dead person be killed again? Can a person die twice? I have said it a hundred times, this person didn’t die from delay; they died from a critical, untreatable injury! Are you a physician? Do you have eyes? If you cannot see, can you not ask? Go and ask! Ask what the symptoms were at the time!”
Wang Qingchun let out a disdainful laugh.
“Ask, ask whom? At that time, besides the people from the Qianjin Hall, there were only the family members and the local villagers present,” he chuckled. “What would the family and villagers know? So, should we ask the people from Qianjin Hall? Surely Sister Qi knows that one does not question one's own kin?”
Qi Yue started to lunge forward again, but Chang Yuncheng held her back.
“Then what you mean is, we should ask someone who was present but was not from Qianjin Hall, nor a family member or villager, but was a physician?”
A voice sounded from outside the door.
Who’s interfering! Wang Qingchun turned back angrily, seeing a short, slightly portly old man step inside.
The hall was dim, but it was bright outside, so he couldn't make out the man's features clearly at first.
“I was present at the time, and I am a physician,” the old man continued.
A physician! Wang Qingchun glared at him with displeasure.
“This is an investigation by the Medical Supervisory Office; physicians are forbidden to interrupt!” he declared.
Which blind physician is this…
Wang Qingchun squinted. The old man had approached, and he looked unfamiliar; he probably wasn't a physician from Yongqing Prefecture.
No wonder he lacks basic courtesy!
“Oh,” the ill-mannered old man said, “So, what you’re saying is, one must also possess official status, a medical official, to intervene, is that correct?”
“Naturally,” Wang Qingchun replied testily, glancing at the Prefect. “My Lord, can just anyone enter the Prefectural Yamen? How come…”
Before he could finish speaking, something flashed before his eyes.
“What are you doing…” Wang Qingchun irritably tried to wave it away, but the object felt strangely familiar to his touch. He focused his gaze.
Zhou Maochun, the Director of the Imperial Medical Academy.
Wang Qingchun was utterly unfamiliar with the old man, but he knew the badge and the name inscribed upon it very well.
“Left… Left Director…” he stammered, then his legs buckled, and he actually knelt down.
“Hey,” Imperial Physician Zhou frowned. “Why such a grand ceremony! Though you are my subordinate, this level of formality is unnecessary!”
I didn't intend such formality; I was startled and lost control, Wang Qingchun cried inwardly. But since he was already kneeling, he couldn’t have done it for nothing.
“Your humble servant pays his respects to Your Lord; this formality is naturally required,” he stated.
“You are thoughtful,” Zhou Maochun accepted the bow with a smile.
The Prefect, who had just snapped out of his daze, hurried over with respectful salutations, tinged with surprise.
“Director of the Academy is here?”
Though not a capital official, the Prefect knew Zhou Maochun’s name. Zhou Maochun was the fifth-generation direct disciple of the Great Physician Wang Weiyi. This elder specialized in acupuncture and was highly regarded in the Palace, especially by the Empress Dowager. Naturally, his fame in the capital was even greater. However, fame often made him temperamental and eccentric; ordinary families could rarely invite him. Especially in recent years, as he claimed to be compiling the medical classics of his lineage, he had hidden within the Palace walls, making him virtually unreachable.
Such a person, almost sequestered from the world, had appeared in their Yongqing Prefecture.
“I am here to examine the Heir Apparent’s mother,” Zhou Maochun announced, dismissing the Prefect for the moment as he looked at Wang Qingchun. “You, where are you from?”
This was obviously not a question about Wang Qingchun’s hometown.
“Your humble servant is Wang Qingchun, from the Fabrication Office,” Wang Qingchun replied quickly.
Zhou Maochun hummed in acknowledgment.
What was the Fabrication Office?
“It’s like the handyman in your medical hall,” Zhou Maochun kindly explained to Qi Yue.
Handyman…
Wang Qingchun felt his heart bleeding.
Must you humiliate like that?
“Enough, stand up. Let’s get down to business quickly. Such a small matter causing such a ruckus—what kind of Medical Doctor are you?” Zhou Maochun frowned.
Wang Qingchun stood up with his head bowed, repeatedly agreeing.
“Your humble servant was just about to ask…” he began.
“No need to ask; I was present at the scene,” Zhou Maochun stated, walking several steps toward the family members. “Uncontrolled bleeding, an injury from a plowshare, a bamboo pole piercing the chest, internal organ damage—how could you possibly assume the person could live?”
The young woman never spoke throughout the ordeal, and the children naturally remained silent. The young woman looked somewhat flustered upon hearing this.
The Prefect showed such deference to this man…
His background must be significant, and he is clearly a physician…
This… this…
“Sister Qi said she could save him…” she looked up and replied.
“I truly could have saved him, but I didn't succeed. I asked you to provide blood, and none of you would agree,” Qi Yue said, looking at them with sorrow. “Forget the chest-piercing bamboo injury; even just uncontrolled bleeding from a thigh could be fatal. I could indeed save him, provided there was enough suitable blood.”
Zhou Maochun waved his hand impatiently, interrupting her.
“Hey, isn't that settled then?” He looked at the woman. “If she said she could save him, you believed it, but now that she says she couldn't, why don't you believe that?”
The young woman was left speechless.
To frame the argument like that…
“That… handyman…” Zhou Maochun looked at Wang Qingchun again, unable to recall his name, so he shortened it.
Wang Qingchun was intensely depressed inwardly.
“Does Your Lord have a command?” he still had to reply respectfully.
“You know the severity of the deceased’s injuries, right?” Zhou Maochun asked.
Wang Qingchun nodded reluctantly.
“Then do you think injuries like this could be healed?” Zhou Maochun asked, feigning surprise.
“Naturally…” Wang Qingchun stammered, “…no, but, but Sister Qi’s medical skill is supreme…”
Zhou Maochun did not like to hear that.
“Supreme? So you’re saying Sister Qi is more supreme than I am?” he queried.
“That certainly is not the case,” Wang Qingchun quickly denied.
“Then how could she have cured him?” Zhou Maochun asked, curiosity piqued.
How would I know! Wang Qingchun screamed internally.
“She… she naturally couldn’t cure him either…” he could only say, feeling his heart bleed.
Utterly unlucky! Why did things proceed so smoothly, only for this person to suddenly appear and ruin everything!
“Then it’s settled; why are you, a Doctor of Medicine, rambling on for so long?” Zhou Maochun shook his head.
“Yes, yes, this subordinate is incompetent,” Wang Qingchun bowed.
“Go quickly and explain the situation to the populace!” Zhou Maochun commanded. “A medical case where even a non-physician could deduce the outcome, and you’ve spent this much time arguing—really… are you even a physician? Who recommended you to the Fabrication Office?”
Wang Qingchun’s face flushed red, but what could he do? He dared to challenge Chang Yuncheng because their professions were unrelated. But he dared not challenge this person before him, whose single word could determine his future fate. He relied on that fate for his livelihood and absolutely could not discard it easily.
There will be a day for reckoning…
Wang Qingchun grit his teeth, replied affirmatively, and started to walk out.
“You know how to explain it, right?” Zhou Maochun called out, stopping him.
Wang Qingchun respectfully turned back to ask for guidance.
“You must clearly state everything from the cause to the time of consultation, the initial condition of the injuries, and so on. You may consult…” Zhou Maochun said, gesturing toward the Qianjin Hall side.
“Your Lord, we have consultation records,” Liu Pucheng quickly stepped forward to say.
Zhou Maochun nodded.
“Good. Having these makes it even better,” he said, pointing at Wang Qingchun. “Show him, lest he doesn't know how to write.”
He might as well let the Qianjin Hall people go out and explain! Wang Qingchun almost ground his teeth to dust.
Bad luck, bad luck, bad luck!!
As Wang Qingchun left, Zhou Maochun began lecturing the Prefect.
“Public opinion is public opinion, but you cannot abandon judgment just because of it,” he stated, pointing again at the family members. “They do not understand, so you must explain things properly to them. As the parent official, how can you join in the chaos? This isn't loving your people as your children; this is indulgence and spoiling. Do you not even understand that strict father breeds filial sons?”
The Prefect was nearly in tears; how could this old man be such a chatterbox?
“I understand, I understand,” he repeatedly said, hoping to send the old man away quickly.
Once Zhou Maochun finished lecturing the Prefect, he turned to Chang Yuncheng.
“This whole affair is your own doing,” he said. “There was nothing wrong initially, but you insisted on stirring up trouble for no reason. What were you hoping to achieve?”
Chang Yuncheng looked away and ignored him.
However, Zhou Maochun did not scold him as harshly as he had Wang Qingchun. He merely pointed a finger, said nothing, and then looked at Qi Yue.
“Do I have fault too?” Qi Yue asked him.
Zhou Maochun’s face instantly broke into a smile.
“Naturally not; how could Sister Qi have fault?” he said cheerfully.
The Prefect beside him couldn't help but roll his eyes.
What kind of person is this!
Meanwhile, outside, Wang Qingchun, frowning and trying to suppress the ache in his heart, finished presenting the findings. The response he received was a chorus of murmurs from the crowd.
“Is that true?”
“I still think Sister Qi could have cured him…”
“Exactly, isn't it said that officials protect officials…”
“We don't know how they investigated behind closed doors…”
“Power and wealth naturally look after their own…”
These dissenting murmurs grew louder, which delighted Wang Qingchun.
So what if I spoke? What does it matter if witnesses testified? This Heir Apparent of the Marquis of Dingxi cannot escape blame this time!
Before Wang Qingchun could truly smile, a shoe flew out of nowhere and struck him square in the face.
“Officials protecting officials!” came the accompanying curse.
Wang Qingchun cursed his bad luck. He lost all interest in listening to the pleasant clamor outside, ordered the notice to be posted, and hurried back inside.
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