“My Lord, are you mad?” Concubine Zhou’s composure fractured, she confronted the Marquis of Dingxi with a tone he had never known. “What are you doing! Compensation! Apologies! Are you trying to ruin the Marquis’s estate?”

“It isn’t much money, nothing significant,” the Marquis of Dingxi said dismissively, smiling at Concubine Zhou. “You know our family’s coffers, don’t you?”

The elderly Marquis and his wife had likely realized they couldn't rely on this son, so they had diligently saved a vast fortune for him, enough for him to squander and enjoy. Even though nearly half was taken away by that woman after the divorce, what remained was still nothing short of any noble house.

Concubine Zhou certainly knew this, as in her eyes, all of it belonged to her.

However, that was not what she intended to discuss now.

“My Lord, our family fortune isn't meant to be squandered by being ruined by others! Do you think this is charity handed out at a temple fair!” she exclaimed, her voice tight. “For the sake of this rebellious son, why must the entire Marquisate be buried with him!”

“What kind of talk is that!” the Marquis of Dingxi frowned. “Rebellious son? He is my son; I am his father. If he runs into trouble, who should I turn to? Is there anyone else in this world he can call father?”

Saying this, the Marquis of Dingxi felt a surge of emotion deep within, recalling the shout of ‘Father’ when Chang Yuncheng knelt before him on the street.

Father... He had many children, and he heard that title often, but never had a single utterance made his entire heart tremble so profoundly.

How to describe this feeling? It was as if ten thousand ants were crawling all over him...

A mix of sourness, numbness, itchiness, yet simultaneously soaring with heroic pride, as if in that moment, he could die without even blinking.

What was there to fear? A man lives one life, like a plant in the autumn—it's all for the sake of a single breath of pride!

In an instant, he felt like a hawk spreading its wings, looking down on the world, firmly shielding the descendants and juniors behind him.

This feeling was exhilarating!

“My Lord! But that depends on the matter! What kind of person are you encouraging him to become!” Concubine Zhou bristled, shoving the Marquis of Dingxi hard.

The shove pulled the Marquis from his momentary fervor, much to his displeasure.

“Encouraging? He was my son when he earned two imperial commendations, and he’s not my son when trouble arises? Prosperity is shared, and so is ruin. Even ordinary people acting like that would be showing a lack of integrity, let alone him—he is my son, my own flesh and blood. It’s no surprise I indulge him; it would be utterly bizarre if I didn't!” he retorted unpleasantly. Having grown accustomed to Concubine Zhou’s gentle and yielding demeanor, her current appearance was grating on his nerves. “Go, go. This is a man’s affair; why are you meddling? Go back and rest. With the time you have, serve Yunqi well; his exams are coming up. Don't bring shame upon me!”

Shame! Whose shame?

Chang Yuncheng committing such acts wasn't shameful! Yunqi failing the exams would be the shame!

Concubine Zhou breathed unevenly, wishing she could spit right in the Marquis of Dingxi’s face.

Was this the difference between the legitimate heir and the illegitimate one?

No matter how good or hard-working he was, it couldn't compare to one finger of that wicked son?

Why! Why did it have to be this way!

If the person before him had been Madam Xie, a fight would have certainly broken out by now.

But the person before him was not Madam Xie, so Concubine Zhou took several deep breaths and regained her composure.

“Yes, My Lord. Then this concubine shall take her leave first,” she said softly, stroking the Marquis’s arm. “My Lord, you should rest early too; these past few days must have been tiring with both internal and external worries weighing on you.”

This was sweet music to the Marquis’s ears, and he nodded in satisfaction.

Concubine Zhou offered him a gentle smile and slowly walked out.

Only upon returning to her own chambers did the smile vanish from Concubine Zhou’s face.

A maid was waiting inside the room.

“Mistress.” The maid smiled sheepishly, yet nervously. “About this matter... His Lord insisted on giving...”

Concubine Zhou sat down.

“If they are given to you, then take them,” she said flatly.

“How could we?” The maid hurried over, kneeling to massage her legs, all the while offering an ingratiating smile. “They cannot accept it. What Mistress has already given is more than enough. Besides... in the end... the task Mistress intended was not achieved...”

This venture had truly cost a fortune! The farmers’ money! The idlers’ money! And the money from those pretentious scholars!

Concubine Zhou gripped the teacup in her hand tightly.

Madam Xie wasn't dead. Although Chang Yuncheng’s reputation was tarnished, the foolish Marquis, for some inexplicable reason, chose to take the blame for his son—shouldn't this have been the opportunity to seize his position as Heir Apparent? Instead, he dragged the entire Marquisate into it! Wouldn't her own son suffer as a consequence?

Truly...

Concubine Zhou gritted her teeth and closed her eyes.

The maid naturally sensed her mood, and the already nervous girl became even more so.

“Mistress, the things His Lord gave have been deposited in the East Street Bank, anonymously, only marked. This is for you, Mistress.” She pulled out a wooden token from her sleeve and presented it.

Concubine Zhou took a deep breath, restoring her gentle expression.

“Very well, I will accept them so you can have peace of mind,” she said, reaching out to take it.

The maid indeed sighed in relief.

“Thank you, Mistress,” she kowtowed.

“Has your maternal aunt’s family left?” Concubine Zhou then inquired.

The maid quickly nodded.

“Yes, they left this afternoon,” she hastened to say.

Concubine Zhou let out a breath of relief.

“The farther they go, the better. Preferably, they should never return in this lifetime,” she stated.

“Yes, that is natural. With the reward from Mistress, they can live comfortably anywhere for a lifetime,” the maid chuckled flatteringly.

Concubine Zhou glanced at her, a half-smile playing on her lips.

“Sly little thing, you ate the lion’s share, didn't you?” she remarked.

The maid’s face flushed slightly.

“No, I didn’t,” she giggled. “Living under Mistress, I live better than they could in several lifetimes. Who cares about such small things?”

Concubine Zhou laughed and tapped her forehead.

“You know how to talk. Go on now, leave,” she commanded.

The maid retreated with a cheerful laugh.

The room fell into the quiet darkness of night. Under the dim candlelight, not a trace of a smile remained on Concubine Zhou’s face. She raised her hand and extinguished the lamp, letting the darkness swallow her whole.

Madam Xie’s condition steadily improved. On the third day, she emerged from her coma, gaining more periods of consciousness.

Qi Yue barely had room to maneuver in the room. Imperial Physician Zhou and the elderly Doctor An stayed almost constantly, curiously studying Madam Xie. Qi Yue was happy to leave them to it; firstly, the great doctors still needed to adjust the medication based on pulse readings, and secondly, Madam Xie became agitated whenever she saw her.

It wasn't that Qi Yue feared her, but rather she was too weary to bother.

In the main hall, the stream of people seeking medical consultation flowed ceaselessly, looking much the same as usual, but a closer look revealed subtle differences.

“Doctor Liu is unavailable right now. Will Doctor Qi suffice?” the guiding disciple asked.

The patient’s expression showed a flicker of hesitation.

“Oh, I see. I, I think I suddenly remembered I have something else to do. I’ll come back later...” The person put on an air of sudden realization, and before the disciple could say more, they hastily turned and left.

“What thing? That was a terrible act...” the disciple called out several times with no response, then pouted before freezing as he turned back. “Master...”

Qi Yue smiled at him.

The disciple’s face reddened. Sometimes witnessing an awkward moment was more embarrassing than committing one yourself, which was precisely how he felt now.

“Go about your business,” Qi Yue said with a gentle smile.

The disciple, clearly relieved, quickly acknowledged and walked away.

There were changes after all. Qi Yue took a deep breath and looked toward the door. Of course, there were changes.

Meanwhile, in Wang Qingchun’s reception hall, several doctors were chatting and laughing.

Compared to the previous strained laughter, the present merriment sounded much more comfortable.

“...Although the Heir Apparent of Dingxi Marquis took full responsibility, people still died after all,” Wang Qingchun chuckled, stroking his beard. “This is like a crack appearing in a dam. Though it still looks sturdy, yet...”

He paused there, smiling without finishing the sentence.

“The public's trust has been pierced. Therefore, the public will now harbor doubts about her,” another doctor laughed. “Next time she acts so recklessly, people won't be as willing to indulge her as before.”

“Exactly, exactly. She’s been reckless enough; it seems Heaven couldn't stand it anymore,” another chimed in.

The atmosphere in the hall was cheerful.

“But...” One person among them, mid-laugh, felt something was amiss. He couldn't help but ask, “But, such patients truly cannot be saved. How can that be considered recklessness?”

The laughter died down instantly.

Right. A sickness that no one could cure, and she failed to cure it. What was there to be happy about? It made it sound as if they all could have cured it, and she was showing off her skills by trying and failing to save face.

“A healer should not treat the terminally ill. She shouldn't have taken on such a condition, let alone talk about transfusions or opening the chest. Hmph, I think the treatment was fake; she was just posturing to appear profound and practice her skills,” Wang Qingchun snorted.

Yes, yes, exactly like that. Everyone nodded in sudden agreement.

“And what about epidemic control and sterilization? I bet that was just window dressing,” they asserted. “Now, let’s see who still trusts her.”

Perhaps this way, the populace wouldn’t blindly worship this woman anymore, and life could return to normal? Everyone sighed in relief.

Qi Yue clapped her hands and sat down before the table.

“Life is finally returning to normal,” she said, breathing a sigh of relief, her expression relaxed.

A’Ru watched her, worry clouding her features.

“Hey, stop looking at me like that. I’m serious,” Qi Yue laughed.

“Don’t be sad. Actually, people die in medicine, too. Doctor Liu and the others said so; don’t take it to heart...” A’Ru said.

“I truly haven’t taken it to heart,” Qi Yue laughed, twirling her feather pen. “That’s right, where in this world is there a miracle doctor? As long as there is injury or illness, there must be death. Otherwise, why would we need doctors...”

She let out a breath here.

“This incident is actually a good thing,” she smiled.

A good thing? A’Ru looked at her. She was always like this, wanting to comfort others no matter what happened, never caring about herself.

“A great reputation often outstrips reality,” Qi Yue remarked, setting the pen down. “It’s better to puncture illusory perfection sooner rather than later. Now everyone finally knows I am not a goddess who can cure everything. This way, I shed a burden. When I encounter an incurable disease and say I did my best but can’t guarantee the outcome, people won't think I'm being falsely modest as before. This kind of blind worship and trust is actually quite terrifying. Of course, I also won't have to be so... self-reproachful.”

A’Ru gradually understood and nodded, letting her worry subside.

“So, going forward, people will finally see the Mistress as she is,” she said.

“Yes, I can finally be treated like any other doctor,” Qi Yue laughed, shaking her hands. “Isn't that a good thing?”

A’Ru looked at her and finally saw a relaxed smile.

“Of course. Although the pursuit of glory has been checked, our goal hasn’t changed,” Qi Yue declared, waving her hand. “Which is: Keep working hard, hard, hard!”

“Yes, work hard, work hard, work hard,” A’Ru echoed her call, shaking her little fist with a hint of shyness, then grinning as an idea struck her. “Our goal is no cavities!”

Qi Yue looked at her and threw her head back, laughing heartily.

“Exactly! Our goal has never changed,” she said, clenching her fist.