"Are you saying, Madam Qi, that even with surgery, this leg might not be saved?" asked the woman dressed in silk.

Qi Yue nodded.

"Think it over," she asked, "whether to do it or not?"

The woman glanced at the person beside her, then at the man lying down.

"Then, let's go check with another clinic," she finally said.

"You need to decide quickly; don't delay," Qi Yue advised, making no move to stop them.

The patient's party abruptly left Qianjin Hall in a flurry.

It was rare to see patients being carried out of Qianjin Hall after being brought in; the street crowds couldn't help but point and whisper.

"It seems people are finally coming to their senses," one of two men walking side-by-side chuckled upon seeing this.

"Indeed. If the Divine Doctor isn't so divine, why bother letting them practice on us?" the other laughed.

"Business must be good lately, eh?" the first man asked.

"Not at all, just average," the other replied. "Can't compare to you, having a doctor who can read pulses so skillfully presiding over your hall."

"I wouldn't dare boast, not compared to the one in your place who wields the golden needles so masterfully," the first hastened to say politely.

Chatting and laughing, the two men walked past Qianjin Hall. Seeing that the interior was no longer as bustling as before, they felt a wave of satisfaction, exchanged a look, and both broke into smiles.

"Class time, class time!" Hu San called out to gather everyone. The busy disciples quickly set down what they were holding and happily headed toward the rear quarters.

"Did you finish the assignment for Emergency Medicine yesterday?"

"I did, but I'm not sure if it's right or wrong..."

The disciples entered the classroom mid-conversation. Inside, Qi Yue was using charcoal to draw and write on the whiteboard.

"Hand in your homework," one disciple shouted.

The charcoal stick scraped with a dry squeak across the board. A few disciples muttered softly about unfinished assignments; others nudged and giggled about something unknown. The windows, wide open in the height of summer, let the breeze from beneath the shady trees stream in.

For an instant, Qi Yue felt transported back to her own university days. She turned around, looking at the antique interior and the people dressed in antique attire before her.

Seeing her turn, the chatting disciples immediately stood straight at their desks, their gazes respectful yet brimming with an eagerness for new knowledge.

"We continue with Emergency Medicine. Starting today, we cover altered mental status and coma," Qi Yue announced, tapping the whiteboard with her wooden stick before turning to face it again.

The crisp sound of her female voice carried through the windows and out into the courtyard.

The busy disciples in the courtyard quickened their steps.

"Business has been slow lately, so why does Master seem even happier?" Zhang Tong asked from under the eaves, puzzled.

Hu San frowned, muttering calculations to himself about something.

"Exactly, exactly. What's with Master? He used to treat patients without hesitation, but now he lets them make their own decisions, and look—they decided to leave..." he lamented. "We're losing money again this month..."

"Honing the axe doesn't delay the woodcutting," Liu Pucheng said from behind them.

Zhang Tong and Hu San quickly turned to bow and greet their Master.

Liu Pucheng gazed toward the classroom. The last vestige of worry, sparked by the serious injury and subsequent death of that farmer, had finally vanished.

After class, Qi Yue still needed to visit the Marquis of Dingxi's residence for a follow-up visit with Madam Xie, and to remove her tracheostomy tube.

"I just don't get why she won't stay here until after the tube is out," Ah Hao grumbled.

Qi Yue had specifically asked Ah Hao to accompany her to the Marquis's residence, as it offered a chance for Ah Hao to see her own parents. Ah Hao was a house-born servant, and she would never have been allowed out had Old Madam Xie not intervened.

"She doesn't even look at the timing. It was all for their sake that we had fewer inpatients. Now, instead of staying to lend support, they rush off," Ah Hao continued to pout. "It's not like Young Master Wang, who introduced people from his own side to seek medical help here, even from so far away."

Hearing the mention of Young Master Wang, Ah Ru shot her a glare.

"Well, it's true," Ah Hao quickly hushed, but still muttered her discontent.

Qi Yue smiled and looked back.

"Yes, Young Master Wang is very considerate," she said sweetly.

But the Heir Apparent also possessed a sense of duty. Ah Ru sighed softly, thinking that while he wasn't unkind, he lacked that delicate attentiveness, and thus wasn't as favored.

When Qi Yue entered the room, Madam Xie's quarters were in disarray.

The Xie family, led by Old Madam Xie, crowded the room, confronting the Marquis of Dingxi, while Consort Zhou wept on the floor below.

"...My Lord, please, just do as Old Madam wishes and send me away..." she sobbed, covering her face.

The Marquis of Dingxi remained stubbornly silent.

"This is preposterous! My household affairs are none of your family's business to dictate!" he roared.

"Oh, my Lord, look how spoiled this concubine is! One person is already dead from anger, and this one nearly died too. Must you keep her?" cried the Eldest Maternal Aunt.

This jab hit the Marquis of Dingxi's sore spot; he slammed the table and stood up.

"Fine. If you insist on taking her, take her! But once she leaves, she is never to return!" he said with a dark expression.

"My Lord, you can't! I can leave, but Madam cannot! If this gets out, what will people say about you..." Consort Zhou reached out and clutched the hem of the Marquis's robe, weeping.

"Let them say what they will! It's better than saying I can't manage my own household!" the Marquis sneered.

Old Madam Xie struck the ground once with her cane, instantly silencing the commotion in the room.

"Then it is settled," she declared.

The steward's voice carried from outside the door.

"Madam Qi has arrived."

That announcement instantly sharpened the tension in the room.

"Oh, my dear lady, it has been a long time," the Eldest Maternal Aunt was the first to rush out.

The Marquis of Dingxi moved to follow but was tripped by Consort Zhou.

"You, you—quick, get out through the side room," he said suddenly, realizing something.

Consort Zhou, still kneeling on the floor, was filled with shame and anger. Before she could utter a word, the impatient Marquis grabbed her and shoved her toward the exit.

Seeing the Marquis's demeanor, the Xie family members stared, dumbfounded. Just moments ago, he had held this concubine in the palm of his hand; how could he now be so eager to hustle her out like begging beggars upon the arrival of his former daughter-in-law?

Old Madam Xie managed a smile, though tinged with sadness.

She had heard that once the young madam took charge of the household, the Marquis listened to her every word. And that daughter-in-law was mortal enemies with Consort Zhou. If this woman, a healer and truly kind-hearted, had still been managing the residence, Madam Xie might have only suffered in silence, perhaps avoiding this life-threatening illness.

The curtain lifted, and Qi Yue stepped in.

Old Madam Xie looked at the approaching woman, a rush of complex emotions flooding her heart. Madam Xie had been determined to get rid of her, only to nearly lose her own life in the process.

"Yue Niang, how is it that in just a short time..." the Eldest Maternal Aunt grasped Qi Yue's hand and spoke, "...if you had been here, none of this would have happened..."

Old Madam Xie let out a breath and glared at her son. The mother and son shared an understanding, and Elder Master Xie quickly found an excuse to pull Elder Madam Xie out.

Consort Zhou, who had disappeared earlier, the Imperial Physician Zhou, immediately reappeared, watching Qi Yue intently as she removed the tracheostomy tube from Madam Xie's neck. If Old Madam Xie hadn't restrained him, he would have reached out to examine Madam Xie’s neck.

Ah Ru handed the written post-care instructions to Old Madam Xie, but Imperial Physician Zhou snatched them away before she could read them, angering her so much she nearly wanted to strike the old man with her cane.

Madam Xie was awake, turning her head away from Qi Yue. Qi Yue naturally ignored her, applied the medicine, and washed her hands.

"Yue Niang, the banquet is all prepared," the Marquis of Dingxi said hurriedly from the side.

Qi Yue looked up and smiled at him.

It had been so long since she had smiled at him; the Marquis became momentarily thrilled. She seemed to be in a good mood...

"The kitchen prepared your favorite dishes..." he quickly added.

"No need," Qi Yue said with a smile, watching Ah Ru pack the medical kit. "I must take my leave."

Such a gentle smile accompanying a refusal caught the Marquis off guard.

"Yue Niang," he hurried after her. "Old Madam Xie insisted on taking Madam away, saying... saying I can't take good care of her at home."

Qi Yue hadn't expected him to utter such a thing to her. She turned back, a little stunned, and saw the Marquis wearing an expression of deep grievance. She couldn't help but smile faintly.

"The late-stage care for this illness is very complicated and crucial; the patient's well-being must come first," she finally stated.

The Marquis immediately looked immensely relieved.

"Yes, yes," he agreed, nodding.

Qi Yue said no more and turned to leave.

"Yue Niang," the Marquis called again hastily.

This time, Qi Yue didn't stop, merely waving her hand.

"If there is an emergency, please contact Qianjin Hall," she said.

Watching the woman walk out of the courtyard, the Marquis of Dingxi stamped his foot in frustration.

"Where is Yun Cheng?" he roared angrily.

"He hasn't been seen since early this morning," the steward reported.

As soon as the words fell, Chang Yun Cheng entered.

"Where have you been!" the Marquis of Dingxi shouted, launching an immediate barrage of questions.

"Reading a book," Chang Yun Cheng replied calmly.

"Oh, heavens, you aren't taking an exam, so what are you reading!" the Marquis yelled, his eyes wide. "Normally, no amount of shouting or urging gets you near a book, and now you decide to read!"

Chang Yun Cheng said nothing.

"Go, quickly, go! Yue Niang just left, hurry and see her off," the Marquis urged, gesturing to push him.

"There is a separation between men and women; why should I see her off?" Chang Yun Cheng replied, not moving.

"What separation between men and women? Is she a stranger? She is your wife—" the Marquis insisted, agitated.

The word 'wife' always struck him as a painful barb.

"Father, she is not my wife," Chang Yun Cheng said, looking up at him. "I do not have a... wife."

The Marquis was about to retort, but Chang Yun Cheng stopped him.

"Father, don't bother her anymore," Chang Yun Cheng said, bowed to him, and walked into the inner room.

Bother her? How could he be bothering her? The Marquis stared, baffled.

Ultimately, the Marquis of Dingxi agreed to the Xie family taking Madam Xie away. Upon hearing the news, Chang Chunlan brought Yan'er to see her off.

Elder Madam Xie naturally knew that Chang Chunlan had given birth to a child with a hare-lip defect, and she looked curiously at the little girl approaching, who, despite her young age, was adorned in fine clothes and attended by several maids and servants.

"Ah, perhaps the child shouldn't enter..." she whispered to Old Madam Xie, "...it might be inauspicious..."

Before Old Madam Xie could reply, one of Yan'er's accompanying servants overheard the comment.

"Let's go," the servant said without another word, pulling Yan'er's hand. "This place where people are dying is unclean; we shouldn't go in."

That single sentence turned Old Madam Xie's face dark.

"Oh, how can you speak like that!" Elder Madam Xie cried out.

"How can you speak like that!" Old Madam Xie glared and snapped at her.

Elder Madam Xie, publicly scolded, turned away in embarrassment.

"Honestly, such a little brat, look how they protect her, protecting her to the point of ignoring everyone else..." she muttered. "The Liu family truly has no manners."

The servant pulled Yan'er away from entering Madam Xie's room. Yan'er didn't mind and began playing in the courtyard with a few maids, finding it dull after a while.

"I'm going to find Maternal Aunt," she announced.

Her maids and servants followed instantly, seeing no issue with the request.

Seeing Chang Yun Cheng approaching in the distance, Yan'er ran toward him.

"Uncle!" she called out.

Looking at this little girl, as bright and vivid as sunlight, Chang Yun Cheng broke into a smile.

This was that woman's work...