The commander of the Gansu garrison, clad in a thick fur coat, hurried into the official hall where four or five military officers were already waiting to greet him.

"It's getting colder by the moment," he sighed.

A young maidservant ran over from the side, offering him a hand warmer.

"My Lord, any news from the other areas?" The others ignored his comment on the weather, instead pressing him for updates.

The commander shook his head and sat down heavily.

"It's utterly baffling," he stated, frowning. "There is no news from anywhere."

A collective sigh of worry and distress swept through the room.

"Is the news from the Heir Apparent reliable?" the commander asked again. "When exactly did his wife set out? Why, at this hour, is there still no sign of them?"

The others calculated the elapsed time.

"Oh, my Lord, the roads haven't been safe lately. Could it be..." someone ventured in a low voice.

The suggestion immediately drew sharp intakes of breath.

"What nonsense is that!"

"The Heir's wife travels with an extensive escort! Officials greet and see her off wherever she goes. What kind of foolhardy trouble would dare approach her?"

The others vehemently chastised the morbid speaker. The man who suggested it nodded repeatedly, agreeing he had spoken ill.

"Where exactly did they come from, and when did they leave? Are they heading to our post or somewhere else?" the commander mused for a moment.

Chang Yuncheng was the deputy commander here, a General of Military Prowess, but given his lineage, martial achievements, and the Emperor's favor, everyone naturally regarded him as more than just a local general.

It was estimated that in about half a year, Chang Yuncheng would no longer be stationed here, but would be transferred to a key strategic post as a garrison commander. This current journey had already taken him through several locations, and who knew if he would return here for the New Year? If he chose to settle elsewhere, his wife would naturally follow.

"The letter only mentioned the Heir's wife was coming; it said nothing else," someone replied.

Everyone frowned again.

"Um, didn't they say the Heir divorced his previous wife?" someone whispered. "Why is there a new young mistress now?"

The men exchanged glances.

"The divorce was long ago. Can't a man remarry?" the commander coughed, waving a hand dismissively. "Let's not dwell on irrelevant matters. The Heir Apparent wouldn't mistake his own wife; whatever he says, goes."

That was true enough, the others conceded.

"It's better to be prepared than unprepared, whether she's coming here or settling somewhere else," the commander declared. "Send the mounted troops out again to search, expand the area. And, the Heir Apparent is from Yongqing Prefecture, so send people to meet them in that direction. Also, prepare the residences—clean them thoroughly, decorate them... the..." Commander attempted to gesture, the older men unable to find the precise words, "make them look rather luxurious. Women from Jiangnan are not like our local women; they are very refined... Also, select the servants very carefully..."

Everyone acknowledged the orders and scattered to carry them out.

Columns of guards galloped down the thoroughfares, forcing pedestrians to quickly clear the way.

Ah Hao waved her hand, clearing away dust that didn't exist, expressing her annoyance.

"I wonder what they are so busy rushing around for all day!" she grumbled.

"They only rush around because there's work to do. Who wouldn't want to rest if they had the chance?" Qi Yue laughed, pulling her cloak tighter and looking up at the sky. The scattered snowflakes had become a full flurry, landing on the tip of her nose before instantly melting into water drops.

They had been here for three days. Hu San had finally found a suitable house, and today they were going to inspect it. If it met their standards, they would pay the deposit and rent it.

"Today is the twenty-third of the eleventh month. Little Qu calculated that counting travel time, the Heir Apparent will return in about half a month, which will be the twelfth lunar month. Madam, are we going to be spending the New Year here?" Ah Hao counted on her fingers as they walked.

Qi Yue strolled leisurely down the street. Her wide-brimmed hat obscured her features, minimizing attention, but even this, the most subdued cloak she possessed, still drew many gazes. Outsiders were immediately recognizable.

"Of course," she replied. "If the Heir Apparent isn't going home, we naturally aren't going home either. Since I am now unattached and free, without needing to attend to in-laws or manage household affairs—having both money and leisure—we should enjoy ourselves to the fullest."

Mentioning enjoyment made Ah Hao instantly happy, and she nodded eagerly.

As they were talking and laughing, a man rushed toward them, moving fast and fiercely, not watching where he was going, and slammed directly into them.

Qi Yue and Ah Hao couldn't dodge in time and stumbled.

"Oh, you brute..." Ah Hao quickly steadied Qi Yue and turned back to shout.

Before she could finish her sentence, she heard the man roar.

"You, stop!"

Ah Hao was startled into silence.

He bumps into people and then acts aggressive? Qi Yue also turned to look.

The man had grabbed the arm of a thin, tall man.

"Qiao Minghua! Do you have any humanity left?" he shouted.

The seized man turned his head.

Qi Yue observed him: around thirty-two or three, with ordinary features. Perhaps due to the local coloring or some other reason, his complexion looked ashen. As the other man clutched his arm, he remained expressionless.

"...My brother is dying, and you have the leisure to go out shopping and eating!" the man continued to yell.

The man named Qiao Minghua maintained his blank look.

"It's not me who is dying, so why shouldn't I shop and eat?" he replied calmly.

The first man trembled with rage, raising a large fist. The surrounding crowd involuntarily flinched, but the punch never landed.

"Qiao Minghua! You are a military doctor! A doctor! Are you just going to watch my brother die?" he cried hoarsely. "Are you worthy of your salary?"

The man called Qiao Minghua smiled faintly.

"I told you to amputate the leg, but you wouldn't listen. This isn't me sending him to die; it's you sending him to die," he stated.

"Amputate the leg! He's a soldier! If his leg is amputated, he becomes useless! It's better that he dies!" the man shouted.

Qiao Minghua raised his hand and pushed away the hand gripping his arm.

"So, either way, it's death. Why are you in such a hurry?" he said.

With that, he turned and continued walking.

"Qiao Minghua!" the man yelled resentfully from behind, his body shaking, yet unable to stop him.

He was a soldier, after all. There was nothing to be done. Soldiers were prone to injury. These sporadic skirmishes with the Eastern Nomads were tolerable, but large-scale battles were truly horrific. The locals were accustomed to it. People merely cast glances of sympathy, shook their heads, and dispersed.

The snow fell harder and faster. People on the street quickened their pace. The man seemed oblivious, standing frozen in place, allowing the snow to pile up on his body.

"Sir."

A voice sounded behind him.

The man remained woodenly still.

"I am also a physician. Do you remember me?" the female voice continued.

The man slowly turned his head and saw a woman standing before him, wrapped in a cream-colored cloak trimmed with gold fur. She was subtly lifting the edge of her large hood, revealing eyes that sparkled like the moon reflecting on the cold river.

Qi Yue had been wearing a veil that day, so the man hadn't recognized her.

"Three days ago at the city gate, we met. You said you needed a doctor, but when you saw I was a woman, you refused," Qi Yue said with a gentle smile.

The man recalled the encounter. He glanced at her, a flicker of recognition dawning, realizing that no wonder the woman had looked odd and veiled that day—with such beauty, she surely needed to hide from public notice.

He lowered his head and started to walk away again.

"Sir, since your brother cannot find another doctor, why not let me try? This isn't about giving me a chance, but giving your brother one," Qi Yue pressed. "You lose nothing, and if I can't cure him, you don't pay."

The man stopped. He looked at Qi Yue again. Could such a beautiful woman truly be a doctor? He then remembered that the man he had mistaken for a doctor that day had addressed this woman as... Shifu (Master)...

Ah Ru arrived with the medicine chest, accompanied by Little Qu, just as Qi Yue stood before the alley entrance of the family's residence.

The houses were low and dilapidated. In the biting winter cold, small children in thin shirts darted out of the alley entrance, hiding behind a rickety door, shivering as they watched her.

"Come in, this way," the man pushed open a door.

Qi Yue stepped in, followed by Ah Ru and Little Qu.

The courtyard was equally worn. They proceeded directly into the main room.

Inside, an old woman was weeping by a bed. She turned at the sound of their arrival.

"Dachun, did you find a doctor?" she asked, her voice trembling.

The man called Dachun hesitated, glanced at Qi Yue, then lowered his head and mumbled an affirmation.

The old woman was instantly overjoyed. Her gaze landed on Qi Yue and the others. Though unsure why the two women were present, she respectfully bowed towards Little Qu.

"Doctor, doctor, please save my child quickly," the old woman cried.

Little Qu looked awkward.

"I'm not the doctor, I'm not the doctor," he quickly waved his hands.

The old woman froze. Not the doctor? She looked back at Dachun, who was now looking at the woman. The old woman followed his gaze and saw the woman had already taken her stance beside her grandson's bed.

"Where does it hurt?" Qi Yue asked, pulling on a pair of gloves.

"His leg... his leg is rotting, and he's fading fast," Dachun stammered.

Qi Yue had already seen the bing bing soldier—this was hardly a soldier; he was barely a youth. She bent down to examine him.

The old woman was stunned speechless.

"Is... is this woman the doctor?" she asked haltingly.

Dachun nodded.

"How can a woman be a doctor?" the old woman exclaimed, staring at Qi Yue in astonishment.

"A woman can certainly be a doctor," Qi Yue turned and smiled at her.

This woman’s smile was beautiful, and crucially, it held no hint of disdain. Regardless of whether she could cure him, the old woman's anxiety immediately lessened.

A moment of silence settled in the room, broken only by the conversation between Qi Yue and Ah Ru regarding the injury; the words they spoke were incomprehensible to the others.

"How is it?" Dachun asked, his voice tight.

"No problem. It's an infection stemming from a chronic hematoma in the left lower leg," Qi Yue stated, glancing into the array of tools in her medical kit. "We'll perform debridement and administer a shot of penicillin. That should resolve it."

No problem? What did "no problem" mean?

Dachun and the old woman were both bewildered.

"Don't we need to amputate the leg?" Dachun asked with a trembling voice.

Qi Yue looked down at the wound.

"It is quite severe, but with penicillin available, debridement should be sufficient," she said, looking around the small room. "Come, you two step back a bit. I'm going to perform a small operation on him."

Operation? What was an operation?

Despite their confusion, seeing the woman's confident demeanor, Dachun supported the old woman, and they obediently stepped back.

Meanwhile, Ah Ru began preparing the anesthesia, elevating the left hip, and laying out the sterile surgical cloths. The most basic surgical tools for such procedures were packed in the kit, enough for two or three uses.

Seeing the knife cut into the leg, the old woman could not help but cry out in alarm.

"This is an operation; it is treatment. Please do not disturb the physician," Little Qu announced, playing his role as a pretend errand boy for the Qianjin Hall.

Dachun, being a soldier, was less sensitive to the sight of blood and flesh. Watching the woman’s movements, skillful and focused, he nodded, helping the old woman and offering soft words of comfort. The old woman, living on the turbulent borderlands, proved spiritually stronger than those in the peaceful interior; she soon stopped questioning, and quiet descended upon the scene.

The hematoma was incised, the accumulated fluid and necrotic tissue cleared, the cavity irrigated, bleeding controlled, drainage established, and finally, sutures applied. The surgery was completed in half an hour.

Ah Ru injected a dose of penicillin.

"It's done. Wipe his forehead and so on. He should start cooling down by this afternoon. You find a doctor to check on him and prescribe a few more doses of medicine; he'll be fine in two days," Qi Yue announced, removing her gloves.

What? Fine in two days?

The old woman and Dachun stared at her in disbelief. They hadn't registered the technical details, only those three words ringing in their ears: Fine in two days.

"When he is well, you can pay the consultation fee," Qi Yue smiled at them. "I am staying at..."

She stopped here, suddenly realizing she didn't know her current address, and glanced at Ah Ru.

"West City, Dry Well Alley, third house from the east," Ah Ru quickly supplied.

The courtyard gate closed. The old woman and Dachun stared blankly at the street entrance for a moment, then looked back toward the youth lying inside the room.

Hadn't they been told to prepare for the worst by the afternoon?

He would really be well in two days?

Was this a dream?

They looked back into the courtyard. The accumulated snow was falling fast, rapidly covering their footprints, as if no one had ever been there at all.

Writing brings such joy!!! I realized this absolute truth after taking a trip!!! RS