As the night deepened, the banquet finally dispersed, and the drunken disciples stumbled away, laughing and leaning on each other.

"The hangover soup is here," A'ru announced.

Qi Yue reached out and took the bowl.

"Aren't there servants for this? Why should you dirty your hands with such tasks?" Zhou Maochun commented from the side.

Qi Yue smiled faintly, assented, and immediately handed the hangover soup to a servant.

Chang Yuncheng was thoroughly intoxicated, his eyes closed and mouth shut, refusing to drink anything.

The servant looked rather helpless.

"Hmph, refusing to open his mouth is the norm for us," Zhou Maochun rose from his chair, rolling up his sleeves, and said excitedly, "Bring the crane-beak pot; we’ll force-feed him."

Chang Yuncheng’s brow twitched, and Qi Yue quickly stepped in with a smile to stop him.

"If he’s drunk, he’s drunk. It’s fine if he doesn't drink this. Father, you should go rest now," she said.

"How can that be? We still have guests; I cannot be so discourteous," Zhou Maochun insisted.

Discourteous, this old official of yours probably never learned what discourtesy truly means in this lifetime...

Meanwhile, Zhou Maochun was calling for people again, intending to have Chang Yuncheng carried to a carriage to be sent home.

"Old Master, the Young Lord is already this drunk. Just send him to his own residence. There will be no one to care for him back home; what if something happens..." Ah Hao interjected.

"This drunk? Oh, you foolish girl, this is nothing for him. He’s been much worse before, yet he managed alone, and I never saw him die, did I?" Zhou Maochun glared and shouted.

Chang Yuncheng opened his eyes, stood up from the chair, and walked away without a word.

Everyone in the room started, momentarily stunned into silence.

"See? See? He’s perfectly fine," Zhou Maochun called out, flicking his sleeve and snorting, "Playing these tricks in front of me? I'm not some simpering girl of fifteen or sixteen!"

Qi Yue quickly followed him out, suppressing a smile behind his back, and urged him to walk slowly since he had risen too abruptly.

Chang Yuncheng neither turned back nor stopped walking; he simply reached out, took her hand, and pulled her along as he strode out.

"Don't be angry with him," Qi Yue chuckled, quickening her pace to walk beside him. "You put him through quite a bit today; let him vent a little."

Chang Yuncheng let out a muffled grunt.

"Why did you have to lie to him like that?" Qi Yue asked, still smiling.

"Who told him to speak of arranging a match for you?" Chang Yuncheng replied.

Qi Yue laughed and reached up to touch his brow.

Chang Yuncheng wrapped his arms around her.

A heavy bout of coughing echoed from inside the room.

Qi Yue smiled and gently pushed him away.

"Hurry back now," she said.

Chang Yuncheng let out a deep breath, but not before pressing a kiss onto her face before reluctantly departing.

Seeing Qi Yue turn back, Zhou Maochun nodded with satisfaction. He thought that having a daughter made things much easier; otherwise, he truly wouldn't know what to do. Now, he had that rascal completely trapped. He cheerfully retired to sleep, already anticipating the next time he could see Chang Yuncheng just to tease and trouble him.

The garrison commander's wife had been pacing sleeplessly day and night at home. Upon finally learning that Mistress Qi had returned, she immediately prepared and came over early the next morning to pay her respects and offer apologies.

"The Mistress has gone out," the gate guard, Ah Hao, informed her.

So early?

Was she truly out, or was this a deliberate excuse to avoid seeing her?

The garrison commander's wife looked suspicious and couldn't help peering inside.

She saw many people busy in the courtyard, either moving things or carrying loads.

"...Senior Brother, where should this go?"

"...Senior Brother, that room won't do; it needs more cleaning. The mold spores won't cultivate..."

It was noisy and bustling, as if they were preparing for the New Year?

"Hey, she really isn't here. My Mistress is very busy," Ah Hao said, clearly displeased by the lady’s prying gaze.

The garrison commander's wife quickly withdrew her eyes.

"Then perhaps I can offer some assistance?" Although she was frustrated that as the esteemed wife of the garrison commander, she couldn't even get past the gate, she maintained a smile, remembering that this woman was summoned by Imperial Edict to meet the Emperor. "Mistress Qi is new to this area."

Ah Hao looked at her and grinned.

"Tell me, are you familiar with medicinal herbs?" she inquired.

Herbs?

The garrison commander's wife’s eyes widened.

"Are you looking for a hemostatic agent?" Liu Pucheng asked.

Qi Yue nodded. They were now standing in front of an apothecary.

"Besides the anesthetic my Master can create, and the penicillin I can make, there is one more crucial agent for battlefield emergency care—the final great treasure," she stated.

"What medicine is that?" Zhou Maochun asked immediately, laced with a blend of tension, excitement, and curiosity.

"Sanqi," Qi Yue replied.

Zhou Maochun's face fell, and Liu Pucheng also smiled.

"I thought it was something rare," Zhou Maochun said dismissively, waving his hand. "Why bother with apothecaries? We have plenty of military physicians who use it."

Now it was Qi Yue’s turn to be surprised.

Ah, it seemed she hadn't been quite as overwhelmingly impressive this time...

"That's right. The hemostatic agent currently in use is Sanqi," Liu Pucheng confirmed.

"You mean the powders used by the military medical corps?" Qi Yue inquired.

Having personally assisted in the rear of battles to treat the wounded, she had certainly encountered it.

Liu Pucheng nodded.

"But... but the effect is far too poor," Qi Yue shook her head in surprise. "It doesn't exhibit even a fraction of the efficacy it should."

"What efficacy should it possess?" Liu Pucheng asked.

Zhou Maochun had lost interest and wandered off, kicking at a loose stone.

"The peak effect of Yunnan Baiyao..." Qi Yue elaborated, "It can staunch bleeding from a major artery."

Liu Pucheng, having witnessed arterial bleeds, understood the extreme danger involved and was astonished to hear her claim.

Such an effect!

"But I don't know how its components are utilized to achieve that ultimate potential," Qi Yue frowned and sighed again.

"However, such a medicine does exist, correct?" Liu Pucheng pressed.

Qi Yue nodded.

"That's sufficient," Liu Pucheng decided. "We will search for them one by one."

"I know several of the components. As for the precise formulation and proportions, I must trouble you, Teacher, to handle that," Qi Yue said. Then, remembering something, she hastily warned, "But you are absolutely forbidden from testing it on yourself again. You must use animal subjects."

Liu Pucheng smiled, realizing the young woman still remembered the incident with the anesthetic, and readily agreed.

The two stepped into the apothecary.

The garrison commander's wife visited for several days in a row, always returning disappointed.

"They say she’s gone searching for medicine, but is she perhaps ill?" she asked her husband, the garrison commander. "But if she were sick, how could she possibly be running around outside all day long?"

The more she spoke, the more anxious she became.

"My Lord, is it possible she still resents us and refuses to see us?"

The garrison commander stroked his beard, deep in thought, also quite uncertain.

"I don't think so. She seems genuinely very busy," he replied.

"Busy with what? She's a... a... woman, and the Young Lord's sweetheart besides. She ought to be contentedly enjoying her life of ease. What could she possibly be busy with?" the garrison commander's wife asked, perplexed.

"I heard the Young Lord say she’s busy preparing ways to save lives," the garrison commander stated, lowering his voice.

The matter of Mistress Qi and the military physicians had become common knowledge by now. After all, the fiancée—who, though not highly regarded currently, was certain to be esteemed in the future—of the Young Lord being dragged by a group of military doctors, mocked and ridiculed, only to end up serving wounded soldiers in the rear lines of battle, was something that would shock anyone who heard it. It was a rare event unlikely to be conceived even by playwrights. Compared to such a scandalous affair, their own predicament of potentially offending her by trying to peddle a kitchen maid was nothing at all.

The garrison commander's wife breathed a sigh of relief.

That was excellent. She didn't care if others were having misfortune, as long as it wasn't her own.

The garrison commander's wife later sent someone to discreetly inquire again and indeed confirmed that the woman was still extremely occupied, leaving early and returning late, and buying countless items to send home—strange things: wooden cabinets, earthen basins, iron pots, all manner of miscellaneous objects. She had nearly caused more than half the merchants in Wei City to make a substantial profit just before the New Year, leading the entire city to thank heaven for sending down a fortune-dispensing lady during the festive season.

The New Year arrived amidst this strange yet cheerful atmosphere. Despite multiple rejections, the garrison commander's wife still came to present her New Year's gifts. This time, she finally met Mistress Qi.

Looking at the woman standing in the main hall, the garrison commander's wife couldn't help but be struck by her beauty. She finally understood why the Young Lord remained so devoted to her even after the separation agreement. Who could ever forget such a vision?

"Thank you, Madam. I truly have been very busy; I hope you will overlook any discourtesy," Qi Yue said, while instructing A'ru to present the return gifts.

She seemed quite amenable. The only question was how much of that compliance was genuine. The garrison commander's wife hastily returned the courtesy with a smile, accidentally glancing at the list of return gifts being presented. She was instantly startled.

This return gift list was far more lavish than her own offering!

This woman, so wealthy?

It must be from the Young Lord, then.

He is truly generous!

"I don't know what the Mistress prefers. Our border region is poor and lacks fine things. If you require anything, Madam, please just ask me," the garrison commander's wife said anxiously.

Qi Yue looked at her and nodded.

"Then, Madam, if you have anything moldy or rotten, please send it to me," she requested. "The more, the better."

Moldy and rotten things?!

The garrison commander's wife’s eyes widened, leaving her too astonished to speak.

Although the garrison commander's wife was surprised, it was clear this woman was not joking. As the New Year drew nearer, the strange items sent to the woman's house did not cease; in fact, they increased. Eventually, even live animals—pigs, sheep, cats, dogs, rabbits, and more—were delivered, sparking immense curiosity throughout the city. This made the New Year atmosphere even more lively, as rare sights were scarce in this border region.

Meanwhile, in the capital city, the New Year fervor was even more intense, extending even to the Imperial Palace.

The Emperor was trying on new robes in the grand hall, with plump eunuchs bustling around him.

"Oh, Your Majesty, this red looks truly magnificent on you," they exclaimed happily. "In the future, please don't always wear dull blues and greens."

The Emperor smiled faintly, raising an eyebrow at his reflection in the mirror.

Clothes are meant to complement the person, not the other way around.

Some people exude presence no matter what they wear, much like that woman who walked out from the gates of Elder Li's residence.

The Emperor smiled at the sudden thought.

During the New Year festival, the official consorts would enter the palace; perhaps he would have an opportunity to see her then.

For the first time, the Emperor felt a flicker of interest in the New Year celebrations.

"Oh, right, Zhou Maochun has gone to Gansu? He said he found that Mistress Qi?" he asked, recalling something.

The eunuchs nodded rapidly.

"Yes, Your Majesty, we hear he is quite delighted there..." they murmured one after another.

This information was not extracted by the Emperor directly, but gathered by these eunuchs through their clandestine intelligence channels.

The Emperor sat down and accepted the hot tea offered by a palace maid.

"Then he got what he wanted. No wonder he didn't even return for the New Year," he remarked while sipping his tea.

"Indeed, we heard he even has a daughter now," one eunuch added.

The Emperor sputtered his tea out.

(Editor's Note: Currently undergoing review during the hurried deployment. Will correct errors upon catching them. The recent plot arc may be dull, but please vote for us in recognition of our consistent double updates? So ashamed. RS)