A surge of people flooded in, punctuated by screams that grew louder and louder. “An Jinzhong!

Look what you’ve done!” “An Jinzhong, what about my son?” Old Doctor An staggered back a few paces, gazing at the man before him in a moment of profound disorientation. The men shouted, and beside them, women stumbled about in a panic, rushing toward the **.

“Heavens, Kun’er! Kun’er!” “Little Prince, Little Prince!” “You quack!

You said you could cure him!” The women’s cries escalated as some rushed forward, striking and shaking him. Old Doctor An felt his breath constrict.

He retreated step by painful step, his eyes fixed on the **. The brocade fabric, beautiful as a flower, covered the **; the tiny infant’s face was pale, his limbs limp.

How could this be? It couldn't be… The medicine he used was correct… “An Jinzhong!” King Julu seized his lapel, his eyes bloodshot, shaking him violently.

“I listened to you! I listened to everything you said!

You claimed you could cure him! I heard it clearly!

Tell me, what is happening now?” I don’t know… I don’t know… I should have been right… I was right… “Can you treat him or not?” King Julu roared. “Can you treat him?” Can I?

Can I? Old Doctor An could barely draw breath.

He turned his head toward the **. Women knelt by the bed, beating the mattress and weeping; the infant kept convulsing… I was right… right?

Can… can’t I… “An Jinzhong! Can you treat him!” “An Jinzhong!

Say something!” The accusations roared in his ears, growing ever louder, until only this one question thundered through Old Doctor An’s mind like a clap of thunder, and all he could see was the small child on the **, convulsing ceaselessly. “I cannot treat him…” He finally closed his eyes.

“An Jinzhong! You must be responsible for your words!

For the sake of your reputation, you let my son suffer this torment! It would have been better if he had passed on sooner!” “An Jinzhong!

You failure!” “An Jinzhong! Go die!” “An Jinzhong!

You deserve to be scorned in this life, the next, and for all eternity!” Old Doctor An clutched his chest, attempting to step back, but his physical weakness brought him sharply back to reality. He looked up to see King Julu was now an old man, and he himself was seated in a wheelchair, unable even to retreat as he wished.

“An Jinzhong! What is going on?” King Julu was already gripping his collar, shouting.

What was going on? An Jinzhong twisted his head to look.

Those who had followed in through the doorway stared at the bedside in horror. A’ru was crouched on the ground, trembling all over.

“It burst, it burst!” she repeated frantically, searching everywhere. “Madam Qi, Qi Yue!

Qi Yue! What do we do!

What do we do?” She had followed Qi Yue, being among the first to deal with these matters. She was tougher than Hu San and unafraid of gore, and although she couldn’t match the nursing skills of disciples trained in medicine like Zhang Tong, she possessed skills they lacked.

She had always believed she feared nothing, but in truth, she only feared nothing when that woman was present. “An Jinzhong!

Are you going to kill another one of my sons?” King Julu looked at the **, the horrific sight tearing his liver and gall, and roared hoarsely, raising his hand into a fist. “If you couldn’t treat him, why did you start!” His fist did not fall, because Old Doctor An raised a hand to firmly block it.

“I can treat him!” he declared, looking directly at King Julu. “You can treat people to death!

You can treat my backside! You can treat him?

How could you possibly treat him?” King Julu yelled, tightening his grip. But Old Doctor An continued to block.

“I can,” he stated, his voice rising, his expression resolute. King Julu paused slightly.

Old Doctor An threw him off, turned his wheelchair, and moved toward the bedside. “Suture thread!” he called out.

Hearing the commotion, the disciples outside rushed over. The scene inside the room terrified them too.

“All unnecessary personnel, out!” Old Doctor An commanded. The chaotic crying and shrieking lessened slightly.

King Julu watched Old Doctor An, and Old Doctor An watched him back. “I can treat him!

Now, everyone irrelevant, out!” Old Doctor An said. King Julu scrutinized him, his face ashen.

“An Jinzhong, you’ve said that before,” he articulated slowly, word by word. Old Doctor An looked at him.

“I haven’t just said it before; I say it now, and I will continue to say it in the future, always,” he replied. With that, he dismissed everyone else, turned around, and held out his hand.

“Disinfectant, gloves.” A’ru was still crouched on the floor, but it was a habitual action now; she stood up involuntarily. “It’s nothing, just the wound splitting open.

We see that all the time on the battlefield,” a disciple regained his composure and shouted loudly, intending to calm everyone in the room. “Right, right.” The other disciples snapped back to attention.

Their master had taught them that the first priority was to soothe emotions, lest they be consumed by fear and compromise the patient’s condition or their own performance. Accompanied by their reassurances and explanations, the atmosphere in the room eased somewhat.

A’ru was already taking the antiseptic solution to wipe Doctor An’s hands and help him put on gloves. “Old White Hair!

My Little Prince is about to die! And you still…” King Julu’s attendant shouted, lunging to strike Old Doctor An.

“Get out!” Old Doctor An spun around and roared. The sheer force of his voice silenced the room instantly.

“The person isn’t dead yet! There is hope!

There is a chance to save him! We can save him!” Old Doctor An bellowed.

“Everyone not needed, out!” “Old fellow, do you still think you’re the Imperial Physician?” The attendant recovered his composure, his face flushed with shame and anger. “Get out!” King Julu roared.

“Yes, get out!” the attendant hastily echoed. “I told you to get out,” King Julu said, looking at him.

The attendant froze, somewhat at a loss. “Everyone, out!” King Julu commanded.

The attendants finally understood and, after a moment of hesitation, swiftly filed out. The suffocating tension in the room immediately lifted.

King Julu remained standing there, watching the figure by the bed. “Wake him up,” Old Doctor An instructed.

Without questioning why, a disciple immediately took the golden needles and administered acupuncture for shock. Young Master Sima awoke moments later.

Meanwhile, Old Doctor An was using disinfected gauze to deal with the exposed intestines. Young Master Sima, upon waking, was momentarily disoriented before beginning to wail.

Before the cries could truly begin, Old Doctor An brought a porcelain bottle under his nose. The sharp, pungent smell caused Young Master Sima to sneeze violently.

A wave of sharp intakes of breath swept through the room. However, these were gasps mingled with profound relief.

“It’s going in!” one disciple exclaimed, pointing at the intestines being carefully returned to the abdominal cavity. “…Change the thread,” Old Doctor An murmured, his hands never stopping.

“Is this thread still too fine?” A’ru asked. Old Doctor An nodded.

A disciple promptly handed over another tray. “Look at this one,” he said.

Old Doctor An selected a thread from the tray. Amidst Young Master Sima’s terrified cries, he began flying needle and thread.

The harrowing events unfolding here quickly spread. “What?

His stomach split open again?” the Empress Dowager asked, her voice trembling. “Yes, yes, his intestines actually spilled out…” a palace maid whispered, shaking uncontrollably.

So frightening, so frightening! Intestines, spilling out… This palace is becoming unbearable… This time, the Empress Dowager didn't even manage to retch; her eyes rolled back, and she fainted dead away.

The Emperor’s pace was perhaps the fastest he had ever set, his accompanying eunuchs scrambling to keep up. “…They’ve been brought back….

Said they had to step out for a moment…” Cai Zhong said as he ran. The Emperor’s expression was blank, revealing neither anger nor joy.

His hands were clasped behind his back, his robes billowing as he strode forward rapidly. Turning around a narrow corridor, he saw Qi Yue also running toward them.

“Your Majesty…” she called out. The Emperor stopped and glanced at her.

“I’m checking on the patient first! Your Majesty can settle accounts with me later!” Qi Yue shouted, rushing past him.

That audacious woman! The Emperor gritted his teeth and continued walking.

For a woman to run so fast! When the Emperor reached the Empress Dowager’s palace, he found the woman standing motionless outside the door.

Dead? The Emperor’s expression darkened slightly.

The hand clasped behind his back dropped to his side, and he quickened his pace. The eunuchs had already dispersed the curious onlookers—King Julu’s attendants.

The Emperor stopped behind Qi Yue. Sensing his presence, Qi Yue turned to look at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, her expression a mix of grief and joy.

This was the first time the Emperor had seen such an expression on her face, and he paused slightly. “People must pay the price for their actions.

What use is crying? It’s too late for fear now,” he said coolly.

“Who’s afraid? Afraid of what?” Qi Yue retorted, then turned back to look inside the room.

“Old Doctor An is doing so well.” What? The Emperor frowned and looked over too.

The door to the room was wide open, offering a clear view of the old man by the bedside, head bowed, focused intensely on flying needle and thread. The disciples nearby were either handing him scissors and blades or using cotton pads to wipe the area.

A’ru stood at the head of the bed, holding Young Master Sima’s hand, shielding his eyes. “…The first time I watched my mistress perform surgery, I was so scared I threw up…” “…Truly, I know.

Even though it wasn’t happening to me, every glance felt like it was happening to me…” “…It’s scary for everyone… But, Little Prince, rest assured, you will be fine…” The atmosphere inside the room was not as terrifying as the rumors suggested. They were not facing a burst wound; rather, it looked as if they were simply performing routine dressing changes or administering medicine.

King Julu stood to the side, his expression heavy. “Your Majesty, look how capable they are…” Qi Yue murmured.

“That is why they are hope, they are our predecessors, they are true Great Healers…” The Emperor frowned. “Aren’t you going in?” he asked in a low voice.

Qi Yue pouted, and then finally stepped inside. Seeing her enter, the disciples called out to their Master.

King Julu looked over, showing a flicker of surprise. “Master, you take over now…” Old Doctor An said quickly.

Qi Yue walked over and observed for a moment, then shook her head. “No need, you’ve done wonderfully.

Just tie off the knot, and you can cut it,” she instructed. Old Doctor An nodded and proceeded as told, saying nothing more.

Master? King Julu snorted, sizing up the woman from head to toe.

So this was that 'Divine Doctor Madam.' Divine Doctor? Physician?

“How did you become a physician? Just by talking about it?

Why aren't you staying by your patient’s side!” He immediately darkened his face and roared. Qi Yue looked back at him.

“Your Highness has quite a loud voice,” she commented. “The moment you arrived, your shouting startled your son’s wound into splitting open.

Is that concern or cruelty? Are you even his real father?” What?

King Julu stood there, utterly astonished. The Emperor, standing just outside the doorway, turned, a subtle smile playing on his lips.

I apologize for not updating for several days. Thanks to Lanyangyang Hao, Chai Miaoyun, Qiaozhe Shuishui’er, Xia Xi, Diewu Chenyun, and Jin Qin for the talisman rewards on September 9th.

Thanks to Who is My Empress Dowager for the sachet reward. RS