The midday sun in May was hot, filtering through the tall spotted bamboo, casting dappled light over Zheng Qian's face.
She stood for a moment, then turned and walked away.
She and Caiyuan slowly made their way back, feeling relieved that the monthly ritual of paying respects had been smoothly faked.
At that moment, a maid came running hurriedly, almost bumping into Zheng Qian.
Caiyuan quickly steadied her.
The maid, seeing it was the eldest young lady, tried to continue running. Yet she seemed to remember that the young lady had been making a name for herself recently and had earned quite a bit of money. So she stopped, bowed, and said, "Eldest Young Lady, I was careless."
Caiyuan glanced at her in surprise.
This maid was Qingyue, the head maid of Concubine Zhou, the Marquis' only concubine.
The Marquis had only one concubine—Concubine Zhou—who had given birth to Fifth Young Master Zheng Run.
The eldest son had become disabled and almost never left his room. Thus, Fifth Young Master was the Marquis' only healthy son and was greatly favored in the household. With a son and being the only concubine, Concubine Zhou's status was naturally extraordinary.
Since the grand lady had secluded herself to worship Buddha, some internal matters of the main household were handled by Concubine Zhou assisting Second Young Miss.
Concubine Zhou had practically become the lady of the main house. Because she was close to Second Young Miss and highly regarded by the grand lady, she held her head high.
Normally, the maids around Concubine Zhou were haughty and would barely spare a glance at the eldest young lady.
Qingyue, being a second-tier maid under Concubine Zhou, surprisingly bowed to apologize when she almost collided with Zheng Qian.
It seemed money really was a good thing—it could make arrogant people lower their heads and become humble.
"No problem. You're in such a rush—what are you doing?" Zheng Qian asked.
Qingyue replied: "Fifth Young Master was playing mischievously in the main kitchen and insisted on handling the chef's kitchen knife. He dropped it by accident, and it slid across his instep… I went to tell Concubine Zhou, but she wasn't in the courtyard, so I had to find her…"
"Where is Fifth Young Master now?" Zheng Qian asked.
"In his own courtyard, waiting for the doctor to treat him," Qingyue said, then ran off.
Zheng Qian thought for a moment.
A kitchen knife cutting the foot was an external injury.
If the wound wasn't treated properly, the bleeding wouldn't stop. Infection could set in, leading to suppuration, gangrene, or even sepsis—death could follow.
Now it was May, and with the weather getting hotter each day, wounds were even more prone to pus and infection.
Zheng Qian didn't know her younger half-brother personally, but as a military physician with a medicinal storage space carrying countless remedies, she could treat him.
During her military medical studies, she had memorized the physician's code: save lives, heal the injured, put people first.
Thinking of this, she said to Caiyuan: "Let's go have a look."
"Eldest Young Lady, Fifth Young Master's side will surely be chaotic. If we go, we might just get in the way," Caiyuan objected. She thought it might be better to wait a few days until the injury improved.
"We'll just take a look, not add to the trouble," Zheng Qian said.
Caiyuan wasn't as bold and straightforward as Hongluan, nor as calm and capable as Xiuzhu. She had no strong opinions; if the young lady decided to go, she agreed.
The pair, with the cat, went to Zheng Run's courtyard.
Even before entering, Zheng Qian could hear wailing and howling.
Fifth Young Master Zheng Run, fourteen, was in the midst of puberty. His cries were hoarse and piercing.
Caiyuan winced at the sound, feeling sorry for him.
"Eldest Young Lady, maybe we should go back?" she whispered, frightened by the blood.
Zheng Qian said, "If you're scared, take Achou back first." She reached to hand the cat over.
But Achou clung to Zheng Qian's arm, digging claws into her clothes, refusing to leave.
Zheng Qian couldn't help laughing at the cat's stubbornness. "What kind of cat are you? A journalist turned spirit?"
Caiyuan didn't understand but wasn't about to ask. She just wanted to leave.
Zheng Qian entered the house.
Caiyuan gritted her teeth and followed.
Inside, Fifth Young Master's cries were even more pitiful.
The grand lady, Third Young Lady, and Second Young Miss were already present. One brave young servant held a handkerchief tightly against Fifth Young Master's foot, soaked in blood.
Third Young Lady, probably afraid of blood, looked pale as if about to faint.
The grand lady's expression showed distress as well.
Second Young Miss, delicate as ever, was unusually composed, calmly asking the maids: "Has the doctor arrived? Where is Concubine Zhou? Have you sent someone to inform Father Marquis at the National University?"
She arranged everything with care, earning a subtle nod of approval from the grand lady.
At this moment, Zheng Qian entered, almost unnoticed by everyone except Second Young Miss.
Second Young Miss glanced over her, a flash of shadow passing through her clear, beautiful eyes.
Soon, the doctor arrived.
Although the Jing'an Marquisate was noble, it no longer held real power. They could not summon an imperial physician and had to hire one of the better doctors in the capital.
Today's doctor was a man in his fifties.
"Doctor Lu, come quickly and examine my grandson!" the grand lady urged.
Kyoto had a pharmacy named "Jinkui Hall," borrowing the name from the Golden Cabinet Essentials, implying superior medical skill.
Indeed, in the whole of Xiayang City, no pharmacy was more prestigious than Jinkui Hall, and no doctor more skilled than Lu Chengtai, the owner.
However, the doctor sent today was not the famous Lu Chengtai, but one of Lu's resident doctors.
Though not actually surnamed Lu, since they worked at the Lu pharmacy, people called them Doctor Lu and trusted them implicitly. Over time, even their real surname was forgotten.
"Step aside. How can you just sprinkle powder and press it down?" Doctor Lu scolded, stepping forward. He took out powdered medicine for wounds and began sprinkling it on the cut.
Zheng Qian's heart sank.
Without cleaning and suturing, sprinkling powder directly on the wound would not stop the bleeding and could worsen infection.
Ancient medicine had its marvels, and Zheng Qian loved traditional medicine. Her storage space contained many highly effective, low-side-effect remedies. She wanted to see if this powder was a lost famous medicine.
Once the powder was applied, Fifth Young Master screamed even louder. He had plenty of vocal power.
The senior doctor watched, frowned at the persistent bleeding, and sprinkled a bit more.
At this moment, Concubine Zhou rushed in, trying to embrace Fifth Young Master while crying.
"Run'er, my son!" she sobbed, moving forward, but the maids held her back.
They cautioned her not to agitate him, so the doctor could treat the injury.
Not long after, the Marquis of Jing'an, Zheng Jinghong, returned hurriedly.
"How is it?" he instinctively asked Second Young Miss Zheng Yutan, as if she were the only reliable person in the household.
"Father Marquis, don't worry. Doctor Lu has arrived and is treating him," Second Young Miss said.
"Doctor Lu, how is my son's condition?" Zheng Jinghong asked the senior doctor.
Hearing the name Lu, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.
But Doctor Lu's expression was grave.
"Marquis, I'm afraid it's serious. The bleeding won't stop—even Lu's hemostatic powder is ineffective. Your son's prognosis… is not good."
The room fell silent.
Even Zheng Run's cries faltered.
Hearing this, Zheng Qian slapped her forehead in frustration.
So much for "famous medicine" and "hemostatic powders"—all useless.
Alas, an incompetent doctor can mislead lives.