The Eighth Day of Autumn, Tanglong Year One
My periodontal treatment lasted a full seven days.
For seven days, I appeared punctually at the Hu-girl wine shop in the West Market to irrigate, apply medication, and teach Li Longji how to use dental floss. His gums went from swollen and red to normal; the probing depth decreased from five millimeters to two millimeters, and he no longer tossed and turned at night due to pain.
That second molar, which was nearly lost, finally remained firmly in his mouth.
At the end of the final treatment, I wrote the last line in the medical record: "Probing depth 2mm, percussion test negative, gum color normal. Recommendation: Re-examine every three days for two weeks."
Closing the file, I inexplicably didn't want to look up.
"It's done," I said. "Your Highness's tooth is cured."
Li Longji leaned back in his chair, his finger touching the spot where the tooth was, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned.
"It doesn't hurt anymore."
"Of course it doesn't. I treated it for seven days."
"Seven days." He repeated the words, his tone carrying something indefinable. "So you won't be coming anymore?"
My hand, packing the medicine box, paused.
"If Your Highness brushes regularly, uses floss, and eats less sugar, it shouldn't recur."
"Shouldn't?"
"Oral care is a long-term process. It's not a one-time fix once cured."
He looked at me, silent. I lowered my head and continued packing, folding the cotton strips, wiping the bamboo tubes clean, and capping the tooth powder jar. Every movement was slightly slower than usual.
"Then how will this King know if I brushed or used floss on time?"
"...Your Highness will know yourself."
"This King does not know," he said, his tone as casual as commenting on the weather. "You must come to check."
I looked up. He was leaning back in his chair, spinning the jar of tooth powder on the table, a slight smile on his lips.
"Come once every three days," he said. "Check for this King."
"Your Highness, your tooth is already healed—"
"Healed still needs checking." He put down the jar and stood up. "Didn't you say oral care is a long-term process?"
I opened my mouth but found no words to refute. He walked to the door, glanced back at me.
"See you in three days, Gu Qingyan."
The door closed. I stood there, clutching the jar of tooth powder. My heart was beating a bit fast.
Qingyuan poked her head in from outside: "Third Lady? Has His Highness left?"
"Yes."
"What did he say?"
"He said... to come back in three days for a check-up."
"But isn't his tooth already healed?"
"Yes."
"Then why check again?"
I was silent for a moment. "Because he doesn't want me to leave."
The moment those words left my mouth, I was startled myself. Qingyuan's eyes widened, her mouth forming an 'O'.
"Let's go, home." I picked up the medicine box, giving her no chance to追问 (question further).
The Prince's Residence
Three more days passed.
I arrived at the wine shop on time, but Li Longji was not there. Sitting in the private room was Yao Chong. He stood up and nodded slightly: "Miss Gu, His Highness is at the residence today and asked me to escort you."
The Prince of Linzi's residence was in Xingqing Ward. It wasn't large, but the layout was orderly. The stone lions at the entrance were polished to a shine, the steps dust-free. Two guards stood with eyes fixed straight ahead, their armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
As we crossed the front courtyard, I noticed several eunuchs whispering under the corridor. Seeing me, a flicker of curiosity flashed in their eyes before they quickly lowered their heads. A woman carrying a medicine box, entering and leaving the prince's residence alone—in their eyes, this was likely a rare sight.
Yao Chong led me to the study door and knocked: "Your Highness, Miss Gu has arrived."
"Enter."
I pushed the door open. Li Longji sat behind his desk, a pile of documents spread before him, a brush in his hand. The study was messier than my last visit—documents stacked into three small mountains, maps covering half the table, ink in the inkstone still wet, and several used brushes hanging on the rack. But the most striking feature was a new piece of calligraphy hanging on the wall. Not poetry, not scripture, just four characters: "The People are the Foundation of the State" (Min Wei Bang Ben). The brushstrokes were vigorous, the ink still fresh.
"Is Your Highness very busy today?" I put down the medicine box.
"Acceptably." He gathered the documents to one side, clearing a space, and leaned back in his chair to look at me. "Begin."
I examined him—gum color normal, no swelling, probing depth maintained within the normal range.
"Recovery is excellent." I packed away my tools. "Has Your Highness been brushing on time these past three days?"
"Yes."
"Used floss?"
"...Used it twice."
"Your Highness—"
"That thing is too troublesome to use." He frowned. "It takes forever every time."
"No matter how troublesome, it must be used." I pulled the silk thread from my sleeve. "Debris between teeth cannot be reached by brushing; over time, it will cause inflammation again."
He looked at the silk thread in my hand and sighed. "You do it for this King."
I hesitated for a moment, then moved to his side, wrapping the thread around my fingers. As I approached, I noticed a document spread on the desk: "Report from Jingzhao Prefecture: This year, many citizens in Chang'an suffer from dental ailments. Physicians mostly prescribe bitter and cold agents, with few effective results..."
"What are you looking at?" he suddenly asked.
Only then did I realize my gaze had lingered on the document too long. "Nothing." I lowered my head, sliding the floss into his interdental space.
He didn't press the issue, but as I finished cleaning the last tooth, he suddenly said: "Gu Qingyan, have you ever thought about opening a medical clinic in Chang'an?"
I paused. "What?"
"Your skills, used only for this King, are too wasted." He sat up straight, his gaze becoming serious. "There are many people in Chang'an with toothaches. You cured this King; you can cure others too. You saw the report from Jingzhao Prefecture—'Physicians mostly prescribe bitter and cold agents, with few effective results'."
He paused, a hint of something I couldn't quite understand in his tone. "In this world, when common people fall ill, no one cares. Even if the court wants to care, it cannot. Because there is no one who understands."
Looking at him, I suddenly realized—when he said these words, he didn't sound like a prince bestowing favor, but rather like a ruler contemplating governance.
"Does Your Highness want me to... open a dental clinic?"
"Dental clinic?" He repeated the term. "That name is not bad."
He drew a sheet of paper from his desk and handed it to me. On it was drawn the layout of a shop, marked with dimensions and orientation. The ink was fresh, but the paper was slightly crumpled—as if it had been carried on his person for several days.
"A shop in Chongren Ward, a two-courtyard compound. Front for consultations, back for living." He looked at me. "This King has already had someone prepare it."
Clutching the paper, my fingers trembled slightly. "Your Highness prepared this long ago?"
"Three days ago."
"Then why not tell me directly?"
"Because this King wanted to tell you personally." He leaned back, a slight smile on his lips. "Saying it face-to-face is more formal."
The study fell silent. The wind blew in from the window, rustling the documents on the table.
"Your Highness," I said, "why are you helping me?"
He looked at me, his eyes holding something indefinable—not doting, not charitable, but more like expectation.
"Because you have ability," he said. "In this world, capable people should not be buried. This King wants to see how far you can go."
He paused, then added: "Also, this King's teeth will still be under your care in the future."
Undercurrents in the Court
The day before the clinic opened, while buying herbs in the West Market, I heard some news.
Song Wang Li Chengqi had hosted a banquet at his residence, inviting several high officials. During the feast, someone mentioned the position of Crown Prince. Someone tested Song Wang's intentions. Holding his wine cup, Song Wang laughed for a long time and said only one sentence: "My second brother has been visiting my residence frequently lately to appreciate paintings. His taste is indeed uncommon."
When this reached Li Longji's ears, he was sitting in my clinic. Not for a check-up, just to sit. Golden elm leaves covered the ground outside the window; the setting sun shone on his face, making his expression unreadable.
"Your Highness, what does Song Wang mean by this?" I asked.
"It means he is not in a hurry." He leaned back in his chair. "He is waiting. Waiting for me to make a mistake, waiting for me to reveal a flaw, waiting for Princess Taiping to pull me down. His not fighting is his way of fighting."
It was exactly what I had said before. But his tone today was heavier than that night.
"What is Your Highness worried about?"
"Time." He looked at me. "Princess Taiping will not give me much time. She has placed many people in the court, looking for my faults every day. Li Chengqi can afford to wait; I cannot."
I remained silent. He was right. Princess Taiping would not let him take his time.
"Your Highness, what has Song Wang been doing recently?"
"Appreciating paintings. Reading. Occasionally attending court, saying nothing." He paused. "He is very steady. Steadier than I imagined."
"Then what does Your Highness plan to do?"
"Continue going. Drink wine, appreciate paintings, discuss calligraphy. Let him continue thinking. The more he thinks, the more tired he becomes." He stood up. "But Qingyan—"
He walked to the door and turned back.
"What if he never retreats?"
I didn't answer. Because I didn't know.
He left. The sound of hooves gradually faded, disappearing at the end of Zhuque Avenue. Standing at the door, watching his back, I suddenly felt—this chess game was bigger than I had imagined.
The Clinic Opens
A thousand miles of golden wind, just before the Double Ninth Festival.
"Qingyan Dental Clinic" opened in Chongren Ward.
The shop wasn't large, but it was tidy. The front was a consultation room with a Hu bed, a small table, and several cabinets. The cabinets were stocked with tooth powder, cotton strips, bamboo tubes, and silk threads. Two pieces of calligraphy hung on the wall—one written by Li Longji: "Qingyan Dental Clinic", with vigorous strokes; the other written by myself: "Expert in Skill, Benevolent in Heart" (Jing Yu Shu, Ren Yu Xin).
Behind was the pharmacy and bedroom. Besides herbs, the pharmacy had a large pot for boiling and sterilizing, and several porcelain jars for storing clean cotton. Qingyuan lived in the side room, and Shen Yue—my newly recruited apprentice—lived in the small room behind the pharmacy.
On opening day, the owner of the neighboring shoe shop stood at the door watching the fun, shouting loudly: "Dental clinic? Looking at teeth? What's there to see about teeth!" The wonton vendor across the street also chimed in: "Girl, you're a woman, opening a medical clinic? Go home and embroider!"
Qingyuan was so angry her face turned red; she was about to retort when I stopped her.
"Let them talk. When their teeth hurt, they will naturally come."
On the first day, not a single patient came. Nor on the second. Qingyuan paced anxiously at the door: "Third Lady, should we post a notice? Or hire a drum troupe to make some noise?"
"No need. They will come."
On the third day, the first patient arrived. It was none other than Yao Chong.
"Miss Gu," he nodded slightly. "My teeth have been somewhat uncomfortable lately."
I examined him—the lower right first molar had shallow caries, food debris stuck in the occlusal fissures, and a distinct catch when probed.
"Mr. Yao, this tooth has a small cavity; it needs to be filled."
"Filled?" He looked at me curiously. "How?"
"Fill it with a medicinal paste. Once solidified, it will be like a real tooth."
I took out the pre-mixed "filling paste"—beeswax, white bletilla, talc powder, and clove essential oil, mixed into a paste in specific proportions. During the procedure, Yao Chong was very quiet, only frowning occasionally.
"Does it hurt?"
"No pain. Just some sensitivity."
"Normal. Just tooth sensitivity."
After filling, I had him rinse and dried it with a cotton strip. "Done. Do not eat for two hours."
He moved his jaw, showing a surprised expression. "It doesn't hurt?"
"It didn't hurt to begin with. It's just that there was a hole, and food would get stuck when eating. Now that it's filled, it won't."
He stood up and bowed deeply to me. "Miss Gu is greatly talented."
I hurriedly helped him up. "Mr. Yao is too polite."
He smiled, took a ingot of silver from his sleeve, and placed it on the table. "His Highness said your skills are worth this price."
After he left, Qingyuan held the silver ingot, her eyes shining like stars. "Third Lady! We have money!"
"Yes."
"At this rate, we'll earn a lot in a month!"
"Yes."
"Third Lady, aren't you happy?"
"I am happy," I said. But I was thinking of something else. Yao Chong said, "His Highness said"—he had come specifically to support me. He knew there wouldn't be patients in the first few days, so he sent Yao Chong to be the first. This person always thought steps ahead.
Song Wang's Chess Move
Half a month after the clinic opened, trouble arose in the Chang'an court.
People from Princess Taiping's faction impeached Li Longji for "forming factions and cultivating private ties with court officials." The impeachment memorial was three full pages long, claiming he frequently visited Song Wang's residence with the intent to lure his elder brother, harboring sinister motives.
When the news reached the clinic, Li Longji was sitting there. After reading the message Qingyuan brought from outside, his face was very grim.
"What does Your Highness plan to do?"
"Go to court. Debate with them."
"Debate what?"
"Debate what is wrong with visiting my elder brother's residence to appreciate paintings."
"Your Highness," I put down the tooth powder jar, "Princess Taiping wants you to debate. The more you debate, the happier she will be. Because her people will say—Your Highness has a guilty conscience."
He looked at me, silent.
"Then this King says nothing?"
"Your Highness needs to say nothing," I said. "Let Song Wang speak."
"Let Li Chengqi speak?"
"Yes. Princess Taiping impeached Your Highness for 'luring your elder brother.' If Song Wang himself stands up and says Your Highness only went to appreciate paintings, with no ulterior motives—then Princess Taiping's people will be silenced."
He looked at me, his gaze changing. "Do you think he will speak for me?"
"No," I answered honestly. "But Princess Taiping's impeachment is also a signal to him. She is telling him—Your Highness is trying to lure you; be careful. If Song Wang does not respond to this signal, Princess Taiping will suspect he has already been lured by Your Highness."
"So he must respond."
"Correct. He must take a stance between Your Highness and Princess Taiping. He cannot remain silent. Silence itself is a stance."
He leaned back in his chair, thinking for a long time.
"Qingyan, which side do you think he will stand on?"
"Neither," I said. "He will say Your Highness only went to appreciate paintings, with no ulterior motives. This way, he helps Your Highness out of the predicament while indicating to Princess Taiping that he hasn't been lured. He offends neither side."
"Then what does this King gain?"
"Time," I said. "What Your Highness needs is time. As long as Song Wang doesn't side with Princess Taiping, Your Highness has time."
He looked at me and smiled. "Good. I will wait."
The next day in court, Li Chengqi indeed stood up. His words were exactly as I had predicted—"My second brother only came to my residence to appreciate paintings, nothing more. This subject believes that interactions between brothers should not be grounds for impeachment."
Princess Taiping's people were speechless. The impeachment was rejected.
Li Longji won this round. But he was not happy. After court adjourned, he came to find me, sat on the examination bed in the clinic, and remained silent for a long time.
"Qingyan."
"Hmm?"
"Li Chengqi spoke for me in court today."
"I know."
"But the look in his eyes—" He paused. "It was very cold."
I said nothing.
"He was telling me he could speak for me once, but there won't be a second time."
The wind blew in from the window, rustling the medical records on the table.
"Your Highness," I said, "Song Wang will not remain neutral forever. One day, he must choose a side."
"I know." He stood up and walked to the door. "So before that day comes, I must make him withdraw on his own."
He left. I stood by the window, watching his back disappear around the street corner. The setting sun stretched his shadow long on the ground, like an unsheathed blade.
Double Ninth Festival
The day before the Double Ninth Festival, Li Longji came.
He wore an ordinary round-collar robe, brought no guards, and rode his black warhorse, reining in at the clinic entrance.
"The sign is hanging crookedly." He dismounted, pointing at the plaque above the door.
"...Your Highness."
He walked into the consultation room, looking around. The tooth powder in the cabinets was neatly arranged, the calligraphy on the walls wiped dust-free, and the cotton on the examination bed folded with sharp edges.
"Not bad." He sat on the Hu bed. "Better than I imagined."
"Didn't Your Highness say you were coming incognito?"
"This King is incognito." He pointed at his clothes. "No official robes, no guards."
"But your horse—"
"The horse doesn't count."
I couldn't help but laugh. He smiled too, his gaze falling on the calligraphy "Expert in Skill, Benevolent in Heart" on the wall.
"Did you come up with this phrase?"
"Yes."
"Expert in Skill, Benevolent in Heart." He recited it. "Not bad. But it's missing a line."
"Missing what?"
He thought for a moment: "Reach the World" (Da Yu Tian Xia).
I paused.
"No matter how skilled a doctor is, or how benevolent their heart, if they cannot step out of this room, how many people can they save?" He looked at me. "You mentioned before wanting to teach students. This King remembers."
He leaned back in his chair, his tone as casual as commenting on the weather, but his gaze was serious.
"Gu Qingyan, this King wants to see how far you can go."
I took a newly mixed mouthwash from the cabinet and handed it to him. "Your Highness, try this."
He opened it and sniffed—a cool mint scent mixed with the aroma of cloves. "This King had someone prepare it according to your formula, but it doesn't smell as good as this."
"Because I added osmanthus. The Double Ninth Festival is approaching; it fits the occasion."
He took a sip, held it in his mouth, puffing out his cheeks, looking somewhat comical. Suppressing a laugh, I watched him rinse.
"Your Highness, your teeth—"
"This King knows." He pulled the silk thread from his sleeve and clumsily tried to insert it into his mouth. This time, I didn't help him. After struggling for a while, he finally cleaned the last interdental space, looked up, and gazed at me triumphantly.
"This King has learned."
"Congratulations, Your Highness."
"Aren't you going to praise this King a few words?"
"Your Highness learns everything quickly."
He nodded satisfactorily, took a small white porcelain bottle from his sleeve, and placed it on the table. White glaze, smooth as jade.
"Mouthwash. This King had someone prepare it, adding cloves and mint."
"Didn't Your Highness say the one you had made didn't smell as good as mine?"
"So this is for you." He stood up. "You use your formula; this King uses his. Let's see whose teeth become whiter."
He walked to the door, then suddenly turned back. "Gu Qingyan."
"Hmm?"
"Have you ever thought that one day, your dental clinics could spread throughout all of Chang'an?"
I paused. "Not just Chang'an. The entire Great Tang should have them."
"The entire Great Tang?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. From Chang'an to Luoyang, from Yangzhou to Guangzhou, every city should have one. Not just dental clinics, but hospitals—with many doctors, some for diagnosis, some for dispensing medicine, some for nursing. Patients can stay there, and doctors visit daily to check their recovery."
I paused, then added: "And schools. Teaching people how to brush their teeth, how to prevent dental diseases. Let children learn to protect their teeth from a young age, so they won't have toothaches when they grow up."
"Just like you taught Qingyuan and Shen Yue?"
"Yes. But not one by one, but in batches. One school can admit dozens of students; in a few years, there will be hundreds of dentists. Hundreds of dentists—how many people can they treat?"
He didn't speak, just looked at me. The setting sun shone from behind him, casting his long shadow onto my feet.
"Does Your Highness think I'm talking big?"
"No," he said. "This King is thinking about when the things you describe can be realized."
He smiled. "Gu Qingyan, you are not an ordinary doctor. Ordinary doctors only want to cure the patient in front of them. You are thinking about how to ensure people in the future don't get sick."
He pushed the door open and walked out. The sound of hooves gradually faded.
I lowered my head and realized my fingers were trembling. Not from fear. But because—he understood. In this world, no one understood me. No one knew where I came from, no one knew how many things from this era were stored in my mind. But he understood.
"Third Lady?" Qingyuan called softly from behind. "You're crying."
I touched my face. Wet.
"No," I said. "It's the wind."
"But the door is closed—"
"Qingyuan."
"Hmm?"
"Add a stroke to the calligraphy on the wall."
"Add what?"
I walked to the east wall of the consultation room, looking at the phrase "Expert in Skill, Benevolent in Heart".
"Add four more characters. Reach the World."
Late Night
Night had fallen; the ward gates of Chang'an were closed.
I sat in the consultation room by an oil lamp, flipping through this month's medical records. Yao Chong—shallow caries, filling. Lady Li—periodontitis, irrigation and medication. Old Man Wang—pulpitis, pulpotomy and decompression. Young Brother Zhang—pericoronitis of wisdom tooth, irrigation and drainage.
Every record was written clearly. Diagnosis, treatment, instructions, follow-up time. This was my habit. In Vancouver, my mentor had said: Medical records are not written for yourself, but for the next doctor. In case you are not here, others can continue the treatment. I had remembered this sentence for many years.
Closing the file, I wrote a line on the last blank page: "The superior physician treats disease before it arises."
The best doctor is not one who can cure illness, but one who can prevent people from getting sick. In Vancouver, this was the core concept of oral health education. In the Great Tang, no one had heard this phrase yet. But they would.
Qingyuan brought in a bowl of ginger soup and saw me staring into space. "Third Lady, what are you thinking about?"
"Thinking about the future."
"The future? What about the future?"
"In the future, I want to open a school. Teach many people dentistry. Then open a dental clinic in every ward of Chang'an. And then, expand dental clinics to every prefecture of the Great Tang."
Qingyuan's eyes widened. "How many people would that take?"
"Many."
"How much money would that take?"
"Many."
"Then how much money do you have now?"
I looked at the money box on the table—a few ingots of silver, a string of copper coins, scattered bits. "...Not much."
Qingyuan fell silent.
"But we will have it," I said. "Step by step."
She looked at me and suddenly smiled. "Third Lady, I believe in you."
"Why?"
"Because you even cured His Highness's teeth. What is there that you can't do?"
I smiled too. The wind outside blew the elm leaves, making a rustling sound. The moon over Chang'an was large and round, hanging on the treetops outside the window, illuminating the entire courtyard brightly.
I picked up my brush and added another line to the last page of the medical record: "Tanglong Year One, the night before Double Ninth Festival. Qingyan Dental Clinic has been open for over a month, treating forty-seven patients. The road is long and arduous, but we have begun."
Closing the file, I blew out the oil lamp. Tomorrow, the clinic opens again. I need to teach Qingyuan and Shen Yue more characters. I need to mix new tooth powder formulas. And I need to—wait for him to come for a check-up.
But I know, beyond the clinic, the chess game in the court continues. Li Chengqi has not yet withdrawn. Princess Taiping is still waiting. Li Longji is still making his moves.
And I am just his dentist. And can only be his dentist. At least for now.
Tanglong Year One, Autumn. Elm leaves in Chang'an covered the ground; the golden setting sun shone on the plaque of "Qingyan Dental Clinic." The wind chimes under the eaves rang gently, like an echo of this era.
My clinic is small—only three rooms, two apprentices, a cabinet of tooth powder. But my dream is huge. Huge enough to hold the entire Great Tang.
(End of Chapter 3)