"This is a recurrence of appendicitis. Ordinary decoctions have very limited effect. This is only the first day. If it is not removed promptly, the condition will become increasingly severe."
"The adhesion of the appendix will worsen. By the time surgery is performed then, not only will bleeding be more likely, but the risk of post-operative infection will also greatly increase."
Meng Hechuan looked at his mother lying on the bed, her face devoid of color. A day and night of torment had left her utterly haggard.
"Ask Physician Liu and Physician Gu to come in. For the others who have no solution, give them silver and send them home."
The servant, upon receiving the order, immediately left the room to call for the men in the courtyard.
Liu Xuanqing of Huiming Hall and Gu Zhongheng of the Gu Family Clinic were the most skilled physicians in the entire Anyang Prefecture. A year ago, it was Liu Xuanqing who had cured Old Madam Meng's appendicitis.
The physicians in the courtyard, who had been discussing the patient's condition among themselves and were puzzled by Song Jinzhao's prolonged absence, were surprised when the Meng family offered them silver to leave.
Seeing Liu Xuanqing and Gu Zhongheng being led inside by a Meng family servant, the others felt this was only right and proper.
When the two physicians, both over sixty, heard Song Jinzhao's proposed treatment method, Gu Zhongheng immediately voiced his doubts without hesitation.
"Using a knife to cut open the belly! Young lady, where did you learn your medicine? In all my years of practice, I have never encountered such an outlandish treatment method."
"The person lying on that bed is not livestock. You are toying with a human life!"
Song Jinzhao's expression darkened, and she frowned, meeting his gaze directly. "As a physician, I would never toy with a patient's life."
"The world is vast. Just because Physician Gu hasn't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. You are also welcome to present your own treatment plan."
Gu Zhongheng was left speechless by Song Jinzhao's retort. He had already prescribed medicine, but it had shown no effect whatsoever; otherwise, the Meng family wouldn't have kept summoning physicians for consultation.
Liu Xuanqing, who hadn't objected immediately, looked at Song Jinzhao and asked, "If you cut open the lower abdomen with a knife and it bleeds incessantly, what then? Sew it back up?"
Song Jinzhao replied, "The appendix hasn't perforated or formed an abscess yet, so the adhesion shouldn't be too severe. If we are careful, the bleeding won't be excessive. Moreover, I can use silver needles to temporarily stanch the bleeding."
Liu Xuanqing asked, "Will removing the inflamed appendix not affect future digestion and diet?"
Song Jinzhao shook her head. "The impact won't be significant. If we don't remove it now, and the condition worsens further, she will even lose her life."
Liu Xuanqing felt a flush of heat on his neck, his mind reeling from this sudden influx of new knowledge. It was a lot to process.
He pointed to his own right abdomen. "After cutting out the appendix and sewing it up with thread, the threads on the skin can be removed later. But what about the threads you use to sew the intestine? Do you wait for the intestine to heal, then cut open the abdomen again to remove the threads from the intestine, and sew it up once more?"
The three members of the Meng family listening in the room shuddered at the thought.
One cut after another... this wasn't a piece of pork. It was utterly chilling.
Song Jinzhao explained, "For suturing the cecum, we would use catgut that can be absorbed by the body on its own. There's no need to reopen the wound to remove stitches."
Seeing the two go back and forth, Gu Zhongheng tugged at Liu Xuanqing's sleeve and questioned him, "You're not actually considering listening to her nonsense, are you? She's only in her teens. How many patients has she treated!"
Liu Xuanqing countered in a low voice, "You and I have practiced medicine for many years. It's not like we haven't encountered cases like Old Madam Meng's current situation."
"This is the second time. The decoction has had no effect at all. Do you have any other methods?"
Typically, if this dragged on for another two days, the condition would deteriorate, and the patient would die.
Gu Zhongheng gritted his teeth and pointed at Song Jinzhao. "Do you think her method is effective? What difference is there between this and murder!"
Song Shixue, standing to the side with her medicine chest, saw Gu Zhongheng pointing at Song Jinzhao and accusing her of murder with a fierce expression, and immediately spoke up in rebuttal.
"My elder sister's medical skills have never failed. Just because you can't do it doesn't mean my elder sister can't."
Seeing such a young girl speak so boldly, Gu Zhongheng felt as if the sky were falling. He could already imagine the chaos these two sisters would stir up in Anyang Prefecture's medical circles in the future.
"I was practicing medicine before you two young ladies were even born."
"You accuse me of speaking wildly? I say it is you who are spouting nonsense, risking Old Madam Meng's life just to curry favor with the Prefect."
Seeing Gu Zhongheng, old enough to be their grandfather, pointing and shouting at the two young girls, Liu Xuanqing quickly intervened.
"We are discussing medical techniques. Let's just discuss medical techniques. You are old enough to be their grandfather. How can you speak to juniors like that?"
Gu Zhongheng's face turned ashen. He turned his head away, took a few deep breaths, and then seemed to make an important decision.
He bowed respectfully to Meng Hechuan and said, "Your Honor, my master lives at the Cold Mountain Temple outside the city. We could invite the venerable master down to examine Old Madam Meng. Perhaps there is still a glimmer of hope."
Madam Meng's eyes lit up. "Hasn't Physician Mu already stopped seeing patients? Can you really persuade him to come down, Physician Gu?"
Gu Zhongheng straightened his chest, full of confidence. "If I go to beg my master, he should agree to come down the mountain."
Meng Hechuan then said to Song Jinzhao, "Miss Song, cutting open the body is far too dangerous. My mother is advanced in years. It would be better to choose a safer treatment method."
Song Jinzhao wasn't angry either, just nodded calmly and lightly.
"In that case, I shall take my leave."
Meng Hechuan gave a slight nod and a smile, signaling with his eyes for the steward to see her out.
Liu Xuanqing still wanted to ask about the surgical removal of the appendix and immediately moved to leave with Song Jinzhao.
But Meng Hechuan stopped him. "Physician Liu, Physician Gu is about to go to Cold Mountain Temple. I must ask you to remain in the residence, in case my mother's condition worsens and she cannot hold on until Physician Mu arrives."
Liu Xuanqing watched Song Jinzhao's retreating back and reluctantly agreed. He would have to visit her another day.
Meng Hechuan said to Gu Zhongheng, "Physician Gu, I will have someone escort you to Cold Mountain Temple immediately. Please, you must persuade your master to come down the mountain."
"As long as it can cure Old Madam Meng's illness, this humble one will naturally do his utmost."
Gu Zhongheng glanced at Liu Xuanqing, a hint of smugness in his eyes.
On the way back, Song Shixue sat on her horse, leaning her head back to comfort Song Jinzhao.
"Elder Sister, you are the best physician in the whole world. It's their loss not letting you treat her. Sooner or later, your name will be known far and wide."
Song Jinzhao smiled gently and reached out to pinch Song Shixue's cheek.
"Elder Sister isn't upset. There are so many patients in the world; it's impossible for every single one to seek us out for treatment."
Sometimes a physician treating a patient also depends on fate. If the predestined connection isn't there, it's just not meant to be. There's no need to force it.
In modern times, there were plenty of patients trying to get appointments with specialists or pull strings to have experts operate on them.
As long as the other party had better medical skills, in Song Jinzhao's view, this was perfectly normal.
But could Physician Mu, the master Gu Zhongheng mentioned, really cure Old Madam Meng?
Lanxi, who had been keeping alert and hadn't fully fallen asleep, heard the sound of hoofbeats outside and immediately nudged Fushun's thigh with her foot.
"Wake up! The Eldest Miss and Second Miss are back."
Fushun groggily opened his eyes, his gaze still unfocused, but his mouth opened first. "They're back?"
Lanxi nodded. "The hoofbeats just stopped. They'll probably knock on the door any moment."
The next instant, knocking sounded. Fushun grabbed his clothes and scrambled out of the woodshed to open the gate.
Song Qiming heard the noise and came out of his room, opening the door. "Elder Sister, did you cure the Meng family's illness?"
Chunxing and Qingshuang walked out from another room, their gazes also filled with curiosity.
Being called out for a consultation so late at night must mean it was an emergency.
Song Jinzhao threw the reins to Fushun, while Chunxing stepped forward to take the medicine chest from Song Shixue's shoulder.
"The condition was somewhat complex. The Meng residence wants to find other physicians to treat Old Madam Meng. They paid the consultation fee and sent us back."
Upon hearing this, Song Qiming yawned sleepily, his eyes watering.
"There are less than three watches until dawn. Elder Sister, you should go to sleep quickly, or you'll be tired at the clinic tomorrow."
When morning came, Song Jinzhao and Song Shixue went to the clinic as usual, and Song Qiming left for the academy.
Staring at the essay handed back, covered in harsh criticism, the air around Song Qiming grew heavier. The humility between his brows vanished without a trace, replaced by a coldness in his pupils that carried an imposing severity.
Ding Weiyue walked to the lectern, his gaze settling on Song Qiming, and said in a deep voice, "I have read all the essays submitted yesterday. Many were well-written, but there were also those that missed the point, were shallow in thought, or impractical."
"Those with more than three corrections on their essays must rewrite and submit a new one to me today. If it fails again, the punishment will be to copy 'Lu Xiangong's Memorials' one hundred times."
"Especially you, Song Qiming. Your essay had the most problems. I truly wonder how you managed to achieve the top scholar rank and first place in the monthly exam."
Yan Baoyi, sitting in the third row, curled his lips smugly.
Song Qiming, seated on his stool, let out a soft, derisive snort. He picked up his essay, stood, and faced everyone with a smile. "Master Ding took the trouble to criticize my essay from beginning to end, leaving not a single gap. That must have been quite laborious."
"I hadn't realized my essay was so poor. Perhaps, Master Ding, you could go ask the examiners who graded the academy entrance exams, or the outer college masters who graded the monthly exams. I, too, would like to know how I managed to earn the top scholar rank and first place."
The room fell utterly silent, even the sound of breathing seemed pronounced.
Ding Weiyue's eyebrows shot up, his face dark and fearsome. He hadn't expected Song Qiming to have the audacity to publicly mock him.
"Even the best can slip up. No matter how talented you are, if you grow arrogant and stop striving, you will regress. In future classes, listen attentively, consult your fellow students more, and be unashamed to ask questions. Only then can you improve and not waste the innate scholarly talent you were born with."
Song Qiming's lips curved into a smile.
In just two sentences, the criticism had escalated to his character and attitude, sarcastically implying his achievements were solely due to innate talent, with no effort at all.
Master Ding and his disciple were truly cut from the same cloth, birds of a feather.
"Rest assured, Master, after class I will take your corrected essay and consult every fellow student and teacher in the academy one by one, seeking their guidance, so I can submit a satisfactory essay."
"After all, I certainly don't want to be punished with copying 'Lu Xiangong's Memorials' one hundred times. Finishing that would probably cripple my hand."
Having said this, Song Qiming sat back down with a smile and opened his book, as if nothing had happened.
Su Luobai, sitting on his stool, clenched his teeth, covering his mouth with his hand to stifle his laughter.
One shouldn't provoke the tiger. With an elder sister as formidable as Song Jinzhao, one is influenced by their company. How could Song Qiming possibly swallow insults and bear humiliation?
Zhao Jinmin, full of admiration, lay his head on the desk and turned to stare at Song Qiming sitting behind him.
So tough. His personality was nothing like his gentle appearance.
For the entire class, no one dared to speak, fearful of becoming the venting target for the scowling Master Ding.
After class, in front of Ding Weiyue, Song Qiming picked up his heavily annotated essay, walked to the front row, and with a smile, bowed to consult each student one by one.
After consulting everyone inside, he even went outside to the outer college to ask others.
On the way, whenever he encountered other masters, he respectfully presented his essay, saying he didn't fully understand some of the annotations and didn't know how to rewrite it, seeking their guidance.
The students and masters who read the essay were momentarily at a loss for words.
The students felt Song Qiming's essay was better than theirs. If this was considered rubbish, then what they wrote must be worse than rubbish.
The other masters believed Song Qiming's essay used small details to illustrate larger themes, brilliant throughout.
If revised according to Ding Weiyue's annotations, it would become like an old woman's foot-binding cloth—long, tedious, and foul-smelling.
It would be left an empty shell, and one made of paper at that, scattering with the first breeze, full of nonsense.
Was this the extent of Master Ding's ability?
Had his scholarship declined, or was he deliberately trying to stupefy his students? Could someone like this still serve as an inner college lecturer?
In the Wenjing Hall, Ding Weiyue sensed the other masters secretly glancing at him. He felt as if sitting on pins and needles, his chest about to explode with pent-up fury he couldn't release.
Song Qiming was indeed wildly arrogant about his talent, daring to oppose him like this just because he had some ability.
If he didn't drive him out, how could he remain at the academy in the future?
The day's events also led to Yan Baoyi being discussed around the academy. After dismissal, he immediately went to the Ding residence to find Master Ding.
"Teacher, Song Qiming comes from a lowly background and has no sense of propriety. Today, he was clearly deliberately making things difficult for you."
Ding Weiyue gripped his wine cup tightly, as if to crush it.
"Of course I know Song Qiming did it on purpose. I have already devised a plan to deal with him. This time, I will definitely expel him from the academy, leaving him no chance to recover."
Yan Baoyi's eyebrows shot up, and he eagerly pressed, "What plan?"
Ding Weiyue: "The inner college holds monthly assessments. The ten lowest-ranked students are demoted back to the outer college. If Song Qiming is caught plagiarizing or cheating during this assessment, violating academy rules, he will be expelled and barred for life."
"Teacher, how do you plan to do it?" Given Song Qiming's scholarly ability, the chance of him plagiarizing or cheating was low. It would have to be orchestrated.
Ding Weiyue set down the empty cup, looking into Yan Baoyi's eyes. "I will tell you when the plan is set. You just need to cooperate."
Yan Baoyi, thinking of how he had been suppressed by Song Qiming time and again, nodded heavily. "As long as we can drive Song Qiming out of the academy, I will do anything."
If Song Qiming wasn't removed, he would never have his day in the sun.
Yang Yanfeng arrived at the Li residence and with a smile recounted the day's events to Li Tianchong.
"So now they are thoroughly enemies. Initially, Ding Weiyue was making trouble for Song Qiming on behalf of his disciple. After today, it's personal; he himself wants to deal with Song Qiming."
"I intend to accept Song Qiming as my disciple soon. We can't delay this any longer."
Seeing Yang Yanfeng's attitude change so quickly, Li Tianchong's eyes crinkled at the corners. "What did I tell you? Song Qiming is a talent."
"However, it's best to wait a little longer. When Ding Weiyue targets Song Qiming next time, you step in. The effect will be even better."
Yang Yanfeng shook his head, his expression serious. "Talents are hard to come by. After today's incident, every master in the academy will have seen that essay Song Qiming wrote. If I don't act quickly, I'm afraid others will get there first."
