Scattered clinking sounds came from the dining room, and the Prince’s maids standing in the courtyard couldn’t help but look over.
“What’s all that about?” Qiu Xiang, standing at the Prince’s door, snorted and muttered, “All mysterious and sneaky…”
Mentioning ghosts made her involuntarily shudder.
The Young Madam was said to have died once before…
Originally she didn’t believe this, but now somehow she felt it might be true. Otherwise, how could she have bewitched the Prince into letting her enter the courtyard gate?
Only ghosts could accomplish such a thing, right?
When Qi Yue moved into the Prince’s courtyard, the few old women who had been kneeling and wailing in Qiu Tong Courtyard after being punished and dismissed didn’t have the courage to come here to cause trouble. Moreover, the Young Madam who everyone thought would be divorced had safely moved into the Prince’s courtyard. Though they weren’t sharing a room, it was enough to shock everyone.
If the Young Madam secured her position, she would become the future Marchioness. In this marquis mansion, she would hold absolute power. To offend her would mean…
Many people weighed this thought and abandoned their schemes, preparing to wait and see.
At this morning’s meeting, the stewardess wives gathering in the Prince’s courtyard were complete for the first time. Those who had been absent before no longer had the qualifications to enter from today onward.
Qi Yue efficiently promoted several old women to fill these vacancies—women she had already selected from reviewing the roster. She then announced punishments for those stewardess wives who hadn’t fulfilled their promised duties. These punishments were merely fines, much lighter than dismissal. The women who had been anxiously thinking they too would be made examples of breathed sighs of relief, and their faces couldn’t help but show some gratitude toward Qi Yue.
“Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching. Everyone has just discussed how to handle it and reviewed past precedents. There are guidelines to follow. Please put your hearts into it and organize everything perfectly. After the festival, we’ll give rewards,” Qi Yue said with a smile, ending today’s morning meeting.
The women below responded in a jumbled chorus of “yes.” Though their voices were still somewhat chaotic and not in unison, it was much better than before.
Nanny Su stood aside, watching all this with cold eyes.
After finishing household matters, Chang Yuncheng was still nowhere to be found. Qi Yue casually asked Qiu Xiang, who acted as if guarding against thieves, so Qi Yue stopped asking. A young madam going out wasn’t a big deal, with or without the Prince’s accompaniment.
“Is your master still in the study?” Qi Yue had just stepped into Qianjin Hall when she heard the eldest disciple rush over to say this, giving her a fright.
“What did Lady Qi say to my master? What’s wrong with the old man?” The eldest disciple was also very troubled.
Qi Yue sighed. She hadn’t really said anything, just that the medicine she brought had stimulated this old physician.
“I’ll go do rounds first,” she said, shaking her head while taking the clothes A’Ru handed her and putting them on.
“Rounds?” The eldest disciple was confused by this term, watching Qi Yue walk inside.
Hu San came bouncing over.
“Master, you’re here!” he called out joyfully, eagerly reaching for the medicine box in A’Ru’s hands. “Miss A’Ru, let me, let me.”
A’Ru kept her head down, ignoring him and refusing to give him the medicine box.
“Don’t call me master,” Qi Yue glared at him. “You have a master.”
Hu San smiled sheepishly.
“It’s my master who told me to call you master,” he said.
Qi Yue was dizzy from this circle of “masters” and simply ignored him. The injured man had already been moved into a separate room in Qianjin Hall. According to Qi Yue’s requirements, people entering and leaving were strictly controlled, had to wear special clothes, and the room was fumigated with alcohol daily.
“Lady Qi has come.”
She had just reached the door when she heard a man’s voice loudly calling from inside.
“Good, sounds full of energy. Seems like a good recovery,” Qi Yue said with a smile, pushing open the door to look at the young man lying on the bed.
“Lady Qi has come.” The dark-faced man keeping watch stood up happily when he saw her, bowing and repeating what he said every time they met: “Thank you, Lady, for saving my life.”
“It’s what I should do,” Qi Yue said with a smile.
She meant that doctors should save lives and heal the wounded, while the dark-faced man understood it as servants of the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion naturally obeying the Prince’s orders. Both smiled and passed over this topic.
The injured man propped himself up trying to get up, looking at Qi Yue with a smile.
“Don’t move, lie down properly. If the wound tears open, you’ll suffer again,” Qi Yue said with a smile.
Here, A’Ru skillfully opened the medicine box and took out a stethoscope to hand to her.
“I won’t suffer. With Lady’s miraculous medical skills here, I won’t suffer at all,” the injured man said with a smile.
This young man was talkative and cheerful, with a good personality. Qi Yue smiled and asked how he slept last night, what he ate, how many times his wound hurt, while using the stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, and thermometer to examine him one by one.
“The IV can be stopped,” she turned to tell Hu San.
Hu San was happily bringing over the IV supplies. Yesterday when Qi Yue left, she had taught him to remove the needle. For Hu San, this wasn’t as impressive as inserting needles, so today he was hoping to learn more. Hearing this, he had to give up.
“The rest I’ll leave entirely to you senior and junior disciples for treatment. Listen to them about what medicine to take,” Qi Yue said.
“Ah? How can that be? Lady, why aren’t you treating me anymore?” the injured man immediately called out.
This form of address made Qi Yue feel extremely awkward, giving her goosebumps.
“Right, Master, you should continue treating him,” Hu San also said hurriedly.
I can’t continue treating him. None of the medicines I know how to use are available here, Qi Yue thought with a bitter smile.
“Actually, I’m not very good at treating illnesses. I only know how to suture wounds and such,” she said with a smile.
“Ah? Then how…?” Hu San asked with wide eyes.
Qi Yue shrugged and spread her hands.
“My grandmother never taught me that. I only know this. As for prescribing medicines and such, I understand none of it, so it’s still up to you,” she said vaguely without further explanation.
Hu San nodded.