Looking at the doctors in the room whispering among themselves and shaking their heads, Qi Yue gritted her teeth and made a decision.
“Physician An said it cannot be cured, so he won’t come to examine the patient,” she announced loudly.
At these words, all the doctors in the room erupted in surprise.
Chang Yuncheng’s expression also showed some surprise. He glanced at Qi Yue, seemed about to say something but ultimately didn’t, just stood steadily to the side.
“What? Old Physician An said it can’t be treated!”
“Heavens, then what are we here for!”
“If the old master says it can’t be cured, how can we treat it!”
The doctors all looked agitated.
No wonder the Xie residence had suddenly invited them, these doctors. Which of the slightly prestigious high-ranking households in Shanning Prefecture didn’t guard only the An family’s door? If they couldn’t get the old one, they’d compete for the young one…
So it turned out the An family had already said it was untreatable.
All the doctors’ faces immediately darkened. So what were they doing here making fools of themselves?
Qi Yue looked at them, understanding their thoughts at a glance.
“Moreover, Physician An also said he won’t last until evening,” she said.
Of course, this wasn’t what Old Physician An had said, but what Young Physician An had said – that he wouldn’t survive tonight. But they were both surnamed An, and “won’t last until” and “won’t survive” had similar meanings, so her vague statement wasn’t too much of a stretch.
The doctors shook their heads and sighed even more.
“But you can see for yourselves how this infant is doing now,” Qi Yue pointed behind her and said loudly.
The doctors were startled and looked in the direction of her gaze.
That infant, positioned in a strange posture with wooden boards and pillows, though his eyes were tightly closed and his breathing rapid, was indeed truly and clearly alive…
The implication was…
Everyone unconsciously looked toward Qi Yue.
“The implication is that what Physician An said isn’t necessarily true or definitive,” Qi Yue took a deep breath and lifted her head slightly. “We physicians should guard our original intention. We shouldn’t just listen to whatever others say. No one can treat every condition, and likewise, no one can only stick to treating what they know and never take on what they don’t know. Whether we can or cannot, whether we’re capable or not – for us, these should not be boundaries. What we should consider is only how to treat. A senior once said that originally there were no roads in this world, but when many people walked, roads were formed. Treating illness is the same. Think about it – when people first knew about diseases in ancient times, didn’t they all not know how to treat them either? But there was still Shennong who tasted hundreds of herbs and tried, which is why we have today’s medical techniques, experience, and prescriptions. If back then someone had said a certain disease was incurable and everyone agreed without trying anymore, how would we have inherited so much medical knowledge today?”
She finished speaking in one breath, looking at the doctors in the room who were already somewhat stunned, then smiled slightly.
“To put it more simply,” Qi Yue’s gaze swept over these doctors, “imagine how it would feel to cure someone that Old Physician An said couldn’t be saved…”
This statement made the shocked expressions of the doctors present become animated.
What was she saying? Did she know what she was saying?
This… this…
But she wasn’t finished. Qi Yue continued speaking.
“I think that feeling must be wonderful! Hey, you doctors are often compared to that Physician An fellow, aren’t you? Tsk tsk…” She shook her head looking at these doctors with sympathetic eyes. “Unless absolutely necessary, those high-ranking households and noble families wouldn’t find you to treat illnesses, right? And even if they do find you, they’d say things like ‘how about Old Physician An,’ right?”
This was indeed the truth, and the doctors present couldn’t help but blush slightly.
“Being inferior in skill is nothing to be ashamed of,” someone said with a dark expression.
How could this woman speak so unpleasantly?
When scolding, don’t expose shortcomings; when fighting, don’t hit the face!
But she was doing exactly that – exposing shortcomings and hitting faces.
“This doctor speaks well,” Qi Yue laughed loudly at him and even clapped. “Having the courage to admit being inferior to others is itself a kind of bravery! Worthy of respect!”
Respect your head – who wanted this kind of respect!
That doctor’s expression grew even darker, and he was about to leave with a flick of his sleeves.
“There’s nothing wrong with admitting inferior skills. I admit it too – I’m not as good as you. What you all know, I don’t know,” Qi Yue continued laughing.
The doctor had intended to leave but couldn’t help wanting to hear what else this woman could possibly say.
“But there’s one thing I’ll never admit,” Qi Yue put away her smile and looked at these doctors. “And that’s courage.”
Courage?
The doctors looked at her.
“I will never admit that I would lack even the courage to try because of cowardice, because I’m inferior in skill, because others have already made a definitive judgment!” Qi Yue declared.
After saying this, Qi Yue no longer looked at these doctors but turned back to bend over the infant, repeatedly performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation with large breaths.
The room fell silent. Those doctors who had originally intended to leave or had already turned around all stood there without moving.
“Well, since you say it’s internal bleeding, I think we should focus on treating the liver,” a doctor suddenly said, turning to pick up a brush and write a prescription. “Let me write a prescription to try first.”
“No, no, I think we should prioritize eliminating phlegm,” another doctor also said while stroking his beard thoughtfully.
“This child’s qi and blood are not yet solid, his organs are very fragile. He belongs to the category of immature yin and yang. With mental confusion and convulsions, qi and blood in chaotic reverse flow, eliminating blood stasis should be the priority.”
“…Donkey-hide gelatin nourishes blood and supplements the liver, astragalus, codonopsis, and Chinese yam benefit qi…”
“…How can we not add agrimony?”
“…Actually, panax notoginseng would be better…”