On the fifteenth day, Qi Yue issued the discharge notice.
“These are the things to pay attention to—what to eat, what to avoid, what symptoms to watch for and how to handle them, and so on.” She handed the prefect’s wife two densely written sheets of paper.
In the end, she still hadn’t told the prefect’s wife about the spleen removal. Qi Yue’s heart felt as if a boulder was pressing down on it.
“The young master underwent major surgery, and his spleen was severely damaged and has basically lost its function,” she said, carefully choosing words that the ancients could accept to inform the prefect and his wife. “So his body will not be as robust as before, especially in the coming years. He must pay attention to his health.”
“Will it be very serious?” the prefect’s wife asked somewhat fearfully.
“There’s no need to be overly anxious. He still needs to exercise regularly, which will help his body recover quickly. It’s just that since he did undergo major surgery, he absolutely cannot engage in strenuous activity initially…” Qi Yue explained.
The prefect and his wife nodded with half-understanding.
“It’s still better than those who injure their arms or break their legs and become disabled. He’s perfectly intact. People need to recuperate even after minor illnesses, let alone after making a trip to death’s door,” the prefect’s wife nodded and said to Qi Yue with a grateful expression.
Seeing that she understood to some extent, Qi Yue felt relieved.
“Remember, if any of the symptoms I mentioned above occur, come find me or Doctor Liu immediately,” she emphasized again.
Seeing Qi Yue’s solemn expression, the prefect’s wife treated the papers like a precious family heirloom. She didn’t even entrust them to the servants beside her, but carefully tucked them away close to her body.
“This is the prescription. Have the pharmacy prepare ten doses according to this formula first,” Liu Pucheng also brought over the prescription he had written.
The prefect’s wife quickly took this and put it away as well.
“Thank you both for your hard work,” she said with gratitude.
Meanwhile, the prefect was also bowing deeply to thank Marquis Dingxi.
“I’ve troubled the Marquis. I truly feel in my heart…” he said, his voice trembling slightly. It was clearly genuine emotion that words couldn’t express.
Marquis Dingxi laughed heartily, then pretended to be annoyed.
“Don’t be so formal! Don’t say such things again,” he declared righteously.
The prefect bowed deeply to him again.
“Great kindness needs no words of thanks,” he said solemnly as he raised his head.
Marquis Dingxi was blooming with joy inside. He knew that whether in the eyes of princes and nobles of equal standing, or in the eyes of important court officials and the refined elite, he was just a waste living off his ancestors’ glory. If not for his son Chang Yuncheng carrying on the ancestral ambitions by rejoining the military, the foundation laid by the old Marquis Dingxi would have rotted in his own hands. No one had ever shown him such heartfelt respect before.
Of course, compared to ancestral glory, this time it was thanks to his daughter-in-law’s divine skills…
But what did it matter? In any case, this heartfelt respect from the prefect was real and substantial.
The main gate of the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion rarely opened, and even the side gates were seldom opened. No idle people were allowed to linger in front of the gate, and several yards around had to be kept quiet.
But from some point on, many idle people had gathered several yards away. They didn’t approach, but stood or sat there day and night without rest, watching the main gate of the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion.
“Where are you from?” A young man squatting in the corner was bored and suddenly called out to another young man across from him.
The other young man glanced at him.
Having waited here for so many days, everyone had become familiar with each other’s faces.
“Huiren Hall,” the young man said, jerking his chin toward him. “You’re from Baohe Hall?”
The first young man nodded, moved a few steps closer, chewing on a piece of dead grass.
“Tell me, what’s the point of the shopkeeper having us watch this Marquis Dingxi’s mansion day after day?” he said, glancing toward the mansion. “Do you believe what they say? That there’s really a divine physician who can perform abdominal surgery?”
The Huiren Hall clerk shrugged his shoulders and snorted.
“The abdominal surgery part is probably believable,” he said, trying to sound profound.
The Baohe Hall clerk stared at him with wide eyes and admiration, wondering if this young clerk was some kind of expert…
“It’s just that whether the person lives or dies after being cut open is another matter,” the Huiren Hall clerk said with a wink and a laugh.
Only then did the Baohe Hall clerk realize he’d been played, and he burst out laughing.
“Really don’t know why the shopkeepers believed it and had us come here to watch…” he said, chewing on the dead grass.
“Who cares? At least we get one wen per day. Better than nothing,” the Huiren Hall clerk said with a shrug, sitting down in the corner.
Next to them was a food stall, and a young clerk jumped out from the doorway, waving a towel at them.
“Go, go, stinking beggars, don’t dirty my master’s ground,” he shouted.
After being exposed to wind and sun for several days, they indeed looked somewhat disheveled. The two clerks spat at him irritably.
“Scram, you’re the stinking beggar,” they cursed in unison.
The food stall clerk, seeing that these beggars were so arrogant, got fired up too. Both sides exchanged words back and forth, and just as things were getting heated, the Huiren Hall clerk suddenly exclaimed “Aiya!”
“What are those guys running for?” he said, looking at several other young men similar to himself on the other side.
Those young men were scattering in all directions through the streets like they were flying.
“Quitting?” he muttered to himself, instinctively looking toward the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion.
“They’re coming out!” The Baohe Hall clerk also looked over, spat out the dead grass, and without saying another word, took off running.
The somewhat slower-reacting Huiren Hall clerk was still looking at the two carriages emerging from the side gate of the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion.
A line of servants and maids carefully protected them, looking as if they wished they could carry the carriages. The driver wasn’t really driving either, but walking and leading the horses, taking three steps for every one.
The carriages moved slowly to the middle of the road and accidentally hit a small stone.