"Mother, it's been nearly half an hour. Why hasn't she come out yet?"
"Yes, Grandmother, why is there no movement at all?"
Lin Shi and Qin Chen stood at the entrance of the inner chamber, constantly peering inside. Jiang Shi sat with a stern expression, her hands nervously clutching her prayer beads. Qin Xiang stepped forward and suggested, "Should we have Eldest Brother go in and check?"
Qin Chen seemed tempted by the idea, but Jiang Shi shook her head. "Mo Shu is inside. Let's wait a little longer."
Mo Shu was Yao Xinlan's personal maidservant, and Qin Guan had only allowed her to stay.
Lin Shi sighed, her eyes still red. "At this point, we can only trust Guan'er." She then glared at Qin Chen. "Chen'er, what exactly happened? Was there some accident?"
Qin Chen quickly shook his head. "Xinlan seemed depressed on the way back, but she wouldn't tell me why. I thought something might have happened at her family's home, so I didn't press further. Later, seeing it was getting late, I told the coachman to hurry. Perhaps... perhaps the ride was too bumpy..."
As he spoke, Qin Chen lowered his head in anguish, choking back tears. "I never imagined it would be this serious..."
Lin Shi patted his shoulder. "There, there. Xinlan will surely be fine."
Her words were merely meant to comfort, for even she didn't know whether Qin Guan could save Yao Xinlan. But with Divine Doctor Huang yet to arrive, their reluctant hope now rested entirely on Qin Guan.
"Qin Guan... Can she really do it? It's true she saved the Grand Princess, but what illness did the Grand Princess have? Eldest Brother's Wife is carrying two lives now. If Qin Guan makes a mistake, if..."
Qin Xiang murmured, her eyes slightly red but flashing with a trace of resentment.
Yao Xinlan's condition had nothing to do with Qin Guan, but if Qin Guan failed to save her, their family would never let her off the hook!
"Old Madam, Madam, Young Master, you may come in now."
Just as Qin Xiang finished her thought, Mo Shu's slightly excited voice rang out.
Jiang Shi immediately stood up and hurried inside, supported on either side by Lin Shi and Qin Chen. The group quickly entered the inner chamber, where they saw Qin Guan standing at the foot of the bed, calmly putting away her silver needles. On the bed, Yao Xinlan lay motionless with her eyes closed, as if lifeless.
"Eldest Brother's Wife! What happened to her?!"
Qin Xiang glared at Qin Guan and demanded an answer. Mo Shu quickly interjected, "Fifth Young Miss, don't worry. The mistress has fallen asleep. She spoke a few words earlier, and the bleeding has stopped..."
Qin Xiang froze, while Lin Shi exhaled in immense relief. "Good, that's good!"
Looking closer, she noticed that Yao Xinlan's deathly pale face had regained some color, and the cold sweat from earlier had vanished.
Jiang Shi walked to the bedside, glancing between Yao Xinlan and Qin Guan, her gaze complex.
Qin Chen first leaned over to touch Yao Xinlan's forehead, and only when he felt her steady breathing did his heart settle. Then he turned to Qin Guan. "Ninth Sister, I truly never expected you to know medicine. Xinlan and the child owe their lives to you. In the past—"
"She isn't completely out of danger yet. I'll dictate the prescription—write it down."
Qin Guan finished storing her silver needles, uninterested in exchanging pleasantries. Since she had chosen to save Yao Xinlan, her life was now the priority. "One qian each of apricot kernels and licorice root—"
Hearing her recite the prescription, no one dared to be careless. Qin Chen hurried to fetch paper and brush."Two qian of Ophiopogon japonicus, three qian of Evodia rutaecarpa, two qian each of stalactite and dried ginger, two qian of Schisandra chinensis, three qian of polished round-grained rice, one qian of Aster tataricus. Chop and decoct, boil three bowls down to one, divide into four doses—three during the day and one at night."
Qin Guan spoke with steady composure, then looked at Qin Chen. "Did you get all that?"
Qin Chen's brush flew across the paper as he nodded hurriedly. "Got it, got it all."
Qin Guan put away her silver needles and smoothed her sleeves. "Take this prescription for two days. If there's improvement, the child will be safe. Otherwise, we'll need to continue the needle therapy."
After saying this, Qin Guan paused slightly. Everyone in the room was looking at her with complex expressions, making her feel somewhat out of place. She then said softly, "It's getting late. I'll take my leave now."
With that, she left. Jiang Shi and the others watched her go without a word.
"Mo Shu, what exactly did she do just now?"
As soon as Qin Guan left, Qin Xiang questioned Mo Shu directly.
Mo Shu quickly replied, "Ninth Miss only performed needle therapy on the young mistress. Soon after, the young mistress said the pain had lessened. Ninth Miss then had me change the young mistress's sweat-soaked clothes, and afterward, the young mistress seemed much better, even speaking with more energy. But not long after, she said she was tired and fell asleep."
After a brief pause, Mo Shu added, "Ninth Miss was completely focused during the needle therapy. Later, she even looked quite pale."
Qin Xiang pressed her lips together, unable to speak.
Jiang Shi understood the implication of Mo Shu's words but merely narrowed her eyes without comment. Just then, Qin Li rushed in from outside, panting heavily. "Grandmother! Divine Doctor Huang is here! I found him—"
Qin Li was drenched in sweat, only to find the room's occupants no longer as frantic as before.
Qin Li was puzzled. "What's going on? Eldest Brother's Wife, she..."
Before he could finish, Qin Shuang, who had been silent for a long time, spoke up. "Since Divine Doctor Huang is here, let him take a look! Who knows if her prescription is even effective?"
Hearing this, the others thought it reasonable. At that moment, Huang Jinyuan stumbled into the room, gasping for breath. "Where's your young mistress? This was a life-or-death emergency—I nearly ran myself to death!"
Jiang Shi didn't dare delay. "Thank goodness you're here, Divine Doctor. Please examine her."
She stepped aside, and Huang Jinyuan spotted Yao Xinlan on the bed. He let out a surprised "Huh?" and walked over, first giving her a quick visual assessment, then frowning as he took her pulse. His frown deepened.
Qin Xiang asked gravely, "Divine Doctor, is Eldest Brother's Wife not doing well?"
Huang Jinyuan sat on a low stool, catching his breath before turning to glare at the Qin family in annoyance. "Didn't you say you hadn't called any other physicians and were waiting for me? I nearly died running here with your second young master, only to find your young mistress lying here perfectly fine? You people..."
He huffed in irritation, then suddenly frowned. "Who treated your young mistress just now?"
Lin Shi answered promptly, "It was our Ninth Miss."
Huang Jinyuan's eyes widened, and he slapped his thigh. "Little Medicine Immortal! Your family's Little Medicine Immortal!" His expression shifted as realization dawned, and he looked at Jiang Shi and the others with amusement. "So you didn't trust her medical skills, eh?"Huang Jinyuan turned to look at Yao Xinlan on the bed and said, "Then you are gravely mistaken. The pulse and complexion of your young mistress indeed indicate she has just overcome a crisis. If Ninth Miss hadn't intervened and waited for this old man to arrive, I would have had to exert considerable effort to save her, and whether the child in her womb could have been preserved would have been even more uncertain."
As he spoke, Huang Jinyuan shook his head with a wry smile, momentarily making the Qin Manor household flush with embarrassment.
"Was a prescription written? Bring it for this old man to examine."
"Yes!" Qin Chen immediately responded, handing over the prescription.
Huang Jinyuan took it, narrowed his eyes, then sighed and shook his head again. "Truly unbelievable. Your Ninth Miss is only sixteen or seventeen years old, yet her medical expertise is so extraordinary."
With that, he set the prescription down and stood up, heading straight for the door. "From now on, whether it's a serious or minor ailment, there's no need to summon me to Qin Manor. Huang Jinyuan is no longer the foremost physician in Jinzhou City."
Meanwhile, due to the darkness, Qin Guan and Fuling walked very slowly.
Fuling sighed and said, "This young mistress is truly devoted to the young master. Now that you've saved her, miss, you've preserved a loving couple. I wonder if they will remember your kindness."
As she finished speaking, the two arrived before the western rear courtyard.
Looking at the desolate and remote small courtyard, Fuling couldn't help but feel a sense of loneliness. She was about to step forward to push open the courtyard gate when hurried footsteps sounded from behind them.
"Ninth Miss! Ninth Miss, wait—"
Hearing this, both Qin Guan and Fuling turned around. Soon, Cai He arrived with two maidservants in tow.
Cai He bowed to Qin Guan and said, "Ninth Miss, Old Madam has instructed that from today onward, you are to move to Orchid Isle Courtyard at the front." She then waved to the maids behind her. "Quickly, go help Ninth Miss move her belongings..."
Qin Guan raised an eyebrow. Had Jiang Shi's opinion of her changed so quickly?
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