Dark Five quickly returned to the Princess’s Estate.
“What happened with the Prince Consort today?”
Dark Five explained today’s events one by one, and finally could not help exclaiming, “The Prince Consort’s medical skills are extremely superb. Illnesses that the imperial physicians were completely helpless against, she diagnosed and treated decisively.”
“This subordinate is seeing someone who survived an abdominal surgery for the very first time. Both Imperial Physician Zhuo and Imperial Physician Yu are full of admiration.”
“You are saying that she stayed behind because she wanted to watch over that female Zhongyong and therefore did not return home?” Jiang Sui asked again.
“Yes, Your Highness,” Dark Five nodded. “The Prince Consort said that once surgery is completed, subsequent issues are inevitable, and the lochia must be drained over these three days. Since the other imperial physicians do not understand this, she had to stay.”
Jiang Sui gave a hum. “Very well, you may withdraw and continue keeping an eye on her.”
“Dark Five understands.”
After Dark Five withdrew, Jiang Sui wore a complex expression and muttered to herself, “Abdominal surgery.”
At the entrance of the Huimin Medical Bureau.
“Director Zhuo, are you returning now?” Ji Kongqing followed Zhuo Weiqian and Yu Qingtian out of the bureau.
Zhuo Weiqian nodded. “Kongqing, I will find some time tomorrow to come see you.”
“I want to stay and observe the situation,” Yu Qingtian took the initiative to propose. “May I, Prince Consort?”
“Certainly, it is wonderful to have Imperial Physician Yu here,” Ji Kongqing smiled and nodded. “Only, shouldn’t we go eat now? I am truly very hungry.”
“Indeed, it is indeed time to eat, and I am starving as well,” Zhuo Weiqian laughed heartily. “I remember there is a restaurant nearby with quite good food. Imperial Physician Yu can take the Prince Consort to grab a bite.”
“This subordinate understands,” Yu Qingtian acknowledged, leading Ji Kongqing to dine.
Along the way to the restaurant, Yu Qingtian asked Ji Kongqing numerous questions, and Ji Kongqing answered them one by one.
Ji Kongqing found that Yu Qingtian was deeply interested in surgery and eager to learn. After pondering for a moment, she said, “These things require repeated practice. If Imperial Physician Yu wishes to learn, I can teach you, though it might take a long time to learn. I wonder if you have the patience.”
“I do,” the moment Yu Qingtian heard that Ji Kongqing could teach her, she immediately grew interested. “This subordinate is willing to take the Prince Consort as a master.”
“That is entirely unnecessary,” Ji Kongqing waved her hands repeatedly. “It is just teaching you how to perform surgery; there is no need to formally take a master. Moreover, Imperial Physician Yu is much older than me, so calling me master would be far too demeaning to you.”
“That is true,” Yu Qingtian was already 45 years old, twenty-five years older than the current Ji Kongqing, so calling her master indeed did not make much sense.
However, to thank Ji Kongqing, Yu Qingtian still treated Ji Kongqing to dinner. Afterward, the two returned to the medical bureau to keep watch beside Yunniang through the night and observe her condition.
The next day, Zhuo Weiqian came to see her as agreed, bringing along an unfamiliar young girl besides his servant.
“Kongqing, this is my granddaughter Zhuo Wanqiu, 16 years old this year, and a Zhongyong. Do you think you could let her take you as a master?”
“She is very talented, having followed me in identifying medicinal herbs since she was 5 years old. She is also intelligent, studious, diligent, and hardworking.”
Ji Kongqing and Yu Qingtian looked at each other in dismay. She had only just rejected Yu Qingtian’s request to become her master yesterday, and she had not expected Zhuo Weiqian to set his sights on her as well.
She fell silent for a moment before asking, “Director, do you not plan to have your granddaughter enter the Imperial Medical Bureau? Does the bureau not accept Zhongyong as well?”
“It does accept them, but the bureau has very strict background requirements for Zhongyong, requiring not only over ten years of studying medicine but also monthly medical skill evaluations.”
“Can your granddaughter not meet these requirements?” Ji Kongqing asked, somewhat perplexed.
Zhuo Weiqian sighed and shook his head. “I have not yet mentioned the most important point. The Imperial Medical Bureau also requires one to be born of a primary wife. This granddaughter of mine is born of a concubine, so she cannot enter the bureau. However, I do not wish her talent to be buried like this, so bringing her here is also seeking an alternative path for her.”
Zhuo Weiqian cherished this granddaughter dearly. Among the grandchildren, she possessed the highest talent, yet it was a pity she was a concubine’s child.
Having witnessed Ji Kongqing’s medical proficiency yesterday, he immediately thought of this granddaughter and brought her along in hopes of forging a new path for her.
“I have never thought of taking on disciples,” Ji Kongqing said with a troubled look. “Furthermore, I am a hostage sent to Jiaming by the Kingdom of Thousand Birds, so there are also status obstacles.”
“That does not matter,” Zhuo Weiqian shook his head. “I already asked her, and she does not mind.”
“Then let me think about it?” Ji Kongqing also needed someone who could act as her surgical assistant. This Zhuo Wanqiu was only 16 years old; being young, she was indeed at a stage easy to cultivate.
“Alright,” Zhuo Weiqian’s eyes lit up. “Let my granddaughter assist you for these past two days so you can observe her temperament. If you are unsatisfied, not taking her is completely fine; I simply brought her here for an introduction.”
“Mm,” Ji Kongqing nodded.
“Prince Consort, hello, this junior’s name is Zhuo Wanqiu. You can order me around as you please.”
Zhuo Wanqiu also proactively introduced herself. The eyes with which she looked at Ji Kongqing sparkled with brilliance, as she had listened to her grandfather recount the surgery performed by Ji Kongqing last night and naturally harbored feelings of admiration toward her.
“Mm,” Ji Kongqing glanced at her. “You, follow me.”
“You really are shrewd,” Yu Qingtian remarked with a speechless expression upon seeing Ji Kongqing lead Zhuo Wanqiu away. “I did not even think of this angle.”
Zhuo Weiqian shrugged smugly. “At our age, learning from Kongqing is already too late, so naturally we must look for someone young and easy to cultivate.”
Over the next two days, Ji Kongqing continually brought Zhuo Wanqiu along to care for Yunniang. Whenever she performed dressing changes, she would explain concepts to Zhuo Wanqiu, who listened with utmost earnestness.
Zhuo Wanqiu learned things very quickly, possessing both boldness and meticulousness while remaining calm in the face of events. After watching Ji Kongqing demonstrate only a few times, she attempted the procedure herself a few times and accurately located the blood vessels to administer an injection to Yunniang.
“Mm, not bad,” Ji Kongqing said, pleasantly surprised. “What your grandfather said is not false; you truly are exceptionally talented.”
“It is also thanks to Sister Xiang’s willingness to cooperate,” Zhuo Wanqiu said with some embarrassment. “I even bruised her hand with the needles.”
Yunniang smiled with a pale face and shook her head. “It is fine, this does not hurt compared to the bellyache.”
Though she said this, Zhuo Wanqiu still felt apologetic. When she went out to buy meals at the restaurant at noon, she even brought back a bowl of chicken soup for Yunniang.
Two days later, Yunniang’s condition stabilized, and Ji Kongqing had her husband take her home.
The father and son who had suffered from coughing previously also came to collect medicine as agreed. The father had improved significantly, and his cough was no longer severe this time. Ji Kongqing prescribed a few more doses of medicine before returning to the Princess’s Estate.
As soon as she re-entered her courtyard, Jiang Sui was instantly notified of her return.
“Ping’an, Ruyi, quickly heat some water for me, I want to bathe.”
As soon as she stepped into the courtyard, Ji Kongqing called out loudly. Seeing the piles of items cluttered on the other side of the courtyard, she suddenly remembered that the things she had ordered had all arrived recently.
“The Prince Consort has returned!” Ruyi exclaimed in pleasant surprise. “This maid will go heat it right away.”
Seeing Ji Kongqing, Ping’an also hurried forward excitedly and asked with concern, “Has My Lord dined yet?”
“Not yet,” Ji Kongqing shook her head. “It is past dinner time, isn’t it?”
“Mm, but we can go to the main kitchen to fetch ingredients and make something ourselves,” Ping’an reminded her.
“Alright, Ping’an, go fetch a piece of lean meat, some noodles, and scallions. I will make a simple bowl of noodles to eat.”
“Okay,” Ping’an skipped away cheerfully.
After the ingredients were brought back, Ji Kongqing simply prepared a somewhat crude plate of scallion oil mixed noodles for herself.
After finishing her meal, she immediately washed up, changed her clothes, and instructed Ruyi before bedtime to hire three house-building workers for tomorrow. She also told her to order a barrel of black lacquer and some glutinous rice mortar for tomorrow.
Ruyi agreed to everything, and early the next morning she pulled Ping’an along as she headed out. Ji Kongqing slept straight until noon; by the time she woke up, the items Ruyi bought had all arrived, and the workers were scheduled to come in the afternoon.
Ji Kongqing got up, washed up, and had lunch. Once the workers arrived, she showed them the blueprint she had drawn.
It was the first time the workers had ever seen a latrine of this type, and they were extremely astonished, yet they still demolished the courtyard latrine according to Ji Kongqing’s specifications and prepared to rebuild it.
Ji Kongqing was not idle either. While the workers began construction, she had Ruyi paint all the iron pipes, coating both their inner and exterior surfaces fully. After painting, they were left out to dry. This step was meant to slow down the rusting of the iron pipes and increase their service life.
On Jiang Sui’s side, she also received Dark Five’s latest report. Learning that Ji Kongqing had demolished her latrine, she finally could no longer suppress her curiosity about Ji Kongqing and headed over to Ji Kongqing’s small courtyard, accompanied by Cuizhu and Cuilan.
By the time she arrived, the workers had already finished dismantling the latrine, and the previous septic tank had been dug out and refilled with soil. Since the latrine had not been in use for long, the odor after refilling was minimal.
“What are you fussing about?” Jiang Sui stared at the messy courtyard with tightly furrowed brows.
“Improving my living environment,” Ji Kongqing patted the dust clinging to her clothes. “Does Your Highness forbid it?”
Jiang Sui frowned. “No, since this courtyard has been assigned to you, it belongs to you.”
“Then why has Your Highness come over? I only have coarse food and plain tea here, so I cannot take care of you.” Ji Kongqing sounded somewhat sarcastic.
Jiang Sui had originally wanted to leave upon seeing the messy surroundings, but hearing Ji Kongqing’s words which clearly aimed to drive her away, she suddenly developed an impulse to discipline her.
Her dark eyes rolled. “In that case, this palace shall partake in a meal here. I hear the Prince Consort is quite skilled at cooking, having even gone to the main kitchen to fetch ingredients to cook before. Today, this palace shall sample the Prince Consort’s culinary skills.”
The expression on Ji Kongqing’s face froze. “Your Highness, my amateur-level skills cannot possibly compare to the imperial chefs.”
“I want to taste it.” Jiang Sui crossed the narrow courtyard, walked into Ji Kongqing’s room, and seated herself by the table in the center of the room.
Cuizhu felt the teapot; the water inside had already gone cold, so she turned around and scolded Ruyi sharply, “Why haven’t you boiled hot water to steep tea? Do you expect Your Highness to drink such cold tea?”
It was Ruyi’s first time seeing the Princess. After being scolded by Cuizhu, she snapped back to her senses and hurriedly pulled the dazed Ping’an along to boil water.
“Is the Prince Consort not going to prepare?” Hot tea was served, and Jiang Sui picked up her teacup, calmly using the lid to press down the tea leaves inside before raising her eyes to cast a glance at Ji Kongqing.
Jiang Sui’s eyes were very deep, looking as pretty as obsidian yet carrying a sense of danger. Ji Kongqing withdrew her gaze, let out a huff, and suppressed her irritation. “I will go to the main kitchen to pick out ingredients.”
“Go ahead,” Jiang Sui caught the vexed emotion she tried to suppress, the corners of her lips curving up lightly.
From the main kitchen, Ji Kongqing returned to begin preparing dinner.
When chopping pork ribs, she exerted a great deal of force, as if treating the ribs in her hands as Jiang Sui, hacking bone by bone as though she feared Jiang Sui next door could not hear the angry sounds of her chopping vegetables.
Observing Ji Kongqing’s gloomy expression, Ping’an could not help asking, “Prince Consort, the Princess has come over, are you unhappy?”