Jinyi Spring

Shangguan Ruyu is a trendy man of this era, and he understands aesthetics best.

He followed her gaze and, sure enough, his attention was diverted. "This and this can be paired together to make a wide-sleeved jacket and a horse-face skirt. This one is suitable to be paired with fur and would look good as a cape..."

As Shangguan Ruyu spoke, she gestured and then opened the brocade box. “These pieces of jewelry match this outfit… You should also apply some rouge, young lady, so your complexion will be rosier… This fragrance goes well with this outfit…”

Now, Feng Chuchen really had no interest in these things. After listening to him talk on and on for a while, she had no choice but to change the subject again.

"Cousin, you don't go home, you only come to my place. Won't your mother be unhappy if she finds out?"

Shangguan Ruyu shook her head. "My mother won't be unhappy. Coming here is better than going to the mortuary to deal with the dead. Besides, once she knows your true identity, she'll only feel more sorry for you."

Feng Chuchen chuckled and stood up, saying, "There are still a few patients waiting for me over there. What would you like to eat for lunch, cousin? I'll have Aunt Wu make it for you."

She kept calling him "cousin," which made Shangguan Ruyu feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He took out a booklet that Feng Chuchen had given him from his pocket and said with a smile, "You go ahead and do your work. I'll have some strong tea to refresh myself and then read a book."

He further instructed, "Don't just work like an idiot. Let Banxia do more. In the future, find more doctors and female physicians from the palace. You can do what you want, or not do what you don't want."

Feng Chuchen shared the same idea. Once their identities were confirmed, Tongji Medical Hall would expand further.

Shangguan Ruyu had only read a few pages when Feng Chuchen rushed back, his face ashen.

"what happened?"

Feng Chuchen said, "Something terrible has happened at the Prince of Shu's mansion. Madam Shui Liu suffered a massive hemorrhage after an episiotomy and I need to rush to her aid. I don't know when I'll be back. After you finish your lunch, go back to the villa."

The "episiotomy" was initiated and popularized by Feng Chuchen. If someone in the imperial clan dies, this surgery is likely to be blocked, and Feng Chuchen may also be implicated.

Shangguan Ruyu asked, "Do you really have to go?"

"Go."

Shangguan Ruyu then instructed, "If the Prince of Shu's mansion dares to make things difficult for you, quickly send someone to inform my mother."

If he hadn't been "faking illness" during this period, he would have gone with them.

Feng Chuchen had Shaoyao carry the medicine box and hurriedly left with Aunt Wang, Shaoyao, and Granny Feng.

An old woman from the Shu County Prince's Mansion was waiting by the carriage at the entrance of the alley, her expression showing some anxiety.

The carriage sped along, and the old woman explained the whole story in detail. With Feng Chuchen's own imagination, the situation became clear.

The sixth mistress who is giving birth today is the wife of a concubine's son. The midwives invited by the mansion are not the most skilled female doctors, Dr. Zhou or Dr. Zhang, but three female doctors, Dr. Wei, Dr. Cai, and Dr. Fan, along with two other folk midwives.

Grandma Liu's first pregnancy was with a rather large baby, but fortunately the baby was in a good position and the baby was also quite strong.

Dr. Cai examined me and said it would be best to have an episiotomy to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.

The two imperial physicians and Physician Wei all nodded and said, "In that case, Physician Cai will do it."

Nowadays, most families who hire Dr. Cai are specifically looking for her expertise in lateral debridement. When this is needed, Dr. Cai can come in handy.

Hearing that, Doctor Fan was displeased.

She quietly bypassed the crowd and went straight to the Princess Consort of Shu County, volunteering, "Your Highness, my skills are now no less than those of Physician Cai. Let me perform this episiotomy; I guarantee it will go smoothly."

Princess Consort of Shu County had always been on good terms with Consort Xue and the Xue family, and was unkind to her illegitimate sons, which is why Physician Fan dared to act this way.

When the Princess Consort of Shu heard that an episiotomy was just a minor surgery and that it didn't matter who did it, she nodded in agreement.

She walked out of the delivery room and instructed the people inside, "Let Dr. Fan perform the episiotomy."

The imperial physicians outside the delivery room listened, then lowered their eyes and remained silent. Inside the delivery room, the female physicians, Wei and Cai, exchanged a glance, their lips moved, but ultimately dared not voice their objection.

Dr. Fan walked up to the woman in labor, proudly took the episiotomy scissors from Dr. Cai, took a deep breath, and made the incision.

She was supposed to cut diagonally along the birth canal, but because she was nervous, she made the incision inwards. Blood gushed out immediately, and Grandma Liu screamed in agony.

Dr. Cai stamped her feet anxiously, "It's off-center! It should be cut this way!"

Doctor Fan panicked, glared at her, and raised her hand to make another cut.

That cut made things worse.

Two crooked cuts lay there, blood gushing out continuously, but the child remained stuck inside, motionless.

Doctor Fan's face turned deathly pale, and her hands trembled. "Quick...quick, help me!"

Doctor Wei steeled herself and stepped forward, reaching inside to probe. Her fingertips touched the child's head. With a jerk, she pulled the child out, and Grandma Liu screamed again before fainting.

Blood gushed from her lower body uncontrollably.

Chaos erupted in the delivery room. The two midwives screamed, and the female doctors panicked.

The princess rushed in upon hearing the noise, and when she saw the bloody scene, her legs went weak, and she had to hold onto the door frame to keep from falling.

Doctor Cai said in a trembling voice, "Someone is going to die! Quickly, go to Tongji Medical Clinic and ask Doctor Feng and Doctor Wang to come and see if they can save Sixth Grandma's life!"

Doctor Fan's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground, staring blankly at her blood-stained hands, muttering, "How could this happen... how could this happen..."

She rushed to have an episiotomy because she thought that if it was successful this time, those who disagreed with her having an episiotomy would no longer object.

Moreover, she practiced for so long and clearly already knew how to do it.

Aunt Wang was so angry her face turned pale. She said indignantly, "Dr. Fan came to me several times a few days ago, insisting that I see her technique. I told her directly that it wasn't good enough and that she needed to practice more. But she dared to operate on people without permission!"

Aunt Wang clutched her chest, relieved that she hadn't agreed, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to explain herself.

Feng Chuchen shook her head repeatedly. She knew that Doctor Fan was wicked, fierce, and ambitious, and dared to steal any credit, but she never expected that she could actually cause such a terrible disaster.

As a doctor, I know that every major disaster involves human life.

Upon arriving at the Prince of Shu's residence and entering the delivery room, Feng Chuchen glanced down at Grandma Shui's lower body and felt a chill run down her spine.

The two incisions were crooked and of different depths. What was worse, the two scissors had torn the muscle layer deep in the perineum, and blood was gushing out from there uncontrollably.

"Dr. Cai, come and give me some light. Aunt Wang, hemostats." Feng Chuchen said without looking up.

Cai Yuxiu quickly held up a gauze lantern and moved closer, the candlelight illuminating the bloody mess.

Aunt Wang handed it over, and Feng Chuchen reached out and took it. She first pinched several obvious bleeding points, then used cotton wool to press and absorb the accumulated blood. When her vision became clearer, she could see the situation inside—a cervical tear that stretched all the way to the lower end of the uterus.

Feng Chuchen took a deep breath and began stitching up the uterus. The fine needle pierced through the torn muscle layer, and blood was still seeping out. Aunt Wang kept absorbing the blood with cotton, changing one wad after another.

One needle, two needles, three needles... the uterus finally closed.

Feng Chuchen then went to treat the two crooked incisions. She trimmed the excess skin and flesh neatly, then sewed them up layer by layer. Inner layer, middle layer, outer layer—each layer was sewn tightly. After an unknown amount of time, the last stitch was put in.

Feng Chuchen straightened up and looked down at Grandma Shui Liu—her face was ashen, but her chest was still rising and falling slightly, and although her breathing was weak, it was steady.

"My life is saved," she said softly.

Cai Yuxiu breathed a sigh of relief, almost dropping the lamp in her hand.

When Feng Chuchen stepped out of the house, the sun was already setting in the west. A strong, pungent smell of blood permeated the warm orange light.

The Princess Consort of Shu, supported by others, came forward, her face pale, and asked, "Doctor Feng, what about the sixth prince's wife...?"

Feng Chuchen said, "My uterus was severely damaged, and I lost too much blood. I almost died. Although I did my best to save my life, I'm afraid I will never be able to have children again, and my body has suffered a serious injury..."

The voice was cold and devoid of warmth.

Before she could finish speaking, Grandma Shui Liu's husband, Grandpa Shui Liu, rushed over, his face red and neck bulging, and shouted, "Didn't you say that episiotomy is safe? How come you almost killed her?"

Feng Chuchen raised her eyes, her voice calm, "An episiotomy is still surgery, and not everyone can do it. The experienced Dr. Cai is right here; why are you letting someone who has never done it before perform the operation?"

A hint of hatred flashed in Sixth Master Shui's eyes. He didn't look at the Princess Consort of Shu County and lowered his eyelids.

Princess Consort of Shu County's expression changed, and her lips trembled a few times. Although she had never taken her illegitimate son's wife seriously, she was unwilling to bear the reputation of "persecuting her illegitimate daughter-in-law."

He hurriedly said, "It was Dr. Fan who came to me and said that she could do it, and that she could do it even better than Dr. Cai, so I... let her do it."

Aunt Wang sneered and retorted, "How could Dr. Fan possibly perform an episiotomy? She's come to me several times, and I've always said no. Today's incident is clearly her doing, a blatant act of deception and audacity!"

Doctor Wei dared not pretend to be mute any longer and said in a low voice, "On the list verified by the Imperial Hospital, only three female doctors are qualified to perform episiotomies, and Doctor Fan is not among them."

Upon hearing this, the Princess Consort of Shu County turned ashen with rage and gritted her teeth, cursing, "That shameless woman, how dare she try to deceive me! I must go to the Imperial Hospital and the Imperial Household Department to have this said!"

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate. Immediately afterwards, a squad of Flying Eagle Guards filed in, and among the two at the head was Ming Shanyue.

Feng Chuchen felt a chill run down her spine—Grandma Shui Liu's matter had really blown up.

Performing surgery on a pregnant woman nearly resulted in her death; to put it more bluntly, it was attempted murder. Someone reported the incident, and the Flying Eagle Guards came to investigate.

Fan Ru's outburst provided an opportunity for infighting among certain individuals within the Prince's residence.

Feng Chuchen's gaze swept over the man beside Ming Shanyue: a man in his early forties, wearing a crimson official robe, of a higher rank than Ming Shanyue. He had a beard, so it wasn't Commander Xie, but Xue Jicheng.

Xue Jicheng is the deputy commander of the Flying Eagle Guard and frequently handles cases; we must not let him see through our scheme.

Feng Chuchen's thin lips immediately pressed into a line, and her jawline tightened. She resembled Qingxin when she was young, and at this moment she could only maintain that cold and hard demeanor.

Xue Jicheng first looked at the Princess Consort and Sixth Master Shui, then shifted his gaze to the others in the courtyard...

This was the first time he had met Feng Chuchen. When his gaze fell on her face, he paused unconsciously, a strange feeling rising in his heart, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Ming Shanyue, with her sharp eyes, immediately stepped to the side, subtly blocking Xue Jicheng's view. "Lord Xue, it's time to begin the questioning."

His gaze swept over Feng Chuchen, and he secretly rejoiced.

What a smart girl.

Xue Jicheng withdrew his gaze, nodded, and cupped his hands in greeting to the Prince of Shu beside him, "Your Highness, please."

With a sullen face, the Prince of Shu strode toward the west wing across the street, followed closely by Xue Jicheng and Ming Shanyue.

The Flying Eagle Guards guarded the entrance to the hospital, and no one in the courtyard was allowed to leave.

Princess Consort of Shu was so frightened that her legs went weak, and she was supported by her servants.

She gritted her teeth and cursed inwardly, thinking that it must have been that brat, the sixth son, and that bitch who had someone report her to the police, trying to prove that she had framed her illegitimate son and daughter-in-law...

On the steps outside the delivery room, Dr. Fan remained slumped, her eyes glazed over, her whole body trembling uncontrollably. Her mind was blank; she couldn't understand how things had come to this.

The first to be brought in were the Princess Consort of Shu and Prince Shui.

Next was Doctor Fan. She was unable to stand and had to be dragged inside by two old women.

After that came female physician Cai, female physician Wei, two midwives, and two imperial physicians.

Finally, it was Feng Chuchen and Aunt Wang's turn.

The atmosphere in the west wing was somber. Prince Shu and Xue Jicheng sat at the head of the table, while Ming Shanyue sat to the side. Princess Shu huddled on an embroidered stool in the corner, her face deathly pale.

Sixth Master Shui, Female Doctor Cai, and others stood aside, while Female Doctor Fan knelt on the ground, trembling like a leaf.

Xue Jicheng's gaze fell on Feng Chuchen's face. "You're Dr. Feng from Tongji Medical Center? Did your clinic popularize episiotomy?"

Feng Chuchen lowered her eyes, her jawline still taut. "Yes."

Those who know her well assume she's nervous because of this.

Xue Jicheng then said, "We've always believed in letting things ripen naturally. Isn't it a bit dangerous to use knives in production, potentially causing death?"

Feng Chuchen raised her eyes, her voice calm, "If a baby can't be born and gets stuck inside, both mother and child are in danger. That's why we make a small incision to assist with delivery. Our clinic has done this nearly a hundred times, and not only have there been no accidents, but we've also greatly reduced the pain for the mothers. Some babies who might have suffocated have also been born safely."

"Grandma Shui Liu's accident wasn't due to a problem with the episiotomy itself, but rather with the 'person' who performed it. Their medical skills were inadequate, yet they insisted on showing off, which led to the accident."

Xue Jicheng had no choice but to change the subject, "Tell me about Shui He's injuries."

"The cervix was severely cut, all the way down to the lower part of the uterine body, resulting in excessive blood loss." Feng Chuchen's tone was calm and steady. "If it weren't for timely suturing and hemostasis, she would be dead."

Xue Jicheng nodded, then changed the subject, "In other words, the rescue was timely, and no one died."

These words were clearly intended to lessen Ms. Fan's guilt.

Feng Chuchen replied truthfully, "Yes."

Ming Shanyue picked up the conversation, "Dr. Feng, tell me about the aftereffects."

Feng Chuchen's jawline remained taut. "Grandma Shui Liu will never be able to conceive again. Her body is ruined; she's sensitive to cold, weak, and has to spend most of her time in bed, relying on herbal medicine to stay alive..."

Of course, if you can get her, this miracle doctor, to help you, she will spare no effort in treating you, and you may recover in one to three years.

There's no need to say that.

Upon hearing this, Sixth Master Shui burst into tears, and the Prince of Shu also sighed heavily, glaring again in the direction of the Princess Consort of Shu. (End of Chapter)