A divine healer, a general, a young marquis! Who can rival them!

After curing the only son of the registrar, the reputation of the divine doctor in the east of the city rose to another level.

At this point, the number of people coming to the door was truly overwhelming. Needless to say, those seeking medical advice and treatment were numerous, but those coming to make connections and build relationships were divided into different classes.

There were gentry and scholars among them. These scholars valued appearances above all else. Yang Hu was a skilled physician with refined manners, and with a respected figure like Old Master Yan leading the way, they all considered him a kindred spirit. They often prepared banquets and sent invitations to Yang Hu's residence for intellectual discussions. A few days ago, Old Master Yan celebrated his birthday and specially sent an invitation to Yang Hu, his savior, to sit at the head of the table, which attracted all the distinguished scholars present to vie for his company and engage in conversation.

There were merchants and business owners. These people were the most shrewd. Seeing that Yang's pharmacy in the east of the city had become the most untouchable and prestigious place in the city, they all vied to curry favor with him. Some wanted to invite Yang Hu to be a permanent doctor, and others wanted to partner with him to open a pharmacy. The benefits they offered were all more generous than the last.

There were also officials. Besides the clerk Tian with whom he had made contact, several other officials from the prefecture came to visit under various pretexts. Half of these people came because they were genuinely ill and needed to see a doctor, while the other half wanted to use this miracle doctor to gauge the political climate in the city and cultivate a good relationship that might be useful in the future.

The connections throughout the city, like a vast net, converged, thread by thread, toward this small courtyard in the east of the city.

Yang Hu had his own set of rules for dealing with all sorts of people, neither arrogant nor servile. When patients came, he treated them all equally; when friends came, he maintained a relationship with them without being overly familiar. He neither fawned over those of high status nor turned them away because of their background. This impeccable manner earned him the respect of those who were used to sycophancy.

But beneath the bustling activity in the courtyard, the one truly at the helm is the woman in the backyard who rarely shows herself.

That night, the family gathered around the stove. Lu Rou, looking at the ever-growing stack of visiting cards, said with some worry, "Sister-in-law, these cards are from all sorts of people. How are we supposed to reply?"

"It's just a matter of knowing your limits." Lu Yan refilled everyone's tea, her expression calm. "To establish ourselves in this city, having a reputation as a doctor isn't enough; we also need connections throughout the city. It's a good thing that these people take the initiative to make friends. But these relationships also vary in closeness and distance—gentlemen and upright officials are those whose reputations are based on public opinion and are worth cultivating; good relationships with merchants are those who facilitate the flow of goods and money, and are also worth cultivating; but those officials, especially those associated with the Prefectural Magistrate's Office, we must socialize with them on the surface, but in reality, we must keep our distance and absolutely not let anyone have any leverage over us."

Lu Rou nodded repeatedly, picking up her pen to write down the words "see," "reply," and "slowly" on the name card. Qin Ying, wiping her short knife, suddenly spoke up: "That Zhou guy who delivered the card in the army, he's also considered an official. In your regulations, where does he fall?"

"He is the most important, and the one we should stay away from the most." Lu Yan said without hesitation, "Other official positions are for building good relationships; his side is a den of dragons and tigers. Before we understand his background, we must not take a single step into it."

Yang Hu held his teacup and nodded slowly. Lu Yan's words were the foundation of their survival in this courtyard. Although she never left the house, she had a clear understanding of the hearts and minds of the people in the city, as well as the interests and entanglements of all parties. With her managing the overall situation in the backyard, Yang Hu had a backbone to guide him in his actions, whether it was practicing medicine, making connections, or investigating that hidden line.

"My sister-in-law manages this backyard even better than I do in the front," Yang Hu said sincerely. "No matter how bright the front signboard is, if the foundation in the backyard is not solid, it's all for naught."

Just then, Liu Ye returned from outside and lowered her voice: "Young master, there was some activity at the grain store in the west of the city today. A cart covered with a tarpaulin went in silently in the middle of the night, unloaded the goods, and came out empty. It was the same group of people. I watched from a distance and saw that the gatekeeper had what looked like a military badge on his waist."

The fact that a soldier with a military badge was guarding a grain store in the city was incredibly strange. What kind of military figure would guard an ordinary grain store? This grain store clearly had people from the military camp behind it. Liu Ye paused, then said, "I also saw that the way the unloaded goods were bound was exactly the same as the way the weapons were taken from Miss Qin's wound and the barbarian bandits who killed my father were bound."

These words made everyone in the room feel a chill in their hearts.

The backyard fell silent for a moment.

This hidden thread, like a fuse buried underground, burned silently beneath the city's festivities of song and dance. Yang Hu gazed at the deep night outside the window, his eyes gradually darkening. The network of connections outwardly woven, and the clandestine line of treason, were bound to collide sooner or later beneath that military camp.

"Keep a close eye on things, but don't alert them," Yang Hu said slowly. "What we need is to trace this line inch by inch to the end and see clearly who the perpetrator is. Until then, we'll pretend to be ordinary people who only know how to treat illnesses and can't see anything else."

After a night of planning, they should have rested here. But the next day, a rumor spread through the city, adding further turmoil to the courtyard.

It turns out that in this city, there used to be a renowned old doctor named Song, known as "Song the One-Tip Doctor." His medicine was said to be effective with just one dose, and he was a highly respected figure in the city, having practiced medicine for decades. In the early years, most of the city's patients came specifically to see him. But ever since the name of this young doctor from the east of the city spread, Song the One-Tip Doctor's practice gradually became deserted. After decades of practicing medicine, to see his reputation overshadowed by a younger man was something he couldn't swallow. He refused to believe that the young upstart's skills could truly surpass his decades of experience.

Although Song Yitie was advanced in years, he was still proud. Hearing people constantly praising the miraculous doctor in the east of the city, he harbored a degree of resentment. One day, at a literary gathering, he heard people again lavishing praise on the young doctor to his face, and finally, unable to contain himself, he stroked his gray beard and casually uttered a single sentence:

"The path of medicine relies on genuine skill, not fleeting fame. I'd like to meet this legendary doctor from the east of the city and see if his reputation is truly earned or undeserved."

These words, within half a day, reached the courtyard of Yang's family in the east of the city. Like a stone thrown into still water, they caused a great stir. Song Yitie had practiced medicine in the city for decades, and although things had become quieter recently, the reputation he had built up over those decades was not unfounded. His words, half-unconvinced and half-provoking, immediately became the talk of the town, with everyone craning their necks to see how these two renowned doctors, one old and one young, would compete.

In the backyard, Lu Yan put down her teacup, her brows furrowing slightly. This Song Yitie had come at an inopportune time. Right now, they were at a crucial juncture, trying to establish a foothold in the city and secretly investigate that lead. This unexpected trouble—whether it was a blessing or a curse—was uncertain. She picked up her teacup but didn't drink, a barely perceptible hint of seriousness flashing in her eyes. Where this unprovoked storm would ultimately drag them down was anyone's guess.