Chapter Fifty-Three Ginseng

  Five-story building?

  That means there's a fifty percent chance the old lady will die.

  From the patient's family's point of view, this probability is very low, and it's not worth mentioning to anyone. However, they just said that the tumor cannot be cut, but now Zhen Shi Niang says there are five layers of guarantee, isn't she slapping them in the face?

  The faces of the many doctors turned red and white by turns.

  "Even if you understand the structure of the nose, the patient must remain still and let you operate. Has Dr. Jian considered that the pain of the knife cutting through the bone is unbearable? How can the old lady endure such pain without moving?" The gaze pierced through the curtain, staring at the blurry figure inside, "How will Dr. Jian solve this problem of pain?"

  This is also what Xiao Yu has been worried about.

  As soon as Doctor Li finished speaking, swish, swish, swish, everyone's eyes fell on the slender figure behind the beaded curtain.

  "This...," Zhen Shi Niang hesitated for a moment, "I have an ancestral secret recipe that can make the old lady temporarily lose consciousness."

  "Anesthetic powder!" The crowd was shocked, and Wen Taiyi blurted out, "Is Doctor Jian saying you have the anesthetic powder of the divine doctor Hua Tuo?"

  Zhen Shining shook her head, "It's an ancestral recipe." The anesthetic in her medicine box was much better than Hua Tuo's Mafeisan.

  That is a product of thousands of years later.

  "Can I see the prescription of Jian Dafu?" Dr. Wen's excited voice trembled slightly, his eyes fixed on the blurry figure behind the beaded curtain.

  Zhen Shiniang shook her head. "The ancestors' teachings, this method cannot be shown to others." The anesthetic she had prepared did not entirely consist of Chinese medicine; taking it out would only lead to trouble.

  Wen Taiyi's face suddenly turned red.

  The room fell silent, and from several feet away, Zhen Shiniang could even hear the heavy breathing outside the curtain.

  Li Taizhong stood up abruptly, bowed to Xiao Yu and said, "Since there is a superior person in the Zhongtang Mansion, I will take my leave." His tone was humble, but with a hint of sarcasm.

  I'm looking at you with discerning eyes!

  But a young girl who has not yet washed off the smell of milk, actually dared to refute the words of the deputy court in public. The Imperial Hospital had never lost face like this before. He didn't believe that several of his medical skills were superior to those of a folk little girl. She said yes, let her go and see what happens, wait for someone to die and then there will be consequences!

  Xiao Yu was about to speak when several other imperial physicians also stood up.

  Wen Taiyi's lips moved slightly, wanting to say something, seeing everyone standing up, he also stood up with them.

  These people are all heavyweights in the Tai Hospital, and calling one of them would offend her. Seeing the many Tai doctors opposing herself, Zhen Shining's clasped fingers trembled slightly, with a feeling that the situation was already beyond her control. Not being allowed to perform surgery was not a big deal, but she feared that this time when she returned to Wutong Town, she wouldn't even be able to sell medicine.

  Although ancient medical practice did not require approval or qualifications, they were high-ranking official doctors who suppressed her as a rootless and bottomless folk doctor, just by moving their mouths.

  She didn't want to waste her limited life in the future on the struggle with these doctors.

  Xin Si's mind was racing as she thought about how to turn the situation around, when suddenly Xiao Ye bowed to her from behind the curtain and said, "....Mother's illness will be taken care of by Doctor Jian. Whatever is needed, please have Doctor Jian make a list and I'll have someone prepare it."

  He agreed!

  For a moment, Zhen Shining's eyes sparkled with excitement. If she could cure the old lady, these famous doctors would be no match for her.

  Xiao Yong's face suddenly turned bright red, "Big brother!"

  "Second Master..." Second Madam pressed down on him, "The warehouse owner Qiu has been waiting for you for a long time." She subtly pulled Xiao Yong out.

  "...Why stop me?!" As soon as he went out, Xiao Yong asked Er Nainai with a fierce momentum, "She only has five layers of grasp! What's the difference between this and openly killing someone?"

  "Big brother also meant well." Second Aunt sighed, "The imperial physician has already said that if the tumor is not removed, Mother will undoubtedly die. Now there's still a 50% chance of survival, anyone would take that gamble."

  Xiao Yong was unwilling, "Such a reckless decision, if something happens to mother, what face will big brother have to see father?"

  This is exactly what she wants!

  The imperial physicians all said that surgery would be fatal, but the Duke still insisted on letting this ignorant and uneducated village woman treat her. This is heaven helping her. Once she's treated the old madam to death, the Duke will be filled with remorse and will have to observe mourning rites for three to five years, during which time he won't be able to take a new wife. The power of managing the household in the Duke's residence will then firmly fall into her hands!

  Her heart was racing with excitement, but the second wife's face was filled with worry, and she whispered persuasively, "......If it doesn't get cut off, Mother will suffer for the rest of her life, and in the end, she'll still be hard-pressed to escape death."

  It's no wonder that Xiao Yong had given up on the idea of writing a letter to his father.

  The next morning, Xiao Yu hurried back and saw the second lady preparing a list of medicinal materials according to Zhen Shi's instructions. She handed him the list for review, "...... Some instruments are not available on the market, I have already contacted Yin Lou to make them urgently."

  White cloth, fine cotton thread, knife, tweezers, golden soft wire...

  Looking at the list of strange tools listed on the picture, Xiao Yu had never seen them before and didn't know what they were used for. Fortunately, after many years of official career, he had developed a calm and introverted personality, so although he was puzzled in his heart, he didn't ask any questions, just nodded and looked at the prescription again. They were all common Chinese medicines, such as Summer Solstice Grass, Fishy Smell Grass, Sanqi Powder, Angelica, Soapberry Thorn, Perilla, etc. As he wasn't a doctor, Xiao Yu looked at it for half a day without finding anything special, so he handed it to the second lady, "Prepare..."

  The second grandma was about to hand it over to the maid, but was stopped by Xiao Ye, "...... how can someone participate?" He took the prescription and looked at it seriously with his head down.

  There were four prescriptions on the list, and the last one was a single-ingredient ginseng.

  "Second Grandma had already read it several times, '...there is a kind of ginseng, let's cook it into soup for later use, does Zhong Tang think it's inappropriate?'"

  "Ginseng is a highly nourishing substance, but my mother is old and weak, her body is too vacuous to accept tonics, how can she take ginseng soup?" He didn't understand other medicines, but he was familiar with ginseng.

  The second grandma's eyes widened, "Now that Grandpa mentions it, I remember the old man saying ginseng supplements the strong but not the weak, could it be..." Her heart skipped a beat and her voice trailed off.

  He doesn't even understand basic common sense, this doctor is indeed a quack!

  "Ask her to come over." Xiao Yu didn't even lift his head, and instead carefully studied the prescription in his hand.

  The second grandma calmed down and cast a glance behind her back.

  At once a little maid ran out.

  Zhen Shining was leading Hong'er to pull the best cotton thread into strips over an inch wide. Since ancient times didn't have hemostatic forceps, although she had drawn a picture and asked someone to make one, she worried that Silver Building wouldn't be able to produce it or even if they did, it would be unusable. When the cutting was almost done, she instructed Hong'er, "Take them away and boil them in boiling water."

  "Boil?"

  It can't be, it's not even delicious.

  Hong'er blinked her eyes, thinking she had misheard.

  Zhen Shi Niang didn't even lift her head, "Remember, time can't be short, after the pot is opened, it must be boiled for two more quarters."

  Just then, a little maid came to pass on the message: "...the Second Master requests that Doctor Jian go up to the main house."

  Hong'er wanted to ask more questions, but seeing that it was the second wife's person, she hastily took the prepared sandalwood stick and walked out.

  As the maid arrived at the old lady's upper house, Xiao Yu and Xiao Yong's two madams were there. After greeting them one by one, Zhen Shi Niang sat down in the guest seat. Just as Xiao Yong was about to speak, he was stopped by Xiao Yu's hand gesture. He asked, "How is Jian Dafu preparing? When does he plan to take action?"

  "There are still a few instruments that can only be delivered tomorrow, and the old lady's nasal cavity needs to be treated for inflammation..." Zhen Shiniang thought for a moment, "The day after tomorrow, early in the morning...the light is good..." Although she had sent a message to Xi Que, Zhen Shiniang had never been separated from Jian Wen and Jian Wu before, and every day was worried and anxious, only regretting that she couldn't complete the operation and leave immediately.

  "Then I'll take the day after tomorrow off." Xiao Ye said, handing the prescription to Zhen Shi Niang, and asked casually, "Why did you open so many prescriptions? How do they work?"

  Zhen Shining took over the prescription, "The first one is for internal use, the second one is for external use, and the third one is for washing hands and cleaning utensils during the operation..." Since ancient times did not have disinfectant, Zhen Shining used bitter ginseng, Sichuan pepper, Huang Bai and other anti-inflammatory and antibacterial Chinese medicine to replace disinfectant water. When she mentioned the fourth prescription, her voice paused.

  "The fourth one is just ginseng, and Sima is..." She stopped, and the second lady took over.

  Zhen Shining smiled and said, "Ginseng is what I used."

  "You're right!" Second Grandma's voice was somewhat shrill.

  Ginseng is produced in the north and not available in the south. An ordinary three-year-old ginseng would cost at least a dozen or so taels of silver.

  This is typical of being greedy for wealth and status!

  She had never encountered such a brazen and greedy doctor in her life, and before she knew it, he had already palmed a ginseng, if not for the sharp-eyed Zhong Tang, she would have been deceived!

  "Yes." Zhen Shining's voice was faint, seemingly oblivious to Second Madam's glaring gaze.

  Xiao Yu's eyes flashed with disdain, but it was quickly covered up. Seeing Xiao Yong's face turn dark as if he was about to get angry, he waved his hand at him and chuckled, "In that case, there's no need to decoct the ginseng. If Jian Daifu can cure Mother's illness, I'll send someone to deliver the ginseng to your residence."

  His mother's illness still relies on this person in front of him for treatment. As the saying goes, it is better to offend a gentleman than to offend a petty person. In such a grand mansion, he can't even get out a ginseng.

  It's just that this gift has been given openly!

  "No need...” Zhen Shi Niang shook her head, “I'll deal with it all together in two days.”

  "She was caught red-handed by me, and she can't show her face anymore!" Xiao Yu's eyebrows wrinkled slightly, instructing the second wife, "......In that case, let's do as Doctor Jian says." He also waved his hand at Zhen Shiying, "Doctor Jian, you can go rest too."

  He had originally wanted to ask about his mother's illness again, but suddenly Xiao Yu felt a wave of disgust and laziness, not wanting to say another word.

  The bedroom was too dim, and at the request of Zhen Shining, on the third day, the old lady was moved to the living room. The curtains were all removed, and the dazzling sunlight shone through the clear glass, making it exceptionally bright, even surpassing the shadowless lamp of her previous life.

  Zhen Shining was very satisfied.

  She took out the anesthetic from the medicine box, and after taking it, the old lady fell asleep in just a minute. Zhen Shiniang covered the old lady with white cloth that had been cut beforehand, exposing only the area where the operation was to be performed. She washed her hands with self-made disinfectant liquid, picked up the disinfected surgical knife, and made an incision at the previously marked position on the old lady's nose corner with a steady hand.

  For the first time in ancient times doing surgery, Zhen Shiniang thought of all the situations that might arise during the operation and designed a detailed plan.

  Who would have thought that with one slash of the knife, something unexpected happened again.