Chapter 1059 - 1061: Took in a Famous Old Disciple_1
The Marquis Jingping’s Residence was no ordinary place, Bo Qun hailed from a military household and was strict in governance, with loyal subordinates throughout the household. It was not just any residence, yet the guards of the residence failed to notice Bai Ruozhu’s dark guards silently entering.
Bai Ruozhu took over the medical box and said to everyone, "The process of removing the arrow will be rather startling, and to avoid infection of the patient’s wound, I need everyone to step back for a bit."
"My mother and the others will exit. Is it all right if I stay alone?" Bo Jiayang hurriedly spoke up.
Bo Jiashu also wanted to stay, but as he was about to speak, his older brother interrupted him, "Ah Shu, please take care of Mother and Second Sister."
"Oh, alright." Bo Jiashu thought for a moment before agreeing to it.
Lady Bo was not entirely at ease, but feared her own fright at the sight of blood might cause her to faint and, in turn, trouble Bai Ruozhu. She had no choice but to wait outside the room, supported by Bo Jiashu and Bo Caiyue.
Lin Ping’er and the others retreated from the room, naturally trusting in Bai Ruozhu’s medical skills, fearing they might disturb her treatment.
Bai Ruozhu glanced at Bo Jiayang, thinking that although she did not wish to perform suturing techniques in front of others, it was impossible not to have any person from the Bo Residence present, and she could only take one step at a time.
She indicated for Bo Jiayang to close the door, when hurried footsteps were heard from outside, a servant ran to report, "Madam, the Imperial Doctor sent from the palace has arrived!"
Lady Bo anxiously looked towards Bai Ruozhu; just now, Bai Ruozhu’s show of acupuncture technique had greatly impressed her, increasing her faith in Bai Ruozhu, but the Imperial Doctor was sent by the emperor, and it would be ill-mannered not to let him attend. But what if Bai Ruozhu left right now and the Imperial Doctor couldn’t treat the injury properly?
For a moment, Lady Bo was unsure how to decide.
But at that moment, a gleam appeared in Bai Ruozhu’s eyes, and she said to those outside, "The arrival is timely, quickly invite the Imperial Doctor in to assist me with the surgery."
The Imperial Doctor named Jiu Sheng was a middle-aged man in his forties, most skilled in treating wounds from swords, knives, and arrows. Hearing Bai Ruozhu speak like this, he felt that the lady who spoke sounded young, yet dared to ask him to be her assistant, which he found to be quite presumptuous.
"Who is inside this room? The treatment of Marquis Jingping is not child’s play, we cannot allow just anyone to meddle." While speaking, Jiu Sheng entered the room, his tone far from polite.
Bai Ruozhu smiled, looking at Jiu Sheng who had entered, and said, "I am Bai Ruozhu by surname, my husband’s family bears the surname Jiang."
"I am Jiu Sheng, the Imperial Doctor sent by the emperor to treat Marquis Jingping. Please, Madam Jiang, do not interfere with my work," Jiu Sheng said, even less politely this time.
Anxious, Bo Jiayang interjected from the side, "Imperial Doctor Jiu, Madam Jiang has remarkable medical skills, having already stopped my father’s bleeding. A few days ago, she even saved the imperial concubine’s child in the womb."
Upon hearing this, Jiu Sheng’s expression softened somewhat, though he still was reluctant to yield.
Bai Ruozhu asked with a serene smile, "The emperor sent you, but do you know how to perform suturing techniques?"
"You, you..." Jiu Sheng was startled and began to stutter.
"Haven’t you heard where the suturing technique comes from during your studies?" Bai Ruozhu’s lips slightly curled upward.
Jiu Sheng suddenly widened his eyes, "You, you are the Bai from the Bai Family?"
Bai Ruozhu nodded with a smile, "Now, are you willing to assist me with the surgery?"
Jiu Sheng’s previous arrogant demeanor had suddenly vanished, replaced by a display of nodding and bowing politeness, he even said with some excitement, "Willing, certainly willing, I’ve heard that seeing you suture with one’s own eyes surpasses instruction from others."
Bo Jiayang listened, utterly confused, he had been worried that a conflict between the two might delay the treatment for his father, but somehow, in the blink of an eye, their relationship seemed remarkably harmonious.
Bai Ruozhu had already explained the surgical procedure to Jiu Sheng in simple terms, including what she needed Jiu Sheng’s help with. Since Jiu Sheng had His Majesty’s edict to treat Bo Qun’s injuries, her use of the suturing technique was unobstructed, which also spared her the concern of having to later seek pardon for her actions.
As it turned out, Jiu Sheng was an Imperial Doctor of not inconsiderable skill, he immediately understood his duties after Bai Ruozhu finished explaining.
Soon, the surgery began. Bai Ruozhu started by administering acupuncture to Bo Qun for pain relief, directing Jiu Sheng to disinfect the dagger with the alcohol she had purified. Then, after having placed the needles, she used the dagger to make an incision, carefully reaching inside to remove the arrowhead.
"It’s penetrated into the stomach, I will need to suture it later, prepare the catgut sutures for me," said Bai Ruozhu.
Jiu Sheng’s complexion turned a shade worse. Penetrating the stomach could very well mean a slim chance of survival. If he could not save the man, how would he explain it to the Emperor?
But he noticed that Bai Ruozhu, despite being serious, was extremely steady and calm. He too managed to calm down and focused on his own tasks with assurance.
In fact, Bo Qun’s condition at this moment wasn’t as perilous as Tu Bai’s had been on a previous occasion and, with Bo Qun’s good physical foundation, combined with a full complement of medical supplies, it wasn’t impossible to think of saving Bo Qun.
After a lot of effort, Bai Ruozhu finally removed the arrowhead. Instantly, the previously stemmed blood began to spurt out. Bo Jiayang’s face paled, but he heard Jiu Sheng comment from the side, "Thank goodness Doctor Bai’s needlework is excellent. He had preemptively placed needles to control the bleeding, otherwise, the blood loss would have been at least twice as much by now."
"Haven’t you learned that set of blood-stopping needling techniques?" Bai Ruozhu asked while suturing.
"Who would easily pass on such a secret technique to someone else?" Jiu Sheng said with a tinge of regret.
Bai Ruozhu pulled on the thread, "I did pass it on to the four individuals sent by the Emperor back then. Forget it, I’ll teach it to you later as a thank you for your help today."
Jiu Sheng’s eyes widened, so excited he even forgot to observe Bai Ruozhu’s suturing. Doctor Bai actually said he would teach him, and without a moment’s hesitation – this was generosity beyond measure!
For a moment, Jiu Sheng was moved, his eyes reddening. He knew that even his own master wouldn’t have imparted such an advanced needle technique to him so readily.
"I can’t thank you enough, Doctor Bai," Jiu Sheng’s voice was a little choked.
Once again, Bo Jiayang stood by in astonishment. Not to mention Bai Ruozhu suturing his father, but the fact that a few words from Bai Ruozhu could elicit such profound respect from Jiu Sheng was astonishing enough.
After that, Jiu Sheng ceased speaking, diligently assisting according to Bai Ruozhu’s instructions. Bai Ruozhu worked swiftly, suturing both the internal and external wounds of Bo Qun, then cleaned the bloodstains and applied the best Golden Wound Medicine.
Having completed all this, Bai Ruozhu took a deep breath, raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead, and then turned to Bo Jiayang, saying, "What you saw today must not be spoken of, take care not to incur the divine wrath."
"Doctor Bai is right, that suturing technique is a secret technique, Lord Bo should act as if he did not see anything," Jiu Sheng added from the side, suddenly resembling a disciple of Bai Ruozhu.
"Good, I will keep it confidential," Bo Jiayang affirmed.
Jiu Sheng then carefully bandaged Bo Qun’s wound so that at least onlookers could not see the sutures. At that moment, a servant from outside reported that the decoction had been prepared according to Bai Ruozhu’s orders. Jiu Sheng inwardly praised Doctor Bai’s meticulousness, her early directions to ready the decoction were indeed beneficial for the patient’s recovery. Normally, wouldn’t they wait until after the bandaging was completed before writing out formulas and having the medicine prepared for boiling and consumption?