As Bai Ruozhu left, the expression on Lady Wang Miaoshuang’s face grew worse. However, since she was accustomed to wearing a cold expression, no one realized her discomfort. Only her daughter, Meng Jinse, stole a glance at her, a look of worry flashing in her eyes.
Seated quietly nearby, the second Miss Meng Jinxia, bowed her head slightly. She probably knew why her eldest sister had brought her out early that day.
Bai Ruozhu went to Meng Liangshen’s study where four doctors had already arrived. They were quite self-conscious and started practicing on their own.
Meng Liangshen asked with some displeasure, "Why are you late?"
Bai Ruozhu thought to herself, ’I’m displeased too. Aren’t all these issues caused by the women in your family?’
"It was the eldest lady and the doctor’s wife. They were so enthusiastic and kept wanting to talk to me. Thankfully, the old lady pretended that she needed me to prepare some medicine for her, which gave me an excuse to leave," Bai Ruozhu replied unconcernedly.
Meng Liangshen frowned. The mistress had tried to bribe his guards yesterday and probably knew the situation in this study by now. It wasn’t the first time she acted such. Meng Liangshen was highly averse to her controlling nature, but he didn’t want to deal with it. He was fine as long as she didn’t cross the line.
Bai Ruozhu placed Dengdeng into a nearby baby playpen and then went to check on the four doctors. One of the doctors, a man with good-looking hands, performed better than the other three. However, even so, his hands were shaking. Perhaps, feeling Bai Ruozhu’s gaze on him, he became nervous and snapped the piece of flesh he was lifting.
She hissed, "Getting snapped like this, it must hurt the patient so much – the wound worsened too."
The man’s face flushed. He clenched his teeth and said, "Please teach me, Doctor Bai." He gave Bai Ruozhu a bow, lowering his head in a respectful manner.
Bai Ruozhu nodded slightly. The man had been silent yesterday, but looking at him now, he appeared to be the smartest among the three.
"You’re pulling the thread at the wrong angle, which is why it breaks. You should start the needle from here, and pull it in this direction gently," Bai Ruozhu demonstrated to him.
The man’s eyes lit up as he understood, "So that’s how it’s done." He tried according to Bai Ruozhu’s direction and indeed it was much smoother than before.
"Your stitches are a bit too close, you can space them out more. If you follow your current spacing, a long wound would require sixteen stitches when twelve would suffice. There’s no need to subject the patient to four extra instances of pain and increase your workload," Bai Ruozhu added.
"Will this size do?" the man pointed and asked.
Bai Ruozhu nodded, "Yes."
Having a teacher guide him made a huge difference. The man quickly got the hang of it, and there weren’t any instances of him snapping the flesh again.
The other three doctors watched them with urgency, but also looked down on the man for his submissive attitude when asking for Bai Ruozhu’s advice. They were esteemed doctors in the army; how could they bow so deeply to a village woman?
Bai Ruozhu sneaked a glance at the three. Though their faces were hidden behind masks, she could imagine their current expressions must be like those suffering from constipation.
Ignoring them on purpose, she walked straight towards Meng Liangshen. "These people can continue practicing. I will go and check on the guard from yesterday," she said.
Meng Liangshen nodded and ordered someone to guide Bai Ruozhu. She carried Dengdeng and left with the guard.
Watching Bai Ruozhu leave, the three men opened their mouths, wanting to call out to her, but their pride stopped them, and she disappeared from sight before they could say anything.
Bai Ruozhu and the guard leading the way didn’t leave the premises, instead, they headed to the area where the guards lived in the backyard.
"Thank you, madam," the leading guard expressed his gratitude towards Bai Ruozhu, presumably he was close to the injured guard.
Bai Ruozhu nodded and walked in. The injured guard was weak and still unconscious. She sat quietly beside him, checking his pulse.
Quickly, she withdrew her hand and said quietly to the leading guard, "His body is fundamentally very healthy, and sleeping now is part of the body’s self-healing process. Continue giving him the medicine according to my prescription. Avoid feeding him spicy food and high-potency food. Moreover, give him some blood-enriching food."
The guard nodded repeatedly, "Thank you, Doctor Bai."
Bai Ruozhu did not want to disturb the injured man’s sleep. Fearing that Dengdeng might suddenly cause a fuss, she quickly left the room. However, she wanted to keep the three doctors hanging, so she wasn’t in a hurry to return. Just as Little Dengdeng had wet his diaper, she borrowed an empty room from the guard, carried Dengdeng inside, and began changing his diaper.
Outside the yard where Meng Liangshen’s study was located, Lady Meng arrived hurriedly with her attendants. Lady Meng’s face held a dangerous aura. That wretch had spent more than an hour in the study room yesterday and was there again today. She was particularly audacious! Lady Meng swore she would not let her off so easily and was determined to catch her red-handed!
"Lady, the Master has ordered that no one is allowed to enter the study," the gatekeeper guard stopped her and uttered solemnly.
On hearing his words, Wang Miaoshuang’s rage flared up further. She stared coldly at the guard and asked, "No one is allowed in? What about the people in the academy?"
The guard’s eyes flickered. He had assumed that Lady Wang was referring to the four physicians in the yard, who had been assigned by the Imperial Court and were to remain anonymous. How did Lady Wang know about them?
However, Wang Miaoshuang took the guard’s reaction as confirmation of her suspicion. She was determined to catch them in the act today, and make that wretch suffer the pig-cage dunk punishment!
Her maid, Nanny, was a little anxious. She feared that if Lady Wang made a fuss, Bai might really become the Master’s concubine, which would be even more troublesome. However, when she mentioned this to Lady Wang on the way, Lady Wang replied, "Even if that happens, she won’t be able to leave my palm. As long as I’m in charge, I can let her live or die whenever I want."
"Attack them!" Just as Nanny was distracted, Wang Miaoshuang suddenly gave orders to two maids behind her.
The two maids, who knew Martial Arts, immediately launched themselves at the gatekeeper guard. The small door was typically used for family members to come and go, and no one dared to break in, so only one person was guarding it. Other guards were at the main gate or stationed inside the yard. The guard was caught off guard and tried desperately to fend off the two maids. Soon, the trio were locked in combat.
Watching her personal maids failing to defeat the guard agitated Wang Miaoshuang even further. She shouted angrily, "Get out of the way!"
The guard continued blocking the entrance and loudly asserted, "Please turn back, madam. It is against the Master’s orders."
These words only infuriated Wang Miaoshuang more. She took a few quick steps forward, seemingly attempting to push her way through. Suddenly, when she was extremely close to the guard, her arm swung up violently, and three sleeve arrows shot out, heading straight towards the guard’s face...