Imperial Physician Jiang also looked at the girl, his expression blank.
He felt as if he had heard this kind of talk before.
A long time ago, someone who abruptly appeared and was soon touted like a celestial being had emerged in the capital.
Seeking a consultation from him was nearly as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
Such an attitude was simply not befitting of an imperial physician.
Why must he behave in such a manner when we are all doctors?
"Of course, that is because my medical skills are far superior to yours," he said earnestly.
Truly shameless.
This shameless person was Zhang Qingshan, who eventually left the capital and vanished from this world.
Unexpectedly, after so many years, here was someone else just like that person.
And it was a young girl.
"So yeah."
The girl continued speaking.
"I only cure the diseases that you cannot, and as for illnesses like this auntie's, there's no need for them specifically to seek me out. You can treat them just fine, and there's no need for them to spend more money with me."
It was one thing to claim that your own medical skills were superior, and tooting your own horn was your own business, and others had no say in it.
But what do you mean by only treating diseases we can't cure?
"Ridiculous!" Imperial Physician Jiang shouted in a deep voice, "What do you mean by diseases we can't cure? You..."
But this time he did not finish his sentence, as Miss Jun looked at him and smiled again.
"Diseases that can't be cured, such as the illness of the Young Master of the Yangcheng Fang Family, or for instance, the Marchioness Dingyuan's illness," she said.
The case of the Marchioness Dingyuan was one thing, as the doctors present knew about it, but who was the Young Master of the Yangcheng Fang Family? They had no idea.
And what was with these two people's illnesses? Were they hard to treat? Who treated them?
The doctors exchanged glances and inquired among themselves, while Imperial Physician Jiang was stunned, his memory vaguely conjuring up the girl who indifferently sat alone drinking tea amidst the noisy chaos in the Yangcheng Fang Family house.
"Oh, it's you," he said, pointing at her as he spoke.
Recognized her? The doctors were startled and looked from Imperial Physician Jiang to Miss Jun.
"Yes, indeed, it's me, Imperial Physician Jiang, it has been a long time since we last met," said Miss Jun, bowing in greeting.
Imperial Physician Jiang scrutinized her with a look of surprise.
"You, you are Old Lady Fang?" he asked, then looked around, coming to a realization, "Is this De Sheng Chang's clinic?"
"No, I am not Old Lady Fang, nor is this De Sheng Chang's clinic. This is my Jun Family's Jiuling Hall," said Miss Jun, "We shouldn't go into detail here as it's a lengthy, private matter. But what it boils down to when speaking with you, Imperial Physician Jiang, is just one thing: I am not sure if you are aware, but the Young Master of the Fang Family's illness has been cured."
Imperial Physician Jiang didn't know anything about the Young Master of the Fang Family. He had seen so many patients; he couldn't possibly keep constant tabs on all of them.
However, considering the Young Master of the Fang Family's case was recent and the illness severe, it remained in his memory.
The Young Master of the Fang Family's illness cured?
"Impossible!" he exclaimed.
The young man's meridians had been obstructed, his organs damaged, presenting the image of withering away; by now he should have been buried in the ground.
Unless a deity was among us, there was no way he could have been cured.
"Imperial Physician."
A voice from behind spoke out.
Everyone turned to look, seeing that at some point, Manager Liu from De Sheng Chang had arrived, and was now stepping forward to greet everyone.
"My young master has truly recovered," said Manager Liu, "He has been overseeing our family business. If you inquire around, you'll find out. This is no deception."
Indeed, there wasn't any deception in this; whether a person was alive or dead could easily be confirmed, and one couldn't fake such a thing.
Imperial Physician Jiang was incredulous but then remembered what Miss Jun had said.
"You, you're the one who cured him?" he asked.
Miss Jun nodded.
"Yes," she said, "It was me who cured him."
Her use of the word 'also' was, of course, a reminder to Imperial Physician Jiang that she had also cured the Marchioness Dingyuan's illness.
Imperial Physician Jiang opened his mouth, momentarily at a loss for words.
"Even so, an imperial physician should not act this way," he said, "You can cure but refuse to do so, all for the sake of money."
"It's not just for the money; it's also about fairness," said Miss Jun, "After all, I treat only those diseases that you cannot. The difficult tasks naturally require more effort, and not treating complex illnesses could be fatal; it's essentially buying a life, which naturally costs more. After all, life is priceless; even trading mountains of gold and silver for it wouldn't be too much."
That seemed to make sense.
The doctors present didn't know what to say for a moment.
Imperial Physician Jiang gazed at her intently.
"So, does this mean that if we can't cure something, you can?" he asked.
Was this a challenge?
If she agreed to that statement, she would be challenging all the doctors in the city to a contest.
Everyone turned their gaze to Miss Jun.
Both Seventh Chen and Manager Liu had a hint of disapproval in their eyes, but Miss Jun smiled and nodded her head.
"Yes," she said, "for those diseases that truly leave you at your wits' end, you may try seeking treatment here."
She stressed the word "truly."
What did "true" imply?
Could it be that they were not the ones to decide whether a disease was curable, but she was?
Would she later claim that they had deliberately refused to treat patients to their full ability?
This girl was not just shameless, but also cunning.
The doctors all watched her.
"Fine," said Imperial Physician Jiang, casting a glance at Miss Jun and, without another word, turned and left.
Following his departure, the rest of the doctors, exchanging looks with each other, were quick to follow suit.
There was a crowd of onlookers gathered in three layers outside the door, pointing and discussing the events as they unfolded.
What had just transpired made the mood of the public complicated.
So this is what Miss Jun meant by those with fate.
So the fees for Miss Jun's consultation are very high.
With the veil of mystery lifted by the seeming exaggeration of rumors, and in light of the harsh reality of money, many people dispersed from the queue.
As Seventh Chen watched the hesitant people outside, no longer daring to come in, he looked worryingly at Miss Jun.
He hadn't expected the practice to be disrupted even before it began by the imperial physician.
Indeed, being a peer was cursed, and more frustratingly, this peer was also an imperial physician, an officer at that.
Life in the capital was indeed difficult.
"It looks like there will be fewer patients coming to us from now on," he voiced.
Miss Jun shook her head.
"That won't be the case," she replied, "regardless of whether there are queues or not, the individuals I am supposed to treat remain few and distinct."
Moreover, she was not here to cure diseases simply for the sake of healing.
Just as Imperial Physician Jiang had pointed out, she used money to draw a line, only taking in cases from wealthy and powerful families.
She wasn't here to save the world, but to save herself and her close ones.
She turned back to her seat; since there were no patients to consult, she might as well write medical cases.
Watching the calm girl pick up her brush, Manager Liu and Seventh Chen exchanged glances.
"Let's trust her," Manager Liu suggested.
Even though it often seemed unreliable, everything always turned out surprisingly well, and to their advantage.
What choice did they have but to trust her, Seventh Chen thought, as he playfully squinted at Fang Jinxiu.
After all, it was more profitable than selling sugar figurines.
Fang Jinxiu ignored him and turned to go inside, in addition to accounting, she was also making medicines with Liu'er.
It seemed just as mundane as selling sugar figurines.
...
"I feel like whatever Jiuling Hall says, it sounds rather awkward."
The doctors who had left Jiuling Hall walked in small groups, with one of them speaking out.
"According to her, she can cure what we cannot, and naturally, she can also cure what we can—there's nothing extraordinary about that, right?"
Another doctor nodded in agreement.
"Does it sound as if we're just assistants, helping her out?" he said.
"Anyone can talk big, let's see if she can deliver," another doctor snorted with scorn, "If she vexes Imperial Physician Jiang, she will have trouble on her hands."
"Imperial Physician Jiang has many complex cases in hand, mostly from noble families. When he refers them to her, let's see if she can cope. If she can't, then she should brace herself," the first doctor also laughed while stroking his beard, "It's wise to leave room for improvement in dealings, so we can face each other in the future. Young people just don't understand this principle."
However, at this point, Imperial Physician Jiang had already returned to the Imperial Hospital. There were no secrets that couldn't be revealed, or perhaps it was the Marquis Dingyuan's house that intentionally did it. In less than half a day, everyone knew that Imperial Physician Jiang had been mocked at Marquis Dingyuan's residence.
The subordinates and disciples, no matter who, were careful around Imperial Physician Jiang.
Imperial Physician Jiang wasn't concerned with those behaviors; he pondered for a moment and then called over a disciple.
"Go to the Northern Administrative Court and inquire about the matter with the Young Master of the Yangcheng Fang Family at De Sheng Chang," he instructed.
For reliable and detailed information, the most fearsome Northern Administrative Court was the best source.
Imperial Physician Jiang had a reasonably good relationship with the Northern Administrative Court. Upon hearing his request, and as it involved the Fang Family at De Sheng Chang which the emperor had personally instructed not to pursue further, the Jinyiwei handling the case promptly reported it up the chain, all the way to Lu Yunqi.
"Imperial Physician Jiang? Why is he asking about this?" Lu Yunqi questioned, flipping through a thick stack of notes in his hand.
His subordinate had already gathered the details and relayed the whole situation. The mention of Jiuling Hall caused Lu Yunqi to pause.
"Jiuling Hall?" he inquired.
Interrupted, the subordinate affirmed.
"The clinic that cured Lady Marchioness Dingyuan is called Jiuling Hall," he said, observing Lu Yunqi, waiting for his next query.
Lu Yunqi held onto the scrolls, his expression impassively still.
"I don't like that name," he stated.