Revenge is a dish best served cold.
The imperial physicians sneered in their hearts.
To burn bridges completely leaves no room for future encounters.
Aren't you omnipotent? Don't you look down on us? Did you think you would never need us? Regretting it now? Feeling anxious?
To treat smallpox, with so many patients, let's see what you can do alone.
Miss Jun, sitting in the hall, did not rise but smiled.
"No worries, you don't need to feel ashamed, I will ensure there will be no problems," she said.
What a shameless wretch!
The imperial physicians, with ashen faces, were still being humiliated even at such a time.
"Thank you for your esteem, Miss Jun, but we, with our meager knowledge, dare not accept your command," the leading imperial physician said stormily, "please find someone more capable."
After saying this, a group of them began to leave, sweeping their sleeves.
"Stop, stop," Liu'er shouted, slapping her medical kit, "It's exactly your command we need now. My mistress is here by royal decree to treat the patients, and the emperor has said that everyone and everything must follow my mistress's orders. Are you defying the imperial decree?"
The imperial physicians turned around, their faces still ashen but somewhat hesitant.
They intended to trouble her for a moment, to make her bow her head and beg for mercy, losing face, but instead of bowing her head, she remained arrogantly intrusive.
Yes, this girl did hold an imperial decree, which was why she was so arrogant. If the royal decree really ordered them to go to the countryside to treat patients, what reason could they have not to go?
"Miss Jun is mistaken."
A voice came from outside, the imperial physicians looked delighted and stepped aside to see Imperial Physician Jiang with Doctor Geng entering.
Miss Jun also stood up and bowed slightly to Imperial Physician Jiang.
"Miss Jun, it's not that we refuse to go, but that we cannot," Imperial Physician Jiang began plainly.
Miss Jun looked at him without saying anything.
"We imperial physicians are under imperial command, responsible for diagnosing and treating palace concubines and nobility," Imperial Physician Jiang said, pointing at an imperial physician, "For instance, Doctor Ye here is in charge of the third prince."
"This Doctor Sun is designated by Prince Xian's Princess Consort."
Imperial Physician Jiang went on to point out the duties of each physician in the room, introducing one by one those responsible for treating princesses, those diagnosing the Empress, those for princes, palace concubines, and so forth. As he pointed them out, each physician stood up, showing a mix of arrogance and resentment.
"Miss Jun, if the gathering of patients outside the capital were any other issue, it would be another matter," Imperial Physician Jiang continued, earnest yet forthright, looking at Miss Jun, "Even if our medical skills are modest, we would still strive to exhaust all efforts. However, the issue now is smallpox and going is not convenient for us. For one thing, everyone has their shifts dealing with patients; and, reluctantly, we must consider the contagiousness of smallpox. Should we go to treat it and then return to treat princes and princesses, what if..."
What if the princes or princesses get infected?
The attending imperial physicians, with solemn expressions, nodded in agreement.
"You and I are both doctors, and we both know how terrible smallpox is for children. Even the nobles in the palace wouldn't dare take the risk," Imperial Physician Jiang went on, producing an identification plate, "Not to hide from Miss Jun, several nobles have already hinted that their children are unwell and requested home visits, suggesting it would be best not to leave these few days."
He looked at Miss Jun.
"Miss Jun, you should understand what this means."
Miss Jun smiled and remained silent.
"Miss Jun, I know you have an imperial decree and are tasked to act upon it, and if you insist, of course, we can't disobey," Imperial Physician Jiang spoke, bowing deeply to Miss Jun, "but truly, we can't manage it."
Watching Imperial Physician Jiang bow deeply, Doctor Geng was quite resentful.
"Miss Jun, don't be too excessive, we are all doctors, and we are already in a difficult position. My master has been speaking well of you everywhere, yet you only know how to use the royal decree to pressure others," he cried out.
The imperial physicians also bowed down.
"Head, don't plead with her; let's just go," they said in unison, their expressions tragic as if they had suffered a great injustice.
Miss Jun smiled at these people, and without a word, she lifted her foot and walked out. Liu'er glared at them hatefully, picked up the medicine box, and followed.
Watching the girl walk out, the imperial physicians, who had previously been bowed in aggrieved anger, straightened up and exchanged glances, then burst into silent laughter.
Imperial Physician Jiang also twirled his beard and laughed, his eyes filled with cold ridicule.
"Miss."
Liu'er caught up with Miss Jun, both angry and anxious.
"Are we just letting it go?"
They had already walked out of the Imperial Hospital's main gate. The gate behind them slammed shut as soon as they left, standing on the steps looking at the streets outside, which were emptier than usual.
"Just take out the imperial decree if they don't obey," Liu'er said hatefully. "How dare they disobey Miss Jun, they really don't know what's good for them."
Miss Jun just smiled.
"Forget it, let's go," she said. "A melon forced off its vine isn't sweet."
"But what about you alone?" Liu'er asked anxiously. Though she hadn't seen it herself, she had heard from Seventh Chen that there were at least hundreds of patients outside.
Fortunately, orders were sent everywhere to strictly inspect plague patients, preventing them from running out. Otherwise, who knows how many more there would be.
However, this couldn't be blocked for long. With the emperor ordering the treatment of plague patients in the capital, how could plague patients from other places not rush over?
Considering this, Miss Jun had to face how many patients, and exhausting herself alone wouldn't be enough.
Miss Jun turned back and glanced at the Imperial Hospital.
"No worry, I..." she started to say but was interrupted by the urgent sound of horse hooves. A troop of Jinyiwei appeared on the street.
Lu Yunqi, who was surrounded by the troop and riding high, saw the two servants standing in front of the Imperial Hospital, pulled at his horse, and looked down at them from his high position.
Miss Jun averted her gaze and looked down.
"Let's go," she said to Liu'er, stepping down the stairs.
"What are you doing here?" Lu Yunqi's voice asked.
This was a rarity; the hundred-man commander accompanying Lu Yunqi was slightly surprised. If the commander wanted to know something, he naturally had ways to find out; he never asked directly like this.
For Thousand-Man Commander Lu, to ask about something directly was embarrassing.
Even more embarrassing was that the person being asked pretended not to hear.
"Hey, the commander is asking you..." the hundred-man commander frowned and shouted.
Lu Yunqi raised his hand, and the hundred-man commander's voice immediately stopped.
"Weren't you ordered to leave the city to treat patients? Why are you still here?" Lu Yunqi continued.
Was this an interrogation? Miss Jun remained silent, but Liu'er couldn't hold back.
"We didn't say we wouldn't go; we were coming to find people, but these people won't move..." she shouted.
"Liu'er," Miss Jun chided.
Liu'er's words stopped. Lu Yunqi looked at Miss Jun with an expressionless face, then dismounted.
"Go," he said, looking towards the Imperial Hospital, "make them all come out to obey the orders."
The hundred-man commander hesitated, and Miss Jun was also stunned.
"No need," she hurriedly said, but the hundred-man commander had already reacted, leading a group of Jinyiwei towards the Imperial Hospital like a pack of wolves.
With a bang, the tightly closed main gate of the Imperial Hospital was violently kicked open by these men, the door crashing against the wall made a loud noise, shaking the ground slightly, and also cutting off what Miss Jun was about to say.
What are you doing!
Miss Jun looked at Lu Yunqi, her eyebrows furrowed in some surprise.