Chapter 323
**Chapter 321: The Crisis of the Lu Family**
Mo Xun was quite happy. She had moved into the courtyard of the Female Physician's Office and began writing her medical book. She planned to compile her lifelong knowledge into a comprehensive guide for female physicians, serving as a textbook for their studies.
Zhang Miaoyu sighed, plopping down onto a soft cushion. "With women experiencing irregular menstrual cycles, pregnancy complications, and acupuncture for health, male physicians can't get close due to palace rules and etiquette. Having female physicians in the palace is indeed much more convenient."
Shen Wei nodded in agreement. "That's exactly right."
In the Da Qing Kingdom, there were quite a few exceptionally skilled female physicians. Unfortunately, due to their gender, they could only do menial work in clinics and were unable to fully utilize their talents. Establishing the Female Physician's Office was a way to provide them with a platform to pursue their ambitions.
The Female Physician's Office in the Imperial Medical Bureau only treated the court ladies and concubines.
Shen Wei also planned to have Ye Zhanggui open several large clinics in the most prosperous cities of Qing Kingdom. In these clinics, there would be separate areas for men and women, allowing women to have a private space for treatment.
...
...
In Yanjing City, the Wei Yan Ji pastry shop was bustling with customers. In the inner courtyard, the shop's female manager, Ye Qiushuang, opened a letter sent from the palace.
Having been a manager for several years, Ye Qiushuang had helped Shen Wei expand her business empire. Now, she had become a prominent female entrepreneur, her brows slightly more sharp than before.
As she read the letter, she murmured to herself, "Open clinics and set up separate areas for men and women."
After a moment, a smile spread across her face. "Well, if the boss has given the order, I can only follow it."
She trusted Shen Wei's decisions. Over the years, the business plans Shen Wei had laid out were gradually coming to fruition, and most of her decisions had proven to be correct.
Ye Qiushuang was efficient in her work. Within three days, the façade of the female clinic was up and running.
...
In Yanjing City, the Jimin Clinic in the East District was extremely busy. With winter approaching and the cold biting, many citizens of Yanjing had caught colds and flocked to the clinic for treatment.
A long line of patients formed outside the clinic.
Inside, there was only one irritable middle-aged doctor. In his forties, wearing a plain hat, he sat behind the consultation desk.
"Doctor, my daughter has been throwing up everything she eats and has a fever," a distressed woman in a blue gown said, cradling her child.
The middle-aged doctor didn’t even glance at the child or ask about the symptoms. "Go to the counter, pay twenty wen, and get three packets of cold medicine."
The woman, still anxious, replied, "But my daughter is only two years old. Can she take that medicine?"
The doctor, growing impatient, snapped, "Next!"
With so many patients in winter, he wanted to see as many as possible to earn more money. After all, the symptoms were mostly similar, and he treated them all as colds.
The woman had no choice; this was the only relatively cheap clinic nearby. The others charged exorbitant prices that she couldn’t afford. She could only take her sick daughter to the counter to pay for the medicine.
At the counter, a nearly thirty-year-old female assistant was in charge of dispensing the medicine. She glanced at the child in the woman’s arms, frowned, and softly said, "Can I take a look?"
The woman removed the wind-blocking cloth from her daughter's face.
The assistant examined the child closely and then checked her pulse. "This isn’t a cold; it’s a gastrointestinal issue."
The woman gasped in shock. "But the doctor said my daughter has a cold!"
The assistant furrowed her brow, about to speak when the clinic owner’s angry voice rang out nearby. He was berating the assistant, poking her in the forehead. "Just dispense the medicine! What are you babbling about? Can’t you see others are waiting for their medicine? If you don’t want to work, get out! There are plenty of people who can do your job!"
The assistant lowered her head, suppressing her sorrow.
But out of conscience, she still warned the woman holding the child, "Your child doesn’t have a cold. Don’t give her cold medicine."
The woman, unsure, didn’t dare risk her child’s life and quickly left the clinic.
Seeing the customer leave, the clinic owner was furious, poking the assistant’s nose. "Get out! You’re a fool hindering my business! Leave now, and don’t expect to get paid this month."
The assistant was thrown out of the clinic.
The winter wind howled, and she wrapped her cotton coat tighter around herself, preparing to return to her home. After taking a few steps, she heard a voice calling from behind. "Miss, wait!"
Turning around, she saw the woman with the child.
The woman, anxious, said, "You said my daughter doesn’t have a cold. Can you write me a prescription? To be honest, my neighbor got sick and came to Jimin Clinic for medicine, but didn’t get better and... well, if I had the money, I wouldn’t want to come here."
The assistant nodded, took out some paper and a pen, and wrote a prescription for treating gastrointestinal issues. "Follow this prescription to get the medicine; it should work."
The woman thanked her profusely and left.
The assistant sighed deeply. She had been packing medicine at the clinic since she was ten and had read many medical books. When the doctors were lazy, they would send her to check patients' pulses and diagnose them.
Over the years, she had become quite skilled in medicine.
Unfortunately, the clinic owner knew she was capable but only let her pack medicine.
With her head down, she looked at her hands. Having lost her only source of income, she truly didn’t know where to go.
As she walked, she suddenly noticed a crowd gathered nearby. She moved closer and realized it was a notice from the Imperial Medical Bureau, announcing the establishment of the Female Physician's Office and recruiting female physicians.
The assistant froze, staring at the notice as if the clouds in the winter sky had parted, letting a ray of sunlight shine through.
...
...
In Changxin Palace, Lu Xuan had been under house arrest for half a month. She spent her days in gloom, plagued by nightmares. She often dreamt of the Lu family being executed, her father and sister lying dead in the wilderness.
When the Dantai and Xie families fell, Lu Xuan had reveled in their misfortune. Now she understood that the Lu family was merely on the same path to ruin.
The emperor had never intended to spare the Lu family. He had supported them only to suppress the Dantai and Xie families. Now that those families had fallen, it was a warning to others, and the remaining noble families had all quieted down. The Lu family was no longer of any use.
If the Lu family continued to amass wealth and expand, it would not only be futile; the emperor's wrath would descend, and the entire Lu family would be finished.
"Your Highness, please have some bird's nest to warm your body," a palace maid said, bringing in a bowl of bird's nest.
Though under house arrest, the provisions in Changxin Palace had not been reduced, considering the child she carried.
Lu Xuan pushed the bowl away. "I can’t eat..."
Even if she gave birth to a prince, the emperor would not spare the Lu family. Lu Xuan was filled with anxiety, pondering how to break the deadlock and find a way out. Just then, a eunuch's voice called from outside—
"Your Highness, the Concubine Chen has arrived."
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