Doctor Li was quite surprised. Seeing that Qin Yuan seemed to have made up her mind, he asked, "Grandma, have you thought this through? This is smallpox. What if something happens to her..."
Hongye quickly tugged at Qin Yuan's sleeve and called out, "Miss."
Even Cui Ming looked alarmed.
Qin Yuan said solemnly, "To be honest, Master, I have been reading the medical books left by my maternal grandfather in private, but what I have learned from books is never enough; I must put it into practice. Now is the perfect opportunity for me to follow you and learn more."
“Grandma,” Doctor Li said earnestly, “studying medicine is a difficult task. If you were Xiao Dong’s age, I would never stop you. But now you are a Marquis’s wife, managing the household affairs, raising children, and handling social interactions. Where would you find the time for such arduous study? Learning some health preservation methods, gynecological prescriptions, and basic medical principles is enough. Later, when the opportunity arises, you can slowly learn more. You will eventually master it and find a successor to pass on the Chen family’s medical skills. That would be doing right by your ancestors. Why take this risk?”
Although he took Qin Yuan as his apprentice, Doctor Li had no intention of letting her inherit his mantle to heal the sick and save lives.
Hongye quickly said, "Yes, Miss, you are now the wife of the Marquis of Dingbei. You should prioritize the Marquis of Dingbei's residence in everything you do. Learning medicine is not something that can be accomplished overnight. You must not risk your life. Besides... there are so many imperial physicians and doctors in the capital, but not everyone dares to treat smallpox."
Cuiming also said, "Miss, please think it over."
Qin Yuan ignored them and spoke only to Doctor Li: "Master, now that you've come to my residence, have you also noticed the benefits of my medicinal fragrance? Otherwise, you wouldn't have asked me to teach Xiao Dong, right?"
Doctor Li nodded.
Qin Yuan said with a smug look, "This is a mixture I made by adjusting the recipe from my ancestors."
"Oh?" Doctor Li opened his mouth wide in surprise, his face a mixture of admiration, annoyance, regret, envy, and pity.
"Grandma, I know you're smart, but how come you're just this smart?"
Li Langzhong rubbed his hands together repeatedly; anyone could see that he was deeply troubled.
Qin Yuan shamelessly boasted, "I have always been able to memorize things after reading them once, but my mother told me not to show off easily, so not many people know about it. When my mother taught me these medical books and incense recipes, I read them once and memorized them. When my mother was mixing incense, I watched her and gradually learned how to do it. So when the Marquis's mansion had smallpox, I knew how to mix incense."
Doctor Li stamped his foot and sighed to the heavens, “My God, my aunt, you are making us mediocre people so envious! So many medical students can’t learn how to make incense, and so many incense masters can’t understand medical principles, but you just read a book and you learned it. How many people will be jealous of your talent?”
Qin Yuan lowered her eyes.
This...this...
Actually, it won't be that fast.
She's someone who's lived a second life, after all, but what can she do when she can't say it?
Doctor Li pulled Xiao Dong aside, angrily saying, "I thought you were using the Chen family's incense recipe, which is why I asked you to teach Xiao Dong. I..."
Qin Yuan raised her eyes, and Physician Li's words came to an abrupt halt.
Qin Yuan suddenly laughed and asked, "Master, what are you talking about? My incense recipe is also based on the ancestral incense recipe, with additions and subtractions. What, Xiao Dong can learn the Chen family's incense recipe, but I can't learn my modified incense recipe?"
"...This..." Doctor Li stammered, "Of course it's different. There's a trick to it that I can't explain to you right now. Since you're so perceptive, I suppose you've memorized all the medical books from the Chen family and understood quite a bit of medical theory?"
Qin Yuan didn't press the matter further and continued, "Yes, I've learned quite a bit about medical principles, but there are still many things I don't understand. After all, what you learn from medical books is different from what you learn by personally treating patients."
She had many questions about the medical books and classics left to her by Physician Li in her previous life. Fortunately, she was the wife of Prime Minister Lin, and whenever she consulted the imperial physicians, they answered all her questions without hesitation. She managed to figure out the general outline of the matter, albeit with some difficulty.
Where else can you find better instruction than from Dr. Li himself?
After all, there are as many as eight major sects, and each sect is further divided into smaller sects. The Imperial Medical Academy is full of sects, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.
After thinking for a moment, Doctor Li said, "In that case, you can come along, but you can't stay too long or get too tired. You must take all necessary precautions and be careful in every situation."
Qin Yuan said, "Thank you for your kindness, Master. Don't worry, I will definitely get everything sorted out."
While Dr. Li sat inside drinking tea, Qin Yuan went to the inner room to change her clothes. Xiao Dong sat on a small stool, not making a sound, his dark eyes fixed on the door of the inner room, waiting for Qin Yuan to come out.
Hongye and Cuiming whispered to each other, "Miss is taking too much of a risk."
Cui Ming was worried and didn't respond.
A short while later, Qin Yuan came out dressed. She was wearing a summer shirt made of Songjiang cloth, her hair was wrapped with a scarf, and her face was covered up with an apron. She was so well covered that you wouldn't recognize her if she stood in front of you without making a sound.
Hongye exclaimed in surprise, "When were these summer clothes prepared? Aren't these the ones the servants in the courtyard wear?"
Qin Yuan said, "I asked Hongmian to find it for me. Does it fit?"
Hongye: "..."
Cuiming asked, "Whom did Miss send with you?"
Qin Yuan said, "No one needs to come with us. The Marquis will probably send someone to bring the account books later. You can help me check the accounts and make sure there are no mistakes."
“But…” Hongye frowned, about to object.
Qin Yuan said, "This was your own suggestion last night, you're not going to object again, are you?"
Hongye was speechless once again.
Cuiming said disapprovingly, "Miss made up her mind a long time ago and kept it from us."
Qin Yuan said, "You would definitely object to these things if you knew, but since Master has agreed, it's obviously feasible. There's no point in you two coming along; you might as well help me with other things."
Cui Ming remained silent, only looking at Hong Ye and nodding repeatedly, seemingly expressing admiration.
Hongye asked, "What's wrong? Do I have something growing on my face?"
Cui Ming said, "Heh, you don't have anything growing on your face, but you have something growing on your head."
"What does it look like?"
"He's gotten a brain."
Hongye snorted and said, "You were also kept completely in the dark by Miss."
Cui Ming pouted.
Hongmian wasn't brought by her.
Xiao Dong walked over, tugged at Qin Yuan's sleeve, and his two dimples were faintly visible at the corners of his mouth. He said, "If you follow me like this, no one will know. Let's both help Master together."
"Hmm," Qin Yuan pinched his thin arm and said, "You need to eat more and grow taller quickly, because your master's Renhetang will depend on you in the future."
Xiao Dong obediently replied and nodded, "Definitely, Senior Sister, don't worry."
Doctor Li stood up, put his hands behind his back, and rolled his eyes.
The two of them were scheming to seize his ancestral property without any attempt to hide it from others; he truly had excellent apprentices.
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