Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 233

Half an hour later, Yu Fuling returned with the medicinal herbs Yu Jiao had requested. She had gone to three different pharmacies before finally finding the “dog walnut” and hurried back, slightly out of breath from the run.

“Fuling-jie, go and decoct the medicine, use four bowls of water and boil it down to one,” Yu Jiao instructed her.

Shen Wan immediately had a servant lead Yu Fuling to the kitchen to use the medicinal stove.

Seeing this from the outer room, Lin Fang gave instructions to the young doctor beside him. “Go see what kind of medicine she’s boiling. Don’t let her trick us into thinking she’s helping with the delivery when in fact she’s preparing some ruthless drug.”

The young doctor quickly followed.

He couldn’t ask Yu Fuling directly for the prescription, so he quietly took a few glances while she was preparing the decoction. After seeing the herbs in the pot, he returned to the side room looking somewhat puzzled.

In a hushed tone, he told Lin Fang, who was waiting in the eastern antechamber, “It’s not an abortifacient. I checked carefully. The herbs don’t include musk, nux vomica, safflower, or aconite.”

“Then what kind of medicine is it?” Lin Fang asked with a frown.

“I saw angelica dahurica, raw mugwort, and ligusticum chuanxiong, all herbs used to dispel dampness and relieve pain. There was also dong quai for nourishing the blood, and arisaema for promoting blood circulation and reducing swelling.” The young doctor paused for a moment. “There was one herb I couldn’t identify.”

“You couldn’t recognize it?” Lin Fang asked. “What did it look like?”

The young doctor gestured with his hands. “It was covered in soft spines, somewhat similar to cocklebur. About the size of a walnut.”

Lin Fang wracked his brain but couldn’t figure out what it was.

“Physician Lin, from what you’ve seen, what do you think the purpose of this medicine is?” The young doctor asked.

Lin Fang pondered. “Judging from the ingredients, its primary function is pain relief. It seems it’s meant to reduce the pain during the incision.”

“So she really is planning to perform a cesarean on Lady Sun?” The young doctor exclaimed. “That little girl has quite the guts, to be so young and still dare to cut someone open.”

But Lin Fang was still mulling over that unknown herb. Suddenly, as if struck by inspiration, he stood up abruptly. “It’s the fruit of the Rhododendron molle!”

“What?” The young doctor didn’t catch that.

Lin Fang’s expression turned somewhat peculiar. “The last herb she used is the fruit of Rhododendron molle, also known as dog walnut. It’s highly toxic! It can cause paralysis. There are records of people drinking water infused with it and becoming mentally deranged. The foreign anesthetics are said to contain this ingredient!”

“Then isn’t she trying to harm someone?” The young doctor, unfamiliar with dog walnut, was immediately incensed. “We need to warn Miss Shen right away, before Lady Sun is poisoned!”

Hearing this, Yang Jiyan frowned. This Yu Jiao was really pushing it, how could she dare give something so poisonous to her cousin Xueyan? Yu Qizhe’s younger sister truly was a headache.

She was just about to go into the inner room to warn Shen Wan when Physician Song let out a soft chuckle, as if amused by something.

The young doctor thought Song Yuan was mocking him and glared at him. “Physician Song, do you have a different opinion?”

Song Yuan stood and smiled gently, cupping his hands politely. “I wouldn’t presume to say that. I just thought it interesting that although dog walnut is highly poisonous, it also has anesthetic and analgesic properties. It occurred to me that the formula Miss Yu used might actually be the legendary Ma Fei San. That reminded me of the renowned physician Hua Tuo, who was famous for using Ma Fei San to perform surgeries. Could it be that Miss Yu is a descendant of the Green Satchel Legacy?”

Note: Ma Fei San (麻沸散) was an ancient Chinese herbal anesthetic, created by legendary physician Hua Tuo (c. 2nd century) for use in surgery, allowing him to perform complex abdominal operations by inducing unconsciousness.

Lin Fang was visibly stunned.

The Green Satchel Legacy and Hua Tuo had always been considered legends. Yet Hua Tuo’s miraculous medical skills had been passed down through generations in the medical community. If someone truly inherited such a legacy, wouldn’t that be equivalent to Hua Tuo reborn?

Lin Fang’s mind was in chaos, waves of emotion crashing over him. He couldn’t help gripping the carved armrest of his chair tightly.

He had always thought that such things were myths, but now one stood before his eyes. No wonder that little girl had such confidence. The Green Satchel Legacy clearly wasn’t fiction. And if he could obtain it for himself, wouldn’t he become a revered miracle doctor?

Greed ignited in Lin Fang’s heart. Sitting in his chair, his expression became complex. Part of him was already scheming how to get the Green Satchel Legacy from Yu Jiao; part of him was fantasizing about the glory that would follow, his master Wang Min would finally look at him with admiration!

The young doctor took quite a while to digest what Song Yuan had said. He then asked Lin Fang, “But Physician Lin, the dog walnut is still extremely toxic. Shouldn’t we at least warn Miss Shen?”

Lin Fang came back to his senses and let out a low chuckle. “Physician Song makes a valid point. Let’s observe this young Miss Yu’s medical skills for now.”

Since Lin Fang had changed his tune, the young doctor didn’t push further. He diligently poured him a cup of tea. “Then let’s wait and see.”

Hearing their conversation, Yang Jiyan hesitated, then sat back down. Though she didn’t know what the Green Satchel Legacy was, judging by the reactions of the three doctors, it was clearly no ordinary thing. Could it be that Yu Qizhe’s sister had truly apprenticed under a master?

Thinking about how cold and distant Yu Jiao had always been toward her, Yang Jiyan suddenly felt more composed. She wanted to see if Yu Jiao really had the skills to back up her aloof attitude, or if she was just a fraud masquerading as a physician to win favor in high society.

If she ended up harming Wang Xueyan, then she’d deserve whatever punishment came her way.

Yu Fuling returned, carrying the decoction boiled down to a single bowl. She went directly into the inner chamber and handed it to Yu Jiao.

Yu Jiao picked up a wine jug and poured a bowl of strong liquor. Holding the medicine in one hand and the wine in the other, she said to Wang Xueyan, “Drink this medicine with the wine, it’ll relieve the pain. You won’t feel anything soon.”

The rich aroma of wine filled the room. Though no one had ever heard of using alcohol in treatment, Shen Wan, trusting Yu Jiao, stepped forward and helped Wang Xueyan sit up, propping a pillow behind her.

Wang Xueyan gave a weak smile. “I don’t drink much. If I drink this whole bowl, I might get drunk.”

“It doesn’t matter. If you get drunk, you’ll fall asleep. When you wake up, it’ll all be over,” Yu Jiao said softly, scooping the Ma Fei San with a spoon and bringing it to Wang Xueyan’s lips.

With each spoonful of medicine, she followed it with a sip of liquor. After just half the bowl, a flush crept onto Wang Xueyan’s pale cheeks, making her look a bit healthier.

Shen Wan, watching how attentive and patient Yu Jiao was, felt that she was even more meticulous than a personal maid. Though younger than herself, Yu Jiao gave off a calm, reliable air.

When the bowl was empty, Shen Wan gently wiped Wang Xueyan’s mouth with a handkerchief and helped her lie back down.

“Miss Shen, it’s best if you wait outside now,” Yu Jiao said gently.

Shen Wan hesitated. “I’d rather stay in the room with my cousin, I’m afraid she’ll be scared.”

Wang Xueyan, already a little tipsy, softly patted Shen Wan’s hand. “With Miss Yu here, I’m not afraid. You should do as she says, Wanwan, wait outside.”