A carriage stopped outside.
He Ping'an saw her frown and crane her neck, quickly covering her mouth.
"Granny, I just took out some rice, and there's fish still in the basin. Help me clean the fish. When Big Brother gets back, we'll have it for lunch. Since you don't like these people, I'll handle them."
She was afraid Granny Tai would start shouting abuse at these people and wear herself out. After persuading her to go to the back, the maids at the door said impatiently: "Where's your Doctor Liu?"
"Are you looking for my big brother?" He Ping'an stepped forward with a smile. "He went out early this morning. I don't know when he'll be back. If you have important business, I can pass along a message."
The maid with a gold necklace stepped over the threshold, likely the head maid of the household. She had a hint of a smile and said: "Someone is ill in the house. Since your big brother isn't here, if you understand medicine, miss, you can come with me."
He Ping'an was about to decline, saying she knew nothing of medicine, but the maid had already pressed a silver coin into her hand.
"Is it a female member of the household who is ill?"
The maid nodded.
He Ping'an pinched the silver, thought for a moment, then slung the medicine chest over her shoulder and said with a smile: "I'll go with you."
The maid led her onto the carriage.
He Ping'an kept her head down in the carriage, clutching the medicine chest.
This was Granny Tai's medicine chest.
The most valuable thing inside was probably a thin book on gynecology.
He Ping'an licked her lips, glancing at the maid beside her out of the corner of her eye.
Delicate brows, slender jade-like hands, beautifully dressed like a servant of a wealthy family. But coming to find them here, she was definitely not from the prince's mansion.
The carriage passed through the south of the city toward the northeast corner. He Ping'an tested the waters: "May I ask, miss, are you from the Lin family?"
The maid rested with her eyes closed, not replying. When they arrived, she smiled and said: "Miss, please follow me."
The carriage stopped in front of a two-courtyard residence.
He Ping'an saw it was quiet inside, with few maids, and gradually formed a picture in her mind.
This was probably some military officer's mistress, settled in the city.
The maid led her straight to the main room. The furnishings were elegant, and a plain white curtain hung by the bed. Since He Ping'an was a woman, the maid lifted the curtain and said softly: "Madam, the doctor is here."
"Please, have a seat."
He Ping'an made a slight bow, thanked her, and sat down, looking up with a smile.
The woman in bed had a modest, pretty appearance, her black hair unbound. Probably suffering from the change of environment, her complexion was somewhat sallow. Seeing it was a female doctor, she said helplessly: "Lately, I can't eat anything properly, and I keep bleeding from below. I don't know what's wrong. Please take my pulse, doctor."
He Ping'an listened attentively, had her extend her hand, and first took her pulse.
The room was quiet. The thin young girl concentrated for a moment, then slowly frowned.
The woman in bed saw this, paled a little, and after the pulse-taking, quickly asked: "Is there something seriously wrong with my body?"
He Ping'an shook her head, not answering her question directly, but instead asked: "Madam, have you recently experienced lower back soreness, night sweats, or a bitter taste in your mouth?"
She nodded.
He Ping'an asked again: "Is the bleeding heavy?"
The maid beside her answered, saying it was a continuous trickle.
He Ping'an pondered for a moment, then said: "Just now when taking the pulse, it was thin and weak, like a fine thread, lacking strength... The spleen is deficient, lacking the source of qi and blood. Qi deficiency can't propel the blood, blood deficiency can't fill the vessels, so the pulse is thin and weak..."
Before she finished, the maid grew impatient: "Stop beating around the bush. What is the condition?"
He Ping'an looked at her expressionlessly, then suddenly fell silent.
The woman in bed scolded the maid, then said: "Doctor, please continue."
He Ping'an shouldered her medicine chest and said she needed to use the restroom.
The others thought she was throwing a tantrum, but since the madam didn't object, they respectfully led her to the east latrine.
Inside the latrine, He Ping'an looked around to make sure no one else was there, quietly opened her chest, took out Granny Tai's gynecology book, and searched for the answer.
The book was thin, from the first page to the last, and she actually found a similar condition and pulse description. She silently breathed a sigh of relief and quickly memorized it.
But halfway through memorizing, chaos suddenly erupted outside.
He Ping'an was startled and hurriedly hid the book.
Hasty footsteps passed by the door. She held her breath, staring intently at the crack in the door.
No one came in, but the commotion outside grew louder. Gradually, women's screams and cries rose one after another.
He Ping'an clutched her medicine chest, quietly pushing the door open a crack.
Not far away, a group of servants had surrounded the main room. She vaguely heard words like "bitch" and "whore."
It seemed the legitimate wife had come to catch her husband in adultery.
The previously arrogant maid was pinned down by several old servants, who kept slapping her until her face was swollen.
"Tell me, where is the lover?"
"There's no lover! Our madam is just sick. She called a doctor, a female doctor..."
"Where is the doctor? You're obviously lying. Slap her mouth!"
Two more resounding slaps followed, sending her hairpin flying—clearly, they were putting all their strength into it.
Seeing this, He Ping'an dared not go out.
She turned to hide, but the beaten maid, unable to take it anymore, pointed at the east latrine and shouted: "The doctor is in the toilet. If you don't believe me, go see for yourself. My madam didn't take a lover!"
Hearing this, the group immediately turned around, as if going into battle, and came charging with clubs.