In the dead of night, two carriages made their way toward the Lu residence.
Zheng Qian rode in one carriage with Zheng Chi, accompanied by her cat and Caiyuan.
The cat stayed glued to her side, never leaving.
Holding the cat in her arms, Zheng Qian said to Zheng Chi, "Big Brother, don't blame me for being reckless. I just want to give it a try."
"And if you fail?" Zheng Chi frowned tightly.
Everything she had built so painstakingly—her hard-earned reputation—would collapse if she failed.
Zheng Qian replied casually, "Then I fail. Who in this world can win every time?"
Zheng Chi: "..."
He looked at her.
In the dim light of the carriage, her features appeared faintly ethereal. The red mole between her brows was striking—she almost looked like a celestial maiden descending to earth.
Suddenly, he recalled how, when she had first offered to set his broken leg, he had dismissed her.
And then—she had succeeded.
She always exceeded expectations.
Perhaps problems that had stumped generations would be nothing in her hands.
If anyone should trust her—it was Zheng Chi.
He exhaled slowly and said nothing more, only listening to the rhythmic clatter of the carriage as it rolled toward the Lu residence.
The main gates of the Lu residence were open, yet no one came out to greet Zheng Qian.
Everyone had gathered around the eldest young master—or stood at a distance watching.
The first carriage stopped. The eldest master and his wife, along with Lu, stepped down.
Zheng Chi exited first. Before Zheng Qian could use the carriage step, he reached out, wrapped an arm around her waist, and lifted her—and the cat in her arms—straight down from the carriage.
Zheng Qian: "..."
Caiyuan, following behind, was startled—worried that the eldest young master might also carry her. She grew tense.
But Zheng Chi had already placed Zheng Qian down and walked ahead into the residence.
Caiyuan felt she had worried for nothing and flushed slightly in embarrassment. She hurried after them, carrying Zheng Qian's medical box.
The group walked quickly toward Lu Shu's courtyard. No one spoke.
Inside the courtyard, voices were kept low. Servants hurried in and out, and the air was thick with the scent of medicinal herbs.
Lu Shu's faint groans could be heard.
When Zheng Qian entered, Physician Sun finally saw the legendary figure—and paused.
This young lady… had an unusual presence. That mole between her brows—why did it feel so extraordinary?
Aside from Physician Sun, the room was filled with various members of the Lu family and respected physicians from their medical hall.
All of them were skilled in medicine.
And all of them understood one thing clearly:
Lu Shu's condition was too severe.
There was no saving him.
Zheng Qian's arrival, at best, would be a formality.
Zheng Qian first exchanged formal greetings with the old master, then stepped forward to examine Lu Shu.
He was conscious. Cold sweat soaked his hair—he had nearly passed out from pain earlier. After being given medicine from the Lu family, the pain had been temporarily numbed, but it was still present.
When he saw her approach, he cast her a cold glance, his gaze carrying a hint of vigilance.
So she had finally come to see him.
For days, he had tried every possible way to meet her. Yet she refused—even preferring to meet that lowly illegitimate son rather than him.
Lu Shu found it deeply ironic.
Yet even in his resentment, he was on the brink of death.
"I'll examine the patient first—is that alright?" Zheng Qian asked the old master, not Lu Shu.
The old master nodded.
Zheng Qian checked his conjunctiva and lips—no signs of congestion, pale and dry. His vital signs appeared temporarily stable.
She took the medical kit handed to her and retrieved her stethoscope.
The moment it appeared, everyone's attention was drawn to it—including Prince Ancheng.
They had never seen such a device.
The physicians didn't know what it was. Prince Ancheng, however, could tell—it gleamed with a refined luster, clearly something rare and valuable.
The cat climbed onto the beam again, watching from above with sharp focus.
From that vantage point, "Zhan" could observe every move Zheng Qian made.
The cat seemed calm upon seeing the stethoscope.
Zheng Chi stood by the doorway and asked, "What is that?"
Everyone had their own thoughts as Zheng Qian pressed the stethoscope against Lu Shu's body.
Through his thin summer clothing, the coldness of the device reached his skin. He widened his eyes, momentarily forgetting his pain, trying to look at her.
"Regular heart rhythm. No pericardial friction sounds."
While listening, she pressed his abdomen, asking where it hurt.
Lu Shu answered honestly.
From her examination, she determined that the most severe pain was around the navel. There was no tenderness in the kidney regions, and bowel sounds were about two to three times per minute.
After completing the exam, Zheng Qian concluded that there was likely a rupture of a solid organ—but she needed an abdominal puncture to confirm internal bleeding.
"Should we speak privately, or here?" she asked the old master.
Before he could answer, Lu Shu spoke weakly, "Here… let me understand…"
He was about to die—what else couldn't he hear?
After a moment of thought, Zheng Qian said, "Old Master, can you confirm that this is a solid organ rupture?"
The old master understood her meaning, even if they did not describe it that way.
"It is indeed a visceral injury," he replied.
Zheng Qian nodded. "Then I need to perform a puncture to determine whether there is internal bleeding. After that, I will need to open his abdomen to locate the ruptured organ…"
Her words caused an uproar in the room.
Lu Shu's father was shocked. "W-what are you saying? You want to… open his—?"
Even Physician Sun was stunned.
Opening the abdomen would immediately kill a person—this Miss Zheng was far too bold… and far too ruthless.
"Yes. Open the abdomen. I need to locate the bleeding point and then suture it," Zheng Qian said calmly.
The room erupted again.
What was she saying?
Once the abdomen was opened, the patient was already dead—what good would finding the bleeding point do?
Everyone believed she was acting recklessly, speaking in incomprehensible nonsense.
Prince Ancheng was also startled.
Zheng Chi fixed his gaze on her.
Even the cat on the beam felt uncertain.
Only the old master remained relatively composed—though a flicker of hesitation crossed his face.
"Miss Zheng," he said, "if the abdomen is opened, Shu'er will die within moments."
"Old Master," Zheng Qian asked calmly, "how many chances of survival does he have now?"
Everyone froze.
The old master fell silent.
Chances?
None.
Lu Shu had no chance of survival. He was merely waiting to die—just like the Crown Prince in the past, slowly succumbing to pain. No medicine could save him.
This had always been a terminal condition since ancient times.
What a pity—Lu Shu was a gifted talent. Yet he would perish so young. The Lu family, with generations of medical expertise, stood powerless before this moment.
"My method has a fifty percent chance," Zheng Qian said. "Zero percent versus fifty percent—old master, which would you choose?"
Everyone looked at her again.
Physician Sun grew irritated. "Miss Zheng, are you using the young master as a practice subject? Opening his abdomen—how could that have a fifty percent chance? You're just making him die faster."
Others echoed him.
"Yes, you're taking a life!"
"We kindly invited you—are you playing with us like this?"
"Do you have a grudge against Shu'er?"
Voices rose in accusation.
Zheng Qian said calmly, "My brother, my maid, and I are all here in the Lu residence. If I am speaking nonsense, you may kill us three without hesitation. But if I succeed in saving Lu Shu—then all of you must call me 'Old Ancestor,' acknowledge me as Lu Qi's disciple, and enter me into your Lu family genealogy."
Lu Qi had been dead for over two hundred years.
Her seniority would surpass everyone by many generations—"Old Ancestor" would be the only appropriate title.
The room fell silent again.
Zheng Qian turned her gaze toward the old master.