A pregnant woman saw a handsome young man holding her hand. Startled, she struggled to shake him off, but the pain in her abdomen made her unable to focus on anything else.
"I am a female doctor. Lie down quickly and take a deep breath,"
Gu Qianying revealed her disguise as a man.
In broad daylight, being entangled with a man, even if he was a doctor, would bring negative repercussions to these married women.
Upon hearing Gu Qianying’s words, "female doctor," the pregnant woman let down her guard and, following Gu Qianying's instructions, lay down and took a deep breath.
The surrounding crowd all turned their attention towards Gu Qianying.
The other women who were spectating kindly made way,
creating a larger space for Gu Qianying and the pregnant woman.
The two men who had been fighting also stopped their brawl and walked towards Gu Qianying.
A maidservant dressed in a light pink outfit pushed through the crowd and rushed out,
"Mother... Madam, Madam, what's wrong? What happened?"
The maidservant's face was pale. She was anxious and reckless, kneeling before the pregnant woman and shaking her arm incessantly.
Gu Qianying glanced at her, frowned, and coldly ordered, "Let go, shut up, and be quiet!"
The maidservant looked at Gu Qianying, intending to reprimand her. However, Gu Qianying's sharp gaze and icy demeanor intimidated her, and she dared not speak.
After taking her pulse, asking questions, and examining the pregnant woman's abdomen, she pressed on a certain spot and asked, "Does it hurt here?"
The pregnant woman was in too much pain to speak, only nodding. Beads of sweat on her forehead stained the ground.
From her personal medicine pouch, she took out a black pill, placed it in the pregnant woman's mouth, and had her swallow it. She then took out several silver needles and inserted them into various acupuncture points on the pregnant woman's arm, including Zhongfu, Tianfu, Lieque, Xiabai, Chize, Kongzui, Jingliang, Taiyuan, and others.
Moments later, after Gu Qianying removed each silver needle from the pregnant woman's arm, the bleeding from beneath the pregnant woman stopped.
The pregnant woman's complexion also seemed to improve slightly.
The maidservant beside her was overjoyed.
The surrounding onlookers' expressions towards Gu Qianying changed.
The two men guarding Gu Qianying had different expressions when they looked at her.
Ouyang Qinglin narrowed his eyes, contemplating certain plans.
The man wearing a silver mask beside him looked at Gu Qianying with only doting in his eyes.
"Don't celebrate too soon. Your madam is still in danger."
Gu Qianying's words caused the maidservant beside the pregnant woman to change her expression instantly: "What? Danger? Our madam is clearly fine now. What danger could there be? Are you perhaps trying to scare our madam because she hasn't given you a consultation fee?"
As she spoke, the maidservant threw her money pouch onto the ground, telling Gu Qianying to pick it up herself: "Our madam left in a hurry, and this is all we have. Take it or leave it, hmph!"
With that, she turned to help her madam.
The two men guarding Gu Qianying watched the scene with amusement, the man in red smirking. The other man drew his sword, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
Before he could make a move,
as the pregnant woman was helped up by her personal maidservant, she raised her hand and slapped the maidservant in front of Gu Qianying, "You scoundrel!"
The maidservant, stunned by the blow, realized what had happened and immediately knelt, "Madam, Bi'er was wrong."
The pregnant woman ignored her maidservant and turned to Gu Qianying, "This girl is ignorant, please don't mind her."
Gu Qianying did not seem to care. "It's alright."
"Esteemed doctor, please tell me, why am I still in danger?"
Now, she felt no abdominal pain, and there was no more bleeding. However, the female doctor in front of her claimed she was still in danger. She desperately wanted to understand what dangers still lay ahead.
If it were any other doctor, she would certainly not believe them. But this female doctor disguised as a man had saved her life. Therefore, she naturally believed the statement about her continued danger.
"Shengma, Xiancaocao. Taking these two herbs together, although it can..."
As Gu Qianying spoke, her tone was very slow.
She believed that the pregnant woman before her would understand what she meant.
Indeed, before Gu Qianying could finish speaking, the pregnant woman's face changed drastically. She let go of her personal maidservant's hand and moved closer to Gu Qianying. "Benefactor, let's speak further."
Gu Qianying nodded.
Since she had saved someone, she would naturally see it through.
"My name is Chen Huanhuan. May I know your name, benefactor?"
On the way, Chen Huanhuan asked Gu Qianying her name.
"Gu Qianying."
"Qianyi, with beautiful eyes and a charming demeanor, like the moon casting shadows of flowers into the heart. Truly a beautiful name."
Lu Huanhuan smiled at Gu Qianying.
Avoiding the crowd, Lu Huanhuan led Gu Qianying into a nearby restaurant.
After entering a private room with Gu Qianying, Lu Huanhuan closed the door.
Ouyang Qinglin and the man wearing the silver mask followed closely, both standing guard outside the door. They looked at each other, clearly disliking one another. If they were not in a foreign land, and not in front of Gu Qianying, these two would have surely fought again.
"Doctor Gu, from your unfinished words, I know that my use of medication to preserve the pregnancy cannot be hidden from you. However, I wish to know what other dangers there might be?"
Inside the room, Lu Huanhuan, with her swollen belly, looked at Gu Qianying.
Gu Qianying glanced at her. "Although your current pregnancy was achieved by taking excessive amounts of Shengma and Xiancaocao, the side effects of these two herbs are extreme. Taking too much can both preserve and miscarry the pregnancy. Judging by the amount of blood you lost today, within a few days, the fetus in your womb will inevitably be lost."
Upon hearing this, Lu Huanhuan swayed precariously, almost falling. Gu Qianying quickly supported her. Lu Huanhuan, in turn, grabbed Gu Qianying's wrist, "Doctor Gu, please, save my child in my womb, please!"
Gu Qianying helped Chen Huanhuan to sit down and poured her a cup of hot water to calm her nerves. "If we are to save it, it is still possible now. However, I left in such a hurry today that I did not bring any medicine. How about this..."
Saying this, Gu Qianying asked the waiter for a brush and a piece of Xuan paper, wrote a prescription for Chen Huanhuan, and handed it to her. "Follow this prescription to get the medicine. Take it once in the morning and once in the evening to preserve the fetus in your womb. On the day of delivery, you may exert force, but not too much force. Earlier, when examining your womb, I found that the fetus is lying sideways. If, on the day of delivery, due to the malposition of the fetus, natural birth is not possible, find a physician with high medical skill for a Cesarean section."
"What? Cesarean section?"
Chen Huanhuan was startled by Gu Qianying's words.
If Gu Qianying had not just saved her life, she would have definitely suspected that this female doctor was trying to make her die by saying this.
But now, apart from being shocked, all she felt was worry.
She worried about the child in her womb, and even more about her own life.
"Yes, a Cesarean section can save your life and the life of the child in your womb. However, your fetal position might also be corrected in the last few days by lying in different positions, but the effect is not significant."
Gu Qianying spoke the truth.
From ancient times to the present, no physician could perform a Cesarean section. Firstly, historically, most physicians were men, and they would not examine pregnant women. Secondly, a Cesarean section involves cutting open the abdomen, which is a common skill for coroners, but no physician would use such a procedure on a living person.
However, in her previous life, during the time she and her master, Old Man Bai, were traveling, they encountered a woman who could not give birth due to fetal malposition.
At that time, her medical skills were not very advanced, but her master was a man. Therefore, behind a screen, under her master's guidance, she performed a Cesarean section for the woman.
The surgery was successful, and both the mother and the fetus were saved. However, an unsightly scar was left on her abdomen. Later, she heard that the woman's husband divorced her because she had become ugly.
Fortunately, the woman later met a sincere scholar who loved her without complaint and lived with him.
"Besides this, are there any other methods?"
Chen Huanhuan asked persistently.
Gu Qianying shook her head.
Chen Huanhuan's face turned ashen.
After leaving the restaurant's private room, Chen Huanhuan, supported by her maidservant, got into a luxurious carriage inlaid with jewels, looking distraught.
The coachman respectfully asked, "Consort Chen, where shall we go next?"
"Return to the palace."