CHAPTER 71: CHAPTER 66 GENERAL

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

At dusk, the gate to Huai De Square’s 12th Street was knocked once again. Li Ang, who was reading in the courtyard, sighed in exasperation and called out towards the gate, "I’m sorry, it’s late. Please come back another time..."

From outside the gate, a voice came through, "Is it Mr. Li? A medical officer from the Imperial Medical Bureau requests an audience."

"The Imperial Medical Bureau?"

Li Ang closed his book in surprise. Many visitors had come to the hostel on Huai De Square’s 12th Street seeking an audience with him today.

There were wealthy merchants proposing marriage alliances.

There were apprentices from the Advanced Scholar Group.

(The Advanced Scholar Group is a civilian commercial organization in Yu Country that specifically provides banquet and travel services for newly minted Advanced Scholars.)

There were also fellow countrymen from Yizhou who were in Chang’an.

One group would leave only for another to arrive—it was incessant and tiresome.

But a medical officer from the Imperial Medical Bureau... That was unexpected.

Li Ang set down his book, rose, and opened the courtyard gate. Outside stood a man in his thirties, dressed in plain white robes. The man wore a pitch-black, hard wooden token at his waist.

"I am Qiu Jing, a medical officer from the Imperial Medical Bureau. Qiu Feng is my niece."

Qiu Jing cupped his hands in a salute and said with a wry smile, "I was in the private room next to yours at the Taiping Square tavern when you discussed malaria and mosquitoes."

"So it’s Doctor Qiu."

Li Ang returned the salute and asked curiously, "Is Doctor Qiu here about the malaria incident?"

"That’s not it," Qiu Jing said. "I have a medical case and would like to consult with you, Mr. Li."

"I am unworthy of such an honor."

Li Ang waved his hand modestly. The Imperial Medical Bureau was nominally responsible for establishing medical policies throughout Yu Country, overseeing the medical education system, and guiding private clinics and physicians. Naturally, the skill of a medical officer from the Imperial Medical Bureau was also top-tier.

Li Ang said, "Please speak, sir."

Qiu Jing nodded and explained, "There is a patient, elderly and frail, suffering from fatigue and dizziness, heart palpitations, a pale complexion, an inflamed tongue, numbness in the hands and feet, a soft and slow pulse, and slightly yellowish skin..."

Li Ang raised an eyebrow. "Jaundice?"

"Exactly, it is jaundice," Qiu Jing affirmed. "What do you think, Mr. Li? Is it due to severe dampness, severe heat, or is it complicated by external factors?"

After contemplating, Li Ang replied, "The yellowing of the body and eyes isn’t vibrant, and there’s general listlessness... It sounds like severe dampness to me."

So-called jaundice is actually an increase in serum bilirubin concentration that causes the sclera, skin, mucous membranes, and other tissues and fluids to become yellowish, turning the entire person’s skin and even their eyes yellow. Jaundice is not only a common symptom but also an important sign, with many specific types. There’s cholestatic jaundice, hepatocellular jaundice, congenital non-hemolytic jaundice, and hemolytic jaundice. And each type has its own set of causes, such as snake venom poisoning, poisonous mushrooms, extrahepatic bile duct obstruction, intrahepatic bile duct obstruction, intrahepatic cholestasis, schistosomiasis, alcoholic liver disease, lymphoma...

"We also believe it’s severe dampness," Qiu Jing nodded. "However, the medications we’ve administered recently haven’t been very effective. Would you be willing to take a look, Mr. Li?"

"This..."

Li Ang hesitated slightly. Unlike BPPV and fractures, jaundice, as a common symptom, had a vast number of potential underlying causes. Some were malignant diseases, such as hepatitis, liver cancer, pancreatic head cancer, liver cirrhosis, and periampullary cancer... With current medical conditions, there was simply no basis for an effective cure. Moreover, even Doctor Qiu, a medical officer from the Imperial Medical Bureau, was helpless with this illness and had come to solicit his opinion, a mere young doctor. This truly indicated how troublesome the disease was and how complex the situation.

Qiu Jing, aware that his request was somewhat unreasonable, sighed and said, "The patient is Duke Yan."

"The National Guardian General, Yan Yundang?"

Li Ang’s brow furrowed slightly. Decades ago, Yan Yundang had led troops north to fight the Turkic people multiple times. On the final occasion, he even personally led a thousand cavalry to within a hundred paces of the Turkic Khan’s tent. He had single-handedly fought and killed two Turkic Martial Arts Grandmasters, securing decades of peace between the two lands. Truly the nation’s pillar of support.

"Yes, the carriage from Yan Mansion is waiting outside," Qiu Jing nodded. "Are you willing to come, Mr. Li?"

"...Allow me to prepare briefly."

Li Ang sighed. He turned back into the room to give Chai Cuiqiao a few instructions, then picked up his medicine kit and stepped out, accompanying Qiu Jing onto the carriage.

He had also heard recently that Duke Yan was ill and that famous doctors were being sought throughout Chang’an City. Many outstanding doctors from Chang’an City, and even renowned ones from Luoyang, had rushed over to diagnose Duke Yan. But... the more doctors gathered and the longer it dragged on, the more it indicated the severity of the illness.

The carriage from Yan Mansion moved smoothly through the streets of the workshop district, with barely any vibration, much like the carriages from the Academic Palace. As the carriage gently rolled into a luxurious residential area, the distinct aroma of medicinal herbs filled the air.

「Duke Yan Mansion. They had arrived.」

Li Ang and Qiu Jing dismounted from the carriage and walked through a side entrance into the rear courtyard of the Duke Mansion. The steward responsible for receiving guests was slightly surprised by Li Ang’s youth. However, upon hearing Li Ang’s name, he immediately showed his welcome—the Duke Mansion’s steward was well-informed; even without leaving the residence, he knew the news circulating in the workshop district. A young doctor who had ranked second in the Academic Palace’s preliminary examination naturally possessed extraordinary abilities.

The steward respectfully and enthusiastically led Li Ang and Qiu Jing towards the main hall. As they drew near, they heard a low, stern voice.

"Though I don’t understand medicine, this prescription calls for chewing five ounces of raw dandelions? Do you take me for a cow?!"

In the middle of the hall stood a brocade-clad elder, supporting himself on a table. He was tall and imposing, his authority evident even without anger. Though the hands protruding from his brocade sleeves were as thin as kindling, they still pressed clear imprints into the hardwood tabletop.

"Father!" Confronting the brocade-clad elder was a similarly tall and robust middle-aged man who bore a strong resemblance to him. "The medical books all state that dandelions can neutralize heat toxins, reduce malignant swellings and nodules, counteract food poisoning, and disperse stagnant qi. There’s no harm in consuming more..."

"Haven’t I ingested enough of your haphazard concoctions these past few days? Has any of them proven effective?" Yan Yundang looked at his son and shook his head. "I know my own body. The injuries accumulated in my early years are too numerous; it’s too late to mend them now. As for you, you’ve just received His Majesty’s favor and been appointed Right Jinwu General. What are you doing lingering at home all day? Go and attend to your duties!"

"Father!" Yan Lin, the newly appointed Right Jinwu General, was both anxious and angry, yet utterly helpless.

In fact, he understood the reasons for his father’s stubbornness and refusal to heed medical advice. A single general’s success is built on the bones of ten thousand soldiers. Yan Yundang, who had risen from a common soldier in the Northern Territory, had climbed a mountain of enemy corpses to become a Martial Arts Grandmaster and be enfeoffed as the National Guardian General. However, the hero was now in his twilight years. Duke Yan, who once made the Turkic People tremble in fear and silenced crying children with his name, now had to spend his days with medicinal broths. He was at the mercy of ordinary physicians, ingesting potions with unknown ingredients and foul odors. He could no longer draw the Strong Bow or lift the Horse-slaying Saber, and he even needed others to care for his daily life. The humiliation, disillusionment, and pain were beyond words for an outsider to comprehend. Yan Lin was certain that his father would rather die on the battlefield or the Martial Arts Arena than in a decrepit state on his sickbed. The only reason he was still desperately holding on was for the future of the Yan Family.

Father and son, faces taut, stood in confrontation, silently releasing their imposing auras, pressing against each other. But this time, Yan Lin did not yield—not because he, an Innate Martial Artist, had grown stronger, but because Yan Yundang’s physical condition had deteriorated to an extreme degree.

RUSTLE—

The sound of beaded curtains parting echoed. The steward entered the hall with light footsteps, his hands respectfully lowered. "Ah Lang, Eldest Son," he announced, "Doctor Qiu and Dr. Li have arrived."

"Dr. Li?" Yan Lin frowned and looked over, his gaze falling on Li Ang, who stood behind the steward carrying a medicine kit.

"Ha," Yan Yundang also saw Li Ang. The National Guardian General gave a bitter, complicated smile, his voice low and hoarse. "So now they’re even dragging a beardless whelp here to treat me..."

"If the General objects, I can certainly acquire a beard." Li Ang calmly opened his medicine kit. He took out a grey beard made of wolf hair, which he had prepared earlier, and nonchalantly affixed it to his upper lip. "Will this suffice?" he asked coolly.