Volume Two: Honoring the Ancestral Legacy with Splendid Attire and Bloodshed Chapter 143: Qionglin Academy

Seeing Tang Nuo enter the room, Gu Qinghan had already risen, swaying her waist as she stepped forward. She took Tang Nuo by the arm and said with a beaming smile, "I told you Ninger would be back in a couple of days, and just look—he has only just returned to the estate. Knowing you were coming, Ninger specially instructed the kitchen to prepare this table of food and wine to welcome you properly."

Yang Ning secretly thought that Gu Qinghan was still as shrewd as ever, her words completely flawless. Yet, judging by her tone, she was still stubbornly trying to matchmake.

Tang Nuo merely offered a faint smile without a word, allowing herself to be led to the table by Gu Qinghan.

"Ninger, look at Miss Tang's dress," Gu Qinghan smiled. "I personally selected this for Miss Tang myself, and it suits her wonderfully."

"Since Third Aunt picked it out, there can certainly be no mistake," Yang Ning said with an easy, casual grace as he raised a hand. "Miss Tang, please, take a seat."

Tang Nuo did not stand on ceremony. Just as she was about to sit down, Gu Qinghan pulled her right next to Yang Ning, saying, "Miss Tang, the two of you already know each other, and it has been quite some days since you last met. Sitting together will make chatting much easier." With that, she firmly pressed Tang Nuo down onto the chair beside Yang Ning.

Tang Nuo seemed to find nothing improper about this. Seated at Yang Ning's side, she studied him for a few moments before saying, "Extend your arm. Let me take your pulse and examine you."

Although Duan Canghai had already checked Yang Ning earlier, Tang Nuo's medical expertise was far beyond anything Duan Canghai could compare to. Having her confirmation would naturally bring greater peace of mind.

Reaching out his hand, Tang Nuo extended two fingers to rest upon his pulse. Gu Qinghan watched from the side with a smiling expression. Soon enough, Tang Nuo withdrew her hand and said, "There are no major issues. It's just that your dantian suffered slight damage from the impact of the internal Qi...!" Before she could finish, Gu Qinghan's face filled with anxiety as she hurriedly asked, "Miss Tang, do you mean Ninger's injuries have not yet healed?"

"Madam need not worry," Tang Nuo replied with absolute calm. "It is merely damage to the dantian, nothing too serious. With a couple of medicinal prescriptions from me, he should fully recover in about ten days."

Only then did Gu Qinghan let out a sigh of relief, lightly patting her chest as she said, "That is good, that is good." Then she added, "Come, come, the food is getting cold. Ninger, quickly urge Miss Tang to eat."

Tang Nuo remained poised and graceful, saying, "Madam need not be so polite." She then turned to Yang Ning and said, "I promised you I would come to the capital, partly to see if I could help treat your injuries. Now it seems my services are not needed."

"Miss Tang, you cannot put it that way," Yang Ning immediately replied. "You have finally arrived in the capital—how do you find it here?"

"There are many people, and it is very lively, but I am not quite used to it," Tang Nuo answered.

"That proves my point," Yang Ning smiled. "Precisely because there are so many people, there are also many patients, and all sorts of strange, bizarre ailments emerge endlessly. Miss Tang, forgive me for speaking bluntly, but there are likely many conditions here that you have never even heard of before. They might prove rather tricky for you."

Pondering this, Tang Nuo said thoughtfully, "If that is truly the case, it is entirely what I wish for."

Yang Ning picked up his chopsticks and said, "Come, let us eat first and talk as we dine." Turning to Gu Qinghan, he continued, "Third Aunt, Miss Tang possesses exceptional medical skills. You may not realize it, but even the phrase 'bringing the dead back to life' is not enough to describe her abilities. Her trip to the capital is the fulfillment of a promise I made to her—to help her open a medical clinic here so she can save lives. Isn't that right, Miss Tang?"

Tang Nuo replied quite straightforwardly, "Indeed. I can stay in the capital for a year or two to see if I truly encounter any difficult and complicated cases." Pausing for a moment, she added, "I know that opening a clinic in the capital must require a considerable amount of silver. I do not have much wealth on hand, but given some time, I should be able to earn enough to repay you."

Clearly, Tang Nuo had not mentioned this matter to Gu Qinghan beforehand. Taken somewhat aback, Gu Qinghan asked, "Miss Tang, you... you wish to open a clinic?" She could not help but look the young woman over a few times. At merely seventeen or eighteen years of age, it was truly hard to believe she would harbor such an ambition.

Gu Qinghan had managed the estate's affairs for many years, and the Marquis's Mansion also owned a pharmacy in the capital. Though the pharmacy did not treat patients directly, it did retain an elderly physician to hold down the fort.

She knew that practicing medicine and treating illnesses was a matter of life and death, one that could never tolerate the slightest carelessness. Naturally, there were no small number of doctors running clinics in the capital. As the capital of the Chu State and one of the preeminent megalopolises in the world, Jianye boasted a population of six to seven hundred thousand, with well over a hundred clinics operating across its crisscrossing streets.

These medical halls varied in size, but opening one first required a trusted physician capable of anchoring the establishment. If a doctor possessed miraculous skills and a widespread reputation, patients would naturally flock in, consultation fees would soar, and boundless wealth would follow—making prosperity all but inevitable.

However, if a doctor's skills were merely mediocre, surviving by running a clinic in the capital would prove exceedingly difficult.

Gu Qinghan understood that opening a clinic was a promising venture, yet each year countless medical halls were forced to close their doors for good because they simply could not sustain themselves.

Forget ordinary commoners; even in Gu Qinghan's mind, a truly skilled physician was invariably an elderly person with graying hair and beard, possessing vast experience and inspiring absolute trust.

Yet Tang Nuo was not even twenty, looking like the most ordinary of young maidens. For her to want to open a medical clinic in the capital—Gu Qinghan feared it would be forced to shut down within a few months.

Of course, she could not voice these thoughts aloud. Maintaining a gentle smile, she said, "Miss Tang, opening a clinic is not actually difficult—it is merely a matter of a few hundred taels of silver. But have you truly thought this through? Do you really want to open a clinic?"

"I came to the capital precisely to encounter more illnesses, so that I may hone my medical skills," Tang Nuo replied firmly. "Running a clinic is the best way to come into direct contact with patients."

"If that is the case, see if you think this arrangement might work." Gu Qinghan paused to consider before speaking in a soft voice, "Our Marquis's Mansion also owns a pharmacy in the capital called Yong'an Hall. It has been operating for many years and is considered a long-established brand. While it may not be the finest pharmacy in the capital, it has maintained a certain reputation over the years, and daily business is quite decent. If Miss Tang is willing, why not try practicing there first? Our pharmacy is quite spacious and includes a designated area specifically for seeing patients. You could begin your practice there. What do you think of this idea?"

Yang Ning was no fool. The moment Gu Qinghan made this suggestion, he understood her intentions. He knew Gu Qinghan was worried that if Tang Nuo rashly opened her own clinic in the capital, a lack of visiting patients might deal a blow to her confidence. After all, for a young girl who had just arrived in the capital to run a medical hall—even if she possessed genuine skill—when patients stepped inside and took one look at her, they might not dare to take a chance on her, no matter how cheap or even free the consultation might be.

Gu Qinghan's proposal allowed Tang Nuo to leverage Yong'an Hall's existing reputation to build her medical renown first, making it a remarkably steady and prudent approach.

Tang Nuo had already nodded in agreement, saying, "As long as I can see patients, it does not matter where I am. Thank you, Madam, for the arrangement!"

Yong'an Hall already had a resident physician. Sending Tang Nuo there certainly did not mean instantly casting out the previous doctor to replace him; rather, it meant having Tang Nuo lend a hand there first.

Although Gu Qinghan's proposal was steady and allowed Tang Nuo to advance step by step, Yang Ning had initially assumed Tang Nuo would refuse. After all, having witnessed her extraordinary medical prowess firsthand, how could someone of such talent willingly content herself with a subordinate position? He was somewhat surprised by how readily she had agreed.

When they first met, Tang Nuo had been living secluded in a mountain valley, rarely seeing a soul year-round. His words alone had been enough to alter her lifestyle and coax her out of the mountains and into the capital—a feat that had already surprised Yang Ning to some degree.

Seeing her accept without the slightest hesitation today, he realized just how deeply passionate this young woman was about the art of healing. In order to encounter more patients, she was even willing to humble herself and work beneath another. With such an attitude toward the relentless pursuit of medicine, Yang Ning found it hard to imagine what terrifying heights her medical skills might reach ten or twenty years down the line.

Seeing Tang Nuo agree, Gu Qinghan was delighted and said, "We cannot chat any longer; the food really is getting cold. I shall have someone go and heat it up..." Just as she moved to call for the servants, Yang Ning intervened, "It is fine, I can still see the steam rising. The charcoal fire in this room makes it very warm, so the food hasn't cooled down that much yet. If we wait any longer, I shall starve to death."

Gu Qinghan shot Yang Ning a sidelong glance, but he chose to ignore it entirely, picking up his chopsticks and devouring his meal with gusto.

Before he had even eaten his fill, Duan Canghai's voice drifted in from outside: "Third Madam, Master Zhuo has arrived and is waiting in the main hall. What are your instructions..."

"I'll be right there," Gu Qinghan said, rising to her feet. "Ninger, keep Miss Tang company and continue eating. Master Zhuo has come, and we cannot afford to be discourteous. I must go and see to him." She turned with a gentle smile to Tang Nuo, saying, "Miss Tang, please treat this place as your own home and don't stand on ceremony." With that, she turned and departed with a graceful, swaying gait.

Yang Ning pondered for a moment, faintly recalling that Qiu Yi had mentioned this Master Zhuo not too long ago. It seemed the academy was waiting for the Marquis's Mansion to send funds over, but it appeared the silver had never been delivered. Now that Master Zhuo of Qionglin Academy had come in person, and knowing that he himself was not entirely familiar with the mansion's past affairs, he had no idea what connection existed between the estate and Qionglin Academy.

"So your household also has ties to Qionglin Academy," Tang Nuo remarked suddenly. "Is that Master Zhuo by any chance Zhuo Qingyang?"

Startled, Yang Ning blurted out, "You know of Qionglin Academy?"

Tang Nuo countered with a question of her own, "Could it be that you do not?"

Taken aback, and never having imagined that Tang Nuo would be familiar with Qionglin Academy, Yang Ning felt a tinge of embarrassment as he confessed, "I am not very fond of reading books, nor have I ever set foot in Qionglin Academy."

After a brief moment of reflection, Tang Nuo said, "You are a man, so naturally it would not be easy for you to enter Qionglin Academy."

"How do you mean?" Yang Ning asked with curiosity.

Looking surprised, Tang Nuo replied, "It seems you truly know nothing at all about Qionglin Academy." With a slight frown, she added, "Qionglin Academy is the premier women's academy in the realm. Could you really be unaware of this?"

"The premier women's academy?" This time, Yang Ning was genuinely astonished. According to his historical knowledge, the ancient view was that a woman devoid of talent possessed virtue, and he had rarely heard of any academy established specifically for women. For Qionglin Academy to be an institution exclusively for female scholars was truly shocking.