After discussing, the master and his disciples decided to first open a small class. There were only ten spots for clinical surgeons, as having too many would be difficult to manage.
In addition, they would open another class of thirty for nursing students to train professional surgical nurses.
The classes would be held at He'an Medicine Hall.
Firstly, there were many cases there, providing ample opportunities for students to gain practical experience.
Secondly, when not in class, they could also assist the frontline at any time - killing two birds with one stone.
However, this meant they would need more space.
Although they had just bought the mansion behind the hall, after calculation it was still too cramped. The master and disciple considered buying the six-shopfront, three-story large mansion next door.
In the capital city, land was extremely precious inch by inch. The shopfronts on Zhuque Avenue were especially expensive. It would not be easy for the owners to let go.
Especially such a large building, situated right next to the golden goose He'an Medicine Hall. The owners might not be willing to sell at all.
However, they had to at least try to find out whether the owners were willing.
Jiang Yuqing secretly asked the old man, "Teacher, do we really not need to ask Second Brother about moving such a large sum of money?"
Dr. Qiu glared at him, "Ask sh*t. Since he was still wearing split-crotch pants, I've been supporting him.
The old man has been taking care of him until he grew up like this. What's wrong with using money to buy a mansion? If he disagrees, I’ll kick him out of the school."
Wow... so quick to disown?
However, when Jiang Yuqing thought about the jade token Second Brother had sent her, which allowed unlimited access to the funds and medicinal supplies of He’an Medicine Hall, buying a mansion did seem trivial in comparison.
Just as they were still thinking of ways to find out the owner of the mansion, Officer Chen brought his healed son and led a team of people carrying a gilded plaque, gongs and drums to visit them.
The plaque read: "Bian Que is in the world, wonderful hand reviving spring."
Not only that, to thank the master and disciple for saving the Chen family’s precious son, they gifted them the six-shopfront, three-story large mansion next door that they had wanted to buy.
Perfect timing! Speak of Cao Cao and there he arrives.
Since the mansion was of immense value, the master and disciple unanimously decided they could not accept the mansion for free. After rejecting several times, they finally only bought it at cost price.
The buyer tried to pay more; the seller tried to take less. This was perhaps the most harmonious business transaction ever.
After obtaining the mansion, it was connected to the original He’an Medicine Hall and the newly purchased mansion behind, overall shaping like the letter “L”.
The master and disciple walked back and forth inside a few times. Based on the existing layout and practical needs, they re-planned the entire area.
He'an Medicine Hall would be renamed He An Hospital.
The original four-shopfront mansion was connected with the large mansion to the right, forming a long row of shopfronts. This would be the Outpatient Department of the hospital.
As hospitals in the front world, the first thing upon entering was a registration and triage desk.
A corridor ran through the middle, with the Emergency Room, Surgery, and Internal Medicine departments on both sides. There was also a nurse station, a pharmacy, an observation room, and a billing office.
The second floor was remade into physicians' offices, a large conference room, the Dean’s office, Finance Department, Administration Department, and Security Department.
The third floor became dormitories for the medical staff.
The new mansion was the first of the courtyards in this large mansion compound. The second courtyard was refurbished into several operating rooms and an intensive care unit.
The third courtyard was the biggest courtyard with the most rooms, nearly fifty. This would be the Inpatient Department.
The Inpatient Department had luxurious private wards catering to upper class customers as well as small general ward rooms for commoners.
With conservative morality in this era, it was completely unfathomable to house men and women together like modern wards with three beds.
As for the rooms behind the original He’an Medicine Hall, including the newly purchased three-courtyard mansion, they were all redesigned into a medical academy.
It contained several large and small classrooms, acupuncture teaching labs, a library, teachers’ offices, lounges, a dissection lab, an activity room and so on.
They would even excavate a large basement to store cadavers.
With such a large area, even hiring two construction teams to work at the same time, the renovations would still require considerable time.
In the meantime, the master and his disciples weren’t idle either. They officially announced they were recruiting ten clinical surgeons and thirty nursing students, and listed the corresponding admission requirements - gender was not restricted.
It was noted especially that females would even be given priority admission into the nursing program.
Those who met the requirements were welcomed to apply before the deadline, 20 May.
Examinations would be held on 22 May for merit-based admission selections.
Instantly, the entire capital was overwhelmed.
Famous doctors flocked over to apply. People almost flooded and crushed He’an Medicine Hall.
The three doctors who had observed their surgeries previously were the first to rush over and apply. One of them was in such a hurry that someone stepped and slipped off one of his shoes, yet he continued running zealously.
Of course Jiang Yuqing did not need to worry about these trifles. She could leave them to her Senior Martial Brother and teacher.
Recently she had started learning acupuncture techniques; her hands were itchy to try puncturing people.
Many people at He An Hospital from top to bottom had the “fortune” to be medically treated by her - even the non-human, Bai Xiaoshi, did not escape her demonic claws.
It was so frightened that recently, whenever talking to her, it would keep its distance and said if she dared to puncture it again, it would cut ties with her for 100 days.
The consequence seemed rather dire, so Jiang Yuqing the Realm Lord regretfully gave up this free practice object.
However, she was always a diligent and studious good kid. She decided that these days, she would go to her farm manor outside the capital to earnestly practice acupuncture techniques and see how her rice paddies were growing.
But just as she was packed and ready to set off, the butler came to report that the Empress had summoned her into the palace.
Jiang Yuqing reckoned it had been some time since she last entered the palace. Had the Empress, that great beauty, started missing her again?
Indeed when she entered Jiaofang Palace, Empress Qin immediately rushed out like a gust of wind. Her hands grabbed Jiang Yuqing’s cute and pretty little face and stretched it sideways, then rubbed and kneaded it.
Like in her previous life when she was petting her colleague's cat.
"You ungrateful little thing. For so long you didn't come see me. If I didn't call you into the palace, would you not have come at all?"
Jiang Yuqing giggled twice, busy denying it. "No no, that's not true. I really have been quite busy recently."
Empress Qin finally let go of her cute and pitiful little face and stroked her little head instead. "I know, you and Teacher have done a great deed. I’ve heard all about it in the palace."
Pulling her along, she walked inside.
Only then did Jiang Yuqing see there was also a middle-aged noblewoman and a heroic-looking great beauty in the hall.
If looking closely, some similarity could be seen between their eyebrows.
Jiang Yuqing was an obsessive beauty addict. Her eyes lit up immediately, "Wow! What a gorgeous beauty Jiejie (older sister)."
Empress Qin laughed. "You have good eyes indeed! Come, greet them!"
With an open palm, she introduced them to Jiang Yuqing. "This is Lady Yuan, wife of the Duke Who Protects The Country.
And this beautiful maiden is her daughter, eldest miss of the Duke Who Protects The Country's Mansion, Yuan Wuyang. You may address her as Sister Yuan."
She pointed to Jiang Yuqing and told the other two ladies, "This is Linghui of Marquis Qingzhou's Estate. Ancient yet adorable."
Jiang Yuqing curtsied to Empress Qin, "Good day Lady Yuan! Good day Sister Yuan!"
Lady Yuan only returned her half a curtsy, smiling happily. "No need for excessive courtesy, County Head Linghui."
Yuan Wuyang also curtsied to Jiang Yuqing. "Yuan Wuyang pays her respects to County Head Linghui."
Jiang Yuqing quickly let her rise, "Sister Yuan please do not overdo courtesy. Sister Wei has talked about you - that you're an exceptionally good person.
Linghui always regretted not having the fortune to meet you. Seeing you today, you really are extremely beautiful."
Her praises made Yuan Wuyang blush. "Lingyun has also mentioned you. Indeed you have a sweet tongue."
Tuanzi (Jiang Yuqing) pointed, "Too kind, too kind." Her unabashed familiarity made everyone burst into laughter. They thought, this little County Head really was an amusing creature.
The ladies chatted for a while before Empress Qin dismissed the palace maids, leaving only two trusted chamberlains in the hall.
Jiang Yuqing knew that being summoned into the palace today was not simply because the Empress missed her. There was likely something else.
Indeed, Lady Yuan approached somewhat awkwardly, "Actually, it was me today who entreated Her Majesty to invite the County Head into the palace."
Jiang Yuqing looked at Yuan Wuyang, whose face was somewhat embarrassed next to her, and understood in a second: "Are you here to see a doctor for this sister?"
Lady Yuan did not want the young county magistrate to be so smart to guess her purpose at a glance, and felt a little embarrassed.
But she still told the reason: "It's my daughter, Wuyang.
About half a year ago, a small lump grew on her back. At first it was just a little bit, and she didn't care because of her grumpy personality.
Later it grew bigger and bigger until the maid found something wrong when bathing her and told me, it was already too late.
Because of its location, we didn't know who to ask for, we only found several medical women.
The medical women also couldn't figure out what was going on, and it has grown to the size of a grape now after dragging it until now.
Although our two families have some old friendships, with your family's elders not at home, we can’t easily come to your door.
So we had no choice but to seek the Empress and ask the County Magistrate to come to the palace. Please don't blame the County Magistrate!"
In this era of conservative feudal thoughts, a woman's chastity weighed more than the sky. Jiang Yuqing could understand that they must have had no way out before coming to her.
Jiang Yuqing nodded: "That’s fine. We need to find a place to let the sister take off her clothes so I can take a look."
Empress Qin had someone take them to the side hall. Jiang Yuqing gestured for Yuan Wuyang to take off her top and squat down. She was tall, if not squatting, the lump would be completely out of reach.
After Yuan Wuyang, whose skin was as white as snow, took off her clothes, Jiang Yuqing easily found the lump, in the position below the left scapula.
Pressing it with her hand, it was soft and seemed to contain water that would slide around. Yuan Wuyang said it didn't hurt or itch.
Jiang Yuqing retracted her hand and gestured for her to put her clothes back on, saying, "This is a lipoma, a benign tumor. Don't worry, just do a small surgery to remove it."
Yuan Wuyang was stunned for a moment: "Use a knife?"
Jiang Yuqing thought she was afraid, and quickly comforted: "Don't worry, it will only take a minute. The wound will be just this small!" Jiang Yuqing pinched her thumb and index finger together to show her.
Yuan Wuyang said, "I'm not afraid of pain. I just...can I ask you to help me remove it?"
Jiang Yuqing understood instantly that she was shy.
"Of course, if you trust me and can convince your mother." Although she was young, removing a superficial lipoma shouldn't be a problem.
"Of course. You are Master Qiu the genius doctor's top disciple." Yuan Wuyang said excitedly, "When can we start the surgery?"
Jiang Yuqing said, "Yours is simple. If you want, we can do it today.
But this is the Empress's palace after all. Seeing blood here would be inappropriate. And He An Hospital over there is still under construction with many people coming and going. How about you come to my house now?"
"Going to your house...is that appropriate?"
Jiang Yuqing said, "Don't worry, there is a small operating room in the yard where my teacher lives. He's at He An Hospital today and won't be back."
"Okay. Let's go ask Empress Mother's permission to leave now."
After leaving the side hall, the two told Empress Qin about the situation. Empress Qin readily let them go, not forgetting to remind Jiang Yuqing to come to the palace to see her when she had time.
After leaving the palace, the carriage of Duke of Protector Mansion took them straight to Qing Prefecture Marquis Mansion.
Jiang Yuqing took the mother and daughter to Huichun Yard, had people guard the yard door, swiftly performed the tumor removal on Yuan Wuyang, and stitched three stitches.
After that she applied medicine, bandaged it, and told them to come back in five days to remove the stitches.
