Jinyi Spring

Chapter 72 Rescuing People from Prison
Shangguan Ruyu's words made Feng Chuchen blush.

She felt that Shangguan Ruyu's question was not indecent, but simply out of curiosity.

In this era, surgeries are performed with only one layer of stitches, just like sewing the sole of a shoe; if the flesh is thin, the stitches are thinner, and if the flesh is thick, the stitches are thicker.

It still uses the Hua Tuo stitching method. After sewing, pull it tight and then cut the connecting thread. The thread is buried in the flesh and cannot be seen from the outside.

Although mulberry bark sutures can be absorbed by the body, this type of suturing is not conducive to wound healing.

If a patient's wound heals completely, it's a stroke of luck; if it doesn't heal properly, it could lead to death, or the wound might never heal and be accompanied by various complications, causing lifelong suffering.

Traditional Chinese medicine is profound and extensive, but it is indeed inferior to Western medicine in my previous life in terms of surgical techniques.

Feng Chuchen particularly wanted to promote the technical aspect of sewing three layers.

Feng Chuchen not only didn't blame her, but also said tactfully, "No matter where it is, if the wound is deep, it needs to be stitched up three or even more layers. If it's only stitched up once, it won't heal well, it's easy for it to become infected, and it could even be life-threatening."

Shangguan Ruyu shook her head, indicating that she did not understand.

Feng Chuchen explained in more detail, "Human skin and flesh are roughly divided into three layers: the innermost layer is the inner membrane, the second layer is the flesh layer, and the third layer is the skin layer. These layers must be sutured together separately, that is, the inner membrane is sutured together with the inner membrane."
"Sew flesh to flesh and skin to skin together for faster wound healing. It's best to avoid using Hua Tuo's suturing method, as it causes unnecessary suffering. If mulberry bark thread is used, the inner threads can be absorbed on their own, and the outermost layer can be removed after the wound has healed."

The abdomen needs to be stitched up in four layers, including a subcutaneous fascia layer, but she can't say that right now.

She couldn't possibly speak as scientifically as she did in her previous life, as those ancient people wouldn't understand. Instead, she spoke very plainly based on her surgical experience.

The clever Shangguan Ruyu seemed to understand something; her eyes bulged, and her mouth opened wide enough to fit a walnut before finally closing it.

He cupped his hands and said, "Hearing your words is worth more than reading for ten years. I never knew there was so much to learn about suturing. Miss Feng is truly talented. I've seen many wounds—on the stomach, legs, arms..."
"Looking back now, the structure is indeed different; it has several layers. If it were sutured separately, it would definitely heal more easily. Uh, how do you know so much?"

Feng Chuchen repeated what she had told Aunt Wang and the others: "My aunt's master said... My aunt is too timid to do it, but I'm a daring fool, and I didn't want the mother to suffer too much, so I did it."

Shangguan Ruyu's handsome face flushed with excitement. He thought to himself, "You're such a reckless fool. You call yourself a doctor with a benevolent heart? How dare you do such a shameful thing to me in front of so many people?"

He stood up, bowed, and pleaded, "Could you go to the prison and help me save someone? He's been severely tortured and is covered in wounds; his stomach has been pierced."

"We've consulted many imperial physicians and doctors, but none of them could cure him. His wounds are festering, his fever won't go down, and he's on the verge of death. How about you take his abdomen open and sew it up again? Your suturing technique is unheard of; it might just cure him."

He had no other choice but to try his luck with Feng Chuchen.

Feng Chuchen looked at him in horror.

He went to the prison for surgery, and she sought him out privately. Who knows if that person should be saved? If that person dies at her hands, wouldn't she become a murderer?

Most importantly, she wasn't a highly skilled surgeon; she had only interned in obstetrics in her previous life, assisted experts in major surgeries, and personally performed a few minor surgeries and episiotomies.

Although I think my suturing skills are okay, I don't dare to go to prison to save high-risk patients.

Feng Chuchen shook his head repeatedly, "No. Others have already stitched him up like sewing shoe soles, and it's festering inside. You said he wouldn't survive. If I go through all that trouble again, he'll die even faster, and I'll become a murderer."

“You can’t hurt me. Besides, I’ve only stitched up two women who had given birth; I can’t cure abdominal ailments.”

Shangguan Ruyu paced around the room twice in a panic, then stopped.

He said to her, "You are my savior. I would never harm you, let alone anyone else. To tell you the truth, the injured person is a good person, a loyal subject, who was wrongly imprisoned. Just try anything, even if it's a last resort. If he recovers, everyone will be happy."

"It's not your fault if he can't be cured... Let me be frank with you, it was Ming Shanyue who wanted you to save Lord Xiao. He has already made all the arrangements there, and no one else will see it. If he dies, I guarantee no one will bother you."

Feng Chuchen shook her head again, "I'm not going."

Shangguan Ruyu stood up again and bowed several times, then said, "I guarantee you with my own head. If I can't handle it, I'll ask my mother to step in and protect you. If my mother can't handle it, she'll ask my maternal grandmother, the Empress Dowager, to step in. She loves me the most."

“Ming Shanyue will also protect you. He is now the Northern Garrison Commander of the Flying Eagle Guard, a man even powerful ministers dare not easily offend. His grandfather was the Grand Tutor, his father was the Duke of Dingguo, and he is also the Assistant Commander of the Central Military Commission.”

"His grandmother is Princess Changning, who is highly respected by the Emperor and my maternal grandmother. With so many people protecting you, what are you afraid of?"

The Flying Eagle Guard is equivalent to the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the previous life. Although it does not have as many privileges as the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it still has its own imperial prison, which is just as infamous. The imperial prison is under the jurisdiction of the Northern Garrison Commander.

With so many powerful backers, and having saved loyal and virtuous people...

Moreover, since the Northern Garrison Commander of the Flying Eagle Guard had asked her to help, she seemed to have no choice but to go, whether she wanted to or not.

Feng Chuchen asked again, "Are you really alright?"

"If I'm lying, I'll get sores on my face."

This is Shangguan Ruyu's most vicious curse.

"What if he dies?"

"It's none of your business. We've already made arrangements, and nobody knows where you went."

Feng Chuchen said, "Let me change my clothes."

Then he said to Peony, "You and Aunt Wang come with me."

Aunt Wang was the assistant, and Peony was the bodyguard.

Aunt Wang didn't really approve of the girl doing something so dangerous, but since the girl agreed, she had no choice but to go along.

Peony was extremely excited, as she could not only watch the excitement with the girl, but also get to see Shangguan Ruyu a few more times.

Shangguan Ruyu then instructed, "No matter who you're talking to, you must not tell them that you went there."

Of course, they dared not say it.

Feng Chuchen changed into a neat bib and had Shaoyao and Aunt Wang carry surgical instruments, surgical gowns, two cans of disinfectant, and some sterilized soft cloths.

The clinic always keeps several bottles of disinfectant on hand, which are boiled and then stored in bottles.

Under Feng Chuchen's influence, the previously mentioned "preventing external pathogens from entering the body" was referred to as "disinfection" by the medical staff.

Although Shangguan Ruyu said he had prepared some surgical supplies there, Feng Chuchen still preferred to use her own.

Even if it's not called Banxia, ​​the clinic must have someone in charge watching over it.

Shangguan Ruyu mounted her horse in the courtyard, while Feng Chuchen and the other two went to the alley entrance to board another carriage.

Duan Yan approached the carriage and whispered, "There are a few cloaks in the carriage. Put them on so that no one can tell you are women."

The cloak was black, long and large, and had a hood.

The three of them put on the covers and then put on masks, covering themselves up completely.

Duan Yan's fierce voice came again, "That girl, don't blink your eyes. Don't look at things you shouldn't."

He had just seen the big, silly girl staring intently at his young master, and he wanted to kick her a few times, but he held back for Miss Feng's sake.

Peony shrank her neck.

Aunt Wang pinched her a few times in anger and muttered, "I've taught you so many times, but you never learn. I'll deal with you when we get back."

The carriage began to trot.

Peony whispered, "I just wanted to see if Young Master Shangguan was wearing jasmine powder. I looked closely just now, and he wasn't wearing powder, he was wearing balm. His face looked like a peeled egg, so smooth and smelled wonderful..."

Aunt Wang pinched her hard a few more times in anger, "You still dare to talk nonsense."

Feng Chuchen said coldly, "After you get home, you'll be punished by standing for two hours and your monthly pay will be deducted."

She still dares to stare at people so directly; this girl needs to be taught a lesson.

Peony pouted and dared not say another word. The thought of having so much money deducted from her monthly pay made her heart bleed.

The carriage traveled for nearly an hour before arriving at a gate. Duan Yan said a few words and slipped two silver ingots into the hand of a soldier.

The soldier bowed and smiled, "Thank you, young master."

Everyone in the capital said that Shangguan Ruyu's first favorite thing was watching plays and listening to music, and his second favorite thing was watching prisoners being tortured.

Only they knew that Shangguan Ruyu's first interest was to tinker with the wounds of prisoners after they had been tortured, the second was to watch prisoners being tortured, and only the third was to watch plays and listen to music.

Not only did he come this time, but he also brought several playboys who came to watch the show.

I wonder which prisoner is about to be in big trouble.

The soldier lifted the curtain of the next carriage and peeked inside.

With a wave of his hand, he said, "Let's go."

The carriage started trotting again and arrived in front of a row of side rooms.

It was nearly dusk, the setting sun was blood-red, and all around was silent, as if there wasn't even a bird in sight.

Duan Yan whispered, "Get out of the car."

Several people got out of the car.

A man stood at the door of the side room and whispered to Shangguan Ruyu, "Young master, my master has had an urgent matter to attend to and has gone out. He said that once the person is brought here, we should start treating them. Don't worry, everyone here is one of our people."

This is Song Xian, a personal guard left behind by Ming Shanyue.

Shangguan Ruyu nodded.

Seeing that the "face masks" that Feng Chuchen and the others were wearing were thick and nice, he asked, "Are there any more? Give me one."

Feng Chuchen had brought extras, so he gave him a mask.

Shangguan Ruyu put on a mask and walked into the room first, followed by two jailers, Duan Yan, Song Xian, and two guards.

Feng Chuchen and his group followed closely behind.

Several torches were stuck in the wall inside the room, which was gloomy, damp, and had an unbearable stench.

The deeper you go, the more eerie and foul-smelling it becomes. The stench isn't just of blood and sourness, but also of excrement, urine, and some other unknown odor.

Even with a mask on, Feng Chuchen felt nauseous.

Feng Chuchen had been to prison; this place was far more terrifying than the Changping County prison.

She glanced at Shangguan Ruyu, dressed in a green robe, seemingly untouched by worldly dust, walking hurriedly without the slightest hesitation.

This person is far from the stereotypical pretty face.

I stopped in front of the innermost iron gate; the room was dimly lit and I couldn't see clearly.

A jailer opened the iron gate, and several men went in with torches, immediately illuminating the room.

The earthen wall and the ground were uneven, and a man was lying on the haystack at the very back.

When Feng Chuchen and his group went inside, the smell of blood and sourness became even stronger.

Upon approaching the man, they saw that he was covered with a tattered cloth, his hair was unkempt, his eyes were closed, and his facial features were severely distorted, as if he were dead.

His arms and legs were exposed, covered in blood and gore, and it was impossible to tell how many fingers and toes he had left.

Shangguan Ruyu lifted the tattered cloth, revealing only a pair of short underwear; the rest of her body was exposed. It was covered in bruises and blood, with several places stitched up… (omitting a hundred words here).
The reason the men were dressed in shorts was because we needed to invite Feng Chuchen; otherwise, they wouldn't even have shorts.

Even though Feng Chuchen had seen surgery and studied anatomy on corpses, seeing such a person still made her stomach churn.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to hold it in. The stench made her want to vomit again, but she endured it once more.

Aunt Wang also forced herself not to vomit.

Peony, however, stared intently with wide eyes, as if nothing had happened.

Shangguan Ruyu squatted down and pointed to several wounds, saying, "The other wounds are just flesh wounds, which I can handle. The fatal wound is on my abdomen; you can reopen it and stitch it up again."

The wound was over ten centimeters long, and it was clearly infected and festering.

Feng Chuchen shook his head and said, "It's not just the stomach that's fatal; this is a person on the verge of death. Without surgery, they wouldn't survive until today, let alone with surgery."

For some reason, she could tell at a glance that this was a dying man who would not live more than three hours.

Shangguan Ruyu sighed with pity, "Since we're going to die anyway, let's take a gamble."

Feng Chuchen's gaze returned to the man's face, and she felt a pang of sadness that made her want to cry.

A person who is treated so cruelly should not be considered human.

Including all living beings.

It's so painful.

How can there be such evil in the world? How can anyone bear such suffering and pain?

If it were up to Feng Chuchen's usual temperament, she would never agree. Since she was convinced he was going to die, why would she go looking for trouble and invite disaster upon herself?

But at that moment, she was just being willful and wanted to take a gamble, even if it meant getting into trouble, just to save the man in front of her.

She looked around and said in a deep voice, "This is not a suitable place for surgery."

Shangguan Ruyu said, "With this condition, at most we can use vinegar and sprinkle some lime powder, and then leave it to fate."

Feng Chuchen said softly, "I hope God will have mercy on him. Let's move him to the middle of the room so it will be easier for the surgery."

Shangguan Ruyu nodded to the guards and jailers.

The guards immediately sprinkled lime and fumigated the area with vinegar.

Duan Yan gathered some grass from the corner of the wall and placed it in the middle of the room. He then poured some disinfectant on it, and two jailers lifted the man onto the grass.

Shangguan Ruyu asked Duan Yan to place a small box next to her, which contained hemostatic powder, medicinal powder to remove external pathogens from the body, and several surgical instruments.

This is an essential surgical tool for this era.

He then poured the anesthetic into the bowl, held the bowl in one hand, squatted down, and lifted the man's head with the other.

He said softly, "Lord Xiao, we have invited a doctor specializing in ulcers; she can save your life. Here, drink this bowl of medicine."

The man remained motionless.

Shangguan Ruyu patted the man's swollen face again.

A short while later, the man finally opened his eyes, which were swollen like eggs, a crack. His lips trembled as he said, "Young Master Shangguan, let me die. Thank you."

The voice was low and indistinct.

Shangguan Ruyu said, "Lord Xiao, if you die, your Xiao family will truly be finished. The Crown Prince will be even more isolated and helpless, and that person will never be able to get out. With life, there is nothing else."

The man's eyes widened slightly, and he stared blankly at Shangguan Ruyu for a while before opening his mouth and drinking the anesthetic.

Feng Chuchen only then realized that this person had connections with the royal family, and wondered if she had been drawn into a cruel palace intrigue.
No matter who he was, Feng Chuchen wanted to save him.