Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 101 Stitching
The pain jolted Niu Er, who had already fainted, awake, and he was now howling like a banshee! Fortunately, two strong overseers held him down, preventing him from struggling too much. However, the two overseers kept their faces turned away, not daring to look at his leg. It was too horrible, absolutely too horrible! This was a human leg, not pork! How could he possibly survive if this continued?

Xie Mingchen only stopped when he could find no more bone fragments. However, he was troubled by the gruesome wounds. Cleaner wounds healed quickly, but these torn wounds were much harder to heal. If left untreated, the wounds might fester as the weather warmed. But he had no way to make these gruesome wounds smooth…

"Sew it up."

Taking advantage of the distance, Jiu Que uttered these three words in a barely audible voice. Because the distance was too close, only Xie Mingchen heard them. He was stunned for a moment, and then seemed to be deep in thought.

Sew it up; that seems like a solution. It just depends on how lucky the person is.

After thinking it over and over, Xie Mingchen finally spoke up.

“His wound is too big; it won't heal if left untreated. I do have a method, but it's quite dangerous. If I use it, he has a 60% chance of surviving. If I don't, he might…”

Yang Hui and the others looked very grim. They exchanged glances for a while before finally making a decision.

"Doctor, it's come to this point, so just do it. If Niu Er survives, he's lucky; if he doesn't, it's none of your business."

Anyway, through the doctor's series of actions, they can see that he is a really capable person, so they don't need to be afraid of headaches or fevers in the future.

With their assurance, Xie Mingchen boiled the needles and thread in hot water for a while, then began to sew, but a problem arose. Although he was a doctor, he wasn't skilled at sewing, especially for wounds like this. After gesturing for a long time, unsure of where to begin, Jiu Que, standing beside him, volunteered.

"Sir, I am not very skilled, but I learned needlework at home before. Would you like me to do it?"

The overseers waiting around stared at Jiu Que with horrified eyes. Wasn't this the timid girl? How could she be so bold now? This wasn't ordinary needlework; it was sewing living human flesh together with needle and thread. That was human flesh! Even though these overseers were usually somewhat cruel, they were still very reluctant to actually sew a living person together with needle and thread.

Xie Mingchen seemed somewhat surprised and asked a question with a hint of unease.

"Are you sure you can do it? If you give up halfway, we'll have to find someone else."

“I can do it. I wasn’t favored at home before, and I was the one who did all the work of killing chickens and geese. I’m not afraid. My hands are steady. If you’re worried, Dr. Xue, you can guide me from the side.”

"What do you think?"

Yang Hui and the others nodded repeatedly, fearing that Doctor Xue would ask them to step forward and replace Jiu Que to sew up human flesh at any moment.

With everyone's approval, Jiu Que washed her hands and picked up the needle and thread. She was a little clumsy at first, but after a simple mental preparation, she became remarkably composed. Looking at the unconscious man beneath her, Jiu Que recalled the scene when she first arrived at the mine: the foreman, Niu Er, had lashed an old man's chest with a whip, leaving him covered in bruises.

Even if she wanted to be lenient, she couldn't bring herself to do it now. When the first needle pierced his flesh, Niu Er suddenly awoke from his slumber, instinctively letting out a scream. Yang Hui and four or five other burly men, already instructed by Doctor Xue, rushed forward and forcefully held down his hands, feet, and head, preventing him from moving. But perhaps the pain was too intense; he hadn't struggled this much before, but now Niu Er was writhing desperately with all his might.

"A few more people, hold him down so he doesn't move. If the wound isn't stitched up properly, this man won't survive."

Hearing Doctor Xue's words, the men exerted even more effort, and Niu Er's screams attracted the attention of the surrounding laborers. When they realized that the person screaming was Niu Er, many laborers' eyes flashed with a sense of relief and excitement.

Most of them had been beaten by Niu Er. This Niu Er, relying on his position as foreman, frequently assaulted them, these people who had been kidnapped to work. They were already suffering enough working in this place, penniless, hungry, cold, and without anyone to care for them when they were sick. Yet Niu Er insisted on asserting his authority as foreman, constantly beating and verbally abusing them. Many had been beaten to death by Niu Er. How could they not be happy to see him make a fool of himself? Right now, they were only complaining that the stitches weren't tight enough.

Jiu Que had initially intended to sew more roughly, but noticing the resentment in the eyes of those around her, she slowed down and sewed with meticulous care, making each stitch incredibly precise, even, and tight. No one dared to look at Niu Er's wound, so they didn't notice her subtle action. Xie Mingchen, however, saw this and a barely perceptible smile flashed in his eyes.

It seems that Niu Er is not a good person either, otherwise Princess Ying would not have gone to such lengths.

The long stitching process was finally over. Niu Er was drenched in sweat, his face deathly pale, practically on his last breath. Only then did Yang Hui and the others dare to cautiously release their grip. They were thrilled to find that although the stitched wound looked gruesome, it had indeed stopped bleeding. They had never seen such skill before; it seemed they had truly encountered a miracle doctor. Of course, the bold and meticulous Xiao Jiu was also quite admirable.

Yang Hui had already mentioned Jiu Que's treatment in his mind, and seeing Doctor Xue's slightly tired face, he quickly stepped forward to help him up.

"Dr. Xue, thank you for making this trip. Let me take you to rest for a while... Wang Mo, prepare a good meal to treat Dr. Xue well."

No one around objected. Wang Mo responded and quickly stepped forward, glancing at Ying Jiuque with a slightly complicated expression. Jiuque made a move to help, but was stopped by Yang Hui.

"Xiao Jiu, don't rush to cook. Go and serve Doctor Xue first. He's a hero of our mine!"

Yang Hui was illiterate and spoke incoherently. Xie Mingchen instinctively wanted to refuse, but after glancing at Ying Jiuque, he swallowed his words and nodded casually.

"Your hands are quite steady. I'll need your help again if I encounter a similar situation in the future."

"Dr. Xue, you flatter me. It is my honor to be able to help you, sir."

"……Um."

Xie Mingchen broke out in a sweat.

(End of this chapter)