Manbao furrowed her brows, unsure of what to do. After so thought, she stood up and said, "Let’s carry the person into the tent."
The woman’s husband didn’t dare delay and imdiately called his brothers to carry his wife into a nearby tent. Once inside, they found a wooden bed constructed with bricks for legs and a plank on top, covered with a piece of cloth.
Manbao uncovered the cloth covering the woman and had the man place her on the wooden bed, then asked him to leave.
With all the commotion, the person who had been unconscious finally awoke. She opened her eyes, saw so many people, and was montarily stunned.
The man only had ti to say, "Heniang, this is a imperial physician from the capital."
Saying that, he bowed to Zhou Man and then led his brothers out.
Manbao rubbed the woman’s hand and smiled, "Don’t be afraid, I’m a doctor. Let take a look at you."
The woman was suffering from postpartum bleeding that wouldn’t stop, essentially a hemorrhage. Although the blood loss didn’t seem severe, continuous bleeding like that was equally dangerous, similar to what Sister-in-law Hu experienced back then.
She survived three months because of the dicine that replenished her qi and blood, but if the bleeding couldn’t be stopped, no amount of dicine would cure her.
Manbao and Liu Sanniang examined the patient’s condition and asked all the necessary questions, then Manbao began to teach Liu Sanniang how to treat such an ailnt.
She said, "This is already a severe condition within gynecological diseases, but it’s not uncommon. It’s just the difference between seeing or not seeing a doctor."
Liu Sanniang knew that many won rarely saw doctors after childbirth, and even then, they could hardly get a few doses of dicine, and had to endure illnesses.
But for n, it was the sa—common ailnts were endured as long as they could be. That’s also why the Imperial dical Office was established—to offer a way for common people to seek help.
Manbao said, "For uterine bleeding, acupuncture is as effective as dication, and combining the two is much faster for stopping the bleed."
Manbao instructed Liu Sanniang on how to use acupuncture to stop bleeding. "First, clean out the residual waste inside the body, then stop the bleeding and replenish the blood..."
Then Liu Sanniang went out, called in several female students, and soon, three ca out with supplies from the Imperial dical Office. Zhou Liru and her companion were even carrying a bucket of hot water.
They filled a basin with hot water, and Zhou Man washed her hands while letting them watch, allowing only Liu Sanniang to assist.
They worked on that patient inside for nearly an hour. The patients waiting outside grew impatient, and Shi Xiu was responsible for calming them down, taking notes, and recording his diagnoses and prescriptions as he went.
Calming them, he said, "The earlier patient’s condition was quite severe, so you may have to wait longer. If it’s inconvenient, you might visit another physician, or co back tomorrow, which will be fine."
Having waited so long, going ho was out of the question, though visiting another physician...
Most lined up were there specifically to see Zhou Man, and no one was willing to move.
Among them were also several n, seeking help for childbirth issues, accompanied by their wives, planning to find out if the problem lay with them or their wife.
Seeing them unwilling to leave, Shi Xiu was pleased, though he didn’t show it.
When Zhou Man and the others finally erged, Zhou Man and Liu Sanniang were fine, but the other four young won appeared pale and unsteady.
Despite their weak legs, they still carried out the final basin of bloody water.
The man guarding outside saw them with another basin of bloody water and paled further, looking at Zhou Man with pleading eyes.
Manbao told him, "I’ve dealt with it. I’ll give her a prescription in a bit; you should have her drink a dose at the Imperial dical Office before leaving."
Manbao turned to the table to prepare a prescription, with the man closely following, nervously asking, "Doctor, will my wife be okay?"
Manbao said, "If you return, a typical prescription won’t help, at most, it will save her life."
She added, "I’ll give you two prescriptions: one for now, costing sixty-eight wen per dose, to be taken for half a month to twenty days. Once the bleeding stops, take the other, costing forty-nine wen per dose, for about three months, but that will only preserve her life. She probably won’t be able to work much afterward."
Another physician overheard her detailed explanation and turned to look at her.
Manbao continued, "This is the treatnt to take if you return ho imdiately. There’s another way if you stay in the capital. I’ll combine acupuncture with dication geared toward her condition. I can’t predict what prescriptions will be needed, so I can’t give you an estimate, but I’ll try to avoid costly herbs."
"With this treatnt, she can maintain her life within about a month. If you’re willing to treat her for about three months, she may not be able to do heavy labor, but light household and farm work will be manageable."
Manbao didn’t pressure him to decide imdiately. She finished writing the diagnosis and prescriptions, handed them to him, and said, "You should get the prescription filled and brewed at the Imperial dical Office. There are dicine pots and my students; they will guide you. You can think it over and co find after the dicine, and if you decide to return ho, I’ll give you the prescription."
The man took the prescription from her, lips trembling but said nothing, choosing instead to check on his wife before heading to fill and brew the dicine inside the tent.
His brothers gathered around to discuss, "Big brother, we won’t talk about the cost of the treatnt, that’s necessary. But if we stay in the capital, food and lodging will be costly."
"Yes, who knows how much renting a house will cost here, and there’s also food to consider."
The man understood their point—they were advising him to take the prescription ho for treatnt, as long as her life was saved.
Before coming, he thought the sa, just wanting to save her life. The child was still young and needed a mother, and he couldn’t live without a wife.
But now, the possibility of a full recovery, just like a few months ago...
The man crouched in front of the dicine stove, holding his head, silent.
Manbao had already moved on to see more patients. A man in his thirties clutched a woman as they sat down before Manbao.
He appeared uneasy but hesitantly said, "Divine Doctor Zhou Junior, could you check if I can have children?"
Looking at the couple who seed to want to bury their heads in their chests, Manbao smiled, "Let check your tongues."
The couple finally lifted their heads, allowing Manbao to examine their complexion carefully. She signaled Shi Xiu and Liu Sanniang to take note, then checked their pulses and asked so questions.
They were so nervous, stumbling over their words, speaking so quietly that even those standing behind Zhou Liru, including Shi Xiu and Liu Sanniang seated next to her, struggled to hear.
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