Chapter 32
“As for my imperial brother’s new attending physician, there is no need for you to know who he is.”
Lu Yuanqing spoke calmly.
When it comes to protecting a person, the two most effective methods are either to make them known to everyone, placing them under the spotlight and under everyone’s watchful eyes—or to conceal them completely and reduce the number of people who know as much as possible.
And now, since they wanted to protect Doctor Ye’s state of mind and let him treat his imperial brother as though he were just an ordinary patient, they could only choose the latter.
Lu Yuanqing’s words immediately stirred dissatisfaction among the several grandmasters of medicine.
“Your Highness, what honors or achievements has this attending physician received? How do you know he is capable of taking on the role?”
“You are making a joke of His Majesty’s life!”
“If we do not even know who this person is, how are we supposed to assist him in treating His Majesty?”
“…”
Only after they had argued enough did Lu Yuanqing raise a hand and quiet them.
“I believe I made myself quite clear.”
He said, “His Majesty’s treatment will not require your participation for the time being, so there is no question of assisting him.”
“You’ve all worked hard during this period,” he continued. “For now, please remain at the Royal Sanatorium and continue seeing patients there. If you have time, then treat the heroes of Blade Squad as well.”
In order to avoid information leaks as much as possible, the grandmasters of medicine naturally still had to remain at the Royal Sanatorium. That would also help confuse outside observers.
Besides, the sanatorium could continue using that as an excuse to maintain its lockdown state.
Thinking of this, Lu Yuanqing narrowed his eyes slightly and said, “Treating heroes is hardly beneath any of you, is it?”
The medical grandmasters looked variously shocked or confused. By the time Mo Yin escorted them out of the conference room, they still seemed dazed, as if they were dreaming.
“Your Highness the Prince is being far too reckless!”
On the way back, they talked among themselves nonstop.
“Who do you think this new attending physician is? Or rather, who might be in this new team?”
The interstellar world was vast. Their medical achievements were extraordinary, yes, but that did not mean only they could treat His Majesty.
In fact, their team had always seen some degree of personnel rotation—though of course, any doctor who left the team had to remain on Medical Planet and keep His Majesty’s condition strictly confidential.
But a situation like this, where the entire team was dismissed, had never happened before. Elder Cheng and another Elder Wang, in particular, had been involved from beginning to end all the way up to now.
None of them could make heads or tails of it, but one of them gave a cold laugh. “There may not even be any new team at all!”
“You mean…”
At the thought of imperial power struggles, the grandmasters of medicine could not help sucking in sharp breaths.
If that were really the case, then being able to protect themselves and withdraw without incident would actually count as a decent outcome…
“Stop making wild guesses!”
Elder Cheng’s face looked awful. Brothers turning against each other, family members drawing blades at one another—this was something he absolutely did not want to see.
Without Lu Nanzhou, the Yaojin Empire truly would descend into disaster!
“Let’s wait and see. If His Highness really wanted to…” Elder Cheng paused. “Then there would have been no need for him to wait until now.”
He said thoughtfully, “He kept us here, so perhaps he has other plans. If His Majesty suffers some emergency situation, we may still be needed.”
They still had to remain on standby, ready at any moment to step in and clean up the mess.
“Just treat this as a break for now.”
Forcing a lighter tone, he smiled and said, “Coincidentally, our research into Xihe people’s mental resistance can finally be formally put on the agenda.”
Although the most important subject, Caregiver Ye, was not participating, were there not still five other caregivers from Xihe?
Perhaps they also possessed the same kind of ability as Ye Yumeng, and simply had not activated it yet?
Inside the conference room.
The grandmasters of medicine had been escorted out, but Lei Qi was left behind.
As the director of the Royal Sanatorium, he was naturally someone the imperial family trusted. Besides, that Doctor Ye could not possibly handle everything entirely on his own.
Lei Qi sat in his seat, hesitating several times before finally working up the courage to ask, “Your Highness, the person you mentioned who will be treating His Majesty…”
Does he really exist?
Clearly, he too had assumed that Lu Yuanqing intended to give up on treating His Majesty and seize the throne for himself.
But Lu Yuanqing dealt him a devastating blow:
“It’s Ye Yumeng.”
Huh?
Huh???
For a moment, Lei Qi’s expression went blank. Then his jaw nearly hit the floor as bewilderment overtook his face.
“The Ye Yumeng I know… Caregiver Ye?”
“That’s right. It’s him.”
“This… this…” Was this not sheer nonsense? That little caregiver did not even have a medical license. On what basis could he possibly—
Lu Yuanqing had no time for nonsense and cut him off. “I’ll show you a recording.”
The footage of Ye Yumeng assisting in treatment in the East Wing operating room began playing across the light screen.
Watching those methods of his, which practically brought the patient back from the dead, Lei Qi was so stunned he could not speak.
A kind of medicine like this actually existed in the world?
Once the footage finished playing, Lu Yuanqing reappeared before him.
“According to Doctor Ye’s own account, he has already used this method twice to prolong my imperial brother’s life.”
“He also understands how unusual his abilities are. He originally did not want to expose himself in the Yaojin Empire. But because of your treatment plan, all of his previous efforts came to nothing, forcing him to step forward.”
The moment Lu Yuanqing said this, Lei Qi’s face flushed red.
His Highness was not being subtle in the slightest. He was plainly accusing them of dragging things down and forcing the man to expose his abilities!
As one of the people who had taken part in discussing and carrying out the earlier treatment and medication plan, Lei Qi’s face shifted between red and purple, unbearably humiliated.
“I have never seen or heard of this kind of medical practice. It looks more like some sort of trickery or fraud.”
He could not help slipping into conspiracy thinking. “Your Highness, image compositing technology is incredibly advanced these days. Could it be that you’ve been deceived?”
“Absolutely impossible.”
Though Lu Yuanqing had not witnessed it in person at the scene, he had watched the livestream the entire time, and Mo Yin had also been there.
Besides, he had heard of Zhuo Yuquan, the lead surgeon that day—a genuine genius in the medical field. He did not believe Zhuo Yuquan would cooperate in some staged performance.
“If you don’t believe it, so be it. Time will prove it.”
“Lei Qi, from now on you will assist Doctor Ye. No one knows my imperial brother’s condition better than you do. He will likely have questions that require your help.”
Lei Qi’s face went blank.
He had never imagined that the little caregiver from Xihe—the one he had never taken seriously before, the one he regarded merely as an interesting test subject—would transform in an instant—
Not only replacing him directly, but leaving him as the assistant!
The change was far too drastic. No one in his place would have been able to accept it easily.
Yet under Lu Yuanqing’s scrutinizing gaze, Lei Qi’s expression shifted several times. In the end, he still lowered his head and answered obediently, “I understand, Your Highness.”
As director of the Royal Sanatorium, he ultimately served under the Yaojin imperial family. He had no right to refuse.
“As for Doctor Ye’s identity, do not tell anyone else.”
“If any information leaks out, it will be treated as treason.”
Ye Yumeng was now Lu Nanzhou’s attending physician, and he had the ability to prolong his life. His importance went without saying.
No matter what, he had to be protected!
By this point, Lei Qi could clearly see just how determined the prince was.
And besides, the prince’s protectiveness toward his elder brother had always been obvious. He had even flown into a furious rage at them before—saying that if they failed to save His Majesty, they would all be buried with him, and so on.
With a temper like that, who would dare provoke him?
Looking on the brighter side, after spending well over a year, nearly two, in constant anxiety, at least now he could finally breathe a little easier, could he not?
“Then it’s settled. As for Doctor Ye’s future status andTreatment at the Royal Sanatorium, Mo Yin will discuss the details with you.”
Core Inpatient Department, Top Floor Ward.
With deeply complicated feelings, Lei Qi came to Room 005. The moment he saw Ye Yumeng, his face looked as though someone had overturned a paint palette across it.
When Ye Yumeng saw him come in, he smiled quite amicably.
“Good morning, Director Lei.”
“Little Ye—Doctor Ye!”
Only after the words left his mouth did Lei Qi realize what he had said, hastily correcting the form of address.
The surveillance in His Majesty’s room could be reviewed by the prince at any time. He did not want to be mistaken for going through the motions while secretly being insincere.
Ye Yumeng nodded. So Director Lei already knew. He just did not know how much the man had been told.
He said, “Please take care of me from now on.”
Lei Qi looked him over and still could not help asking, “Do you really possess that kind of…”
Recalling the footage he had just seen in the conference room, he copied one of Ye Yumeng’s hand gestures.
“This kind of miraculous power?”
Ye Yumeng glanced at the visibly deformed version of the gesture. It seemed his actions in the operating room had indeed been shown to Director Lei.
He nodded and said, “This form of medical art can protect the patient’s heart for a certain period of time.”
Since he had already used it and the other man had seen the footage, there was no point in hiding it any longer. In any case, he now had the little rabbit’s family backing him.
Someone who carried such powerful golden merit light, and who could live in the Core Inpatient Department while being personally treated and cared for by the director, was definitely from no ordinary family. They should be able to protect him thoroughly.
As for Lei Qi—
(???? ?? ????? ???? ?? ????)
Medical art?
This kind of method was actually being called “medical art”? It was absolutely unheard of!
“So this is not a bloodline ability of yours, but rather… some kind of inheritance? Some kind of… secret technique?” Lei Qi was so excited he was almost incoherent.
Ye Yumeng thought about it and nodded. “You can think of it that way.”
Lei Qi’s eyes instantly lit up.
If it really was a secret inherited technique, then that meant this kind of power could be taught and replicated!
That was far more valuable than the innate bloodline ability of a single individual!
Even Lei Qi could not help feeling tempted.
Still, as he looked at Ye Yumeng, in the end he did not say anything so shameless as asking the young man to teach him or take him as a student.
After all, he was still the director of the Royal Sanatorium!
Then something occurred to him, and he could not help asking again, “When His Majesty… when Young Master Rabbit was critically ill before, was it really because you intervened and saved him that he survived?”
“Yes.”
Ye Yumeng answered frankly, “The first time I saw him in the activity room, he was already at the end of his oil and his lamp had run dry. He was just about to die.”
Lei Qi had seen enough people in his life to know when someone was lying. Looking into Ye Yumeng’s clear, honest eyes, he knew that this young man from Xihe was not making things up.
And looking back now, the situation at the time, along with His Majesty’s physical data, did indeed feel rather strange.
If things were truly as Ye Yumeng said…
Lei Qi could not help breaking into a sweat.
Previously, nearly all of them had believed that the treatment plan they had worked out together during the consultation meeting had taken effect, and that it had once again helped His Majesty survive a crisis.
Who would have thought that it had taken effect—just in the opposite direction.
This… where exactly were he and those grandmasters of medicine supposed to put their aging faces now?
Still, without seeing it with his own eyes, Lei Qi found it impossible to fully believe it just yet.
He would observe further from here on out, he thought.
After all, since Ye Yumeng had become the attending physician, he would inevitably have to produce results.
With that in mind, Lei Qi began discussing future work arrangements. He said, “According to the agreed decision, we will specially hire you as a doctor at the Royal Sanatorium. Your current rank will tentatively be set at junior level, and your main responsibility will be… Young Master Rabbit’s treatment.”
Ye Yumeng froze.
He had assumed he would be a private physician hired by the little rabbit’s family. He had not expected to be formally incorporated into the Royal Sanatorium’s system as well.
“As for benefits andTreatment, they will all be issued to you at the highest grade,” Lei Qi said. “But the paperwork is still being processed. We need to go through all the procedures before promotion is possible. Do you have any objections?”
During his discussion with Mo Yin, Lei Qi had also been told that His Majesty’s identity could not be disclosed, and that all arrangements concerning Ye Yumeng’s hiring had to be made through proper procedure, so that no one could tell at a glance that anything unusual was going on—
Although keeping him under the identity of a caregiver would have been even safer from a secrecy standpoint, doing that would have been far too unfair to the man who was in truth the attending physician.
So the proper title still had to be given. A junior doctor position would not attract too much attention.
Judging from Ye Yumeng’s background, most people would not suspect anything.
However…
Lei Qi was still racking his brains over how to come up with a fitting reason for his special recruitment. After all, this “medical art” of his that could practically resurrect the dead absolutely could not be written into the records.
Then perhaps… an assisting technique capable of protecting a patient’s heart during surgery?
That did not actually sound impossible. After all, His Majesty’s problem was not with the heart, so it should not be too easy for anyone to connect the dots…
“I have no objections.”
Ye Yumeng did not even ask about the specific salary or benefits. A doctor’s pay would definitely be higher than a caregiver’s, and besides, the sanatorium provided food and lodging. On top of that, he was now free to choose whatever spirit plants he wanted. He was already very satisfied.
Still turning the matter over in his mind, Lei Qi asked again, “Then shall we keep the same schedule as before?”
Previously, the entire pace had been led by Lei Qi, with Ye Yumeng and Mo Yin assisting him, and the work schedule had all been arranged according to Lei Qi’s plan. But now that Ye Yumeng had become the attending physician, naturally everything had to follow his lead.
Ye Yumeng nodded, then shook his head.
“We can keep the same time slots, but I won’t remain in the ward all the time anymore, so someone will need to stay here and keep watch.”
He said, “The little rabbit is asleep. I’m going out for a bit now. Director Lei, stay here and watch over him. If anything happens, contact me immediately through the communicator.”
Lei Qi: “…”
He had not expected to be put to work as an “assistant” this quickly.
And besides…
This sounded awfully familiar. It felt very much like the sort of thing he himself had said to Ye Yumeng over and over before. And now it was Ye Yumeng saying it to him!
The sudden change in identity and authority left Director Lei caught completely off guard.
He said awkwardly, “You’re leaving?”
“Yes.” Ye Yumeng nodded. “I’m going to check on a little patient in Courtyard No. 2, and then I’ll pick out a few green plants to bring back…”
“I’m the little rabbit’s attending physician now, so I should be allowed to decide the ward’s layout, right?”
He looked at Lei Qi, his gaze clear and gentle.
And this was also the first time Lei Qi had looked directly and clearly into Ye Yumeng’s eyes. He realized that this little caregiver—whom he had always viewed as frail and slender—did not seem to have the personality he had imagined.
Lei Qi opened his mouth, but in the end still nodded.
“You should just go find Shi Yichun directly. That’ll be enough. I’ll inform him.”
Ye Yumeng’s public identity was still that of a caregiver. As for whatTreatment should be given to him from here on, and how things should be explained outwardly, it seemed that His Majesty and the others had not yet come to a final decision.
So if Ye Yumeng wanted to do anything right now, Lei Qi still had to be the one to handle it for him.
“Alright.”
Ye Yumeng nodded, then added, “When I come back, I’ll ask you some questions about the little rabbit. You can prepare in advance.”
Then he waved a hand, turned, and left.
Director Lei stood there alone, staring after him with indescribably mixed emotions. His entire mind felt tangled, and for a while he did not even know how to compose himself.
But when he finally withdrew his gaze and looked toward the hospital bed, he discovered that Lu Nanzhou had woken up at some point.
His Majesty the Emperor did not have a particularly good temper. At the very least, Lei Qi had suffered quite enough from it over the past year and more.
The poor little rabbit, who in Ye Yumeng’s eyes had every pathetic buff stacked onto him, was in Director Lei’s eyes an utterly terrifying top boss not to be messed with.
For example, right now, the little rabbit lay on the bed, charred black all over, with his eyes open and an extremely stern expression, as though he were pondering something weighty.
?_?
His face looked roughly like that.
Director Lei did not dare breathe too loudly. He carefully sat down at the bedside.
When Lu Nanzhou’s gaze swept toward him, his whole body stiffened, and he hurriedly forced out a flattering smile. “Your Majesty, you’re awake…”
Just then, his smartbrain suddenly chimed.
Because he had set up a special ringtone, he knew at once it was a message from Lu Nanzhou and quickly opened it.
It was actually a photo—specifically, one of the grandmasters of medicine who had just been in the meeting.
Courtyard No. 2.
“Will Brother Ye really come see me today?”
Little Shan Lan was lying on the windowsill, staring outside with wide eyes, hoping he would spot that familiar figure sooner rather than later.
In truth, they had not spent that much time together. Sheng Hao really did not understand why the child missed this Caregiver Ye so much.
Perhaps it was because they had seen too little of him? Sheng Hao could not help thinking.
“Be patient and wait a little longer. Caregiver Ye said he would come, so he will definitely keep his promise.”
“Mhm!”
“Your Highness, you should rest for a bit first. Otherwise, by the time Caregiver Ye arrives, you may already start getting sleepy.”
Little Shan Lan thought about it and decided that made sense, so he stretched out his arms toward Sheng Hao, asking to be carried.
Sheng Hao lifted him onto the bed. The moment his body touched the mattress, it gradually began to shrink until, in the end, he turned into a long-haired calico kitten.
The little kitten let out a meow, expertly burrowed under the blankets, then climbed onto the pillow and curled into a little ball.
Sheng Hao walked over and gently stroked the top of its head.
“Meow—”
The tiny kitten gave a soft cry, rubbed against his fingertips, and then closed its eyes and fell asleep.
Its breathing was very heavy, like a broken bellows—huffing and wheezing, sounding especially exhausted.
Sheng Hao watched it, his eyes filled with heartbreak.
When Ye Yumeng arrived at the doorway, this was the scene he saw. He was still wondering whether he should make a sound or not when Sheng Hao had already noticed him.
So he stepped into the room.
He had only just reached the bedside when, before he could even speak, the little kitten curled up on the pillow twitched its ears.
Then it opened its eyes.
“Meow—”
The moment it saw Ye Yumeng, the little kitten cried out in delight and immediately sprang up, leaping straight toward him.
Ye Yumeng quickly reached out and caught it.
The kitten, no bigger than his palm, was as light as a tuft of cotton, fluffy and soft and warm.
Ye Yumeng could not help feeling fond of it at once.
“Meow-woo—”
The little kitten lay against his hand, its fluffy little head rubbing insistently into his chest.
Its clingy, dependent manner made even Sheng Hao—who had personally raised and cared for it all this time—feel a bit jealous.
Still, as long as His Highness was happy, that was enough.
“Caregiver Ye.” He greeted him, then stood up to pour tea.
“How has Shan Shan been these last few days?” Ye Yumeng asked, stroking the little kitten’s head.
“Meow~”
A bright, cheerful little cat cry rang out. One could roughly tell it was the child answering.
And Sheng Hao added, “Mm, after coming back that day, nothing else happened.”
Back then, when Little Shan Lan had suddenly run out like that, it had truly scared him half to death.
But after moving that much, the child unexpectedly came back completely fine. After sleeping, he seemed all right.
Sheng Hao had been very surprised by that, and after questioning him carefully…
Thinking of it, he could not help looking at Ye Yumeng with a probing gaze. Judging from His Highness’s answers, the reason seemed to lie with this Caregiver Ye.
Did this Caregiver Ye possess some kind of special ability?
Meanwhile, Ye Yumeng lowered his head to look at the kitten, a flash of spiritual light flickering in his eyes.
In his vision, a yellow-brown aura immediately wrapped around the kitten’s body, the color growing more concentrated around the heart.
This was a classic sign of congenital weakness and frailty.
“Did the doctors say what illness Shan Shan has?” Ye Yumeng asked.
Sheng Hao hesitated before replying, “Yes. Congenital heart disease.”
That matched the diagnosis they had received back in Blue Tide Royal Court. The medical standards on Yaojin Medical Planet were simply higher.
After taking medicine, the child’s condition had improved somewhat.
“If it’s to be completely cured, then he’ll probably need a bionic heart or a mechanical heart.”
Ye Yumeng nodded. Ah Mo had already told him before about the drawbacks of replacing organs with bionic or mechanical ones.
“Shan Shan is still so young. He probably can’t undergo that yet, right?”
“That’s right. We’ll have to wait until he reaches adulthood.”
In truth, organ transplant technology was already extremely mature now. Bionic organs cultivated from one’s own cells caused much less rejection.
The real problem was that bionic organs could not shift between two forms.
Once a bionic organ was implanted, Little Shan Lan would only be able to remain in human form. And as a five-year-old child, he was clearly still unable to completely control his own body.
And the biggest issue right now was whether he could survive until adulthood…
If possible, Sheng Hao did not want His Highness to undergo that surgery. That was also the reason he had insisted on coming to Medical Planet.
After all, even if the operation carried relatively low risk, it was not one hundred percent safe.
“Once his condition stabilizes, I’ll find a place to live near the sanatorium and settle down on Medical Planet with Shan Shan.”
“Wouldn’t it be more convenient to stay at the sanatorium?” Ye Yumeng asked.
Sheng Hao gave a bitter smile.
“It definitely would be more convenient, but the cost is also much higher…”
The Blue Tide King had never valued His Highness very highly. In order to secure this chance for treatment on Yaojin Medical Planet, Sheng Hao had already gone to great lengths.
So he did not believe that the cold-hearted king would continue paying these medical expenses forever.
That meant he had to plan ahead and arrange their finances in advance.
That feeling of poverty…
Ye Yumeng understood it deeply. Looking at Sheng Hao, a new thought arose in his heart.
If he succeeded in making talismans later, could he perhaps hand them over to Sheng Hao to sell for him?
For an online shop, customer service, packaging, shipping, and after-sales support were all indispensable steps. He had no time to handle those things himself.
However…
Ye Yumeng shook his head. Now was not the time to think about that. He should make the talismans first.
He shifted his gaze back to the kitten.
That clean, silky long fur would definitely make excellent brush material!
Yet perhaps sensing something, the little kitten—who had been lying docilely in his arms—suddenly leapt down and landed on the bedcovers.
“…”
This really was quite an excessive request.
Just as Ye Yumeng was hesitating over whether he should bring it up anyway, he saw the kitten, under Sheng Hao’s helpless gaze, flop onto the bed and then—
Lift all four little legs into the air, curling its paws slightly as it revealed its soft, vulnerable belly to him.
The kitten’s fur came in three colors: dark blue-black, orange, and white.
But the fine down on its belly was one pure, snowy patch of white, like freshly burst dandelion fluff, gently rising and falling with each breath.
“Meow-woo—”
The kitten stretched out one little paw. Its blue-black eyes narrowed into happy slits, as though it were smiling, or inviting him. That soft little cry was enough to melt anyone’s heart.
This was just too adorable.
Who could possibly resist such temptation?
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