Chapter 193: I Don't Have the Ability to Teach You

Head of the Imperial Medical Academy Guo Yuan, anxious to the point of scratching his ears and cheeks, could finally hold back no longer.

"Princess Qingping has been out of the palace for two days now; her health should be much improved, right? If I go to disturb her again, those ancestors in the palace won't have anything to say about it, will they?"

Head of the Academy Guo scratched his head from time to time, his originally neatly combed hair bun becoming somewhat disheveled. He gritted his teeth, as if he had made up his mind.

He turned to look at his son, Guo Xudong, who was holding a medical book and studying it earnestly. The child looked to be about ten years old, with a naive and adorable expression.

Head of the Academy Guo looked at his son, his eyes full of expectation:

"Xudong, pack up; come with your father to the Jun residence."

Guo Xudong raised his head, a flash of confusion in his eyes:

"Father, what are we doing at the Jun residence?"

Head of the Academy Guo sighed slightly, walked to his son's side, and gently patted his shoulder:

"Father wants you to take Jun Zijin as your master. Her medical skills are unparalleled in the world; if you can receive her guidance, you will surely achieve great things in the future."

There was undisguisable surprise in Guo Xudong's eyes. He had long heard of Princess Qingping's deeds and was incredibly curious about the older sister who was only a few years his senior, always pestering his father with questions.

"Dad, you are the Head of the Imperial Medical Academy. If your son goes to apprentice under someone else, can you really put aside your pride?"

Head of the Academy Guo laughed heartily.

"What is pride worth? Father only cares about talent. As long as it is beneficial to you, I can stuff my pride in my pocket."

Guo Xudong put down the medical book, quickly straightened his clothes, and felt a bit uneasy:

"Dad, will the Princess really accept me as a disciple?"

Head of the Academy Guo glared:

"Xudong, let me tell you, even if you have to throw a tantrum today, you must make that girl accept you. Do you remember?"

Guo Xudong nodded heavily.

"I understand, Father. Let's set off now."

The father and son left the house with generous gifts and took a carriage to the Jun residence.

Upon arriving at the gate of the Jun residence, Head of the Academy Guo presented his calling card, and a servant led them into the courtyard.

They saw Jun Zijin brewing tea in the pavilion, the fragrance of tea curling in the air.

Head of the Academy Guo stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

Jun Zijin was taken aback. She was rarely at leisure, and being disturbed made her somewhat dissatisfied.

"Head of the Academy Guo? What business do you have with me?"

Head of the Academy Guo was all smiles:

"Princess, this old man wishes to beg you to take on a disciple!"

Jun Zijin was startled and spat out a mouthful of tea.

"Take on a disciple? Head of the Academy Guo, you must be joking with me. You are the dignified Head of the Imperial Medical Academy; I don't have the ability to teach you."

"Cough, cough, Princess, it is not this old man who wishes to apprentice."

Head of the Academy Guo pulled the child beside him over.

"It is my son, Guo Xudong, who wishes to apprentice. He wants to learn surgery, dissection, and wound debridement and suturing from you. Of course, if you are willing to teach him the Golden Needle Opening of Acupoints..."

Jun Zijin had just swallowed the tea she was about to spit out, only to be choked several more times by Head of the Academy Guo's words. After finally recovering, she said with a wry smile:

"Head of the Academy Guo, your words are truly shocking! You are actually comfortable letting a ten-year-old child learn surgery and dissection? As for debridement and suturing, that is not difficult; I can teach that, why would he need to apprentice under me?"

Jun Zijin had never intended to keep her knowledge secret; otherwise, why would she have opened a training class?

Head of the Academy Guo did not think so; how could the students of a training class be compared to a disciple who stayed by Jun Zijin's side every day?

Head of the Academy Guo grew anxious, bowing repeatedly:

"The Princess does not know, but this child has been obsessed with these novel medical techniques since he was small. He pesters me all day long, and ordinary medical books simply cannot satisfy him. Seeing that he is truly passionate, I thought to beg you to take him as a disciple so he can study diligently by your side."

At this moment, Guo Xudong, who had been standing beside his father, dropped to his knees with a thud. His large eyes blinked, and he said crisply:

"Princess Sister, please take me as your disciple! I promise I will study hard and not be lazy!"

Jun Zijin looked at the little fatty before her, her heart softening. She stood up, pinched Guo Xudong's chubby cheeks, and couldn't help but want to tease him.

"Do you know how hard it is to learn these things? You might end up crying every day."

Guo Xudong shook his head like a rattle-drum.

"I won't cry! I even dare to hold the giant centipedes my father catches for me, so I'm not afraid of difficulty! Princess Sister, I've always wanted to ask you, are you a fairy?"

Jun Zijin was amused by his little expression and laughed out loud.

"Your mouth is quite sweet. Fine, let me test you first. You say you want to learn surgery; do you know what is most important before performing surgery?"

Guo Xudong tilted his head to think, his eyes lighting up.

"I know this: you have to wash your hands and tools clean and disinfect them."

Jun Zijin nodded approvingly.

"Not bad, very basic but also very critical. However, that is only one part."

Guo Xudong blinked, looking earnest.

Jun Zijin continued:

"You must also master human anatomy, the composition of the body's systems, and the form, position, and structure of each organ. Otherwise, one wrong cut, and the person might just go cold."

Guo Xudong answered confidently:

"Princess Sister, I have studied this too. I have looked at many charts regarding human anatomy. I could point out the positions even with my eyes closed."

Jun Zijin raised an eyebrow. So capable?

"Then let me test you again: what do you do if you encounter massive bleeding during surgery?"

After thinking for a moment, Guo Xudong replied:

"You can use medicinal herbs or apply pressure to stop the bleeding. If a major blood vessel is ruptured, you must ligate it quickly."

Jun Zijin revealed a gratified smile and turned to look at Head of the Academy Guo.

"Your son is indeed intelligent; it seems he has put in a lot of effort. However, regarding taking him as a disciple, let me consider it."

She truly liked this little fatty, but she was surrounded by danger and really had no extra energy to look after a ten-year-old child.

Before her words had even faded, she saw Guo Xudong drop to his knees again with a thud.

Guo Xudong's eyes turned red, his voice carrying a sob:

"Princess Sister, if you don't take me as your disciple, I will kneel here forever. Master, please accept me; I will listen to everything you say. From now on, if you point east, I will never go west."

Just at this moment, a burst of light footsteps approached from afar. Xiao He entered the room happily, followed by the steady and composed Mama Dong and Han Xiao, all of them carrying thick account books in their arms.

Jun Zijin took the opportunity to dismiss Head of the Academy Guo and his son. She raised a hand to smooth the hair at her temples.

Only then did Xiao He hand over the account books.

The leather covers of the account books were worn shiny, and one could tell at a glance that they were items that had seen many busy days.

"Young Lady, look, the income from the shops this year is incredible!"

Xiao He was like a cheerful magpie, her cheeks flushed from the journey, her eyes filled with irrepressible excitement.

Mama Dong and Han Xiao followed behind; although their expressions were steady, the corners of their mouths held smiles as they nodded gently.

Jun Zijin rose from the couch and went to meet them, her eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation:

"Looking at you all, have you brought back good news?"