Chapter 163 Don’t Forget Your Promise

Su Muge reached out and drew a circle on her belly.

“I may have to cut their bellies open, Your Royal Highness. Rest assured that I will just cut a small opening and will not cause too much trauma. But, just in case, I still have to get the permission of the patients before the operation.”

The current situation was different from the previous one in the county. These imperial guards were closely associated with the noble families in the capital. If she directly conducted the surgery and encountered any problems, it would bring them unexpected troubles.

“Okay.”

After a moment of silence, Xia Houmo spoke again to confirm. “Just cut their belly open without taking off their pants? “

Su Muge was speechless. “Yes!”

After confirming it, Xia Houmo asked Vice General Zhang to bring the patients who were still conscious.

After a while, five people lined up in the tent.

“Your Royal Highness, pay my respects to you.”

Su Muge found these people weak and emaciated with a sallow complexion.

Xia Houmo nodded and then looked at Su Muge.

Su Muge coughed softly: “Do you know that your disease is not a common fever?”

Hearing Su Muge’s words, they looked at each other curiously and shook their heads.

“This disease damages your intestines. Do you feel that you don’t want to eat anything these days and you also have diarrhea?”

The tallest person nodded. “Master, you are right. I’ve been feeling weak all over. It’s very uncomfortable. Isn’t it a fever? So, what disease do we have?”

Su Muge frowned. “I can’t give you a clear and specific answer for the time being. I invite you to come over today and want to ask who is willing to undergo a minor operation.”

“What?” They were at a loss.

Su Muge glanced at Xia Houmo.

“She will cut your belly open to check your intestines and stomach.” Xia Houmo said coldly.

“What? Cut our belly open? To check the stomach…”

“Won’t we die if our belly is cut open?”

“Yeah, yeah…”

Due to Xia Houmo’s presence, they only dared to question quietly, but everyone present could hear it.

“Rest assured. I’ll just make a small cut no wider than a finger. Don’t be afraid. If the root caused can’t be found out, you may encounter more unexpected dangers later.”

“Your Royal Highness, Your Royal Highness, Vice General Zhang has something to report.” An imperial guard reported rapidly outside the large tent.

“Let him come in.”

“Yes.”

Vice General Zhang lifted the curtain and walked into the tent with a stern face.

“Your Royal Highness, the three people in the tent… died.”

Su Muge raised her eyebrows. “The tent for fevered patients?”

Vice General Zhang nodded. “Yes, just now, they suddenly couldn’t stop excreting blood and soon passed away.”

Su Muge closed her lips tightly.

“Died? Someone died?”

“People will really die because of this disease?”

Those patients had just been sent into the tent for five or six days. How could they pass away so quickly within five or six days?

Dying of illness was much more shameful than dying in battles!

The five people all revealed fear on their faces.

“Your Royal Highness, I’m willing to accept the operation … opening our belly!”

“Your Royal Highness, I’m also willing to accept it.” There had been several people with a similar situation in his team. If more people were infected, it was likely to be regarded as a plague in the capital. At that time, people like them would be doomed. So they would rather take a chance now!

Xia Houmo nodded dumbly. “When will the surgery be performed?”

“We can’t delay. I’ve brought all the things here. Let them prepare a clean tent for me, and get me some spirits, rice vinegar, and hot water. Let’s start right away.”

Xia Houmo looked at Vice General Zhang. “Are you clear?”

“Yes, I’ll prepare it immediately.”

“I only need one of you for this operation for the time being.” Su Muge took their pulses one by one before choosing a man with the strongest body and the most serious situation.

Two quarters later, Vice General Zhang sent a message that everything was ready.

Su Muge and Xia Houmo went outside the empty tent.

“Your Royal Highness, please wait outside.”

Xia Houmo replied with dark eyes. “Don’t forget your promise.”

Su Muge almost rolled her eyes. How could he still be thinking about this at this time?

Su Muge nodded seriously. “Your Royal Highness, rest assured. I’ll keep my promise.”

After that, she took the patient into the tent.

The patient was a little scared thinking that his belly was to be cut open.

“Master, master, are you a doctor?”

Su Muge felt amused to see the pale and scared face of this tall and strong man.

“Well, yes, I’m a famous doctor in the capital. Many noble families in the capital would beg me to treat them.”

“Really?” Hearing this, he was much more relieved.

“Of course, you can rest assured that you will be fine. Put on the clean clothes.”

“Okay, okay.”

“Master, everything is ready.” The two military doctors also came in to help.

Seeing that they had put on clean clothes, Su Muge nodded and put on the surgical gown she brought and wrapped his hair up.

“Go to bed after changing your clothes.”

After the patient lay down, Su Muge took the anesthetic to the bed.

Su Muge looked at his tightly closed lips and chuckled. “What’s your name?”

“Eh… Fang Shanquan.”

“Is your family in the capital?”

“Yes, my whole family is in the capital, running a small business. Doctor, does it hurt?”

Su Muge delivered the medicine to his mouth. “It doesn’t hurt. You’ll fall asleep quickly after taking the medicine.”

“Okay, I’ll take it.” Fang Shanquan opened his mouth and swallowed the medicine.

After a few words with Su Muge, Fang Shanquan felt a strong sense of sleepiness and immediately fell asleep.

“Fix his hands and feet.”

“Yes.”

After disinfecting his upper body, Su Muge took out the scalpel and cut his belly open…

“Your Royal Highness.”

Outside the tent, Donglin walked to Xia Houmo and whispered in his ear.

Hearing his words, Xia Houmo gently turned the jade thumb ring in his hand. “Where is he now?”

“In a town thirty miles away.”

“Your Royal Highness, those people confessed.” Zuoqiu strode over and whispered.

Xia Houmo glanced at him. “Confessed?”

“Yes, one of them confessed that they were sent by Xia Housheng to steal the tiger tally (a tiger-shaped tally issued to generals for troop movement).”

Upon hearing this, Xia Houmo sneered. “Xia Housheng sent dozens of useless men to Jin Mansion to steal the tiger tally?”

Xia Houmo looked up at Zuoqiu. “He thinks I’m stupid?”

Zuoqiu was also wearing a stern look. These people were so tough that they insisted on revealing nothing.

“I’ll continue the interrogation.”

“Go to ask Guima if he has any new inventions that need to try the effect.”

Guima was more a rare drug master than a good doctor.

“Yes.”

“You stay here and wait for the Rani. When she comes out, send her back to the mansion.”

“Your Royal Highness, you are…”

Xia Houmo raised the corner of his lips slightly, but he wasn’t smiling. “Since he’s here, I’ll certainly go to meet him. Prepare my horse.”

“Yes.”

In the tent, Su Muge didn’t know that Xia Houmo had left.

Even if she knew it, it made no difference to her surgery.

She opened his belly and found his intestines. As soon as the intestines were taken out, the pungent bloody smell was even more intense.

The two military doctors who didn’t wear a mask tried their best to suppress nausea.

But when Su Muge pulled the black intestines out, the two couldn’t help vomiting and running away.

“Go out to vomit.”

Hearing this, the three seemed to have got an amnesty order and turned away.

The military doctors should have witnessed all kinds of situations. But the injured barrack was filled with more imperial guards in the capital after all, so very few patients would encounter such a serious situation.

“Oh my god. The intestines are already black.”

Su Muge slowly pulled out the black intestines, which were about 30 centimeters long. These blackened intestines had been completely necrotic. If they weren’t excised, they might be broken at any time when food and water passed through this section of the intestines. As a result, his belly would be completely covered with food and water. At that time, he would be incurable.

Fortunately, it was the small intestine that was necrotic. Cutting off this part would not have much impact on his future life after recovery.

Su Muge took up the scalpel, cut off the necrotic intestines, and sutured the intestines before continuing to examine his other organs.

After a thorough inspection, she found no other problems except for the necrotic intestines.

When Su Muge sutured the wound, the two military doctors came in.

“Have you finished already?”

They… didn’t have been out long!

“What is this black thing?”

“Intestines.”

“Oh! (the sound of vomiting)”

Su Muge took the section of intestines aside and said after the two military doctors finish vomiting, “Send him into a separate tent. Remember not to touch his wound when you carry him.”

“Yes, yes.” As long as they were not forced to see the intestines, everything would be fine!

After Fang Shanquan was sent away, Su Muge began to study the cut intestines.

In many cases, the intestines would be necrotic, which was much likely to be caused by constipation or long-term blockage by other things.

But if so many people had this problem at the same time, this possibility would be ruled out completely.

Another possibility was poisoning.

As for poison, she thought it might be more efficient to go back to Guima.

“Master, Fang Shanquan has already woken up.” The military doctors walked into the tent and said.

“I’ll go and see him.”

Su Muge packed up the things and followed the military doctors to Fang Shanquan’s tent.

Fang Shanquan was lying in bed. Seeing Su Muge coming in, he blinked in a silly way.

“Doctor, I, I’m still alive?”