Chapter 2539 - 2513: Persuasion

Lady Mei is Mr. Mei’s only daughter, from Jiangnan, twenty-three years old this year. A very frail lady, Manbao first noted down her basic information, then asked, "Are you married?"

Lady Mei paused for a moment before replying, "Yes, I’ve been married for five years."

"Have you given birth to any children?"

Lady Mei’s face seemed even paler as she shook her head and said, "No."

Manbao noted this down, then put down her pen and said, "Let’s go inside for an examination."

Inside is a bed used for acupuncture. The big maid helped Lady Mei inside, untied her cloak, laid it on the bed, and then let her lie down on it.

Manbao touched her abdomen, pressing gently here and there, asking, "Does it hurt?"

The first two presses, she only said it hurt a bit, but on the third press, her face turned suddenly pale. She was in such pain that she couldn’t speak, involuntarily curling up her abdomen.

Seeing this, Manbao frowned slightly, picked up her hand, and quietly felt her pulse. After a while, she asked, "When did the pain start? Have you had this situation before?"

Lady Mei nodded slightly, and the big maid beside her answered on her behalf, "The pain started five days ago, and she’s had this situation before."

The big maid glanced at Lady Mei’s complexion, seeing her calm enough, then truthfully said, "She’s had it twice before. The first time we didn’t know the reason, later we learned she was pregnant. The second time, the doctor said the child was outside the womb and must be aborted, so..."

Manbao understood, there’s a blood stasis in the lower abdomen; she can only activate blood circulation and remove stasis.

Manbao considered a prescription internally, not feeling too confident, so she said, "Lady Mei, my experience with activating blood circulation and removing stasis is limited. How about I invite Doctor Tao to discuss the prescription together?"

"No," Lady Mei interjected before the maid could speak, urgently saying, "Imperial Doctor Zhou, I, I want to save this child."

Manbao: "...Lady Mei, this child can’t be preserved. It’s outside the womb now, still small, and if we wait until it grows larger, it will rupture under pressure, which would be a disaster."

Lady Mei, with reddened eyes, shook her head, "Imperial Doctor Zhou, if I were to abort it, I could ask a doctor in Jiangnan to prescribe medicine. Why would I travel thousands of miles to the capital? It’s to save this child."

Manbao: "But it can’t be preserved; it hasn’t settled inside the womb."

"Is there any way to move it inside the womb?"

Manbao: ... She doesn’t possess this skill yet. Hmm, maybe she can ask Teacher Mo?

Manbao pondered for a moment then said, "Please wait a moment."

Manbao turned and left, and Mr. Mei was pacing outside. Upon seeing her come out, he immediately said, "Imperial Doctor Zhou, I’ve heard everything. I just want to ask, can this child be saved?"

Still not having asked Teacher Mo, but understanding her knowledge of current medicine, Manbao shook her head.

Mr. Mei was disheartened, but quickly regained his composure and said, "Then please, Imperial Doctor Zhou, save my daughter. As for this fetus, let it be aborted."

"Father—" The person inside evidently heard Mr. Mei’s words, and Lady Mei clearly couldn’t accept her father’s easy concession.

Manbao nodded and said, "Just wait, I’ll find Doctor Tao for a consultation. As for how to treat it and the outcome, we’ll discuss it afterward."

Not only Mr. Mei, but even Lady Mei behind the curtain felt a hint of hope rise, though recalling that Doctor Tao from Jishi Hall had seen them before, that hope seemed shaky.

Manbao lifted the curtain and went out, meeting with the Hundred Herbs Hall shopkeeper who was talking with Shopkeeper Zheng. As she was familiar with him, she nodded in greeting and turned to knock on Doctor Tao’s door.

Doctor Tao responded, and Manbao peeked inside, seeing him head down, writing a prescription for a patient. After a glance around finding no one else, she stood cheerfully waiting by.

Doctor Tao handed the prescription to the patient, and after he left, he asked with a smile, "Doctor Zhou Junior, are you here about Lady Mei’s condition?"

Manbao then sat over, "You’ve seen her before?"

Doctor Tao nodded. Although he can’t examine the abdomen directly like Zhou Man, through her pulse and some previous inquiries, the experienced Doctor Tao had diagnosed it as real lower abdominal blood stasis, thus prescribing medicine for blood circulation and stasis removal.

However, this prescription carries risks. At that time, he suggested getting an experienced midwife or waiting, going to the Imperial Medical Office to invite a female student, then observing the effects before administering the medicine.

But the Mei father and daughter were unwilling to give up this child, insisting on preserving the fetus. Frankly speaking, Doctor Tao really doesn’t have this ability, and he’s sure that no one in the entire capital does.

The fetus has already implanted outside the womb, how could it be moved inside the womb?

Doctor Tao looked at Zhou Man with some expectation and inquiry, "Does Doctor Zhou Junior have a solution?"

Manbao shook her head, "No."

Doctor Tao sighed, "Then it’s just blood circulation and stasis removal. I’ve asked about her dates; she seems to have been pregnant for about a month. If it delays further, there might be massive bleeding, and it’s uncertain whether even the mother could be saved."

Manbao nodded, frowning, "Why didn’t they first find a doctor to treat this before having a child again, given she’s had two similar cases before?"

Doctor Tao looked at her oddly, "The fetus is outside the womb, how does one treat this?"

Manbao: "...There must be a reason for the external implantation, find the cause and treat it, then the next time the fetus will naturally settle within the womb."

Doctor Tao shook his head saying, "That’s easier said than done. Not to mention the difficulty of finding the cause when she appears healthy and symptom-free, but even now, her fetus is externally implanted. In this capital, the number of doctors who can diagnose this is fewer than ten, let alone in a county, where perhaps not even one can diagnose it. She’s had two failed pregnancies before, and if this one fails again, repairing the situation is extremely challenging."

Manbao frowned, having dissected female anatomical models, understanding that fetal external implantation generally happens in two areas. She doesn’t believe there’s no cause, and where there’s a cause, there must be a way to discover and treat it.

However, at present, it’s important to discuss the prescription for blood circulation and stasis removal.

Doctor Tao, having felt Lady Mei’s pulse previously, knew the situation. Along with Zhou Man’s more comprehensive examination this time, the prescribed medicine was more suitable.

The two discussed the prescription, and Doctor Tao said, "The most crucial thing is for the patient to willingly abort. Taking such medication involves risk, and if she’s unwilling, the risk is higher."

Manbao understood and let Keke send an email to Teacher Mo while going to find Mr. Mei and his daughter.

Manbao didn’t give the prescription to Mr. Mei yet, but first approached them for a conversation, "This fetus cannot be preserved; based on the dates you provided, we calculated your pregnancy should be around thirty-five to forty days. The fetus is externally implanted, and the time has reached its limit. If we wait any longer, it might rupture on its own, causing massive bleeding."

She said, "Let’s first abort this fetus, then treat the condition. Once the body is regulated, then consider conceiving again. Lady Mei is still young, there’s no need to rush."