Genius Physician CH 6

“Then first…”

Yeon Hwicheon trailed off and cautiously glanced at Yeon Baekyu.

Yeon Sotaek tried to step in during his hesitation, but I spoke before he could.

“The infiltration must be treated before the bleeding is stopped. If you cover it with medicinal powder as it is, the black energy will become trapped inside the wound and spread even deeper.”

A strange silence settled over the main hall.

Hwicheon and Dopyeong stared at me in astonishment, while an unfamiliar gleam appeared in Grandfather’s green eyes.

“Adjusting the treatment according to a patient’s medical history and constitution is one of the fundamentals of medicine.”

Hwicheon’s brow twisted as he hurriedly tried to defend himself.

“Ryeonghwa, surely you don’t think I’m unaware of that. I intended to do exactly that from the beginning—”

“Enough.”

Grandfather’s low, weighty rebuke cut him off.

Hwicheon flinched and immediately closed his mouth.

Grandfather slowly turned toward me.

He now regarded me with an entirely different gaze.

“Continue. What treatment should be performed next?”

I pointed to the inside of my wrist, where it met the base of my palm.

“An acupuncture needle must be placed here to open the meridian. Then the edges of the wound should be pressed lightly to expel the poisoned blood before stopping the bleeding.”

In a previous life, I had only learned this treatment after experiencing it myself while my flesh rotted away in excruciating pain.

Much later, I discovered that the same treatment was recorded in one of the family’s secret medical texts, hidden deep within the library.

Yeon Hwicheon and Yeon Dopyeong were far more interested in fighting over power than studying medicine.

There was no possibility that either of them had sought out such a document and studied it on their own.

I did not stop there.

“And…”

Tilting my wrist slightly, I pointed to another location.

“You shouldn’t apply pressure here. It must be applied one inch lower to stop the bleeding.”

Grandfather’s eyes narrowed as he watched me explain the treatment clearly and methodically.

He soon turned his gaze toward Hwicheon.

Reluctantly, Hwicheon resumed treating my wound.

At least he possessed genuine medical talent. Following my instructions, he completed the treatment without further difficulty.

“Thank you, Cousin Hwicheon.”

I did not forget to express my gratitude.

Grandfather, who valued principles and proper etiquette, was watching us.

Yeon Baekyu’s gaze returned to me.

“How did you receive such an injury?”

Yeon Sotaek’s sharp gaze stabbed into me.

His eyes seemed to challenge me to speak.

I blinked once as I considered the situation.

There were things I could reveal now and things I still needed to conceal.

Grandfather doesn’t trust me yet.

Everything required proper justification and trust.

What would happen if I accused my personal maid of shoving me and causing my injuries?

There was a strong possibility that I would be dismissed as an immature child telling lies to attract attention.

With Yeon Sotaek’s skill at manipulating people, he could easily make that happen.

Moreover, Grandfather would currently place far more trust in Sotaek than in me.

Sotaek was his son, the acting family head, and my attending physician.

It had been the same in my previous lives.

I won’t allow the same thing to happen again.

I quietly steadied my breathing.

First, I have to earn Grandfather’s trust.

“I accidentally broke a bowl. I was injured while trying to pick up the pieces…”

When I answered calmly, Grandfather stared at me without saying anything.

At that moment, Yeon Sotaek abruptly interrupted.

“Father, Ryeonghwa’s treatment is complete, so why don’t we continue Hwicheon’s examination? We shouldn’t allow the decoction to grow any colder.”

He was trying to divert Grandfather’s attention away from me.

I turned toward the table as well.

A medicinal decoction prepared to test Yeon Hwicheon’s abilities rested upon it.

Faint steam still rose from the black decoction pot like a thin mist.

Hwicheon approached the pot.

“Wait a moment.”

Only after glancing back at me once did Grandfather turn his attention toward them.

“You have already tasted it.”

He pointed toward the decoction.

“Now tell me. Which medicinal ingredients does it contain?”

Hwicheon answered calmly.

“Astragalus and licorice.”

“Yes. That is correct.”

In a previous life, I had heard about the examination Hwicheon underwent that day.

Even Hwicheon could correctly identify the medicinal ingredients used in the decoction.

The problem came afterward.

“Then explain the process used to create this decoction from astragalus and licorice.”

“…!”

The main hall immediately erupted in murmurs.

It was an unexpected question that no one had anticipated.

Hwicheon failed to answer this question in the past as well, and Grandfather severely reprimanded him.

Afterward, he had taken his frustration out on me by ordering the servants to torment me behind everyone’s backs.

Yeon Sotaek stared at Hwicheon, his face turning pale.

The nervous Hwicheon opened and closed his mouth several times.

In the end, he clenched his fists and barely managed to speak.

“…I apologize.”

At that moment, Yeon Sotaek stepped forward.

He forced himself to smile, but he could not conceal the desperation beneath it.

Of course, Hwicheon was not his biological son.

But Sotaek had raised the boy as the family’s successor at the request of his sister, who was residing at the imperial palace.

Dopyeong possesses neither the character nor the talent to become the successor. Sotaek must intend to secure his own power by helping Hwicheon become the next family head.

In other words, he could not stand by and allow Hwicheon to humiliate himself like this.

“Father, Hwicheon is still young. If you could give him a little more time—”

“That is enough. Hwicheon is already twelve years old. If he cannot answer a question of this level, then perhaps he simply lacks talent.”

Tsk.

Yeon Baekyu clicked his tongue, his expression filled with anger.

“The Young Patriarch could already prepare all manner of medicines and had saved countless lives by the age of eight.”

At those words, Yeon Sotaek’s expression changed completely.

My father was the Young Patriarch of House Yakryeong.

Being compared to him was Sotaek’s greatest and most sensitive weakness.

From childhood, he had constantly been compared to his older brother, allowing his inferiority complex to fester.

“Father, twelve is still a young age! It is far too soon to question his talent…”

Sotaek suppressed his rising emotions and spoke in a trembling voice.

His anxious gaze unconsciously swept across the room.

Then it stopped directly on me.

I blinked innocently a few times, pretending not to understand what was happening.

Malice flashed through Sotaek’s eyes as he stared at me.

“Why don’t you ask Ryeonghwa as well?”

His tone was gentle, but the intent behind his suggestion was blatant.

Dopyeong and even the nearby attendants widened their eyes in surprise.

The reason he had dragged me into the examination was obvious.

He believed that someone like me, who had spent her entire life confined to bed, could not possibly know how to prepare medicine.

If even the Young Patriarch’s only child failed to answer, then Hwicheon’s failure would seem like nothing more than a minor mistake.

He intended to cover Hwicheon’s humiliation while simultaneously proving that his older brother’s bloodline was nothing remarkable.

Naturally, I had no intention of moving according to his scheme.

The moment Grandfather’s gaze returned to me, I lowered myself onto my knees and quietly bowed my head.

“Forgive me, but I cannot answer.”

Yeon Sotaek’s eyes gleamed triumphantly.

Ignoring him, I raised my gaze halfway and continued.

“How could I dare taste the precious medicine Grandfather personally prepared immediately after returning home?”

“…?!”

Yeon Sotaek’s eyebrow twitched.

I did not stop there.

“Instead…”

Rustle.

I removed the small cloth bundle I had prepared from inside my robes.

When I unfolded the palm-sized cloth, a single round medicinal pill rolled onto my hand.

“…What is that?”

Grandfather’s voice lowered.

I calmly answered.

“I prepared this medicinal pill for you, Grandfather.”