Those who were already trembling with fear became even more so upon hearing the words. Even if they possessed ten parts of skill, to display even one would be considered fortunate.
Seeing that the Fifth Princess's patience was at its limit, and just as several people were about to meet their demise, one of the bolder ones stepped forward to examine the Fifth Princess. He carefully inspected the arrow lodged in the bone. After a moment, he spoke.
"Your Highness, the arrow is lodged in the bone and needs to be removed as soon as possible. Otherwise, if the bleeding continues, you will lose too much blood, which will endanger your life." The physician spoke tactfully, implying that excessive blood loss leads to death.
"Can you remove it?" the Fifth Princess asked coldly.
"This humble one can try."
"Will removing the arrow injure my hand?" the Fifth Princess asked softly. She was a military general; a general's hand was for fighting enemies. If it were ruined, she would no longer be able to fight on the battlefield, which would make her already precarious position even more perilous.
The physician looked at the Fifth Princess with confusion. "Isn't your hand already injured? How much worse can it get than losing your life?"
The Fifth Princess froze, seeming to ponder how to refute him. However, after much thought, she could not find a retort. She only felt a dizziness and a chill, likely symptoms of blood loss.
Between losing her life and losing an arm, the Fifth Princess ultimately chose to preserve her life. As long as she lived and held military authority, she would not fear even if Lan Ya and Lan Yuan joined forces. But to lose her life for the sake of an arm – her close sisters would likely wake up laughing in their sleep.
"Your Highness, should this arrow be removed?" the physician asked cautiously.
"Remove it!" the Fifth Princess commanded. "If you remove the arrow but do not know how to treat the wound, I will flay you alive!"
"This one will do his utmost," the physician quickly replied. "I will need a bottle of strong liquor and a sharp dagger."
"Give it to her."
The guards immediately prepared what the physician required.
The physician sterilized the dagger and took a swig of liquor to bolster his courage. Then, armed with the dagger, he approached to remove the arrow and treat the wound. The Fifth Princess quickly turned her head away, not wanting to witness the scene. The physician held the Fifth Princess's arm and examined it, his brow furrowed. "The arrowhead has barbs. I wonder who could be so cruel! Your Highness, please bear with it. I need to cut open the flesh around the wound. The barbs have caught on the muscle. If I pull it out now, it will likely enlarge the wound."
"Treat it quickly!" the Fifth Princess gritted her teeth. The more she wished for the treatment to be completed, the longer it dragged on. The physician carefully cut open the flesh with the dagger. Despite the severe blood loss, the Fifth Princess's face contorted in pain, and she was covered in a cold sweat.
"It will be a little painful, Your Highness, please bear with it. It will be over soon," the physician said as he meticulously cut away the flesh caught by the barbs. "Once the flesh caught by the barbs is released, the arrow can be removed. Give me the hemostatic powder."
The military doctor quickly handed the hemostatic powder to the civilian physician. She watched as the physician skillfully sprinkled the medicine onto the wound and continued to treat it. Her gaze inadvertently swept over the Fifth Princess, whose eyes were bloodshot and face contorted as if she could devour someone. Terrified, she quickly averted her gaze, hoping the physician could cure the Fifth Princess, or they would be in trouble.
As the physician cut, he chattered incessantly, explaining how to minimize the wound and inflict less pain. The Fifth Princess whispered a reprimand, "Shut up!"
The physician pursed his lips, then suddenly grasped the exposed arrow shaft and pressed down forcefully. The Fifth Princess cried out in pain, but the physician shouted, "Hold her down! Hold her down, don't let her move!"
The guards hesitated for a moment but obeyed and stepped forward to restrain the Fifth Princess. The physician grabbed the Fifth Princess's arm and pulled out the arrowhead, discarding it aside. He then grabbed the strong liquor and poured it onto the Fifth Princess's wound. The Fifth Princess's body trembled with pain. If the guards hadn't held her down, she would have leaped up and kicked the physician away. What kind of incompetent doctor was this, using such a crude method to extract an arrow, and then daring to pour liquor on her wound? Truly, he was tired of living!
"Strong liquor is excellent for disinfection. If the wound is not treated properly, it will become inflamed. It will be painful, but for the sake of rapid healing, please bear with it for a moment longer," the physician explained while pouring liquor onto the Fifth Princess's wound and meticulously cleaning it with a cloth. Once he was certain there were no foreign objects in the wound, he sprinkled the hemostatic powder on it. Then, from his personal bag, he took out a needle packet. This packet contained not silver needles, but embroidery needles.
The physician took out an embroidery needle, skillfully threaded it, and then began to stitch together the flesh the Fifth Princess's arm had been cut open with. The crunching sound of the needle passing through flesh sent shivers down one's spine!
The Fifth Princess, finally unable to endure the torment of pain, fainted. The guards holding her dared not loosen their grip, all turning their faces away. The Fifth Princess had truly suffered greatly this time. Given her vengeful nature, it was likely she would seek unending retribution from the Imperial Consort after this ordeal.
"Doctor, do you treat the Fifth Princess's arm like clothing?" the military doctor could no longer bear it. How could one stitch a person's body as if it were fabric? Was this not reckless?
"Your Highness, the wound is too large. If it is not stitched, it will not heal easily. The weather is hot now, and it is prone to inflammation and festering, which is why the wound needs to be stitched to accelerate healing," the physician explained while stitching. "Also, it needs to be disinfected and dressed daily. This liquor is the best disinfectant."
The physician finished stitching the wound and tied a knot. "There, it's done. A layer of Golden Wound Ointment will complete the treatment."
The military doctor looked at the crude technique with disdain. Truly a village quack doctor, incapable of even applying medicine properly. If the Fifth Princess were to settle accounts with them later for injuring her arm during the arrow removal, this village doctor would not have had the opportunity to be so presumptuous.
"Alright, you can leave. I will bandage the princess," the military doctor said, driving the physician away. He skillfully bandaged the Fifth Princess. "Since the arrowhead has been removed, I will take care of the Fifth Princess from now on. They are no longer needed. Send them back."
The guards exchanged glances and then escorted the two away. After they were driven out, several copper coins were thrown at them, and they were yelled at to leave quickly.
The two men quickly scrambled to pick up the copper coins on the ground and then dashed away. It was the physician who had treated the Fifth Princess who, with a fawning face, approached. "Consultation fee is one hundred cash. No credit, please pay the bill, sirs."
"Get lost! The money has already been given. If you press the issue, mind your own dog life!" the guard at the gate pushed the physician to the ground. "Hurry up and leave, or your dog life will be in danger here!"