Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 156

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 156
“What do you mean?”
“After you recover, I’ll provide funding. How about making house calls to the Ju Wang Estate from time to time?”
“Pardon?”
I hadn’t even considered this, though the Ju Wang Estate certainly had its own physicians.
If word of this arrangement spread outside, everyone would know that Seo Baek-ryong enjoyed the favor of the Ju Wang Estate.
That alone would be tremendous honor for a doctor.
“You don’t desire an official position?”
“No. I’ve been feeling more and more lately that it’s not a suit that fits me.”
“Then come regularly for house calls. That alone will drive away most of the pestering flies that bother you.”
It was a tempting proposition.
Ju Wang added a remark.
“Moreover, observing you in the rear garden, I’ve come to understand that your Master also seems to quietly enjoy the fact that you leave the Medical Guild and come here with me. Is that not so?”
Truly, he was a king.
No matter how straightforward his nature, he came equipped with keen perception as standard.
There was no point in deflecting here.
“He worries that my health might suffer from the strain of my duties.”
“Yes. That’s precisely why I’m offering my help. To be honest, there’s been no one else to whom I’ve extended my hand so earnestly.”
There was not a shred of falsehood in Ju Wang’s voice.
Though he was said to be someone not bound by formalities and pretense, it was rare for him to cast aside his pride and extend his hand to this degree.
“I can handle matters requiring force, but to protect those dear to me, there’s no one quite like you.”
Health was something even Ju Wang could not control.
“Having nearly lost someone precious, I’ve become all the more earnest about it.”
I responded.
“There’s no need to say such things. If it concerns the King, I should come whenever called.”
At those words, Ju Wang laughed brightly.
“Then…!”
“I’ll need to discuss the details with my Master, but naturally, Baekrin Uigak will always answer your summons.”
I was truly grateful.
The imperial family had its pride, and if they were going to provide support, the funding would certainly be substantial.
Moreover, having the pestering flies eliminated was quite the advantage.
‘And he even deliberately plays weak.’
This man pretended otherwise while being quite the schemer.
There were still countless artists in the capital who had fallen for his tricks in the past and shed tears whenever it rained.
I spoke.
“If the King permits, I wonder if it might be acceptable for me to personally recommend capable Medical Assistants from among those I’ve trained.”
“Ohhh! Of course it’s acceptable! Just give me the names. I’ll recommend them immediately!”
With Ju Wang’s guarantee, a free pass to official positions had opened up.
‘The lab assistants need recognition too, so they’ll have motivation to work.’
Yoo Ho and I were the lab’s eternal fixtures, but Sang Ui-won and the middle-aged men each had their own families and ambitions.
The monthly stipend from Baekrin Uigak was not insignificant, but the workload demanded in return was equally harsh.
In this era, an official position far exceeded such compensation.
It wasn’t merely about reaching the imperial palace—even positions appointed by the royal court or provincial governments came with salaries and authority sufficient to sustain one’s family for life.
Moreover, in a hierarchical society, a family serving in office became influential simply through that status alone, and for a commoner, no greater elevation existed.
‘I should pave the way properly so that managing them becomes easier for me.’
And since I was paving it anyway, I wanted to construct not merely a road, but an eight-lane expressway.
Yoo Ho had constantly threatened my life from the moment I first met him, so double servitude was confirmed, but the other children were different.
Ju Wang spoke.
“However, since this recommendation bears my name, they must be exceptionally talented. I trust my Baekrin Uigak and Seo Baek-ryong, but with the royal court’s name attached, you must be mindful of this.”
“You need not worry about that aspect.”
“You seem confident.”
I nodded.
Baekrin Uigak’s system for cultivating doctors.
Jegalling had laid the foundation, successive patriarchs had refined it, and I had modified it once more through practical application.
I had every reason to be confident.
Thus the transaction between the two of us concluded.
It was the moment when the names of Baekrin Uigak and Seo Baek-ryong would rise even higher.
* * *
The snow that had begun falling upon my arrival grew steadily heavier.
Lying upon silk quilts, I could hear the distant sound of snow falling.
A long-awaited rest.
At first, uncertain how to proceed, I felt lost, and attempted to take the pulses of the ailing in the royal court, but decided against it.
I subtly broached the subject and gauged their reactions, sensing that the royal physicians showed little enthusiasm for my proposal.
‘Hmm… I should apply the brakes here.’
So with the social skills honed through long experience, I quickly shifted my mental gears into neutral and smoothly redirected the conversation elsewhere.
Returning to my guest quarters, I consulted my Master on this matter.
Upon hearing my account, Jegalling spoke thus.
“My disciple reads the room well.”
“It seems my workload hasn’t decreased, only become more complicated.”
“Hmm, a Gangho physician and a royal physician are quite different. Gangho physicians desperately need every pair of hands, but royal physicians guard against their own duties diminishing.”
Differences in values were always difficult.
Especially in a hierarchical society where matters of face and power struggles existed, the complications ran far deeper.
“Haha, because of such issues, there are quite a few physicians who, even after entering the royal court or imperial palace, cannot adapt and end up demoted to provincial posts of their own accord.”
“I see.”
“With your perceptiveness, you would adapt well even as an imperial physician, but trial and error is inevitable. In that sense, your quick redirection of the conversation was sound judgment.”
A small mercy, perhaps.
I nodded.
“Power in this place doesn’t come from medical skill, does it?”
“You’ve grasped that much already. Correct. No matter how skilled a royal physician may be, if the patient cannot trust their medicine, it becomes meaningless. It’s about trust more than skill. Connections. That’s why which imperial family recommends you matters, and where you pledged yourself before that recommendation also matters.”
“But if I cannot treat the imperial family successfully, wouldn’t all of this be for naught?”
“That’s also true. That’s why it’s such a complicated place. There are many doctors from Baekrin Uigak positioned throughout the imperial palace for such reasons. Since their skills are guaranteed and they remain neutral, it’s better to seek them from the Gangho. However, even so, they haven’t been able to rise to the highest positions.”
“Since Ju Wang has said he will lend his support to the recommendation this time, things have worked out well.”
“That matter deserves praise for my disciple many times over… Cheon-hee. You truly are a blessing.”
Jegalling gently stroked his favored disciple’s head.
“The Medical Guild is truly a complicated position. Depending on how it’s operated, the fates of countless doctors are determined, and the survival of patients who receive treatment from those doctors is also decided.”
“You mean I should use whatever helps, then.”
“Exactly. Look far ahead, but when the time comes, don’t be choosy about means and methods. In that sense, it was good that you didn’t express anger toward Hwaju Yakson.”
I wasn’t actually angry. There was a patient, so I simply went there.
However, it seemed others mistook it as me holding back my anger.
Jegalling continued speaking.
“This time, Hwaju Yakson couldn’t see far ahead and passed the credit for immediate revenge. If things are operated that way, the doctors who follow him will eventually become obsolete, and it will become troublesome.”
“Then is it better never to seek revenge?”
Jegalling smiled languidly.
“No, that’s not it. Just as the body has cancer, life has cancer too. Revenge is the process of excising it. However, once you begin, you must not leave it alive, so preparation takes a long time. It’s like, yes, the cancer resection surgery you’re attempting now.”
Cancer resection surgery is different from ordinary surgery.
It’s not just about excising and finishing—you must also visually examine the surrounding area for other tumors and remove them.
Furthermore, you must cut out the lymph nodes near the tissue as widely as possible to prevent any possible recurrence.
Even after that, you must examine the tissue results and employ chemotherapy or radiation treatment to uproot it completely.
If you excise it carelessly, the cancer cells grow stronger and reappear.
When that happens, you cannot guarantee the patient’s life.
“Cut when you must cut, but cut so widely that it can never rise again. You must set fire to those connected to him and excise them together, and you must factor in his children, relatives, and everything else.”
“….”
“Otherwise, you’ll only repeat the cycle of grudges in the Gangho forever.”
It meant to end things so that even grudges wouldn’t arise.
“Master, is that what you intend to do with Hwaju Uiseon?”
“I’m not sure yet. At this point, I can’t tell if it’s benign or malignant. But a good wind is blowing, so I’ll know soon enough.”
“….”
“Cheon-hee, do I seem like a monster to you?”
Jegalling narrowed his eyes and gazed at his favored disciple.
I shook my head.
“I haven’t experienced enough of the Gangho’s trials to make such a judgment. I only feel the weight of this position.”
I was beginning to understand why Ju Wang, Gungwi, Hyeol-saeng, Yeo Ha-ryun, and so many others called Jegalling mad.
“I understand that Master ultimately makes such choices to protect what’s yours with minimal bloodshed. In that process, some may point fingers and call you cold-blooded, but you’ve accepted that as well.”
“Sometimes I think you’re almost too fine a disciple for me.”
Jegalling gazed at his only person of understanding and successor with an expression he couldn’t quite put into words.
‘This is a difficult matter.’
I fell into thought once more.
‘If such a situation befell me, would I be capable of killing everyone as ruthlessly as Master does?’
The position of Medical Guild Master felt heavy.
Then someone cleared their throat. It was a familiar voice.
I hurried to open the door, and Ju Wang stood before me, meeting my gaze without any attendants present.
“Eun Wang-ya wishes to see me, then.”
* * *
Ju Wang guided me to the annex and said he would remain outside.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“The plum blossoms in the snow possess a certain elegance, don’t they? Besides, that child Eun is far too suspicious. To be such a nuisance when she’s practically on death’s door—it’s beyond tiresome.”
From the beginning, I had noticed that Ju Wang’s words toward Eun Wang-ya were harsh beyond measure. Yet strangely, fragments of affection seemed to linger beneath them.
Subtle as a stain beneath a teapot, it was difficult to discern, but his cruel words were always followed by actions that contradicted them.
I removed the wind-cloak draped over my shoulders.
“White tiger fur.”
“My younger brother in Mudang gave me the hide, so I had it made. Thanks to that, I’ve been using it well.”
“Fine craftsmanship.”
“This should keep you somewhat warmer.”
At my words, the corners of Ju Wang’s eyes softened gently.
“That one called the Military God worries about the cold—you must be the only soul in all creation to do so.”
“Illness visits everyone regardless. Forgive my presumption, Wang-ya.”
I spoke calmly and draped my wind-cloak over Ju Wang’s shoulders.
Ju Wang seemed pleased, letting out a soft laugh—a sound much like a tiger’s rumbling purr.
“Now I understand why that monster Baek Rin is so utterly smitten with you.”
Instead of answering, I bowed slightly and entered the room.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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