Chapter 29 — The Medicine Bearer Through the Chaos

Messenger from the Imperial City

A group of horse-drawn carriages carrying the Royal Hospital's flag appeared at the barracks' gate on a chilly morning, causing a stir in the entire military hospital. It's not every day that people see a group of messengers from the capital city of Yen Phung travel all the way to the border just to visit a small military hospital like the Long Mon border.

"What's up?" Nhuoc Lan asked, pulling Tinh Yen's hand to the corner of the yard to look at the approaching convoy. A medical mandarin wearing a dark blue robe embroidered with silver thread stepped down, looking serious, followed by two entourage carrying a lacquered wooden box.

"I don't know." Tinh Yen replied, but a vague premonition made her heart beat faster than usual.

Ky Ba Nghiem personally went to the gate to welcome him, bowing according to official protocol, although his eyes flashed with a rare bit of reserve. The medical officer, after a few brief greetings, was invited straight into the office, and not long after, a soldier was sent to find Tinh Yen.

"The captain summoned you to his office immediately." The soldier said, his voice somewhat tense for her.

Tinh Yen smoothed the hem of her shirt and entered the familiar room, where the strange physician was sitting opposite Ky Ba Nghiem. His sharp eyes swept over her as soon as she entered, as if he were measuring every smallest detail from her gait to her bow.

"This is Do Tinh Yen, the doctor that our military hospital's dispatch reported." Ky Ba Nghiem introduced, his tone was solemn and different from usual.

"I am Nhiep Dinh Toan, I ordered the Chancellor of the Thai Medical Institute to come here to investigate some things." The medical officer spoke, his voice was steady but had the weight of someone used to giving orders in officialdom. "You are the person carrying the white crane jade talisman, claiming to be the disciple of a physician named Thich Lieu Nguyen?"

"My lord, that's right." Tinh Yen replied, bowing her head, trying to keep her voice calm even though she couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Bring out the token." Nhiep Dinh Toan ordered, his voice without any emotion.

Tinh Yen took out half a piece of jade talisman from the red cloth bag and placed it on a small wooden tray brought by an entourage. Nhiep Dinh Toan took it, examined it carefully under the light from the window, and even took out a small magnifying glass to examine each engraved pattern on the jade surface, comparing it with a piece of paper he carried in a lacquered wooden box.

The atmosphere in the room was so tense that Tinh Yen could clearly hear her own heartbeat. She glanced at Ky Ba Nghiem and saw that he was also watching the messenger's every move with an equally attentive expression.

"This is truly a genuine treasure from the Royal Hospital." Finally, Nhiep Dinh Toan spoke up and placed the jade piece back on the tray. "The pattern, the quality of the jade, the engraving technique — all match the archived records of the tokens that have been issued to the Royal Physicians over the past decades. The problem is, this piece of jade belongs to a name that has been removed from the list of current Royal Physicians for a long time — according to official records, the bearer of this token passed away due to illness nearly twenty years ago."

Tinh Yen held her breath. This was the first time she heard an official, albeit indirect, confirmation of what Lieu Nguyen had said before his death—that he had "faked his death" to leave the Royal Hospital.

"My master said he used to be a royal physician, and had to leave everything for a reason he didn't have time to explain before he passed away." She said, choosing each word carefully. "I don't know anything more about what happened, sir."

Nie Dinh Toan looked at her for a long time, his eyes were unpredictable, mixed with suspicion and something like careful scrutiny. "There are names that, once they have disappeared from court records, people do not want them to appear again, even if only in the form of a piece of jade talisman in the hands of an anonymous medical student on the border." He spoke, his voice slow as if he were considering each word. "I don't say this to scare you, but to make you understand that carrying this token is not as simple as you think."

"I understand, sir." Tinh Yen replied, even though inside her mind the questions were piling up more and more.

Nhiep Dinh Toan switched to another file and looked at the report on Tinh Yen's skills and achievements previously sent by Ky Ba Nghiem. "As for your skills, the report from Lieutenant Ky Ba Nghiem shows that you have outstanding abilities beyond your age and training period, especially in the fields of diagnosing rare poisons and treating battlefield emergencies. This is not something that is common in a medic who has never undergone formal training."

He closed the file and looked straight at Tinh Yen. "The Chancellor of the Imperial Hospital, Mr. Kinh Ba Van, has heard the report about your case and expressed his wish to personally consider it. I have been ordered that, if I confirm that the token is genuine and your skills are worthy, I will officially summon you to Yen Phung capital for a comprehensive evaluation - both of the status of the token and your professional capacity, before deciding whether or not to accept you into the Imperial Hospital."

Tinh Yen clasped her hands on her knees, her heart beating rapidly. This was what she had been silently waiting for since the night her master returned the token, but when the moment actually came, she felt an indescribable chaos between hope and fear.

"Do...do you have to leave now?" She asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"There's no need to be in such a hurry." Nhiep Dinh Toan replied, somewhat softer than before. "The fighting on the border has not completely subsided yet. Captain Ky here has also stated that the military hospital is seriously lacking in manpower after the recent massive casualties. Chancellor Kinh Ba Van agrees to give you until the end of spring next year to arrange everything here before leaving for the capital. This is an official decree, you keep it as evidence."

He gave her a scroll sealed with red wax, engraved with the seal of the Royal Hospital. Tinh Yen received it with both hands, feeling the weight of that small piece of paper as if she was carrying a future she had never dared to dream of.

"I obey your orders, sir." She bowed deeply.

After Nhiep Dinh Toan and his entourage left that afternoon, Ky Ba Nghiem held Tinh Yen for a while longer, his eyes looking at her with an indescribable complexity - both proud and a bit like regret.

"I wrote that report two months ago, right after the night without enough lights." he said. "I know clearly, once sent, sooner or later you will have to leave here. But I think, talent like you should not be limited to a small military hospital on the border, even though I don't want to lose such a good doctor."

"I will never forget what you taught me, Captain." Tinh Yen said, her voice choked. "It was you who gave me my first chance to prove myself, when no one else believed in me."

"Don't be so quick to thank me, you still have the whole winter and spring to work here." Ky Ba Nghiem slightly curled his lips, one of the few times he showed a real smile. "And I still have to find a way to train Vu Khac Tuan to be strong enough to take care of the quarantine area for you when you leave."

Tinh Yen laughed lightly, even though her heart was still full of confusion. Stepping out of the office, she stood silently in the middle of the barracks yard, looked at the sealed scroll in her hand, then looked at the distant mountains where the road led to the South, to Yen Phung, the beginning of a new chapter in her life - even though there were still many months before she actually had to leave, from this moment, everything began to change irreversibly.

The news spread through the barracks in a single afternoon. Nhuoc Lan was the first person to run over and hug her, both happy and unable to hide a little disappointment. "Are you really going to become a member of the Royal Hospital? I thought you would stay here with us longer."

"There's still a winter and spring left, it's not like we have to say goodbye yet." Tinh Yen reassured, squeezing your hand. "Besides, no matter how far I go, I won't forget what you taught me in those first days of confusion."

Vu Khac Tuan stood at a distance, did not approach immediately, just nodded slightly when their eyes met, a short gesture but enough to convey the sincere recognition that he had never given to anyone before so easily. Tinh Yen responded with a smile, feeling strangely warm amidst the late winter cold that was creeping throughout the barracks.

That night, when the news had subsided and the barracks returned to its daily routine, Tinh Yen sat alone, opened the sealed scroll and read it again under the light of an oil lamp, each word of the official seal was firmly imprinted on the pale yellow paper. She thought of Nhiep Dinh Toan's warning about names being erased from court records, about how there were people who didn't want them to appear again. A feeling of both excitement and shyness mixed in her heart - the road to Yen Phung was no longer a vague intention, but had become a real decree, bringing with it both opportunities and dangers that she knew she would have to face alone.