47 The Problem

"So what seems to be the problem?" the Imperial Physician asked, his face genial and his hands eagerly rubbing together.

Lan Chang barged past his assistance and plopped Ming Cheng down on the best silk, cushioned chair in the room, laid out calmly sitting in the room with the best view.

The Imperial Physician of the palace perched himself down on the hard wooden stool, his stature a little too short for the position to possible to be comfortable or promoting any sort of focus.

He shuffled a bit, before giving up, and fixing Ming Cheng with a smile.

The man was about to open his mouth to ask the boy what he needed, when he was suddenly interrupted.

"My little brother said that Ming Cheng had been experiencing auditory hallucinations and flashbacks," the Physician's Assistant cut in, a calmer and more serene smile on his face.

He held his baby brother in his arms and closed his eyes, listening to the indignant, offended squawks of the other two adults in the room as if they were the sweetest music one could hear.

"Aren't you the cutest, little bro?" he whispered into the tuft of hair under his chin, placing down a light kiss, before perking up again to give a beaming grin.

"Get out now!" Lan Chang demanded, her whole body shaking with barely constrained rage.

"Wait, no! Leave the child. You, Wang Yue can get out! Haven't you heard of doctor - patient confidentiality!?" she roared, gesticulating with her hands to emphasise each and every point that she made.

Somewhere vaguely off to the side, the ghost wondered if doctor - patient confidentiality even existed back in Ancient Imperial China.

Wang Yue, with a cheery grin and the hum of a happy tune on his lips, placed his little brother carefully down on the floor, before skipping out of the room.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Lan Chang whirled around to fix a glare on the only other adult in the room.

Wang Yuan remained nonplussed, while Ming Cheng remained frozen, trying to process the excessive bouts of anger and emotion that had come out of his guardian.

The ghost remembered back to one particular fanfiction that he had read in an anticipation of writing that scene, especially aware of how he had stayed awake to four AM to finish it all in one sitting.

"Imperial Physician, now you are aware of my son's plight. What can you recommend?" Lan Chang asked, now significantly more composed but still visibly shaking and panting slightly.

As she bowed to the man in front of her, there almost seemed to be the distinct threat of the use of sharp blade, most likely concealed within her sleeves, conveyed to everyone in the room.

The Imperial Physician, in question, made a show of his process of deliberation, oohing and ahhing for a moment, before he was suddenly struck with a faux eureka moment.

"No scalpels," Lan Chang immediately shot back immediately, her eyes sharp and hands still within her sleeves.

"You're lucky that I owe you for an assistant that isn't squeamish."