Chapter 30 Miracle Doctor Appears

Ning Zhenyuan saw that Old Madam Ning refused to speak, and then looked at the maid Ruyi beside her and said, "You speak."

Ruyi glanced at the cold-faced Mrs. Ning, but refused to speak. She just knelt down and said, "Please punish me, Second Master."

"Mother, it is natural for elders to educate younger generations, but there must be a reason for it. My son needs an explanation." Although Ning Zhenyuan was a little impatient, he still asked patiently, fearing that his words would be too harsh and hurt his mother's feelings.

"Second brother, your sister-in-law had a conflict with the old ancestor today. A-Fu spoke up for your sister-in-law, lost her sense of propriety, and contradicted the old ancestor." Wei came out to smooth things over.

Ning Zhenyuan heard this and spoke for his wife, "Mother, Liu is kind-hearted and would never have bad intentions. She just has a strong temper. Please don't take it personally."

Old Madam Ning calmed down a bit. Her son was on her side after all. "Go back and tell her that she will take over Mu's business tomorrow. If she keeps shirking her responsibilities, don't blame me for being unkind as an elder."

Wei also breathed a sigh of relief. The second brother was always easy to talk to, so he said, "Go back and persuade your sister-in-law. She is also the daughter-in-law of the Duke's Mansion. The affairs of the mansion are also her affairs. Only when the family works together can the Duke's Mansion prosper."

Mrs. Ning happened to arrive at this moment. Seeing Ning Fu who had fainted, she felt heartbroken. Then she looked at Ning Zhenyuan who was respectful and filial to Mrs. Ning, and she was extremely disappointed.

Madam Ning said calmly, "I will take Afu back to the Princess's Mansion tomorrow."

Ning Zhenyuan was stunned, and then Old Madam Ning said coldly: "If you want to go back, go back, no one will stop you." She was sure in her heart that Madam Ning would not go back. She did the same when she took a concubine for her second son, but in the end she still stayed in the mansion.

Besides, it’s not so easy to go back to the princess’s mansion nowadays.

She is the elder, how can she be threatened by a junior?

"What's going on?" Ning Zhenyuan frowned.

Madam Ning ignored him and just lowered her head to look at Ning Fu. The doctor had already arrived and gave Ning Fu an injection, and she slowly woke up.

"Father." Ning Fu's eyes turned red when she saw Ning Zhenyuan.

Ning Zhenyuan looked at her red and swollen knees and felt distressed. "What did I teach you? How could you contradict grandma?"

Nymph pushed him away, stared at him and said, "Father, why didn't you ask me first? Why would I contradict Grandmother? What Grandmother said must be right? What if I told Father that Grandmother would send Mother back to the Princess's Mansion first?"

Ning Zhenyuan was stunned and immediately looked at his wife, but his wife didn't even look at him.

No wonder my wife would say something like that about the Princess's Mansion.

Wei tried to smooth things over, "Afu, your grandmother was just speaking in anger."

"Is it just said in anger? Or is it because you know in your heart that as long as I am here, mother will not be able to leave me and return to the princess's mansion, so grandma has no scruples about saying these hurtful words?" Ning Fu said softly.

Old Mrs. Ning's face turned unhappy as her thoughts were hit.

"I will protect my mother by myself. Even if there is a next time, I will still do the same. The worst that can happen is that I will kneel and die here. As long as my grandmother doesn't apologize to my mother, I will not come to Qinyuan." Ning Fu said softly but firmly.

Mrs. Ning looked at her daughter, turned her back and wiped her tears.

"Also, there is no room for negotiation regarding the accounts of the Duke's Mansion. My mother will not take care of it unless she is allowed to find someone to check the accounts from three years ago from beginning to end. Only after confirming that they are correct will I agree to let my mother take over." Ning Fu said.

However, Old Madam Ning did not say it frankly. It was obvious that she knew some of the accounts of the Duke's Mansion.

Wei felt guilty.

At this point, Ning Zhenyuan had an idea in his mind. He had always known that his mother got along better with his eldest sister-in-law and favored her more. However, he and Ning Zhenxiu were brothers, so he did not care. Even when the eldest wife took care of all the household expenses, he did not say much.

Everyone knows how much money the person in charge of the household can make. He is tacitly allowing the first wife to gain more benefits. Since they are all his family, he is willing to suffer a little loss.

But he didn't expect that after knowing the situation in the mansion, his mother wanted his wife to use her dowry to make up for the trouble caused by the first wife.

Ning Zhenyuan was heartbroken.

He looked at his wife again, feeling guilty. Now that his daughter had grown up, she could speak up for her, but what about before? Did she have to bear it all by herself? If his daughter didn't kneel down today, then the one who would kneel down and faint would be his wife.

His mother took advantage of the fact that he was on her side to suppress his wife, but his wife tolerated him everywhere because she loved him. This contrast made him feel more sorry for his wife.

Ning Zhenyuan also knew that if this problem was not resolved properly, there would be another one in the future.

"Mother will take you back to the princess's mansion tomorrow." Madam Ning said to Ning Fu.

Nymph glanced at her father and nodded.

Mrs. Ning suddenly felt her palms warm. She lowered her eyes and saw that it was Ning Zhenyuan holding her hand.

"Mother, you are also a married woman, you should know how difficult it is for a married woman to return to her husband's home. Liu was the one my son personally asked to marry. If you drive her away, you are slapping my son in the face." Ning Zhenyuan said earnestly, "My son hopes you will apologize to Liu."

Old Madam Ning was so embarrassed that she refused to say a word. It was impossible to ask her to apologize to Liu.

"Just think of it as your son begging you." Ning Zhenyuan looked at her and said.

Old Madam Ning was also disappointed and said, "Who do you think I am doing this for? Do I really dislike her? Isn't everything I have done in my life for the Duke's Mansion?"

But Mrs. Ning overlooked one point. She was indeed thinking about the Duke's Mansion, but the trouble was caused by the first wife, and it was not right to blame the second wife for not helping to deal with it.

Many elders suffered a lot from the hardships among their sisters-in-law when they were young, but when they get old they become confused and like to "rob the rich to help the poor", asking for money from their well-off children to subsidize their poor children.

The most taboo thing for the oldest person is crossing the line.

Mrs. Ning had no hope. Ning Zhenyuan always valued family unity, so he slowly withdrew his hand.

But before he could pull it back, Ning Zhenyuan grabbed it again.

She couldn't help but glance at the man next to her, only to see that the man had a firm look in his eyes.

Ning Zhenyuan looked at Old Lady Ning for a moment, smoothed his clothes, knelt down, and said, "In that case, our second branch should go out and buy a new house. This way, mother can distinguish between the second branch and the first branch. Although we live under the same roof, we can lead our own lives."

Everyone was stunned.

Mrs. Ning never dreamed that her son would say something like moving out. Her eyes became red and she asked, "Don't you even want me, your old mother, anymore?"

Ning Zhenyuan smiled bitterly and said, "It was mother who didn't want me. Whether it was taking a concubine before or saying such harsh words to Liu, mother, it was all for your own sake, not for me. Mother has caused unrest in my family, so I have to stay away from her. Mother is just relying on her son's indifference to suppress Liu."

Old Mrs. Ning was speechless.

"In addition, it is impossible for Liu's dowry to be used to subsidize the Duke's Mansion. Whoever started the fire is responsible for putting it out." Ning Zhenyuan was the Minister of Rites. When he was serious, he was intimidating without even getting angry.

Wei didn't dare to speak again.

"Second Master, these words are really hurtful to our ancestors." Ruyi said.

Ning Zhenyuan ignored him, knelt down and kowtowed three times, saying: "My son is unfilial, but my son only has Liu as his wife. If I don't protect her, I will be unworthy of her husband. Besides, I have stood up for mother too many times... Mother, please think about it yourself."

After saying these words, Ning Zhenyuan took his wife and daughter and returned to Heting Garden without looking back.

"If father had done this earlier, mother wouldn't have to suffer." Ning Fu's knee couldn't heal in a short time, so she came back in a sedan chair.

Ning Zhenyuan felt guilty and said, "I will never let your mother suffer any injustice again."

It was just a look, but he was looking at Madam Ning.

Ning Fu breathed a sigh of relief. She was willing to be punished to kneel today because she had calculated the time when Ning Zhenyuan would return home. Her father's attitude made her feel that this self-torture was worth it.

…

That night, Ning Zhenxiu, the Duke of Ningguo, returned home.

Ning Zhenyuan chatted with him until midnight. When he came back, he did not mention the matter of dividing the family, but he was no longer as close to his brother as before.

At the moment, Ning Fu does not want the family to split up. There are many people targeting her father, so in the eyes of outsiders, the more united the Duke's Mansion is, the better.

Her purpose was only to change the mother-son relationship between my father and my grandmother. As long as my father was firm, my grandmother would not embarrass my mother in the future, and my aunt would also be restrained. Even if they really wanted to separate the family in the future, it would not be too difficult.

Furthermore, if this had not happened, my father would probably still be willing to help my aunt out of consideration for the brotherly love, and the matter of household expenses would have to be delayed for a while. If it was delayed any further, the Duke's Mansion might really collapse.

Ningfu and her mother discussed this self-torture tactic, which also cut off the possibility of her father lending money to the first wife.

After four or five days, Old Madam Ning came to Zhuyuan in person to see Ning Fu who was recuperating from her injuries.

Just as Nymph thought, her father's attitude determined her grandmother's attitude.

"But you still blame grandma?" the old lady sighed.

The old lady's willingness to come in person was a disguised apology. Nymph shook her head and gave her a way out: "My attitude was not good that day and I hurt grandma's feelings."

Old Madam Ning was quite pleased. She took out a carved wooden box and said, "I asked someone to make this pair of jade earrings a few days ago. You can give them to your mother later."

"Mother will like it." Nymph smiled.

Old Mrs. Ning looked at her granddaughter. In fact, she was willing to apologize not only to ease the relationship with her son, but also for her own face. Now she knew how protective her granddaughter was, and she didn't want her granddaughter to really ignore her.

Not long after the old lady left, Wei also came.

After asking her a few words of concern, he began to ask about Mrs. Ning's whereabouts.

"Aunt, please tell me if you have anything to say." Nymph said.

"What I want to say, I have to tell your mother. You are still young, and I can't explain it to you clearly." Wei smiled perfunctorily, but anyone who saw this smile would know that she had something on her mind.

Ning Fu spread a stack of banknotes in front of her. After seeing the denominations on them, Wei's smile froze on her face.

"Here are 20,000 taels. The rest can be used as monthly allowances. Within a year, I should be able to pay off my aunt's debts." Nymph said.

Wei was shocked. She didn't know how Ningfu knew the exact number. But if she knew it, why didn't she report it to the ancestor?

Ning Fu also thought of this point of her suspicion. Thanks to her previous life, although she knew the amount, she really had no evidence, otherwise she would not have let her do it. Now she played along and said, "Auntie should know the number. I was showing some mercy."

Wei was in mixed emotions and said, "Thank you."

"We in the second house have no shortage of money, but eldest brother is in need of making connections right now, and everything costs money. If this matter is dragged on, it will not benefit the first house. If it delays eldest brother's career, eldest aunt will definitely regret it." Ning Fu said.

This is what Wei was most worried about. The private money in her hands would not last long. She could have asked her second brother for money, but now it was impossible, so she could only come to the second house to discuss this matter.

"I can help my elder brother with money and fill his holes. I want my aunt to give up her power. It depends on her choice."

Since Wei came to find her, there was no time to delay any longer. Settling the matter privately with the second wife was already the best way. After she confessed to her husband, he scolded her and asked her to hand over all the household affairs to the second wife.

Ning Fu smiled amiably and said, "Aunt, please tell my mother the result of your discussion. As for the fact that I am settling the account for you, just treat it as if you don't owe her that much. Tell her to halve the amount. As for how to handle the account for my mother, Aunt should know."

She didn't want her mother to know that she was doing business without telling her. If the amount was small, her mother would think she was taking private money.

Wei just thought that Ning Fu was afraid that Madam Ning would feel distressed, and did not think much about it. However, she had some idea in her mind that the girl from the second house was not simple.

Once Wei figured out the matter, the handover was quick.

She discussed it with Madam Ning and then went to inform Old Madam Ning. Although the old lady had some doubts in her heart, she didn't want to cause any more unhappiness between the two families, so she let them handle it themselves.

Ning Fu met Wei Ziyi after the matter was settled. At that time, Ning Fu was basking in the sun in the courtyard. Seeing her, she couldn't help but teasing, "Sister Wei, are you blaming me?"

"I'm afraid you don't want to see me." Wei Ziyi said.

Although the maid who came with her as a dowry complained to her that the first wife had lost her power and it would be inconvenient for the son-in-law to do things in the future and he would have to ask the second wife for help, she didn't think that Nymph would treat her like that.

Ning Fu took her hand and said, "Sister Wei, although I had an unpleasant quarrel with the eldest wife this time, my feelings for my eldest brother remain unchanged. If my eldest brother needs any help, just come to me."

What Wei did was wrong, but that was Wei’s fault. She would not implicate Sister Ran and Big Brother.

Wei Ziyi was very touched and said, "I know that it was my mother-in-law who was wrong, but my husband also thought so, and he also thought that you were right."

Ning Fu thought for a moment and said, "Sister Wei, if your aunt has any problems with you, you must tell your brother immediately. If you choose to forbear, it may not be useful. On the contrary, it will make your brother mistakenly think that your aunt treats you well."

Wei Ziyi nodded, but she was still young and didn't know if she really heard it.

"Your knee is injured, can you still go out and fly a kite with me?" Wei Ziyi asked.

"It's a little difficult to run right now, but walking is no problem." Nymph said with a smile.

It is early spring now, the snow has just melted, and the trees have grown new branches. By noon, the sun is very warm, and even if you take off your cloak, you will not feel cold.

Ning Fu and Wei Ziyi's kite flying was fake, the real reason was that they went out of the house to do business.

But a few days ago, Fu Jiahui sent her a secret letter telling her that a ragged middle-aged man had come to Nuanxiang Pavilion and could not be driven away.

Ning Fu knew the man's identity and was afraid that he was related to Doctor Mu. When her legs and feet got better, she would take the opportunity to leave the house with Wei Ziyi.

When passing by Nuanxiang Pavilion, I saw crowds of people and a long line.

"This shop is doing really good business." Wei Ziyi lifted the curtain.

Nymph smiled slightly: "Sister Wei, do you want to go down and take a look?"

Wei Ziyi said with some embarrassment: "You also know the recent situation of the eldest house. If I buy these and bring them back, my mother-in-law will be unhappy."

Ningfu sighed in her heart. She still cared too much about Wei's opinion. It was a big deal if she spent her own dowry. But if Wei was also eyeing this, she was too petty.

The two of them went into the shop and looked around. Nymph saw the ragged man at first sight. Although he was not the person she guessed, he was not far away.

She only took a glance and then looked away. She ordered two more boxes of Snow Skin Cream. When she paid the bill, she asked the steward Zhang Zhong to settle the middle-aged man before she left with Wei Ziyi.

The weather is nice, and there are many ladies going out for fun.

As soon as Zong Ning saw Ning Fu, she followed and said, "Sister Ning, this kite is so small."

Nymph's kite was a small titmouse, blue and gold in color. How could Mrs. Ning's dowry not be enviable? Even the kite was one in a million.

"I heard that the war in the north is going very well. When will the second and third young masters return to the capital?" Ning Fu asked in greeting.

Zong Ning said enthusiastically: "When I have news, I will tell Sister Ning immediately."

Ning Fu thought of the letter sent by Zong Si. Zong Ning wanted to match her up with Zong Duo, so she could only smile and say nothing.

"What's wrong with Sister Ning's legs?" Zong Ning noticed her inflexible legs again.

"I was slightly injured." Ning Fu didn't say much. She didn't want outsiders to know about the affairs of the Duke's Mansion.

Zong Ning wanted to find out more about her so that he could report to his second brother, but she also had to take care of the female monarch who came with her today, so she quickly said goodbye to Ning Fu.

Ning Fu had difficulty walking, so she didn't stay with Wei Ziyi for long and planned to return home, but before leaving, she went to Nuanxiang Pavilion again.

"There are problems with these two boxes of Snow Skin Cream. I'm going to return them. Sister Wei, please wait for me in the carriage for a while." Ning Fu said.

Ning Fu went to the backyard of Nuanxiang Pavilion, where the middle-aged man had been sitting for a while.

"Uncle Song, you must have had a hard time on the journey. Come with me and have some tea." Ning Fu walked to the middle-aged man and said softly.

…

A wisp of fragrance wafts from under the eaves.

"How do you know me?" The middle-aged man stroked his beard with suspicion in his eyes.

Ning Fu thought, of course it's because I've seen you before, but she pretended to be mysterious and said, "I'm an old acquaintance of Doctor Mu, and I heard him talk about you."

The man laughed and said, "Why lie, girl? I know everyone around him."

Nymph said: "I am not lying, I do know him." But not in this life.

"The doctor was very curious about where you got this prescription. It was his unique style of prescribing medicine, but there was one ingredient in the prescription that even he himself didn't know. After reading your prescription, the doctor suddenly understood."

Ning Fu used this as bait to get a chance to meet Divine Doctor Mu, saying, "I need to explain this to Divine Doctor Mu in person. Uncle Song can tell the Divine Doctor that I want to meet him."

After Ning Fu finished speaking, her eyes moved to the curtain behind her, but she didn't know why the curtain of this secret room was drawn.

…

Behind a curtain, Zong Si seemed to be thinking about something.

This is quite interesting. Doctor Mu himself does not know the prescription.