Chapter 103 (Combined Chapter)

Xiao Jingshi also had a fellow townsman named Zhang Mianxue, who was a government official in the capital before being transferred to Fuqing as a county magistrate. After that, he lived a secluded life at home. Then there was Cen Yuan, who, after mourning his parents' death, also obtained the position of assistant prefect and was no longer in the capital.

They couldn't count on him. A couple of days ago, Madam Xie invited them to go on a pilgrimage together. The son of a senior official in the Ministry of Justice she introduced was slightly less handsome and didn't seem to be from a wealthy family.

There's nothing wrong with such worldly choices; getting married means considering so many things.

Back then, Xu Erpeng would specifically choose men who were good-looking, healthy, from good families, and talented. Did she and her daughter choose men who were less than good? Although Madam Xie didn't say anything, she clearly felt that they were too picky.

“You’re so outstanding, it’s alright if you’re a little picky. If your father gets promoted to a third-rank official, we won’t have to worry about anything,” Miaozhen comforted her daughter, afraid that she would feel burdened.

Many women clearly just want to choose a suitable person, but they are accused of being picky and forced to comply.

Of course, Fu Jie knew that her mother wanted her to marry well. This so-called "marrying well" did not necessarily mean a very good family background, but it had to be a promising young man.

Naturally, Fu Jie'er's marriage soon took a turn for the better. First, when she visited the Pingjiang Earl's Mansion, she caught the eye of the Duke's wife, who said that her second son was still unmarried. The Duke's second son was a nobleman, and although he could not inherit the title in the future, he could still benefit from her favor.

The imperial examination system was extremely difficult, and not everyone could pass it. However, those who inherited titles through hereditary privilege were usually from places like the Five Military Commands.

However, there were so many families who wanted to marry into the government, and Miaozhen was well aware of how to choose a daughter of a prefect.

She then inquired with Zhao Rui and found that there were very few people in the capital as young as Zhao Rui, who were trusted by the emperor and held great power.

When Zhao Rui asked Miao Zhen about the second son of the Ye family, he was very clever and made no attempt to hide anything: "Madam Xu, it was not I who spoke ill of others behind their backs. But I would feel uneasy if I didn't tell you. To tell you the truth, the concubine of the second son of the Ye family is pregnant. Although she has been sent outside the estate and it has been done very discreetly, people who are interested know about it."

In front of Zhao Rui, Miaozhen naturally wouldn't mention the Ye family's proposal to marry Fu Jie'er, but instead feigned a smile and said, "If she gives birth to the eldest son, it wouldn't be good, would it?"

“That’s right. With the eldest son born out of wedlock ahead of us, we’ll have to fight over money and land. Occupying the position of the eldest son, it’ll be hard to say what will happen in the future,” Zhao Rui said with a smile.

Miaozhen glanced at him: "I didn't expect that Young Master Zhao would know so much at such a young age."

Zhao Rui chuckled and said, "I now work for the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and we know some secrets that others don't. But knowing too much isn't a good thing either. As you can see, I don't want to know these unpleasant things."

Miaozhen echoed her sentiments, and upon returning home, she immediately declined the marriage proposal from the Duke of Ye's mansion.

Soon, Fu Jie'er and Gao Shi went to the home of Grand Secretary Qiao. Soon, someone came to inquire about them. The person in question was Sun Qi, the grandson of Vice Minister of Rites. His father was also a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and served as an official in Xuanda.

"Although this young master Qi's father is only currently serving as a prefectural judge, he has connections in higher positions, which will make him more likely to be promoted in the future. He is also from Hangzhou Prefecture, and your third uncle said that young master Qi writes quite well."

Originally, Lady Gao thought the son of a Hanlin Academy reader would be better, but after seeing that this young master Qi was handsome and talented, she also preferred him.

The Qi family was very sincere, and Miaozhen couldn't just agree to anything that came to her door; she had to investigate further.

Fu Jie'er felt that her mother was like a busy little bee, with a lot of writing on the paper, such as the advantages of both sides and the addition of talent, which she still couldn't understand.

While Miaozhen was inquiring with her daughter, she saw that someone had invited her to see a doctor, promising a consultation fee of twenty taels of silver and two bolts of brocade. It was the home of the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

“I’m coming over now, Sister Fu, you come with me too.”

In any case, teaching my daughter how to see a doctor is still the most important thing.

A few days after giving birth, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Xue family, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, suffered from fever, headache, chills, and pain in her ribs. Her family had heard that Miaozhen was in the capital, so they quickly sent someone to invite her over.

Miaozhen first took her pulse and saw that her pulse was floating and rapid, her nose was congested and her phlegm was white. She then looked at the front of her and couldn't help but shake her head: "This grandmother's illness is similar to the second Yang syndrome of typhoid fever, but it is not the Taiyang syndrome of typhoid fever, nor is it the Shaoyang syndrome of typhoid fever. It is entirely caused by the imbalance of Yin and Yang due to the deficiency of both Qi and blood. It is only similar to typhoid fever. Why did you prescribe ephedra and bupleurum? It is an external syndrome, not an internal syndrome."

The woman's caregiver remarked, "No wonder our grandmother's condition is getting worse and worse."

Miaozhen, having roughly understood the situation, then asked, "Did the mother have any blood clots?"

Upon hearing that there were blood clots, Miaozhen added a few herbs to the prescription for Sheng Hua Tang before telling the family, "Take it for two days, and I will come back for a follow-up visit in two days."

On the way back, Miaozhen carefully told Fu Jie'er, "Don't be fooled by appearances when you have this kind of illness. Postpartum hemorrhage already causes blood deficiency, and the heavy sweating will make you even weaker. The chuanxiong and ginger in Sheng Hua Tang can also dispel wind and cold."

"If the new mother still has a fever, add eight parts of Angelica dahurica and four parts of Asarum heterotropoides. Angelica dahurica is for relieving headaches, and Asarum heterotropoides can also relieve headaches and nasal congestion."

...

Fu Jie listened attentively and took notes, feeling that she had benefited greatly. She said, "Mother, it's all thanks to you for teaching me all the time. Madam Ming even praised my medical skills. But where are my medical skills? It's all thanks to Mother's teaching."

"You have such a sweet tongue. I'll go see Madam Ming again in a few days." Miaozhen knew that her daughter's acupuncture skills were now excellent, and she could handle even the most common illnesses in the family.

But the more this happened, the stricter the demands became on her.

Doctors certainly earn more, but if they make even the slightest mistake, they could face imprisonment.

Miaozhen had thought she could rest after returning home, but unexpectedly, Madam Chen's daughter from the Pingjiang Marquis's mansion was unable to give birth. Miaozhen had no choice but to go there immediately. She first told Madam Chen the truth: "It's not that the baby won't come out, it's a stillbirth."

"What is stillbirth?" Mrs. Chen's heart pounded as she listened.

"A stillbirth means the baby has died in the womb. The pregnant woman's tongue will be bluish-black. If you agree to deliver the stillborn baby, please sign the paperwork first, and I will prescribe the medication."

Fu Jie'er thought that her mother and Madam Chen had a very good relationship, so why did they have to sign documents? She didn't understand, and obviously the new mother's family also felt uncomfortable with it.

"You'd better think about it quickly. If it doesn't work out, you'll have to find another doctor," Miaozhen said.

Madam Chen always trusted Miaozhen, so she had her son-in-law agree. Miaozhen had him put his fingerprint on the medicine, and then Miaozhen prescribed Pingwei Powder. She used wine and water to decoct the powder until it was about 80% done, and then added Glauber's salt. After taking the medicine, the stillborn fetus was immediately delivered, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Miao Zhen then prescribed a mild tonic. The Chen family thought that this female doctor Xu was not the kind of person who liked to say nice things, but her medical skills were indeed very strong.

As soon as they left the Earl's residence, Fu'er asked this question, "Mother, aren't you afraid the Chen family will be angry? We're all so familiar with each other."

“What’s the use of being so familiar? If you can’t cure the illness, you’ll just have to wait to be blamed. Let me tell you, doctors and patients should never be friends. Just do things normally according to the rules. Protecting yourself is more important than anything else,” Miaozhen said.

Fu Jie'er listened to her mother the most. Originally, she thought that Madam Ming was good to her, but now she thought that she couldn't be too familiar with her. Therefore, when she went to the Yun Jian Marquis's residence, she was much more polite, rarely taking an extra step, and not as lively as before.

Madam Ming thought she was bothered by her former daughter-in-law's previous visit, and said to Zhao Rui, "That Zhou woman is really outrageous. Now, I'm afraid even outsiders know about our family's messy affairs. Even the Xiao family girl who helped me with moxibustion before is afraid to say a word. Sigh."

"Mother, I have something I'd like to discuss with you." Zhao Rui pursed her lips.

Just as Madam Ming was about to ask what was going on, she saw Second Madam Zhao come over and talk about the marriage of the eldest son of the Zhao family. Madam Ming asked her son to leave and discussed it with her second daughter-in-law.

It would be better to settle the eldest son's marriage as soon as possible; otherwise, it would be bad to keep giving that woman something to talk about.

Meanwhile, Miaozhen and her daughter were having a great time in the capital. Lou Qiongyu was also helping her children find partners. Xiao Jingtang was still studying at the Southern Academy, but most of the students there were prostitutes. He used to be under his brother's control, but when he arrived in Jinling, he was like a mouse in a rice jar.

Qin Ying, who was by his side, often cooked for Xiao Jingtang's "friends" in order to secure her position. Those people were also obedient, calling her "sister-in-law" as if she were the legal wife. Qin Ying listened with a smile.

Xiao Jingtang was also shrewd in business. He didn't have a lot of money, but he had traveled all over the country and had some experience. He was able to save two or three thousand taels for his own use. Qin Ying also took a portion of it and kept it for herself.

She initially gave birth to a daughter, but later gave birth to two sons in a row, which made Xiao Jingtang dote on her even more.

Outside, Xiao Jingtang was reading the letter Lou Qiongyu had sent. This time, it was probably another request for money. It was always the same. Only Wei Jie'er and Miao Ge'er were with their parents at home, and they had given them countless good things. Now, they were asking him for money again.

The family hasn't separated yet, and the money he's given is mostly for socializing, which is barely enough to get by.

He continued reading, and all Lou Qiongyu did was ask for money and urge him to follow his fourth brother to become an official. She said that Xiao Qing had become a county magistrate, registrar, or even an official after following Xiao Jingshi, so why shouldn't he go? She also said that Miao Ge'er and Wei Jie'er were being criticized.

"His old habit has kicked in again," Xiao Jingtang scoffed.

Qin Ying, who was bringing in tea, said, "What's wrong with you? Speaking of which, I still have two hundred taels of silver. Should I ask someone to take it back to Sixth Madam?"

"Give it to her, give it to her. I earned all this by selling silk myself, running my feet raw and drinking until my stomach was sore. I'm giving it all to her." He hadn't passed the imperial examination, nor had he become an official. He wasn't as wealthy as his second brother, who was in business, nor as well-connected as his fourth brother, who was an official. His money was limited.

Especially in recent years, the family business has not been as good as before.

Qin Ying secretly pursed her lips, looking down on Lou Qiongyu, but still forced a smile and said, "Yes, I'll go and get it later. But, is there anything else at home?"

Xiao Jingtang tossed the letter aside, put his hands behind his back, and looked out the window: "She just wants me to work under Fourth Brother, but she has no idea about Fourth Brother's temper. If I'm not careful, I'll get a severe scolding. Not everyone can handle that."

The reason they don't work together is to maintain a good brotherly relationship, and besides, that Lou woman isn't someone who gets along with Fourth Sister-in-law.

Qin Ying dared not say anything about such a topic. Although Xiao Jingtang seemed to dote on her, he did not allow her to say anything when it came to Lou Qiongyu. If she said a few more words, Xiao Jingtang would scold her for being nosy.

Of course, Xiao Jingtang was still a good-natured person. According to the servants of the Xiao family, Xiao Jingshi, the fourth son of the Xiao family, had the most explosive temper. He was especially spoiled from childhood to adulthood. Although Xiao Jingtang was the youngest, Xiao Jingshi had been nestled in Ren Shi's arms since he was a child, and anyone who came near would be beaten by him.

On the contrary, Xiao Jingtang, the youngest of the second wife, had the best temper and could accept anything.

Qin Ying thought that Lou Qiongyu's family background wasn't particularly good, and she wasn't an outstanding person either, but even though Xiao Jingtang had taken a concubine, he was still good to the family.

However, when Lou Qiongyu saw the two hundred taels of silver, she dismissed it with disdain, saying, "What can this little bit of money do? We have to send seventy or eighty taels to Mr. Miao every year. Wei Jie is only twelve or thirteen years old. With the price of gold so high these days, she'll run out of money if we make more jewelry."

Fangyi advised from the side, "Grandma, why bother getting angry with them? It's probably all because of that woman surnamed Qin."

“Sigh, last time my fourth uncle wrote, he said that he had invited a famous scholar from Shandong, a man who had been ranked second in the imperial examination, to tutor Zhao-ge’er. How can our Miao-ge’er compare to him?” Lou Qiongyu felt sad when she mentioned this.

“Mother, you’re mistaken about that,” Wei’er said as she walked in. “It’s not that a good teacher guarantees a good student. Ultimately, it depends on how hard one works. Many children from humble backgrounds have achieved great things. Although our family isn’t as powerful as our fourth uncle’s, if my brother is more ambitious, he will definitely rise to a higher level.”

Lou Qiongyu smiled and said, "Why are you here? Weren't you at your grandmother's?"

"Grandmother was a little tired and went to rest, so I came here. Speaking of which, it seems that my eldest aunt's health is not very good. Grandmother is quite worried about her and said that it would be good if my fourth aunt were at home." Wei-jie'er missed her eldest sister a little.

Lou Qiongyu wasn't very happy about this, but she didn't want to show it in front of her daughter. She first had two plates of pastries served, and then said, "You're a young lady now. I heard that the Prefect is coming to our house in a few days. Your uncle said that the Prefect has a son who is two or three years older than you and is doing very well in his studies."

Lou Qiongyu is the worst off in the family because her husband is useless.

Most young women would feel very embarrassed to talk about this, and Wei Jie was no exception. She was in a hurry to leave, but Lou Qiongyu pulled her to stay, saying, "You're not young anymore, so don't end up like me."

Of course, Wei-jie knew that her mother was like a widow. Although her second uncle also had a concubine, almost all of his money was kept by his second aunt, Han. Her fourth uncle only had his fourth aunt as a wife. Only her parents had a bad relationship, and her father had found another wife.

But she was still young and didn't know how to comfort her, so she just said, "Big sister isn't engaged yet either."

"That's because your fourth aunt wants to marry her daughter off to a higher social class." Lou Qiongyu thought that Xu Miaozhen was just the daughter of a minor merchant family who had donated money to become an official, and was far inferior to the Xiao family, yet she successfully rose to power. She figured that Xu Miaozhen would naturally want to replicate her daughter's path of marrying off to a higher social class.

After listening to her mother's words, Wei-jie returned to her room with a heavy heart. At this time, Madam Ren had already gotten up. Knowing that it was hot, she was very considerate of her and told her not to move around.

Master Xiao was drinking with Madam Ren. They were both drinking chilled wine. After they had drunk two cups, he said, "Jing Shi said that my daughter-in-law was personally brought by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and has already gone to the capital to treat the Prince Yu's heir. The Prince Yu is now the eldest son. When he ascends the throne, the Prince Yu's heir will definitely be the crown prince. That's very good, very good indeed."

“I was shocked to hear this. You said the daughter-in-law is good at treating patients, but what if she isn’t?” Mrs. Ren was very worried.

After a moment of contemplation, Master Xiao recalled his son telling him that he had offended the Marquis of Yunjian's family and should have been transferred back to the capital, but instead he was appointed as the prefect of Jinan Prefecture. If his daughter-in-law could make connections with the Prince Yu's family this time, what would the Marquis of Yunjian dare to do?

After all, Governor Lu, Minister Huang, and their son had always been on very good terms, and the current Grand Secretary Xu had also been their son's teacher.

So, he looked at his wife and said, "Jing Shi's wife is a shrewd person. Back then, she was only thirteen or fourteen years old when she was able to climb up to the Cheng family in Jinling. This shows that she is capable of something that ordinary young girls cannot do."

Aside from cowardly and insecure men, most men in the world prefer capable women.

In fact, Zhao Rui found an opportunity to talk to Madam Ming about Miaozhen: "Madam Xu has come all the way here, through wind and rain, and she has never said a word of dissent. Miss Xiao has taken excellent care of her mother, and she has never frowned, even when she fell in the rain or ate coarse food."

Madam Ming smiled and said, "Yes, Miss Xiao has been coming over often these days. She doesn't talk much, but she is a true lady of a prominent family. Doctor Xu also seems to have a wide circle of friends. Even the jewelry Miss Xiao is wearing was bestowed by the princess, and her headdress and clothes are all made by the imperial court. This shows how wealthy she is. It is very admirable that she can be so patient and strong even in adversity."

But then her expression changed: "It's just that if her father hadn't impeached us back then, we wouldn't be in this situation. Your eldest brother's two children died young, and your second brother's eldest son died young, all because of the Xiao family."

“Son knows, but Mother, back then Xiao Jingshi was the Assistant Surveillance Commissioner. He investigated extensively and even reported things he felt were untrue. We should investigate who framed us,” Zhao Rui said.

Upon hearing her son's words, Madam Ming looked at him and asked, "Do you have feelings for Miss Xiao?"

Zhao Rui has always been a very opinionated person. He admitted directly: "I accompanied Madam Xu and her son to the capital along the way. I admire Miss Xiao's character and admire her temperament. I ask Mother to grant my request."

"What? But she seduced you along the way?" Madam Ming was furious.

Zhao Rui hurriedly said, "Madam, please calm down. It's not like that at all. She barely spoke a few words to her son the whole time. She was very virtuous and well-mannered. It was just that the carriage got stuck in the mud. Miss Xiao jumped off the carriage to push it. I thought she wasn't spoiled. She was even laughing and joking with her mother. I thought she was a very good person."

He didn't mention that when he mocked the Xiao family, this girl also stood up for them.

Hearing her son speak, Madam Ming didn't know what to say: "If your father knew, he would definitely beat you to death."

"I know what to say to my father." Zhao Rui knew that his mother would appeal to his emotions, while his father would appeal to his interests.

Seeing that her son had made up his mind, Madam Ming was depressed and didn't know how to face him. To make matters worse, Miaozhen and Fu'er came over the next day, leaving her with no choice but to deal with them.

Ten days later, Miaozhen came to check her pulse and asked, "How are you now? After taking the medicine, have you experienced any nausea, loss of appetite, or discomfort?"

"Aside from the occasional heatiness, I'm fine." Madam Ming thought that her health was indeed much better than before, at least her sleep was much better.

Miaozhen smiled and said, "Let's see after your period this month."

Today, instead of having Sister Fu perform moxibustion, Miaozhen performed it herself. For some reason, Madam Ming asked a lot of questions about family matters, which Miaozhen found strange.

After they came out, she said to Fu Jie'er, "What's wrong with the Lady of the Marquis? She's usually so aloof, but she said so much today."

Sister Fu smiled and said, "Perhaps it's because your treatment was so good that she's being so kind to you."

Miaozhen said, "I have already prepared a water gift and plan to go to Governor Lu's mansion. I wonder if I can persuade him to intervene and help our family and the Marquis of Yunjian reconcile completely."

"Mother, isn't Governor Lu the Emperor's childhood friend? You know him too?" Fu'er exclaimed in surprise.

Miaozhen nodded: "Governor Lu and I not only share a hometown bond, but I was also the one who treated Madam Huang, who passed away earlier. In addition, he greatly admires your father."

Sister Fu sighed, "That's for the best."

"That's right. Let's finish this quickly so we can look around some more." Miaozhen is now casting a wide net; besides Minister Qi's grandson, Grand Scholar Han's son is also an option.

These two are considered to be in very good condition.

Fu Jie'er, however, preferred Han Daxueshi's youngest son: "The Qi family has five generations living under one roof. I imagine the pressure of being a great-granddaughter-in-law must be immense, and their family has strict rules."

"In that case, Grand Secretary Han's son is not bad. I have already told you that your dowry is 30,000 taels. This son of the Han family is the son of a second wife. Although Grand Secretary Han may have a chance to enter the cabinet, he has brothers and sisters after all, and he may favor us in the future. Besides, this child speaks clearly and has a dignified appearance." Miaozhen thought that there is no such thing as a perfect thing in this world.

As the mother and daughter discussed this, Miaozhen went to Governor Lu's residence. She originally only had a 50% chance of success, but unexpectedly, the next day, Madam Lu sent a letter. Now, Madam Lu had changed from the daughter of the Earl of Ding'an to the daughter of the Assistant Surveillance Commissioner of Huguang.

Miao Zhen then sent out invitations to Madam Ming and Prince Zhao, asking Xiao Jingtian to help entertain Prince Zhao while she spoke with Madam Ming. Madam Ming's health had improved these days, and she was quite grateful to Miao Zhen. Miao Zhen raised her glass and said, "I don't expect you to forgive me, but I hope you will forgive me for the sake of Governor Lu and our sincerity."

After saying that, he presented another golden Buddha vase.

In any case, after this incident, her daughter could exchange marriage certificates normally. Unexpectedly, Madam Ming brought up Fu'er's marriage with her.

Zhao Rui actually wants to marry Sister Fu?