Chapter 25 (combined chapter)

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yuan quickly said, "Mother, this won't do. Miss Xu's parents are both alive. Although her family isn't extremely wealthy, they are still quite well-off. How could they let their daughter become a concubine? She's not one of our servants."

“Third Miss is right. We should choose those from poorer families. They will naturally listen to you and be under your control. But if they lack nothing, how can they possibly listen to you? We don’t want to raise a tiger that will turn out to be a threat,” said Zhao Mama.

Zeng thought this made sense, and Cheng Yuan and Zhao Mama and others gave her a lot of suggestions in detail. Fortunately, she was still able to listen.

Miaozhen was unaware that she had almost met with a terrible disaster, because she was very clear about the difference between having a father and not having one in feudal society, especially since her father was a very good and capable person. So she felt quite safe and even avoided seeing any men from the Cheng family.

There was a rustling sound outside. She went outside and saw that it was Li Yao'e who had returned. Although she was still wearing a blue vest and was the same person, she seemed a little different from before. A natural blush appeared on her pale face, making her look much more charming.

"Sister Li," Miaozhen greeted her.

Li Yao'e smiled and said, "Sister Xu, I'll be back as soon as the young lady over there is all better. We'll be neighbors again."

Miaozhen said, "I see that you've become even more beautiful and talkative since you went to the main house. Come on, let's go get ready together."

Li Yao'e touched her face, feeling a little shy. Speaking of matters between men and women, it was really strange. In fact, she was not as good-looking as Yu Zhoujin, or even as good-looking as the eldest young mistress, but when it came to matters between men and women, she only needed a glance to understand each other.

That day, she was singing nursery rhymes to soothe the child when the old man lifted the curtain and came in. Their eyes met, and he asked her what song she was singing. Later, the two secretly became intimate a few times away from others.

Upon entering the room, Li Yao'e handed Miaozhen a handkerchief: "I know you like pine-colored fabric, and this one is brand new. I haven't used it before, so you can take it."

"Then I thank you very much, sister," Miaozhen said with a smile.

After saying that, Miaozhen and her two maids helped her tidy up. Since it was late, Li Yao'e asked Gu Mama to ask the kitchen to send over a table of food and drink. She smiled and said, "My brother has bought a house outside, and my mother has also successfully earned some hard-earned money by helping the neighbors deliver babies. Now we can be considered to have established ourselves in Nanjing."

House prices in the Ming Dynasty were not expensive. Even the old house where Miaozhen and the others used to live, with eight rooms, cost only fifty taels of silver. And that was a newly built house. Now that Li Yao'e's family was able to buy a house, it was quite a good deal. She said, "Sister Li, congratulations!"

"Don't say that, you'll make a fool of yourself. My mother is preparing to celebrate her housewarming, and we don't have any other guests. Sister Xu, I'd like to invite you over." Li Yao'e looked at her expectantly.

Miaozhen said, "Okay, but it would be best if you invited me at noon, so I can make it back in the evening."

"I'll do whatever you say," Li Yao'e said.

After the two told the Third Madam, the Third Madam sent two nannies and two servants to go with them. Miaozhen had already prepared gifts in advance, and bought two pots of olive wine, a roast duck, two chickens and tea rolls with three qian of silver.

The Li family's house was about one and a half courtyards in size, and cost about thirty-five taels of silver. They bought it from an old family home, but the interior was well-maintained. Miaozhen hurriedly stepped forward to greet Old Madam Li, who said upon seeing her, "Miss Xu, you've become even more beautiful. The cinnabar mark between your eyebrows makes you look just like a female bodhisattva."

After saying this, he personally accepted the gift from Miaozhen, thinking that Miss Xu was truly a polite person.

"You flatter me. I think Sister Li is the one who is very lucky. My mother always told me that people with high foreheads are very lucky and will surely live a long and healthy life."

As they chatted, they came in and sat down. Old Lady Li brought over cloud cakes, red dates, and other such items, and then personally went to the kitchen to bring out several dishes, including chicken, duck, fish, and meat.

During the meal, Miaozhen and Granny Li raised their cups and she mentioned something: "I have a close friend who lost her mother when I was little. She was taken to Jinling by her maternal family. I would like to ask you to help me send a message. Do you think that would be alright?"

Old Lady Li laughed and said, "What are you saying? Don't worry, young lady."

Upon arriving at the Li family home, Miaozhen felt the long-lost warmth of family. She gave the letter she had written earlier to Old Lady Li and four cents of silver for travel expenses before returning home.

Because she was preoccupied with Lin Xiaoxiao, she had no time to think of anything else. Xiao Xi said, "Miss, Sister Li's family is very wealthy. She used to wear plain clothes, but now she's wearing all kinds of nice clothes. There's a mountain of satin piled up behind her. She doesn't see as many patients as you, nor does she have the same social status as your patients. How come she's so rich?"

"You can't make assumptions about others, you know?" Miaozhen shook her head.

Not long after she returned, she saw Huan'er, the second wife's maid, coming over and inviting her over. The second wife happily said, "I didn't expect that I would really get better. Thank you so much, Miss Xu."

Her hidden ailment prevented her from being intimate with her husband, and she even felt fear and dread after each sexual encounter. Unexpectedly, right after the mourning period ended, they became intimate again, and she was cured for the first time ever. This was a private matter for her, and she couldn't mention it to Miaozhen. However, the second wife thought that she had spent five hundred taels of silver praying to the gods and Buddhas, but this young girl had cured her. She had only given the girl a few pieces of clothing, so she couldn't help but feel that she had to repay the debt.

So she picked out a bag of jewelry from her own collection and gave it to her, saying, "You can open it and take a look too."

Miaozhen opened it and was startled. She quickly said, "You gave me a silver-threaded cloud-shaped hairpin last time, but I don't want it."

“These are nothing. Although I have a daughter, as you know, she can’t wear bright jewelry. Now that you cured my illness, a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. You’ve also kept this secret very well for me, only telling others that I have qi and blood deficiency. That’s very good,” the second wife said.

This bundle contains a silver-threaded bun, adorned with twelve or thirteen pieces of jewelry: a gold filigree butterfly and flower hairpin, four cordyceps flower hairpins, two filigree jade-inlaid peony hairpins, a gold daffodil hair ornament, two peach blossom hairpins, and a pair of gold earrings with children holding lotus flowers.

Miaozhen touched her head: "I'm not old enough to wear a topknot yet."

“You’re also approaching the age of marriage. Unlike them, you’ll keep this for when you’re older.” The second wife looked at the cinnabar mark between Miaozhen’s eyebrows and felt that what she had given her was well worth it.

Miaozhen could only repay the favor with her medical skills. Besides this matter, the second wife also had some pain in her lower back, so Miaozhen used her massage techniques from her previous life to help her.

After leaving the second room, Miaozhen went back to put her things away. She hadn't expected to have gained so much. It's no wonder that everyone wants to climb up the ladder; it's definitely different when you're at the top.

But she also reflected on herself. In such a situation, it's easy to feel that those who receive more money are treated with more care, while those who receive less become emotional. Just like in this mansion, everyone flocks to whoever gives the most money. She can't be like that. She needs to maintain a calm mind and not be corrupted by money.

But she was still very happy to sneak a peek into her secret stash of money before going to bed at night.

Ten days later, there was a response to Lin Xiaoxiao's matter. It was a letter from Brother Li. The letter said that she was at her maternal grandparents' house and everything was fine. However, she was not free to move around and the two of them probably would not be able to meet. But when he heard that she was working as a servant in the Cheng family, he knew that he had made something of himself and told her to do a good job.

Although she felt a little disappointed at not being able to see her good friend for a while, Miaozhen knew that Lin Xiaoxiao was at least doing well for now. The new note she wrote back to her was on very nice pink paper; if she had been cheated, it certainly wouldn't have been like this.

After putting the letter away, Miaozhen took out a copy of "Complete Collection of Effective Prescriptions for Women" and "Danxi's Heart Method" to read them together. She felt that every time she read these medical books again, she would gain new insights.

She copied down several prescriptions, pondered the medicines a bit more, and then put them down.

Just then, Yu Zhoujin and Li Yao'e came over together. They said they were going to assign a few maids to brew medicine, and from now on, the medicine for the inner courtyard would be brewed and taken in the inner courtyard.

This separates the tea room and the pharmacy, giving each their own responsibilities and the presence of doctors, which is a good thing.

“I thought we’d be leaving after the treatment? But even now, the Cheng family doesn’t have that many people to see us,” Miaozhen said.

Yu Zhoujin said, "Nonsense. People eat grains and vegetables, how could they not get sick? There are so many people up and down here. It's not like the Cheng family can't afford to hire more. Besides, with so many women in these families, how could they not let us stay? Don't worry."

In Yu Zhoujin's memory, once someone enters, it seems they have no intention of leaving.

Li Yao'e said, "I think we should let these young maids learn some mannerisms from us, so they can be used as part of the young ladies' dowries when they get married in the future."

Miaozhen nodded: "That's possible. Well, let's go along with what the host does."

The three of them moved to Xiefang Tower on the west side before the Dragon Boat Festival. Xiefang Tower had a corridor around it, with five rooms in the front and three rooms facing the summer. Yu Zhoujin found climbing the stairs troublesome, so she took the room on the east side. Miaozhen wanted more privacy, so she chose the upstairs room. Li Yaoe chose the three rooms facing the summer.

There are also two rooms for the maids to sleep in, and a place to put the stove for boiling medicine.

Three young maids arrived, named Doukou, Peilan, and Chenxiang. They were brought in by Gu Mama to meet the guests, and Miaozhen gave each of them a plain handkerchief worth twenty coins as a gift.

Now that we've moved to the new house, it's much more spacious. There's even a terrace outside where we can dry clothes, and the two girls have beds in the side room. Although the furniture is just ordinary mixed wood, it's been painted red, making it much more comfortable than before.

After they settled in, the Cheng family received good news: the eldest master had taken a new beautiful concubine, reportedly arranged by the first wife herself. The girl was quite literate, beautiful as a flower, and her father was a scholar. Unfortunately, her father had passed away, her mother was bedridden, and she had two younger brothers. She was around twenty years old and couldn't afford a dowry, so Zeng bought her in.

These things originally had nothing to do with Miaozhen and the others, but they still received some wedding candy from the main branch of the family, which was quite a treat.

Miaozhen ate the wedding candy, but found it tasteless. She thought about how her aunt's family structure was similar to hers, except that her father was alive, which allowed her to support the family. If her aunt was in the same situation, how should she cope?

Thinking about it this way, I felt a pang of sympathy for my kind.

But then I thought, firstly, I know how to treat illnesses, I have savings, and I am literate. Even if I can't open a clinic, I can still be a female tutor. After all, it's different.

When the first wife arranged for the master to take a concubine, one person felt uneasy – that was the first wife, Madam Ji.

Madam Ji was also excitedly starting a "selection" for the eldest son. She didn't want to marry a respectable woman, but rather a woman born into a wealthy family. Everyone in the household was in a state of panic. Miaozhen even heard a few young maids who had just been assigned to their household say, "It's a good thing we came to the medical bureau, otherwise we would have been doomed if we had been assigned to the eldest son's house."

She beckoned to a girl named Doukou and asked her, "I just heard you all talking together? Why don't you want to go to the main room?"

“Miss Xu, you don’t know, our eldest mistress’s family is a noble family. The subordinates who came with her were all soldiers, and their arms were thicker than the thighs of ordinary people. Our eldest master also had a concubine who was pregnant with such a big belly. Guess what, she went to the eldest mistress’s place and died.” Doukou gestured to her belly.

"Gone? What does 'gone' mean? Does it mean they're dead?" Miao Zhen was horrified. Although she had watched domestic dramas in modern times, she had never really encountered anything like it in ancient times.

Doukou shook her head: "The baby is gone, and there's been a lot of bleeding."

Tsk tsk, Miao Zhen finds it hard to imagine that a family like that would do such a thing.

“Miss Xu…” Doukou was still waiting to ask a question.

Miaozhen grabbed a few fruits for her: "Share them."

These fruits were sent by the lady in charge of the second gate. She also suffers from a woman's illness and usually just takes some medicine from itinerant doctors or buys some medicine from those old women doctors. Since Miaozhen cured her illness, she often sends fruits and tea over.

The young maids who were favored and served in the room were treated well, but those who didn't serve in the room didn't receive these things. Miaozhen gave half of what she had to her two maids first, and distributed the rest to the maids who were decocting medicine.

Doukou was overjoyed to have received the fruit and went to find a secluded spot to eat it.

Li Yao'e had initially thought that Ji Shi was a bit too strict, but after hearing all this, she felt uneasy. Although she was attracted to the immortal-like figure of the master, her own life was still more important.

Besides, if she wanted to be a concubine, she wanted to be a proper concubine, not someone who sold herself into slavery. Her mother had been pawned as a concubine, and her life was in someone else's hands; it wasn't a good thing.

During her next private meeting, she expressed her worries: "I have long admired you, sir, but unfortunately my mother wants to arrange a marriage for me. What should I do?"

Cheng Junze, the eldest son of the Cheng family, said, "It's understandable that your mother is anxious at your age. If you go home, I will also give you a dowry."

“It is precisely because you are so affectionate that I am even more reluctant to part with you. I have a clever idea. You and I can choose a family that is neither too far nor too close, so that we can see each other again in the future. Even if I go back and tell my mother, she will not object.” Li Yao’e knew what it meant to use someone else’s strength. Her mother and brother wanted to marry her off to a good family, but with their limited vision and connections, it was completely impossible. However, Cheng Junze was different. The people he knew were all rich and powerful, and he could benefit immensely from introducing someone to him.

Her words hinted at a possible future affair, which pleased Cheng Junze. It reminded him of someone. He had a classmate from his days as a scholar, a local gentry who had been widowed for several years and had been living a dissolute life. Li Yao'e might not be suitable as his first wife, but she could be a good second wife.

Li Yao'e urged him several times, and Cheng Junze actually helped her get it done. When the Li family heard that Li Yao'e was going to marry a scholar as his second wife, and that the man's family owned several acres of land and lived a comfortable life, they readily agreed.

These days, Li Yao'e continues to receive her monthly allowance and rewards, and Cheng Junze never comes empty-handed. As a result, she has saved up two hundred taels of furniture and even found a decent family to live with.

When Miaozhen and the others heard about it, they all sent gifts. Li Yao'e, who was on good terms with Miaozhen, also advised her: "Sister, you've come of age now, you should plan more for yourself. In my opinion, it's good to have someone powerful back you."

"Thank you so much for your guidance, sister. But now that you're gone, I don't even have anyone to talk to," Miaozhen sighed.

Li Yao'e just smiled. When she was in the main house, she found that Ji Shi was really difficult to deal with. The master was afraid of his reputation and did not dare to really take her in. So she had to find her own way out.

Fortunately, she handled the relationships well. After she got married and had several children, raising them to be successful was more important than anything else.

Even though you've lost your virginity, you can just smear some blood on it and not feel too guilty.

Which of those men doesn't have multiple wives and concubines? Why can't women?

Li Yao'e kowtowed to the ladies and had her brother carry the luggage out. Yu Zhoujin, however, was very disappointed. She had clearly heard from the spies in the West Mansion that Li Yao'e had been having an affair. How could she have gotten married like this?

She asked Miaozhen, who had no idea, and said, "I'm just worried that once she leaves, the two of us will have to take turns keeping watch at night."

Although it's rare for someone to suddenly fall ill at night and need to call a doctor, there still has to be a schedule.

Yu Zhoujin was unwilling to agree, but Miaozhen wouldn't tolerate it. She called over Gu Mama in front of everyone, and Gu Mama also said, "The two young ladies should indeed be assigned to different shifts. That way, when we arrive, it will be easier to call people over, so as not to wake up everyone in the courtyard at once."

Only then did Yu Zhoujin agree, and Miaozhen was satisfied.

After Li Yao'e left, Miaozhen said to Xiao Ruanshi, "I'm also afraid of misleading students, so I'm only good at gynecology and acupuncture, and not good at pediatrics..."

"You don't need to worry about that. Someone will be here in a few days. By the way, you cured that stubborn ailment for me at the end of last year. I was doing well during the New Year, but now I have a new problem: excessive menstruation," said Madam Ruan with concern.

Miaozhen said first, "Excessive menstrual flow has caused the liver wood to overpower the earth, resulting in heat and dampness. I will prescribe Siwu Decoction for you with the addition of one mace each of Huangling and Baizhu. I will have someone bring it over shortly."

Seeing that she didn't seem to be in any particular serious condition, Madam Ruan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "You can just give the prescription to someone else to prepare. I have some things to do for you."

Miaozhen was wondering what it was about, and when she looked, she found out it was about accounting. She was famous for being fast at accounting; in modern times, she could memorize multiplication by two digits at a time, and she was even faster at mental arithmetic and vertical calculations. Not to mention, even in this lifetime, Lady Qiu had taught her arithmetic.

She sat down and only finished half of the calculation when she heard someone outside say that the eldest mistress had invited her. Miaozhen had no choice but to say, "I will come back tomorrow to finish the calculation for you."

After the eldest mistress returned, the third mistress continued to manage the household. This was understandable, as the eldest master would surely be reinstated and go to the capital or take up an official post elsewhere, and the eldest mistress would definitely follow.

Instead of intermittently managing the situation, it's better to maintain consistency.

But the eldest daughter-in-law might not think that way. As the eldest son and daughter-in-law, and from a noble family, she was expected to maintain a dignified demeanor at home, and therefore had to be very strict with the rules. This family was originally her responsibility.

Every time she saw Madam Ruan abusing her power, she was naturally unhappy.

But she also knew that the most important thing now was to have offspring. Li Yao'e had been taking care of her before, but now that Li Yao'e was gone, her maid talked about Miaozhen, saying that she was Tan Yunxian's direct disciple and was extremely skilled in gynecology.

“The previous Sister Li didn’t say a word, but she took it all in.” That’s why Madam Ji invited Miaozhen over.

The sores that Ji was suffering from had subsided after drinking some cooling medicine before, but this time they just wouldn't go away. When she told Miaozhen about it, Miaozhen first took her pulse before saying, "You have sores in your genital area. If the sores are too large and don't heal for a long time, making it difficult for you to sit or stand, it's a case of liver heat and dampness. I'll give you acupuncture first, and then I'll prescribe some medicine."

Lady Ji then asked, "How many days will it take to recover?"

"The illness didn't start in a day, nor will it get better in a day, but it will be fine once the pus comes out," Miaozhen said with a smile.

She then inserted needles into Ji's Ligou, Taichong, and Dadun acupoints. When she needled Dadun, she reminded him, "It will hurt a little here. It is the well point of the liver meridian. Please bear with it. The liver fire will be released after the needles are inserted."

After inserting needles into Ligou and Taichong, moxibustion should be applied, and needles should be retained at Dadun.

Ji hissed, "It doesn't hurt as much here anymore."

“You just need to wait for the sore to open, and it will heal.” Miaozhen then mentioned that she would apply musk and almond paste externally. Ji Shi directly told her to use it here, so Miaozhen put two pieces in a small silk bag she always carried, heated it with moxibustion, and had her put it in her vagina.

She went back and ordered someone to brew a gentian root and liver-clearing soup. That night, Madam Ji drank it and began to feel pain. The next day, a sore broke out, and it took several servants a long time to clean it before it began to close.

After suffering from pain for several days, Madam Ji finally recovered. She then had someone summon Miaozhen and said, "Miss Xu, you are truly a miracle doctor."

"I wouldn't dare accept that title," Miaozhen said with a smile.

Ji was a man who loved someone so much he wished them to live and hated someone so much he wished them to die. He also had a bit of a manly spirit and admired those who were capable. Seeing that she was skilled in medicine but did not take credit for it, he immediately gave her five taels of silver.

Miao Zhen thought it was fortunate that she was in the Cheng family. The Cheng family had many high-ranking officials, and they managed their household well, so they were all quite wealthy, and she received a lot from them.

Having received gifts for the Qingming and Dragon Boat Festivals, receiving five taels of silver now is another unexpected delight.

Then Madam Ji kept her to talk, and when she learned that Miaozhen's father was a student, she couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't you donate to become a scholar?"

Miao Zhen thought that this Ji family had quite a background, and she didn't know if she could find a way to help her father. So she said, "My family is struggling financially. My father just does some small business to make ends meet, and he doesn't earn much money. Although the imperial court has opened up the system of official appointments, it's a good intention, but the local people look down on those who buy their way into the system. They exploit people everywhere. Superiors borrow tables, chairs, and benches and don't return them. In famine years, they still have to donate money. If the county is short of money, they will force us to borrow. Not only are the officials extorting money, but if you're not careful, you'll get more beatings than ordinary people. In the end, our family is ruined. My father said that he'll wait until he can become a government-subsidized student. Going to the imperial examinations is respectable, but other people have that kind of connection, and we don't."

The old woman beside Madam Ji chimed in, "Oh dear, Miss Xu, isn't there a great Buddha right in front of you?"

Miaozhen feigned delight and kowtowed again, saying, "I was truly blind to your true nature. If you can help me, I will have my father send some silver. If that's not enough, I will use my own savings to thank you."

Madam Ji loved being praised. She leaned back and said, "Your family is so small, how much money could you possibly have? I'll take care of it. The provincial education commissioner and the prefectural magistrate are all acquaintances of my family. There's just one thing: your medical skills are superb. You must do your best to help me get my body in good condition so that I can give birth to another child. That would be better than anything else."

In fact, Miaozhen already knew what was going on, so she readily agreed and showered everyone with compliments.

"You usually seem so honest and unassuming, I never imagined you could be so eloquent," Madam Ji said with a smile.

Miaozhen nodded hesitantly, and only after they left the house and went to a secluded place did she hug Xiaoxi and Xiaotao.