Chapter 66 (Combined Chapter)

Empress Fang's funeral was very grand. Xiao Jingshi and the other scholars in the Hanlin Academy had more classes. Miaozhen stayed at home to rest and prepare for her pregnancy. She was now six months pregnant and had become more urinary incontinent. She also felt that she had gained some weight and had back pain.

So she's adjusting herself now. Even though she's a doctor, she doesn't take medicine unnecessarily. First, she's controlling her weight, and she elevates her feet when she sleeps.

Mi'er sat on a small stool cracking walnuts and said, "I just told the kitchen to make mackerel with red yeast rice."

Deep-sea fish should be eaten two or three times a week. Miaozhen takes very good care of herself and never lets herself be wronged, especially now that she is living her own life.

She refused to go out to see patients, citing her pregnancy as the reason. Patients were told they could come to her home. She applied the same rules to everyone, without making exceptions. Otherwise, if one family came to her door while another refused, she would offend people and easily gain a reputation for favoritism.

After the maid brought over a plate of walnuts, Miaozhen ate them one after another. When she heard that Grandma Cheng had come over, she wondered, "Why did she come over in such a hurry?"

In normal interactions, it's customary to send an invitation first.

Miaozhen got up, supporting her belly, and invited Madam Ji in. Madam Ji came in like a gust of wind, with someone carrying the child on her back, which startled Miaozhen.

"What's wrong?"

Madam Ji looked at her and said, "I know you're pregnant and not making house calls anymore, so I brought him here specially. Did you see the child drooling and breathing heavily?"

Banxia followed behind, speechless. Even though the old man had invited the imperial physician, the old lady still trusted Miaozhen the most. Even though Miaoshan was good at treating women's diseases but not pediatrics, she still sent the child here to see a doctor.

Miaozhen examined it carefully and then said, "It's still a case of convulsions. I do have a precious calming pill here. Has he eaten?"

"It happens after eating," Madam Ji said anxiously.

Miaozhen got up and cooked some mint soup. She then gave the soup to the child to take his medicine, and then invited Madam Ji to sit down: "Let's talk about it after the child wakes up."

Madam Ji still felt more at ease seeing Miaozhen for treatment, and she felt more relaxed as she sat down in the chair: "I just hope he gets better, I don't want to think about anything else."

"It's still snowing outside, so let the boy rest for a while and we'll talk about it when he wakes up." Miaozhen then had tea and snacks brought over.

Actually, the two of them were just sitting there doing nothing. When it was almost time for dinner, Sister Fu and Brother Zhao came over together. When Miaozhen saw them coming, she quickly said with a smile, "Why are you here so early today? Come and pay your respects to Grandma Cheng."

Fu'er, holding her younger brother's hand, greeted him with a smile. Looking at the twins, Madam Ji found them exceptionally beautiful and was delighted. She quickly said, "Get up, don't be so polite. I didn't bring any gift..."

“You don’t need to give them anything. They’re so mischievous, they can’t keep anything. You don’t know, their grandparents sent them New Year’s gifts this year, each of them had a jade rabbit, and they all disappeared after just a few days,” Miaozhen said with a smile.

Ji rarely visited other people's homes to see how they lived. She knew that Miaozhen had married into a wealthy family. She had heard that the Xiao family were wealthy merchants in Jiangnan, with a fortune of millions, and that they should live a very extravagant life. After all, Xiao Jingshi was known to be very generous. However, when she visited their home, it seemed like a scholarly and refined family.

The children were lively but not noisy. Zhao Ge'er played with the nine-linked rings on his chair by himself, while Fu Jie'er would ask Miao Zhen to teach her the words from time to time. Miao Zhen would also talk to her from time to time.

“I was busy going to the palace to mourn, and before I knew it, my child was gone like this? In this huge family, I have no one left to entrust my care to.” Madam Ji also had a lot of bitterness to say.

Miaozhen said, "That's how it is. When I went to the capital last year, my mother helped me take care of the children. Otherwise, their father and I wouldn't feel at ease. So now, when one of us goes out, the other has to stay at home to take care of them."

Upon hearing this, Ji felt a sense of finding kindred spirits: "It seems we are all the same."

Her mother-in-law was her stepmother-in-law, and Aunt Zhu was also a troublemaker. Her husband didn't care about these domestic affairs. Over the years, she had to manage the household, entertain guests, and take care of the children. She was so tired that she was on the verge of a breakdown.

Seeing Ji's state, Miaozhen said, "I'm pregnant again now, and I can't take as good care of my two children as I used to. So we're all really in the same boat, so please don't worry."

The two talked for a while, and then the wet nurse inside said, "Gao Ge'er has woken up."

Madam Ji rushed in to check on him. Miaozhen also saw that he seemed to be better, so she took his pulse and prescribed several more doses of warming and nourishing medicine. Madam Ji wanted to pay for the consultation, but Miaozhen quickly said, "Please don't mention this. I was the one who delivered him back then, so there's no need for this now."

"Thank you very much." Madam Ji held Miaozhen's hand tightly and thanked her sincerely.

In truth, she also longed to be close to Miaozhen, because when she dreamt of it in the middle of the night, she would always think of Miaozhen by her side during childbirth.

But she also felt that Miaozhen was being pretentious. Now that she had come over, the two of them had finally reconciled, and she was genuinely happy.

Miaozhen recalled that when she was in the Cheng family, no matter what, Madam Ji gave her a lot of things and protected her from being bullied by the Third Madam, so she did not remember her previous cold treatment.

The two women reconciled, but Cheng Shu was very upset when she found out. She was having dinner with Zeng Shi and couldn't help but talk about it: "Sister-in-law is really something. She clearly knows what kind of person Xu Miaozhen is, but she still believes her."

"She's a fool, she always misjudges people. Does anyone in the family like her?" The conflict between Madam Zeng and Madam Ji was growing stronger.

Because Madam Ji and Aunt Zhu were close, and Madam Ji wouldn't allow Cheng Junze to properly take a concubine, Cheng Junze only had one son over the years. Naturally, Madam Zeng's relationship with her was just so-so.

Cheng Shu said, "That's true. Gao Ge'er is also pitiful. I don't know how he was born, but now he's sickly and often has seizures. I'm afraid he's not destined for a long life."

“If it weren’t for this, your older brother would be getting married again outside, but he’s keeping it all from her.” Madam Zeng had also heard some rumors, but she didn’t say much.

Mentioning this, Cheng Shu touched her belly: "What's wrong with me? I finally got pregnant and then miscarried. How come everyone else gets pregnant so easily, but I can't?"

She's not even as good as her mother. Her mother had both her older sister and her, but she herself never conceived a child.

But every time she said she wasn't pregnant, Lu Lang would tell her it didn't matter, that it didn't matter if she never had children in her life. He said that Xu Miaozhen was blind to such a good person. When she thought of how the Xu family had looked down on him for being poor, her heart ached.

But all she knew was the play "The Story of Hanshan". Xiao Jingshi also took some time out of his busy schedule to go and listen to a performance with his colleagues. When he came back, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Every time I watch it, I wonder if there's something wrong with this person's brain?"

Miaozhen said, "This play is all based on imagination. In fact, it's becoming more and more popular now. Everyone loves to watch plays about beating daughters for their vanity. Isn't it going to become more and more distorted?"

"It's true that my official rank is too low now, so I have to tolerate these things." Originally, after the national mourning period, life returned to normal, and everyone went out to relax. Who knew they would encounter this kind of drama?

Miaozhen could only say, "The plays that are popular in the capital come in waves. They're popular now, but in a year or two, who will remember them? We can only bear with it, but we're not very happy about it."

"You're unhappy, but I'm even more so." Xiao Jingshi instantly flew into a rage, feeling as if his hair was about to stand on end.

She had no choice but to get up and take his hand, placing it on her stomach: "Okay, you're not the same as before. We have to find the best solution to everything. I'm holding back so much, but I still have to."

Now their official positions are not as high as others, their backgrounds are not as strong, and even Lu Shi'an has to step forward to say that "The Story of Hanshan" is not his story at all, and he doesn't even know about it. So who are you going to deal with?

"Zhenzhen, don't worry. I will definitely avenge you for the injustice you are suffering now in the future," Xiao Jingshi said hatefully.

He was a straightforward person, the kind who would fight if he disagreed and was easily provoked, but now he had to hold back. Miaozhen heard him grinding his teeth as he slept at night.

This husband of mine is truly a born prince, incapable of suffering the slightest grievance.

She patted his shoulder rhythmically, like she was coaxing a child: "I'm here, go to sleep."

"I'm not asleep." Xiao Jingshi turned over and sat up in bed.

Miaozhen suddenly laughed and said, "Do you know what? If you had been born in the Tang Dynasty, you would definitely have been a chivalrous knight-errant."

Xiao Jingshi pinched her cheek: "You go to sleep first. It's not like he's the only one who can write plays. I, Xiao Jingshi, am not without a pen. My family has plenty of money. I'll put together a play called 'Calming the Storm'."

Seeing him put on his clothes and get out of bed, Miaozhen couldn't stop him no matter what she said, so she could only say, "Put on some thick clothes, so you don't catch a cold."

"Understood." Xiao Jingshi waved his hand, telling Miaozhen to go to sleep.

Meanwhile, Cheng Yuan had just gone to bed and was thinking about some things. She'd heard the name Xiao Jingshi before, and then it dawned on her—wasn't that the Xiao Lang that Lu Shi'an often mentioned?

It is said that Xiao Jingshi was exceptionally brave. When he was playing in the mountains with his friends, they were surrounded by wolves. He killed the wolves with the dagger he carried with him and rescued several of his colleagues.

Unexpectedly, Xu Miaozhen married Xiao Jingshi instead of Cen Yuan. Xiao Jingshi is a ruthless man, yet Lu Shi'an is making underhanded moves behind her back without fear of retaliation.

However, now is not the time to worry about Lu Shian, because there will be a major political upheaval next year.

At the end of the year, Miaozhen had saved up some new glutinous rice early this year and made rice cakes and snacks. However, she was pregnant and could not eat too much glutinous food, so Xiao Jingshi ate her portion, which was almost all leftover.

Love is built up in small things. When Miaozhen first married him, she didn't realize that she would really like him. But now she can slowly feel his love.

After finishing a plate of translucent rice cakes, Xiao Jingshi asked Miaozhen, "Then let's celebrate the New Year at our own home this year. I'll tell you that your body isn't cheap, what do you think?"

“Okay, although my third uncle and aunt are very nice, I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle the carriage rides and social engagements I’m in now.” Miaozhen agreed.

This is also one of the reasons why Xiao Jingshi likes Miaozhen. Although she is cautious and careful, she would never mistreat herself.

After discussing it for a while, Xiao Jingshi went to the Hanlin Academy first. Xiao Suyin came over today. She came to see Miaozhen and kept asking her how her belly was.

Miaozhen knew that since Xiao Jingshi passed the imperial examination, Xiao Suyin had been visiting more frequently and their relationship had become even better than before. This was nothing unusual; people like to socialize with those who are more ambitious, and Miaozhen herself was no exception.

As the two were discussing the children's early education, Miaozhen said, "They won't be able to start until next year at the earliest. We'll find a tutor then, so the siblings can keep each other company."

“Actually, it would be better to send them over there.” Xiao Suyin was referring to the third branch of the family.

The three families all planned to hire renowned scholars to teach their children, and Miaozhen had naturally heard of this as well. However, she believed that with so many children, a teacher wouldn't be able to manage them all. Rather than that, she thought it would be better to have a tutor at home so that any problems could be communicated promptly.

When you're learning, you should lay a solid foundation first. There's no need to jump straight to advanced topics right away. Even renowned scholars might not have that much patience.

When children are young, it is essential to ensure their healthy physical and mental development; there is no need to force them to grow too quickly.

Xiao Suyin's child was naturally sent back to her maternal family. She had a very good relationship with her maternal family. Miaozhen thought that Xiao Suyin was a very typical concubine's daughter she had ever met. After getting married, she had a good relationship with her maternal family and maintained a very good relationship with her capable brothers in her maternal family. Miaozhen herself was far inferior to Xiao Suyin in terms of social skills.

At the same time, they often corresponded and sent gifts to each other, even though they were thousands of miles apart.

Therefore, in her heart, Xiao Suyin was actually a more perfect matriarch than Gao Shi, because Gao Shi still had the support of her family background.

She asked Miaozhen a few more questions, then stood up and said, "Someone in our family is about to give birth."

"Who is it?" Miao Zhen thought, "Hasn't Madam Gao already given birth?"

Xiao Suyin said, "It's Erxi."

Erxi was Xiao Suyin's head maid who came with her as part of her dowry. Miaozhen glanced at her and asked, "Has she also had her face done?"

Xiao Suyin nodded: "That's right, we've always kept him in our master's study."

Cen Yuan really knows how to handle things. When he lived in the Xiao family before, although he had concubines, he didn't let them get pregnant. But after he passed the imperial examination, all the concubines got pregnant.

This person is really...

Miaozhen felt quite indignant for Xiao Suyin: "You've only been married a few years! You even have a son, how could things have turned out like this so quickly..."

"What can I do? My husband has never been one to be controlled by me." Xiao Suyin has always been frail, and managing the household and social interactions has already taken a lot of effort, so she has to send someone of her own to her husband's side.

Miaozhen felt great sympathy for her. Even when Gao came to visit Miaozhen and talked about this matter, she felt that Cen Yuan's actions were unethical.

The year 26 of the Jiajing reign passed just like that. On the first day of the third month, Miaozhen gave birth to her second son, whom Xiao Jingshi named Zheng. After the birth of this child, Miaozhen felt that her body had not recovered as well as when she had given birth to twins.

Fortunately, these are all minor ailments. For example, during pregnancy, blood spots suddenly appear on the hands. If the bleeding doesn't stop after misdiagnosis, it's probably a hemangioma. Or, symptoms that are usually unnoticed may also appear during pregnancy due to hormonal changes.

Even though she is a doctor herself, it still takes time and effort to treat her.

During this time, Fu'er really became much more sensible, just like her older sister. Miaozhen felt sorry for her daughter and said, "After I finish my confinement, I'll take you out to play, okay?"

Children are easily satisfied. Fu Jie jumped up and wanted to see her little brother. Miao Zhen pointed to Zheng Ge'er and showed him: "When you were born, you were smaller than him, but you were still like this."

"This child looks like a red-skinned monkey." Sister Fu secretly poked her little brother's nose, then withdrew her hand. She then quietly heard Zheng Ge'er's breathing and kissed her little brother.

"Mother, Father demolished the two front courtyards and hired an opera troupe. What do we need an opera troupe for?" Fu Jie asked, puzzled.

Miao Zhen thought that Xiao Jingshi was probably going to challenge Lu Shi'an. Xiao Jingshi was very capable. Last year, he carefully wrote a letter to his father-in-law to find out about Lu Shi'an's background and started writing the play script. He didn't stop even during the New Year this year. After finishing writing, he carefully considered and revised it several times. Now he has immediately prepared the entire opera troupe. Such courage is rare in the world.

To be honest, Xiao Jingshi makes her feel really safe; offense is the best defense.

The appeasement policy of pretending to be innocent and swallowing one's anger will never stop your opponents from attacking. Once they see through your weakness, they will attack without restraint.

Miao Zhen had no ability to write plays, but now that Xiao Jingshi was bold and decisive, she supported him and instructed Xiao Xi, "Take good care of the actors we bought, make sure they have enough to eat and wear."

Xiao Xi laughed and said, "I heard that our Fourth Master spent a thousand taels to buy this person, so we must take good care of him."

“I’m still in my postpartum period, and the family is relying on you so much,” Miaozhen said with a smile.

"Why do you say that? I've been with you for so many years, and I guarantee I've kept the household in good order," Xiao Xi said with a smile.

Miaozhen leaned back and asked again, "Has anyone sent any invitations in the last few days?"

“There are quite a few. Most of them want to schedule a time to come for a medical appointment, and some are just trying to curry favor. There’s nothing special about them.” Xiao Xi brought over the offering box.

Miaozhen took it out and looked at it. There was nothing particularly important that needed to be dealt with immediately, so she asked Xiaoxi to take the worship box away first.

In April, after she finished her postpartum confinement, something shocked the court and the public: the once-famous Grand Secretary Xia Yan was arrested. Xia Yan was the protector of the Cheng family.

Back then, the eldest aunt of the Cheng family was betrothed to Xia Yan's son, but because he died young, she came to live as a widow. Last time, she heard Ji mention that the eldest aunt was still with her father when he was in office.

In the same year, Master Cheng was labeled as an accomplice of the Xia family, dismissed from office, and stripped of his post. It is said that the entire Cheng family had long since returned to their hometown of Nanjing.

Xiao Jingshi said to Miaozhen, "Lu Shi'an won't dare to be arrogant these days."

"Don't they have a marriage alliance?" Miaozhen asked.

Xiao Jingshi then said, "Whoever dares to step forward now is an accomplice."

Political struggles often result in sudden and fatal blows. Even Zhang Shihua, who had previously followed Xia Yan's path and was originally planning to work his way up this year, had to switch sides and had someone give him four thousand taels of silver to secure the position of Assistant Prefect of Finance and Grain in Zhengding Prefecture.

But Zhang Shihua was still dissatisfied: "It's really bad luck. Otherwise, I would still be in Jiangnan, where there are plenty of lucrative positions."

Miaoyun felt it was inappropriate: "This time we've arrived in Zhengding. Although it's not under the emperor's nose, it's still close to the capital, which is good. Doing our job well is better than anything else."

She felt that Zhang Shihua was too greedy during his tenure. Not only that, he also allowed his servants to fight for land in Nanjing. Although she was now living a very comfortable life, she still felt uneasy.

"Okay, I understand," Zhang Shihua said dismissively.

What's the point of studying for so many years? Isn't it to make your life better?

Miaoyun noticed that Zhang Shihua had changed a lot in the past few years, but she didn't dare to offer any advice. Just then, a maid came in and said, "Madam, a relative of the county magistrate has sent a letter."

"Okay, I understand."

The maids all admired Miaoyun; she managed the master's affairs perfectly, and everyone, both inside and outside the household, spoke highly of her.

On the other side, Lu Shi'an was more anxious than anyone else. The Cheng family was in trouble now, and he was also feeling very uneasy in the Hanlin Academy. He was the son-in-law of the Cheng family. Although he had not yet been affected, things were no longer the same as before.

However, he was extremely shrewd and never showed it to Cheng Shu. On the contrary, he appeared to be very affectionate and loyal, just to avoid being seen as heartless and ungrateful. Cheng Shu was naturally very moved.

Of course, another reason is that his wife's older sister also married a high-ranking official and is now his superior.

Look, Cheng Yuan is here again. She said to her sister, "Why don't you go back to Nanjing too? It's always good for the family to take care of each other."

“Sister, you are mistaken. As the saying goes, ‘A woman follows her husband wherever he goes.’ Now that Lu Lang has not been affected, why should I leave? Besides, Lu Lang is deeply devoted to me.” Cheng Shu refused to listen.

Cheng Yuan thought to herself, "Lu Shi'an sold you out, and you're still helping him count the money? How can you associate with such a person?"

But she knew her sister wouldn't listen.

On the 100th day of Zhengge'er's birth, Xiao Jingshi invited many people to his home. Miaozhen, who usually lived in the third house of the Xiao family, often saw how Madam Gao prepared the feast. She entertained the female relatives with delicate fruits and pastries, and the table was filled with a variety of seafood and land dishes.

Naturally, the focus this time isn't on the food or the children, but on this play "Ding Feng Bo," especially seeing the whole process of Lu Dalang eating the widow's property, the poor woman being mocked and tormented, and then Lu Dalang forcing the widow to her death when he marries a new bride.

The crowd below was filled with righteous indignation.

Then, Lu Dalang and his wife received their retribution. Their son was supported by his aunt and cousin working as prostitutes. He passed the imperial examination but wanted to marry the daughter of the wealthy Yu family. However, the Yu family investigated his character and naturally refused. The scholar Lu then married the daughter of a high-ranking official by using his charm. Unexpectedly, karma eventually caught up with him...

The story is full of twists and turns, the characters, sets and props are excellent, and the actors' performances are also superb. When this "Ding Feng Bo" was performed, some people guessed that it was Lu Shi'an. When asked about him, Lu Shi'an had to force a smile and show that it was not him. Only when no one was around did he start cursing: "That damned Xiao Jingshi, he is such a despicable person."

But he was afraid after all, because "The Story of Hanshan" was going on non-stop for a day, while "Ding Feng Bo" was going up against him every day.

Lu Shi'an felt utterly exhausted, but everyone had deduced that "The Story of Hanshan" was fake, since Miaozhen was indeed a female imperial physician, and Xiao Jingshi was not the纨绔 (playboy) depicted in it at all; he was a probationary scholar in the Hanlin Academy, an elite among elites. However, the play "Ding Feng Bo" was based on factual information obtained through normal investigation, and those who hated Xia Yan were impeaching Lu Shi'an.

Lu Shi'an was demoted from a prestigious Hanlin scholar to a county magistrate in Yunnan, which angered him so much that he fainted on the spot.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingshi and Miao Zhen burst into laughter at home, saying, "This is taking advantage of your illness to kill you."