Chapter 82 (Combined Chapter)

Xiao Jingshi's side had two families in total, and together they hired three boats: two for luggage and one for their own residence. The third family hired three boats in total, and all the boats set off together.

Miaozhen and Xiao Jingshi were both travelers who had been on long journeys, so they generally knew where to dock for supplies. Therefore, Miaozhen knew the general rules for arranging food and water. However, she was mainly worried that the children might not be feeling well, so she took great care of the meals for her children and nephews. For example, she insisted that there be leafy green vegetables on the table.

Fu-jie is almost ten years old this year. She has been studying for five years and learning needlework from the ladies-in-waiting for two years. Her talent for needlework is even stronger than Miao-zhen's, and she is also very elegant and outstanding. Right now, she is helping Miao-zhen take care of Zheng-ge, and she said, "Mother, Zheng-ge doesn't listen to me."

“You’re the older sister, you need to learn how to discipline your younger brother. You can’t just be harsh all the time,” Miaozhen said with a smile.

Of her three children, Zhao Ge'er had the best temper, a sweet little dumpling, especially in interpersonal relationships, where he was better than his parents, knowing how to get along with people and winning the trust of superiors and subordinates. Zheng Ge'er, on the other hand, was young but a very individualistic child, often doing what he said he would do, and had more self-control than adults.

Only Fu Jie'er is very similar to herself. She learns so many things without ever complaining and works very hard. However, she lacks some interpersonal skills, so Miao Zhen tells her to gradually get along with people.

Fu Jie'er said, "Mother, I will never say 'no' if you ask me to do something, but I really hate it when you ask me to take care of my younger brother. I can only take care of myself, I can't take care of him."

"Okay, but you must learn to be patient and not get impatient, okay?" Miaozhen patted her daughter's head.

Fu Jie nodded earnestly, then hugged Miao Zhen's arm and said, "I love Mother the most."

When Zheng Ge'er saw that Fu Jie'er was ignoring him, he quickly said that he wanted to go to his brother's place. Miao Zhen asked his maid to take him there. Zheng Ge'er quickly ran to the next cabin and saw Zhao Ge'er drawing. He even flattered him, saying, "Brother's drawing is really good."

Zhao Ge'er smiled without saying a word. Two years ago, he followed his master to learn riding and archery. Later, he discovered that he liked painting. His father also saw that he had some talent and often took him out to sketch. He usually focused on studying. Now that he was home for the funeral, it was a good opportunity to develop his interests.

Seeing his younger brother approach, Zhao Ge'er coaxed him, "Brother has a few more strokes to make. After I finish painting, we'll play pitch-pot together in the room, shall we?"

He was born very frail and weak, but thanks to learning horseback riding and archery, he is much healthier now.

When Zheng Ge'er heard that his brother would play with him, he waited obediently. Zhao Ge'er was not in a hurry. He slowly finished painting the sunrise over the sea, put it on the table to dry, and then asked the servant to release Guan Er and bring the arrows to accompany Zheng Ge'er in the game of pitch-pot.

“Little brother, you can’t cross this line I drew. Your hand should be like this.” Zhao Ge’er kept helping him adjust it.

Zheng Ge'er threw seven arrows but missed. Zhao Ge'er encouraged him, "Then there are only three arrows left. Be sure to concentrate."

"Okay, brother, I'll be fine." Zheng Ge'er finally managed to throw the second-to-last shot into the middle of the pot, jumping up and down with joy.

Even Miaozhen next door heard it and asked someone to invite them over. When she heard that Zhengge had hit the target in the pitch-pot game, she couldn't help but say, "Wow, my little Zhengge is amazing!"

As the family was talking, Lou Qiongyu brought Wei Jie'er upstairs. As soon as Wei Jie'er arrived and saw Zhao Ge'er, she said, "Big brother, I had a dream yesterday..."

Even the usually quiet Wei-jie would confide in Zhao-ge. Miao-zhen saw Zhao-ge comforting her, saying, "Dreams are always the opposite of reality, you know?"

Miaozhen then asked Lou Qiongyu, "Where is Miao-ge'er?"

"She's still sleeping, I can't wake her up no matter what I do." Lou Qiongyu shook her head.

Miaozhen smiled and said, "Let him sleep. Anyway, there's nothing to do right now, and he's already working hard enough with his studies."

Lou Qiongyu is now very disappointed with Xiao Jingtang's studies. She is wholeheartedly dedicated to teaching her son to be successful. She studies all kinds of food every day so that Miao Ge'er can eat more and study well. She will also read with him at night so that Miao Ge'er will not fall asleep.

This also puzzled Miaozhen. Why hadn't the Lou family read Xiao Jingtang's articles before the marriage? Xu Erpeng once said that he was attracted to Xiao Jingtang because he had read his articles and found them to be well-written, while Xiao Jingtang was clearly mediocre.

Lou Qiongyu sat down and saw that Miaozhen had folded a corner of the Diamond Sutra she was reading halfway through and placed it face down to the side. She smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, you're still reading this?"

"Just browsing."

"Sister-in-law, what will happen to the children's schooling after we go back?" This was Lou Qiongyu's biggest concern right now.

Miaozhen said, "I haven't thought that far ahead yet."

She would definitely go back for the funeral first, or at least wait until after the funeral, but she also comforted Lou Qiongyu: "It doesn't matter, we can have Fourth Master invite a doctor later."

Lou Qiongyu wanted to hear this: relying on Xiao Jingtang won't get you any famous teachers. Money alone isn't enough; you also need reputation to hire them. Therefore, she still had to rely on Xiao Jingshi. After receiving a satisfactory answer, she relaxed and could even chat for a while.

The days on the ship were tough at first, and it felt like an eternity, but she gradually got used to it. When the ship stopped in Linqing for supplies, Miaozhen took the opportunity to go ashore and get some fresh air. But as soon as she got back on the ship, she saw Liu Shi coming over with her child. "Fourth Sister-in-law, please help me look at the child. I don't know what's wrong with him?"

When Miaozhen saw the child coughing and even vomiting, she said, "Some orange peel soup will do the trick. You must hurry and get the medicine." She gave her the prescription and told her to go get the medicine.

Liu hurriedly asked, "Sister-in-law, don't you have any medicine here?"

“I brought other medicines, not this one,” Miaozhen said, shrugging.

They usually see Miaozhen for treatment, and Miaozhen generally doesn't charge them, which they're used to. But now that they're on the road, Miaozhen only brought some of their usual over-the-counter medicines, not all of them.

Liu had no choice but to send someone to buy medicine in a hurry. However, after drinking the tangerine peel soup, she not only did not get better, but also started to have diarrhea and fever. Unfortunately, the two things were not on the same page, and Liu was at a loss.

"Could it be that the medicine prescribed by Fourth Madam is wrong?" someone next to Liu said.

Gao, who had just come in to visit the sick, heard this at the door and scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about? Who is Fourth Madam? How could she be like this? If you continue like this, no one will treat you in the future. Where will you find a doctor on this vast river?"

Liu also scolded the servants a few times, thinking to herself that although she usually targeted Xu Miaozhen, she was very good to the children and treated them seriously. Would she really be so unethical? However, it was not impossible that she had been tolerant of Xu Miaozhen on the way back to her hometown, so she deliberately did not treat the children.

Therefore, when Liu was about to reach the next port, she and her husband went to see a local doctor instead of Miaozhen. Miaozhen's eldest son, Zhaoge, also had malaria. He had been eating raw fish and cold drinks with his father, which caused him to have phlegm in his stomach, vomiting, and abdominal pain.

After his malaria attack, he also had dysentery, so Miaozhen first used Xiao Chai Hu Tang with Angelica sinensis, Paeonia lactiflora, and Areca catechu to soothe the liver, strengthen the spleen, regulate qi, relieve pain, and reduce fever. The missing ingredient was specially bought by Xiao Jingshi. Miaozhen immediately said, "This medicine is moldy and smells wrong. Tell him to bring a better one."

Xiao Jingshi rushed over. He had been taking his son to eat fish sashimi and teaching him how to enjoy it, but he hadn't expected Zhao Ge'er to eat like this. He felt guilty and, upon hearing that the medicine was fake, he went directly to the local government and bought new medicine.

Miaozhen first brewed the decoction for Zhao Ge'er to drink, and seeing that his diarrhea had stopped, she then brewed Liu Jun Zi Tang with cinnamon twigs for her son to drink, and only then did Zhao Ge'er get better.

By the time Zhao Ge'er recovered, the ship had already reached Suzhou. When Miao Zhen disembarked, she heard that Liu's son had died. She was very surprised to hear this. Lou Qiongyu, however, subconsciously looked at Miao Zhen. Miao Zhen thought that the prescription she had given was correct. Later, didn't Liu find another doctor? She didn't let Miao Zhen treat her anymore.

She and Liu had a so-so relationship to begin with, and Liu often ostracized her. She was already being kind by helping Liu take care of her child and get medical treatment without holding a grudge. How could she be blamed for this?

Of course, Liu was furious. She had heard that Zhao Ge'er had contracted malaria and recovered, but her own child, who initially only had a cold, was getting worse after taking the orange peel soup. She finally found another doctor, but instead of getting better, his illness worsened, and he eventually died.

Looking at Zhao Ge'er again, he was as healthy as ever, showing no signs of illness. He was surrounded and praised by people. Liu Shi bit her lip and snapped the curtain down.

Miaozhen first led the children back to the second house to pay their respects to Master Xiao and Madam Xiao. She had met all of Madam Xiao's grandsons except for Zhengge'er. She also gave Zhengge'er a gift. Unlike the other children, Zhengge'er was very timid and greeted them generously, which made Madam Ren hug him tightly.

It was Master Xiao who said, "Your courtyard has already been cleaned. It's getting late today, so we'll change into mourning clothes tomorrow and go back together."

Madam Ren then asked, "What was that crying about outside just now?"

Lou Qiongyu glanced at Miaozhen and held back her words. Miaozhen then said, "It was my fifth brother's son who initially only had a cough on the road. He consulted me, but I said it wasn't good. They then invited another doctor, but he still didn't get better and died on the road."

Madam Ren hurriedly said, "If you can't cure this disease, then it must be very difficult to treat. In fact, many children can't stand up. After I gave birth to Jing Shi, my two sons couldn't stand up either."

"The main problem was that we were rushing back. Even Zhao Ge'er got malaria from eating fish with his father, and I barely managed to save him," Miao Zhen sighed.

Zhao Ge'er is the eldest grandson of the second wife. He is now a young man with a handsome appearance. Madam Ren took a good look at her eldest grandson again before saying, "Our Zhao Ge'er is really handsome."

Lou Qiongyu thought that the Ren family would blame Miaozhen, but to her surprise, they didn't criticize her at all.

The most important thing for everyone right now is to arrange the old lady's funeral. Only Lou Qiongyu can truly understand Liu's deep pain. She has lost her child and is half dead herself, yet everyone around her is indifferent.

When Miaozhen arrived at Furongwu, she found that there were so many people that Furongwu was a bit crowded.

Miaozhen led the people to fold blankets and make beds, wipe tables and chairs, and rearrange them. After everything was tidied up, Miaozhen sent Xiaoxi to Liu's place to complain. When Xiaoxi returned, her face was very ugly.

"You sent me over with good intentions. No one cares that she was upset and didn't pay attention to etiquette, but she kept saying that you did it on purpose. That makes no sense. Fortunately, Third Madam spoke up and said that she was confused and that we shouldn't take it to heart." Xiao Xi was furious.

Miaozhen said, "Why doesn't she blame herself for whether she got fake medicine, whether she took the medicine as prescribed, or whether the other doctor she found was a quack? Instead, she has the nerve to blame me."

If she were a weak person, she would have been terrified by Liu's words, but Miaozhen was not that kind of person. She said, "If she really says that I killed him, then let her ask the coroner to examine the body. I want to see what this child has been eating. Just repeat what I said."

Xiao Xi thought it made sense. If they didn't nip it in the bud now, it would be impossible to explain later. So she came over with Feng Niang and a few maids and said, "Fifth Grandmother, our Grandmother said that your son is usually weak and often comes to us for treatment. There are twenty-eight medical records in total. She cured a six-year-old child who weighed only forty pounds to be full of energy. During the follow-up visit, you even praised our Grandmother's superb medical skills and pressed your fingerprint. Now you brought your child to see us on the way here, and we diagnosed him carefully and prescribed medicine. Why don't you blame yourself for buying bad medicine, or for not trusting the doctor we found later who was an incompetent doctor? You only pick on the weak. She said if you disregard the facts and talk nonsense, then let's go to court and have a coroner examine him. Our Grandmother will definitely accompany you then. Don't let yourself harm your child and end up finding someone else to take the blame."

Liu was probably aware of the situation. She had heard that some of the medicine Xiao Jingshi bought was moldy and counterfeit, which had almost killed people. She also heard that the doctor who treated her son was just someone she randomly picked up locally...

She was caught off guard, but she still stubbornly replied, "Your grandma really knows how to use her skills."

"I don't know what methods they used, but I know that I treated your child so many times, and I didn't even see a single blade of grass. Instead, you blamed me for it," Xiao Xi said.

With Miaozhen's attitude, Liu dared not confront her or try to shift the blame. Everyone whispered among themselves as they observed Liu's attitude.

Some said, "Our Fourth Madam even went to the battlefield to treat soldiers' illnesses. The Emperor personally bestowed upon her a plaque, and she was even selected to enter the palace to treat the empresses' illnesses. It's likely that Fifth Madam bought some inferior medicine for her child, and now the blame is being placed on our Fourth Madam."

"That's right. Back when Fourth Grandmother was at home, my mother-in-law was bleeding badly from her lower body, and Fourth Grandmother cured her with just one dose."

...

The calming down of this matter made Lou Qiongyu realize how terrifying Miaozhen was. Of course, she ruled out the possibility that Miaozhen was treating people's bad illnesses on her own. If someone really did everything perfectly on a daily basis, but only tampered with one particular matter, probably no one would believe that this person was doing something bad.

If Miaozhen usually refuses to treat Liu's son, and this time she doesn't, and Liu's child dies, people will definitely blame her for being heartless. But she usually doesn't say a word and is very kind to Fifth Sister-in-law's son. No one can find fault with her.

No one would doubt her now?

Miaozhen initially felt sorry for the death of Liu's son, but Liu's slander made her feel like she had suffered an undeserved disaster. When Xiao Jingshi returned, she told him the same thing again.

Xiao Jingshi agreed: "That's how it should be. If you don't use some of your skills, anyone will dare to blame you."

“Yes, back in the capital, I let Liu off the hook for the sake of the child, but she still managed to pin it on me. But I’m not someone to be trifled with; she’s misjudged me.” Miaozhen narrowed her eyes.

Both of them were exhausted, but thankfully, their business was finished for the day, and they both fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, Miaozhen got up early and personally checked the trunks. Her most valuable possessions were the imperial items bestowed by the palace and the princess, which money could not necessarily buy. When Fujie got married in the future, she would take some of them out as part of her dowry, which would be extremely respectable.

After confirming that the trunks and boxes were accounted for, she sent Ping An back to her parents' home to announce her return. Soon, Xu Erpeng and Madam Mei arrived at the door. The couple had already prepared a gift for Zheng Ge'er.

Xu Erpeng had indeed gained a bit of weight compared to a few years ago, and he joked that he was "getting fatter the more he tried to lose weight." Mei Shi also had more wrinkles around her eyes. On the other hand, her two younger brothers, Jian Ge'er, was now a head taller than her, while Kun Ge'er was a bit shy.

Miaozhen also prepared gifts for them. For her father, she gave him two lotus petal hairpins and two pairs of leather boots from the capital. For her mother, she gave her a set of brocade clothes. For her two younger brothers, she gave them each a set of high-quality writing implements.

She first sent the children to the outer room to talk, and then told them what had happened along the way: "I never expected her to slander me. I was so angry that I wanted to confront her yesterday."

Xu Erpeng said, "You're absolutely right. She definitely wouldn't dare. It's just that whoever is the weak will get bullied by her. She's all about bullying the weak and fearing the strong."

These weren't the main points Miaozhen wanted to make. What she wanted to talk about was Miaoyun's matter. After she finished speaking, even Madam Mei was astonished: "She's bolder than her father, and more shrewd."

Looking at Xu Erpeng again, Xu Erpeng fell into deep thought and after a while said, "This matter has nothing to do with you, so don't worry about it and don't say anything."

“I didn’t say anything. Although she used my name, she just found a job. To be honest, it didn’t affect me at all,” Miaozhen said.

Xu Erpeng waved his hand: "No, no, not this one."

Miaozhen wanted to ask something more, but Xu Erpeng simply instructed, "You've just returned, and your in-laws' old lady will be buried soon. You must have a lot to do. We'll come back tomorrow, and after the burial, we'll discuss everything together."

With her father around, Miaozhen felt at ease. Before leaving, Xu Erpeng said to his daughter, "Doctors can cure illnesses, but they can't cure fate. Her parents didn't let you see the medicine, and later they didn't trust you. Don't blame yourself, do you hear me?"

A father knows his daughter best.

Miaozhen smiled and agreed, then personally saw them out of the courtyard. Madam Mei held her daughter's hand, just like when she was a child: "Mother will come to see you again tomorrow."

Returning to Suzhou with family there is naturally a different experience.

Miaozhen wore only two plain silver hairpins in her hair, dressed in mourning clothes, and went to Han Yueyao's place first.

Next door, Lou Qiongyu was also talking to Mrs. Lou, who was complaining about Xiao Jingshi: "We're all family, and he works in the Ministry of Personnel. He won't even help with this little thing. It's really true that he looks down on his relatives now that he's an official. Before, his family was just a merchant family, while our family was a county clerk, an official with a rank."

"Mother, please say less." Lou Qiongyu thought that since their Haitang Pavilion and Furongwu were close by, she was afraid that others would hear them.

Mrs. Lou had the door closed and said, "You're scared too? Do you think they're putting on airs in front of you?"

Clearly, Lou Qiongyu knew more about the matter than Madam Lou. She told her about Liu's situation, and Madam Lou shook her head as she listened. However, as someone who had been an official's wife, she obviously kept quiet when it came to matters of life and death. She also instructed Lou Qiongyu, "You all rely on your fourth brother now, so don't follow the fifth brother's wife's lead. Your third brother's father has already resigned from his post, and although the eldest son of the third brother's family is also an official, he is still a step away from you."

In fact, Mrs. Lou had given Lou Qiongyu a few instructions, and seeing that Lou Qiongyu seemed a little dazed, she added, "Yes, not to mention Fourth Brother, even Fourth Sister-in-law has become the eldest princess's teacher."

She was no longer just an ordinary daughter of a student of the Imperial Academy, but a person of fame, power, and wealth. She sighed and took the osmanthus flower cake to Madam Lou: "These are imperial cakes, given to Fourth Sister-in-law by the Princess. Fourth Sister-in-law only gave me a plateful. Please take it back and have a taste."

Mrs. Lou smiled and agreed.

Lou Qiongyu's maid, Fangyi, said, "Sixth Madam, Second Madam and Fourth Madam said they are going to pay their respects and asked if you would like to go with them?"

"I'll be right there." After saying that, he said to Mrs. Lou, "Why don't you stay here for the night, so you can go directly to the main room tomorrow?"

After the registrar of the Lou family retired, his family owned several hundred acres of land. Mrs. Lou lived with her husband in the countryside courtyard, which was quite far away, unlike Xu Erpeng, who lived in Changmen, which was only three miles away. He could come and go as he pleased, and it was convenient for him to return.

Lou Qiongyu hurried over and saw Han Yueyao and Miaozhen talking bitterly about parting, so she quickly came over with a smile.

Han Yueyao was always a loving family person. She was grateful to Miaozhen for helping her cure her illness and enabling her to conceive a son. She was also delighted to receive a plate of osmanthus flower cakes, which she said were made by the imperial court, as well as two bolts of Beijing silk and a beeswax Buddhist rosary. She was so happy that she couldn't stop talking.

The three sisters-in-law met and went to Ren's place first. Ren led them to the main house to help out. The eldest aunt, Chao, was busy with Xia Xianjie. Lou Qiongyu felt disgusted as soon as she saw Xia Xianjie and didn't say a word. However, she was usually very quiet, so no one thought much of it.

Miaozhen spoke at length to Chao Shi, who smiled and said, "You went to the front lines to treat the soldiers, and now the whole world knows about it. Our clan has already asked the county to include you in the county annals. It is truly an honor for our entire clan."

"It was just a small thing, yet it has caused such a stir throughout the entire clan. I, your nephew's wife, am truly ashamed and unworthy of such praise." Miaozhen quickly waved her hand.

Chao said, "This is a great deed of doing good deeds and accumulating merit."

As the clan chief's wife, Chao was very competent in her duties. This is why, even though Ren was much wealthier, she always treated her sister-in-law with the utmost respect.

Ren then asked Chao to assign tasks, and Chao said, "I've already spoken with the third branch of the family. Let the wives of the third and fourth sons greet the guests, the wives of the eldest and second sons prepare the funeral feast, and the wives of the sixth and seventh sons prepare the offerings and incense for the coffin. As for the fifth son's wife, the third sister-in-law said she's too ill to get out of bed. Our family isn't one to be inconsiderate of our wives, so let her rest well."

Han Yueyao, standing to the side, thought that her aunt's arrangement was very appropriate. Both Gao and Xu were wives of officials in the capital, so it would be respectable for them to welcome some noble ladies. As for Xia, she was a scoundrel who couldn't get along with anyone in the family except for herself. The wives of the sixth and seventh sons were both introverted and not good at speaking, so changing incense and candles and doing some delicate work would be perfect.

As for Liu, she had just lost her son, and everyone was initially sympathetic and understanding towards her. But she started making accusations everywhere. Yesterday she said it was her fourth brother's wife who caused it, today she had an argument with her fifth brother saying he bought fake medicine, and she complained that the long journey home had caused her son's death. She even brought up the death of Old Mrs. Xiao...

With such resentment and complaints directed at everyone, it was naturally difficult for Madam Chao to let her out.

Miaozhen also said that justice was indeed earned by herself. If her third uncle were still an official and Liu was still the daughter of an official, then even if she resisted, people would still pin the blame on her, and she would be helpless and could only keep defending herself.

But now she not only has the imperial decree of being a sixth-rank lady, but she has also been personally praised by the emperor, which is why everyone is willing to listen to her and know that she has been slandered.