Chapter 92 (Combined Chapter)

In just one year, Miaozhen moved again, from the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office to the Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office. Fortunately, Xiao Qing was capable and handled everything without causing Miaozhen any trouble, and nothing was missing.

Miao Zhen then discussed with Xiao Jingshi, "Last year we helped Bin Ge'er with his wedding. Qing Ge'er is not young anymore. Now that you have been promoted, I will also help him choose a suitable wife."

"You can handle these things as you see fit." Xiao Jingshi felt that his wife was capable of managing household affairs, and in fact, she would do anything very well.

Miaozhen smiled and nodded, "Now that I'm teaching Sister Fu medicine, I don't know why, but I feel that my own medical skills have improved a lot."

Xiao Jingshi put his hands on his wife's shoulders: "What happened to that girl from the Fu family who ran away from home?"

When this matter was brought up, Miaozhen sighed: "I'm just about to go ask about it now."

“The Fu family won’t blame you for this,” Xiao Jingshi suddenly said.

Miaozhen didn't understand why he was so sure, but thinking of Lu Jie'er who had run away from home, she changed into a vest and hurried over. At this time, the Fu family was in a state of anxiety.

"Has the person not been found yet?" Miaozhen asked.

Madam Ruan nodded: "Yes, I thought she was learning manners properly. Sister Xu, as you know, her father is in the army all day, and all her upbringing is left to me. She's reached the age where she could be getting married these past two years, but she still speaks ill of everyone and can't read a single word. I have no choice."

Upon hearing this, Miaozhen also blamed herself, saying, "I only thought that after Sister Fu invited the female official, her manners improved a lot, so I suggested it to you. I never expected it to turn out like this. If I had known, I wouldn't have gotten so drunk."

"What does this have to do with you, Sister Xu?" Madam Ruan didn't blame Miaozhen. She added, "This child's behavior isn't entirely due to her upbringing. Although her father previously said he was determined not to marry, you know our mistress introduced a young lady, and my uncle isn't particularly opposed to it, which is why things are like this..."

"I see," Miaozhen said, "Searching so randomly is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Does Sister Lu have any photo albums?"

Ruan shook her head: "For the sake of her reputation, it's not appropriate to paint that."

To be honest, although Madam Ruan was worried, she was more concerned about her brother-in-law blaming her; otherwise, she didn't feel much. This was because Lu Jie'er was also vying for her father's favor with her two children, even though she had tried her best to treat them equally.

These things are not easy to tell Miaozhen. Her relationship with Miaozhen has been good since they were in Xuanfu. Now, her daughter has a high fever and her son has asthma. Miaozhen has helped treat them almost all of them. The medicine is almost always effective and they often help with massage.

Seeing that Madam Ruan was not angry with her, Miaozhen breathed a sigh of relief, but she was still a little worried about Lu Jie'er and couldn't help but ask, "Won't this child go to find her mother?"

Since she thinks her father is going to remarry, he might go to find her mother.

When Ruan heard this, she thought it made sense and hurriedly left to send people to look for the child. To her surprise, they actually found him. However, the child had no money or travel permit and had been kidnapped by beggars. Fortunately, someone went south and found him.

After she returned, because she was beautiful, those people wanted to sell her for a good price, so they couldn't bear to beat her. They just gave her some sleeping potion. Miaozhen took her pulse and prescribed some medicine to regulate her blood and qi.

Madam Ruan was a gentle person, and she said from the side, "Sister Lu, you must not run away again in the future. It makes the adults worry and you suffer too."

Lu Jie'er spat on Ruan Shi's face: "You're no good person." Then she pointed at Miao Zhen, who had just treated her, and said: "You're no good person either, you're bullying me, a child without a mother."

Although Miaozhen is quite knowledgeable, she has never seen such an impolite child in modern times. How could she have seen one in ancient times? Ruan Shi is caught between two equally unpleasant situations.

"Then young lady, please rest well. I'll come back in a few days." Miaozhen shook her head and prepared to leave.

Unexpectedly, when she came out, she saw Fu Yu's younger brother, General Fu Ye. Miao Zhen bowed, but was stopped by someone.

"Lady Xiao, how is my daughter's illness?"

Miao Zhen said, "The sleeping potion made her unconscious for a long time, and she suffered from exhaustion due to insufficient qi and blood. I have already prescribed a medicine, and she will be fine after a few days of treatment."

Fu Ye felt utterly helpless: "It's all my fault for making her like this."

Miaozhen quickly said, "To be honest, it was my fault. My daughter learned etiquette from a lady-in-waiting in the palace, so I told her when Madam Fu asked me. That has restrained Miss's temperament."

“This has nothing to do with Gongren.” Fu Ye was not an unreasonable person.

Seeing that Fu Ye was not implicating her, Miao Zhen said, "You are truly understanding. The matter of Miss Xiao should be dealt with slowly, so I will not disturb you any longer."

Fu Ye had actually heard that although Xiao Jingshi's daughter was young, she had learned medicine from her mother and was well-educated and reasonable. At such a young age, she had many suitors, which showed that Madam Xu was quite good at teaching.

He couldn't help but ask, "Gongren, how do you usually teach your children?"

Miaozhen actually wanted to say that a child's strengths and weaknesses are not always a matter of upbringing, and that genes are also very important, but she couldn't say these things directly. She only said vaguely, "I just teach by example in my daily life."

After saying that, he left.

Fu Ye went inside, and only then did Madam Ruan come out. When Lu Jie'er saw her father, she ignored him, saying, "You don't want me anymore, so why did you come back?"

“Father is busy at the front line, how could he not want you? If he didn’t want you, why would he bring you to Fujian?” The daughter was originally raised by her mother, but she didn’t get along with the children in the clan, which made her eldest sister complain. He was busy on weekdays, so he asked his sister-in-law to help look after her. He didn’t expect that this would cause a problem.

Lu Jie'er didn't care about others, but she did care about her father. She looked at Fu Ye and said, "Father, after you remarry, will you no longer want Lu Jie'er? Please don't remarry."

Fu Ye's ex-wife was the daughter of his political enemy. He had no feelings for her and was sharp-tongued and stingy. She only used her husband. They separated, but he cherished this daughter. He agreed without hesitation: "Father will not marry her."

"That's good, that's good." Sister Lu was secretly delighted.

Almost everyone seemed to dislike her. Even her aunt only showed her superficial affection, and the female doctor Xu who had just left wasn't very warm towards her either.

She didn't want her father to remarry, because then she would truly be abandoned.

Seeing that his daughter was also lonely, Fu Ye couldn't help but say, "The Xiao family and our family have a good relationship. Your uncle and Lord Xiao are political allies. The Xiao family's daughter is about your age, so you can visit her more often."

Upon hearing this, Sister Lu threw another tantrum, smashing all the cups and saucers in the room.

Fu Ye was even more troubled.

A few days later, Fu Yu, Fu Ye, and Xiao Jingshi had a meal together. The three first discussed official business. Xiao Jingshi felt uneasy about Marquis Yunjian: "I always thought the Emperor would send someone to investigate, but I never expected that he would be convicted."

“What’s past is past, Ning Xia, there’s no need to dwell on it,” Fu Yu said.

Xiao Jingshi nodded.

He came to Fujian and impeached two marquises, but he was unharmed and even promoted. Thanks to Fu Yu's help, Xiao Jingshi could no longer ask questions.

Fu Ye immediately poured out his grievances at the dinner table, talking about how difficult his daughter was to raise. Fu Yu comforted him, saying, "She'll be more sensible in a few years."

Xiao Jingshi disagreed with this statement. He believed that human nature is inherently evil, even for children. For example, when his daughter Fu was a child, she lied and was punished by his wife by being made to stand in the corner and not allowed to eat. Bad behavior must be corrected from a young age; how could it possibly improve as an adult?

Even if the person is an old man, he's still a bad person.

However, according to Miaozhen, Fu Yu's wife is also difficult to manage. She runs away from home when asked to be taught by a teacher, and throws things when disciplined.

Just as Xiao Jingshi was about to eat, Fu Ye asked him, "How did you raise your children?"

"Actually, I didn't manage it much; it was my wife who disciplined him." Xiao Jingshi was too lazy to say anything, because the logic was clear: if you do something wrong, you have to be taught a lesson.

Fu Ye, in his desperation, suggested, "Why don't we ask your wife to help teach him a thing or two?"

Xiao Jingshi was taken aback for a moment, then quickly said, "The adjutant doesn't know, but the nephews I'm raising at home are enough to give her a headache."

Fu Ye slapped his forehead: "I must have lost my mind."

Fearing he might find another wife, Xiao Jingshi said, "You might as well get married; at least someone will be there to look after you."

"I've made up my mind never to marry," Fu Ye said, feeling a headache coming on.

Xiao Jingshi looked at Fu Yu with sympathy. They, the outsiders, could escape, but Fu Yu could not.

Seeing that his younger brother still had a headache, Fu Yu couldn't help but ask Xiao Jingshi, "I heard that your family used to have a female official, I wonder where she was from?"

"It was Consort Shen who introduced her." Xiao Jingshi didn't quite understand either.

Fu Yu asked more detailed questions on behalf of his younger brother, so Xiao Jingshi could only say, "I'll tell you after I've asked my wife carefully."

When Xiao Jingshi returned, he immediately told Miaozhen, who shook her head and said, "I won't get involved in their family's affairs."

"Can that female official still be found?" Xiao Jingshi asked.

Miaozhen laughed and said, "I don't know where she went either."

Xiao Jingshi said, "I'm telling you the truth, that Lieutenant General Fu is also a handsome and accomplished man. Why don't he get married and let his wife take care of him?"

“Once a stepmother comes a stepfather, I think General Fu certainly wouldn’t want his daughter to be mistreated.” Miao Zhen admired Fu Ye for this.

Miao Zhen shook her head, ready to deal with these trivial matters, but she didn't expect that she would soon have a legitimate excuse.

The newly appointed Vice Commander of the Zhejiang Provincial Military Commission, Qi Jiguang, sent a letter to her family, requesting her to treat his wife, Wang, in a very respectful tone. When Miaozhen read the letter, she recalled an old story and told it to Xiao Jingshi.

"I remember he was about a year or two younger than me, and his martial arts skills were superb. I never imagined he would be a mere assistant commander now."

Xiao Jingshi snorted coldly: "You know quite a lot of people, don't you?"

"You're actually getting jealous," Miaozhen said with a smile, shaking her head.

Then Xiao Jingshi said, "Zhejiang is not very stable now, it might not be good for you to go there like this."

"Yes, that's why Madam Qi came all the way to pick me up." Miaozhen felt that she also had her own things to do. She didn't know who Qi Jiguang's wife was, but she knew Qi Jiguang; he was a hero who fought against Japanese pirates.

If she hadn't experienced it herself, she would genuinely wish for world peace.

Xiao Jingshi felt a little uncomfortable when he saw the look of admiration in Miaozhen's eyes when she mentioned Qi Jiguang. However, he knew that Miaozhen's promises were made in the hope that he would support her, just like his wife supported everything he did.

However, he was still not entirely at ease, so he had Xiao Qing accompany him. Miao Zhen, along with her daughter and nephew, two archers, four guards, and some servants, went over.

As for Ting-ge'er, after a year of recuperation, his health has improved considerably, so he and Zheng-ge'er were entrusted to the care of Xiao Bin's wife, Lin.

Zheng Ge'er objected: "Mother, I want to go too."

“But you need to study. Your sister has been studying for almost six years, and your brother is still studying at the academy. You are still young, so you should focus on your studies.” Miaozhen patted her son’s head.

Zheng Ge'er readily agreed, but no one expected that on the day Miao Zhen set off, he secretly hid under the carriage seat and was only discovered after they left the city.

Fu'er was stunned: "Mother, look at my little brother..."

Miao Zhen had no choice but to send the guards back on horseback to retrieve Zheng Ge'er's clothes. Only then did Xiao Jingshi realize that his youngest son had gone with him. He was furious: "This kid is only seven years old, yet he dares to think and act. I really don't know how to teach him in the future."

Xiao Bin, standing to the side, could tell that Xiao Jingshi's anger, though genuine, also contained an element of pride.

Along the way, Zheng Ge'er knew he had done something wrong, so he was very attentive, sometimes massaging Miao Zhen's back, sometimes getting her snacks, which made Miao Zhen unable to help but ask, "Why do you insist on coming out with Mother?"

"I just want to follow Mother. Besides, Mother said last time that Vice Commissioner Qi is very powerful, and I admire him very much." Zheng Ge'er loves reading, but he is more interested in weapons than books, and he is the most enthusiastic about learning martial arts.

"So that's how it is," Miaozhen said, patting her son's head, a thought suddenly occurring to her.

The eldest son should study, the eldest daughter should study medicine, and it wouldn't be bad if the youngest son learned martial arts.

Although the dynasty I live in feels somewhat different from the one in history, if my sons can serve the country and save the people from suffering, then my time travel will not have been in vain.

With this in mind, she didn't criticize Zheng Ge'er, but only said to him, "You can't follow your mother around forever. You still need to catch up on your studies when you go back, okay?"

"Your son will listen to his mother." Zheng Ge'er knew he had done wrong, but his mother still spoke to him gently. He repeatedly promised that he would study hard.

The matter was dropped, and Miaozhen, considering her son's feelings, told Fujie not to blame him either.

But he also spoke of the seriousness of the matter: "You're still young. If you sneak out when the adults aren't looking and get kidnapped by those child traffickers, what will happen? The girl from the Fu family was kidnapped, but luckily the Fu family mobilized the whole city to find her and she was given a lot of drugs. Boys like you will be even worse off. They'll definitely beat you into submission with whips, sticks, and knives, break your arms and legs, and leave you to beg on the streets. They'll even poison you so you can't speak, and your mother won't recognize you even if she's walking right next to you. What will you do then?"

As Miaozhen spoke, she made a cutting motion with her hand as if she were cutting his arm and leg, which frightened Zhengge'er so much that he burst into tears.

Seeing her younger brother crying, Fu'er took out her handkerchief to wipe his tears and helped him out, saying, "Let's see if you'll still be naughty." Then she asked, "Mother, is my older brother taking the exam next year?"

"Yes, Dalang passed the entrance exam for the inner dormitory at the beginning of this year, so he plans to try again next year." Miaozhen was very happy for her eldest son.

Kefu asked, "What about Miao?"

Miaozhen shook her head: "I didn't ask about that. It should be about the same. You know, it's not good for our family to always have only one outstanding son. If Miaoge'er passes, your sixth aunt will be much gratified."

"Yes, Uncle Liu is really something, taking his concubine to Nanjing. It must have broken Aunt Liu's heart." Fu Jie'er's father is now a successful official and has no concubines. She and Wei Jie'er have a good relationship and she hopes that Wei Jie'er can be well.

In July, Suzhou was still very hot. When Zhao Ge'er returned from school, an ice basin had already been placed in his courtyard. Since his father was promoted to the position of Provincial Administration Commissioner, he had also benefited greatly from his father's promotion. His family treated him like royalty.

The person hadn't returned yet, but the house felt chilly.

He changed his clothes and went to pay his respects to his grandparents first.

Master Xiao was delighted to see his eldest grandson and hurriedly asked, "Have you been struggling with your studies lately?"

"It's alright, it's just that my mouth feels a bit bitter from studying lately. I didn't feel it when I was in the outer dormitory, but after I was admitted to the inner dormitory, my classmates sometimes try to reduce the number of times they eat and drink in order to study. My grandson is in the same situation." Zhao Ge'er doesn't feel that studying is very tiring, but he feels very tired.

"Studying is indeed tiring, but there's a wealth of knowledge to be gained in books." Master Xiao didn't know how to persuade someone to study, so he just said this dryly.

Mrs. Ren was concerned about her grandson's health: "I'll have the kitchen prepare some of your favorite dishes later. Just tell your grandmother if you need anything."

Zhao Ge'er thanked him, but he looked a little tired. Master Xiao and Madam Xiao told him to go back and rest, and Zhao Ge'er didn't stand on ceremony. He went back to take a bath first.

After taking a bath, the food was served. Sure enough, it was all his favorite dishes. Zhao Ge'er ate two bowls of rice in silence before stopping. After finishing, he realized that his appetite had increased significantly, and he was like a glutton.

After the meal, Zhao Ge'er's head maid, Tonghua, brought tea: "We have already laid out the mat for you, young master. Go and rest for a while after you finish eating."

"Sister, don't bother. I wonder if Miao-ge'er has returned yet?" Zhao-ge'er asked.

Tonghua nodded: "Young Master Miao has gone to Haitang Pavilion."

Zhao Ge'er thinks it's already good that Miao Ge'er was able to get into the middle school. I wonder what Sixth Aunt will think?

Lou Qiongyu was naturally somewhat dissatisfied with her son, but she knew that he had already done his best, so she couldn't help but say, "You should ask your teacher questions often. As the saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The monthly exam is coming up soon. I will send you some soup every other day so that you can take good care of your health."

"Then thank you very much, Mother." Miao Ge'er was also under a lot of pressure.

Because of his long-term consumption of fried cakes, the small pimples on his scalp have spread to his face, and he has also grown gray hair at the back of his head. He was already a picky eater, and now he is even more so.

Lou Qiongyu thought that it was not good for her fourth sister-in-law to go out at such a crucial time, leaving Zhao Ge'er without his parents to take care of him. Unlike Miao Ge'er, who had her by his side. Although Zhao Ge'er had now entered the inner quarters, she thought it was probably because of her fourth brother's promotion.

The sons of officials are naturally different.

Since her son didn't have a powerful father who was an official, he had to work hard. She repeated this principle to Miao Ge'er: "Your father is only a student of the Imperial Academy now, not comparable to your fourth uncle, so you must not think that you will have a powerful backer in the future. You must study hard."

Miao Ge'er ate chestnut cake, somewhat losing his appetite: "Son knows."

Seeing her son like this, Lou Qiongyu felt a little relieved, thinking that Qin Ying had only given birth to a daughter. After all, Miao Ge'er was the only son in the family.

"Mother has personally prepared some of your favorite dishes, so you don't need to eat those snacks." Lou Qiongyu lovingly invited Miao Ge'er to come and eat.

It's definitely better to have his mother around. Miao-ge'er has a few new clothes and food, so things are much better than before. But Miao-ge'er is also under a lot of pressure. Like Zhao-ge'er, he's not tired from studying, but from the burden of life.

These were trivial matters. After he finished eating, Lou Qiongyu took him to the third house and asked Miao Ge'er to consult with the third master of the Xiao family. The third master of the Xiao family had passed the imperial examination and served as an official for several years, but his children and grandchildren had all gone to the capital. Lou Qiongyu had just thought of this, so she sent Miao Ge'er there.

"Mother, should we call Brother Zhao?" Miao asked softly.

Lou Qiongyu laughed and said, "That won't be necessary. There are plenty of people to guide your brother Zhao."

Miao Ge'er probably thinks so too.

Little did they know that after Zhao Ge'er woke up from his nap, he told Ren Shi that he was going to his maternal grandparents' house, which was very close, only about three miles away. Xu Erpeng was overjoyed to see his grandson and told him about the new book he had received. He even put down his pen, which was quite rare for him. Mei Shi and her daughter-in-law Luo Shi went to the kitchen together to prepare some delicious food for their grandson.

Zhao Ge'er originally came back to relax for a day, and he read books at his maternal grandfather's place until he was completely absorbed, but he was in a good mood.

Xu Erpeng was also very sensible. He had already collected all the newly compiled collections for his grandson. No matter what famous teachers gave him guidance, he still had to do big and small problems day after day. After doing a lot, he would get a feel for it.

Moreover, this is the newest product on the market. The topic he invited was chosen by everyone, and it hasn't even been sold yet, but many people have already pre-ordered it.

"You absolutely must do it," Xu Erpeng urged.

Zhao Ge'er nodded: "Don't worry, grandson understands."

Xu Erpeng smiled and patted his grandson on the shoulder. Seeing that it was getting dark, he personally escorted him home.

It was getting dark on Miaozhen's side as a young woman came to greet her. She had a decisive and efficient air about her. This was Wang, the wife of Qi Jiguang, the newly appointed Vice Commissioner of Zhejiang.

"Madam looks truly dashing," Miaozhen praised.

Lady Wang usually preferred military attire to feminine dresses. She was highly skilled in martial arts, even more so than her husband, and often challenged Qi Jiguang to duels. When she saw that Miaozhen was the wife of a councilor from Fujian, she initially thought she would be a delicate official's wife. However, she was surprised to find that Miaozhen looked like the head of the household. She smiled and said, "I think Lady Wang is very capable."

Miaozhen introduced her children: "Originally, I only brought my daughter. She followed in my footsteps and often helps me. However, my youngest son insisted on coming along after hearing that Vice Minister Qi was powerful. Please don't be offended, Madam."

Madam Wang glanced at Zhengge'er. She was also the daughter of the Nanxi Wanhu, no ordinary young lady, and immediately said, "Doctor Xu, since this child likes my husband, why don't we have him become his apprentice?"

Unexpectedly, Wang Shi was so decisive and straightforward. Miao Zhen quickly told Zheng Ge'er to pay his respects and secretly resolved to help Wang Shi cure her illness.