Chapter 98 (Combined Chapter)

Xiao Jingshi took Miaozhen's words very seriously, knowing that she was not speaking without reason. Therefore, he allocated twenty mu of the land allocated to the prefect for the old farmer to cultivate sweet potatoes. As the prefect, he had many responsibilities: announcing national policies, governing the prefecture and county, adjudicating lawsuits, evaluating subordinate officials, and collecting taxes.

He didn't just talk the talk; he would personally go to the countryside, taking Zhao Ge'er with him. Zhao Ge'er's current status was that of a clerk, and he received no special treatment.

At night, Zhao Ge'er had some trouble sleeping. They were staying at a farmhouse, and although the family had made sure everything was tidy, he still felt uncomfortable.

The beds he slept in at home were all covered with soft satin mattresses, and he was covered with light and warm silk quilts. He even wore fur coats with exquisite and intricate embroidery. However, the room had a musty smell, and although the bedding was new, it had a slight musty odor.

She rolled over and heard her father beside her say, "Don't you feel very comfortable here?"

"Yes," Zhao Ge'er replied honestly.

Xiao Jingshi chuckled and said, "Actually, this family is already considered quite well-off in the village. What did you think of your maternal grandfather's family before?"

Zhao Ge scratched his head: "My maternal grandparents' family is quite well-off."

“Your maternal grandfather’s family can only be considered a small family, and our family is at most a medium-sized family. In Jiangnan, you can’t be considered a large family without a million. But there are many places where you can’t even be called a family. In this village we’ve come to, we’re already considered a wealthy family,” Xiao Jingshi explained.

Zhao Ge sighed: "When Mother taught me to wash clothes and fold blankets, I thought I was very capable when I was in the academy. I also thought that life was very hard. Now I realize that there are many poor people everywhere."

"Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Your father brought you out here so that you could understand the ways of the world and be worldly-wise." Xiao Jingshi was strict with his eldest son, but he still loved his children, especially Zhao Ge'er, who was thoughtful and had a good temper. He couldn't bear to get angry with him.

Zhao Ge'er used to think that officials were high and mighty, with great power and prestige. Now, seeing his father inspecting the fields, checking the dikes, and even checking if the planting had started, he realized he had to know everything. His father used to be from a wealthy family, so he must have put in a lot of effort to know so much.

Lost in thought, he fell asleep. Xiao Jingshi heard his son's breathing and closed his eyes as well.

After the father and son left, Miaozhen and Fujie prepared the medicinal herbs together. She said, "A doctor cannot be completely ignorant. Otherwise, if the patient does not get better after taking the medicine, it is hard to say whether it is a problem with the prescription or the medicine."

Fu Jie'er was still young, and she said, "Mother, I've heard that Baotu Spring in Jinan is very famous, and I'd like to go and see it too."

“Okay, I’ll take you to see them then. Daming Lake, Baotu Spring, Thousand Buddha Mountain, we have to see them all,” Miaozhen said with a smile.

After the mother and daughter finished preparing the medicinal herbs, they heard that Madam Kou had arrived. Miaozhen changed her clothes and went to the front hall, where she heard Madam Kou say, "Madam Pan from the Provincial Judicial Office has been bedridden for several days. I was thinking of going to see her. What do you think?"

“Of course it would be good. Since we’re going to visit someone in the hospital, I don’t know the rules here, and I don’t know what to bring. I’ll have to trouble you to give me some pointers.” Miaozhen didn’t think that her husband’s high official position made him arrogant; on the contrary, she was very polite.

Mrs. Kou smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll bring over the old forms."

Since they were both heads of households, Miaozhen looked at the list and felt it was quite appropriate, so she immediately had it prepared.

The next day, Miaozhen, along with Mrs. Kou, each arrived in a large sedan chair. Mrs. Pan, with a cloth strip tied around her head, said upon seeing Miaozhen and Mrs. Kou, "I'm having a headache, and I'm sorry to trouble you to come and see me."

The Pan family has a deputy provincial inspector in the provincial judicial office. It is said that Lord Pan is a very honest and upright official, not the kind of official who would take money to help people get off a case. He is quite famous. Madam Pan's current residence is also quite simple and not very luxurious.

After paying her respects first, Miaozhen said, "I wonder what medicine you are taking? I have some knowledge of medicine, so I can take a look at it for you."

Mrs. Pan waved her hand, signaling a servant to bring it over. Miaozhen saw that there was only a prescription and couldn't help but ask, "You said you have a headache, but is there anything else that's bothering you?"

There are several types of headaches, so they cannot be generalized.

Xiao Xi, who was standing to the side, said, "Mrs. Pan, don't underestimate our lady. Back then, the palace specially invited our lady to come and treat patients. She has treated the Earl of Pingjiang, the princess, and the concubines. She has cured all kinds of difficult illnesses."

The people here are unaware of Miaozhen's reputation, and Miaozhen did not intend to announce it from the beginning, but now that she has the opportunity, she will certainly show herself appropriately.

Having heard of Miaozhen's reputation, Mrs. Pan couldn't help but ask, "I heard that the renowned female physiognomist Xu is also from Suzhou. Is she too, madam?"

Miao Zhen glanced at her and said, "I am Xu Miao Zhen."

"We were truly blind to your greatness," Mrs. Kou exclaimed.

Miao Zhen thought to herself, "Young lady, people from other government offices may not know, but Madam Kou must have found out and that's why she came today. People who can get their superiors' wives to act so boldly are truly clever and meticulous."

She admired him for not being the kind of person who maliciously belittles others, for his upright character and resourcefulness.

But Miaozhen added, "It's not something I can easily tell you."

After saying that, he asked about Mrs. Pan's symptoms and explained, "Headache can be caused by wind-evil, liver yang, phlegm obstruction, and qi deficiency. You have a throbbing headache, fever, cough, sore throat, white tongue coating, and a floating and tight pulse. This is a wind-cold type of headache, but the medicine prescribed here is for wind-heat, so it is not very suitable for your condition."

Mrs. Pan immediately recognized Miaozhen's expertise, especially since she was a woman, and trusted her even more.

With Miaozhen's help, Mrs. Pan recovered quickly and even hosted a banquet to invite her and Mrs. Kou over for a chat. Miaozhen and Mrs. Kou both brought their daughters with them this time.

Fu Jie'er lived up to her name, with a face as beautiful as a lotus, willow-leaf eyebrows, and lips that smiled sweetly like honey. Xue Niang had big eyes, an oval face, and was very beautiful and charming.

Mrs. Pan was very pleased with the two girls' good looks and specially presented them with gifts.

Although Miaozhen was concerned about her son's marriage, she was mainly worried that if Fu Yu asked her to marry him, she and her husband would not be able to refuse. However, she was more concerned about her daughter. Therefore, she started socializing as soon as she arrived in Jinan, which was unusual for her.

Being more sociable may not necessarily lead to a good marriage for your daughter, but it will at least let everyone know about Sister Fu. If someone is interested, they will naturally come to visit.

During the meal, Mrs. Pan mentioned that she wanted to go to Thousand Buddha Mountain to fulfill a vow and invited them to go with her. Miaozhen readily agreed, but Mrs. Kou made an excuse that she had something to do.

After returning home, Kou Xueniang couldn't help but ask her mother, "Why didn't you go when Madam Pan invited you over today?"

"I'm using Mrs. Xiao's medical skills to get closer to Mrs. Pan, but we can't go too far. If Mrs. Xiao finds out that it was all my doing, it won't be good. Right now, she should be grateful to me for introducing her to Mrs. Pan." Mrs. Kou spoke so clearly, also teaching her daughter.

As for why she wanted to please Miaozhen, firstly, she was the wife of Shangguan, and it would be a good thing for her if everyone got along well. Secondly, she was only the wife of a sub-prefect, and her status was not high enough. If Miaozhen had a good relationship with her, she could take her along in whatever she did in the future, and she would also have more dignity.

In officialdom, you can leverage others' influence, but you can't steal their thunder.

Kou Xueniang nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Miaozhen also reviewed the situation with Fu Jie'er: "If it weren't for Mrs. Kou, I wouldn't have known that Mrs. Pan was feeling unwell. Regardless of her intentions, we should still appreciate her kindness."

"Yes, Mother," Fu-jie replied.

Miaozhen then gave Fujie a small pearl crown that she liked very much from her jewelry box. The pearls on it were all round and smooth, as if they were covered with a layer of light. When worn in the middle of her daughter's hair, it made her look exceptionally graceful and elegant, like a painting come to life.

Fu Jie'er declined, saying, "Mother, I can't take away what you love."

“You can’t say that. Such fine beads are hard to find on the market these days. Even if you could, they would probably cost three to five times the original price, and we don’t have the craftsmanship for that.” Miaozhen smiled as she looked at her daughter, finally understanding why Madam Mei had liked to dress her up before she got married. That was her sentiment.

Since her mother insisted on giving it to her, Fu-jie happily accepted it. In fact, she already had two large boxes full of jewelry. Ever since she grew her hair long, her mother would make it for her every season, but this was the first time she had received something so valuable.

Seeing her daughter so happy, Miaozhen was also delighted.

Xiao Xi came over with a box at the door: "Fourth Grandmother, the apricots and melons sent by Magistrate Yun's wife have arrived."

"Thank her for me, and send her another box of salt and pepper steamed buns," Miaozhen said.

After Xiao Xi went out to give instructions, she came back in to talk to Miao Zhen: "Prefect Zhang is going to take up a post in Jining Prefecture. You said he helped people suppress a murder case before, so how can he still be promoted step by step?"

Miaozhen shook her head: "That's the way officialdom is. Sometimes, people fall from grace not because of corruption, but because their powerful backers have fallen. By the way, this is my father's last year in office. I wonder how he is doing? I've met my eldest brother's wife, and I heard that my second brother got married while he was in office, but I haven't met his wife. These days, it's not easy to find a daughter-in-law."

Xiao Xi was Miao Zhen's most trusted confidante, so of course she knew what Miao Zhen was thinking. If it weren't for the encounter with Fu Ye and his daughter along the way, Zhao Ge'er would have had more choices. She couldn't help but say, "The two girls that Lady Qiu recommended to you back then were actually quite good."

“It’s been almost two years, they must be engaged by now,” Miaozhen said.

"Alright, instead of talking here, we should prepare well for our trip to Thousand Buddha Mountain. Many women will be attending the Buddhist gathering there, and we might even meet Miss Liu."

Don't assume whether the other party is good or bad; go and meet them in person first.

Xiao Xi smiled and said, "You're right."

The master and servant then discussed what clothes and headdress to wear that day, while wisps of blue smoke rose from the bronze cauldron on the table.

Pengze

Mei was also getting ready. She had been living a comfortable life these past few years. Her skin was firm and there were no wrinkles around her eyes. The only thing that had changed was that a few strands of her hair had turned white.

The eldest daughter-in-law lived in Suzhou, while the second daughter-in-law, Zhang, was married while she was in office. She had a round face and a cheerful personality. Seeing that Mei was dressed up, she quickly brought her tea.

"Madam, have some tea to soothe your throat."

Madam Mei took it and looked at her, saying, "You've worked so hard yesterday preparing for my birthday banquet."

Madam Zhang quickly replied, "Madam, you're too kind. This is what a daughter-in-law should do."

This Zhang family was the daughter of a prominent local family. Her father was a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations and worked as an instructor. There was also a cousin in the family who was an official in Henan Prefecture. The family was quite wealthy. Because of the marriage with Zhang, Xu Erpeng was able to do quite well as an official in this area. Even if he encountered some minor setbacks, he had people to help him, so his life was relatively smooth.

Xu Erpeng was determined to leave after completing this term. Although he was somewhat reluctant to leave, he felt great satisfaction from giving orders and redressing grievances. However, knowing when to quit while he was ahead was his consistent principle.

So, with her daughter-in-law's help, Madam Mei went to the front lines, dismissed the servants, and asked Xu Erpeng for his opinion. Xu Erpeng replied as before, "I will resign from my post next year due to old age and illness. This was agreed upon long ago."

"I think you're doing quite well here," said Madam Mei, feeling it was a pity.

Xu Erpeng said, "I've reached the age of knowing my destiny. It's worth it for my son, who was a poor businessman, to rise to the rank of a seventh-grade official. You should have already hinted to Kun's daughter-in-law so she wouldn't be caught off guard."

Mei replied obediently, "I understand."

The two received another letter from Miaozhen in Jinan. Xu Erpeng read it over and realized it must have been sent before the New Year, only to arrive in their hands now. He held the letter with a trembling hand and frowned, saying, "My son-in-law wasn't bad in the Hanlin Academy. It's already bad enough that he went from the righteous to the corrupt. He also had a record of impeaching nobles in Fujian. Why was he only transferred to Jinan as the prefect? ​​Although Jinan is the capital of Shandong, it is far inferior to the officials in the capital."

Anyone who's been in officialdom knows that the closer an official position is to the emperor, the better. My son-in-law is quite capable, so how could this be?

Madam Mei also worried, "What should we do?"

"It doesn't matter. My son-in-law is still young. It's good for him to gain more experience in governing a region. Also, Zhenzhen told us that Lu Shi'an has passed away, which is actually a good thing."

Mei was delighted to hear this, and then Xu Erpeng said, "Zhenzhen said she met Miaoyun on the road. She said her elder brother had gone."

The couple sighed with regret.

Xu Erpeng put down the letter and said, "The Japanese pirates are seriously invading Fujian and Zhejiang. It's actually a good thing that my son-in-law is being transferred away from the front line. Look at me, I'm really greedy."

Mei knew that her husband was not greedy, but genuinely cared about their daughter and son-in-law.

But Zhang Shihua was impeached by his son-in-law before. Will he retaliate?

Miaozhen, who was far away, was unaware of her parents' worries. She took Fujie and Madam Pan to Thousand Buddha Mountain, and to show their piety, everyone climbed the mountain.

After her headache subsided, Pan was in high spirits. It was springtime, a perfect time for enjoying flowers and wine, and the streets were bustling with people. Shandong people are different from southerners; the men are very tall, and the women are beautiful and slender, a pleasing sight to behold. Miaozhen had heard in her previous life that even the scallions from Shandong grew taller than those from other places.

I wonder if Sister Fu and her two younger brothers will grow tall by then?

Seeing her mother smile, Fu Jie'er was puzzled and quickly asked. When her mother brought this up, Fu Jie'er chimed in, "Mother, if I grow any taller, will I be the giant of the Xiao family?"

"Little girl, you're far from being a giant." Miaozhen affectionately pinched her daughter's nose.

Temple fairs are always extremely lively. Although Sister Fu was wearing a veil, she could still see these scenes through the transparent gauze. Madam Pan, like other women of the time, was very enthusiastic about Buddhist fairs, and her destination today was Xingguo Temple.

Miaozhen and Fujie strolled around here. On the south side of Xingguo Temple, there are Buddhist statues carved during the Sui Dynasty. There are 130 Buddhist statues in nine caves. The mother and daughter entered the main cave, Jile Cave. In the middle is Amitabha Buddha, sitting cross-legged in meditation, with a solemn appearance.

"Mother, is the 'Amitabha Buddha' we often chant about him?" Fu asked cautiously.

Miaozhen nodded and then told her the origin of the story. To be honest, you need to be physically fit to play. Miaozhen had just climbed up the mountain and was suddenly surrounded by so many Buddha statues in the cave. She was a little dizzy and out of breath while explaining. Fu Jie'er was considerate and helped her out first.

"Mom, why don't you rest here for a while? Let's have some snacks."

Miaozhen was also a woman who didn't care about formalities. The mother and daughter ate some snacks in the corridor, which happened to be seen by Miss Liu. Miss Liu was the daughter of the governor. Although she was born out of wedlock, she was beautiful and had a stunning appearance. Her older sister had married into a powerful family in the capital, and she originally thought that based on her looks and character, she should be the same.

Even if not, she must be from a family of officials for generations. Today, she was sent by her stepmother to visit her future mother-in-law, but she never expected that Xiao Jingshi's wife would be so common.

Women shouldn't eat in front of others. Even when they're outside, they'll find a screen to hide behind or go inside. It's too blatant, which is completely different from what she imagined.

She had once heard her father comment on Xiao Jing, saying that he was exceptionally talented and wrote excellent articles. His son, Xiao Zhaozhi, was also gentle, handsome, and highly talented. So she thought that Madam Xiao must also be extraordinary. She never expected her to be so vulgar.

She kept these words to herself and dared not reveal them. Although her stepmother did not come with her today, she sent her trusted nanny, Granny Jin, to accompany her.

Granny Jin was familiar with Madam Pan, so she pulled her aside and they went to find Madam Pan first.

Miaozhen, sitting on the veranda, was completely unaware of what was happening. After finishing her snacks, she felt much better. The mother and daughter strolled around for a while before going to find Madam Pan.

Unexpectedly, Madam Pan was talking to a young girl. The girl wore a silver-threaded cloud-shaped hairpin, a colorful round-necked robe, and a necklace around her neck, exuding an air of wealth and nobility.

Upon seeing Miaozhen enter, Madam Pan introduced her, saying, "Mrs. Xiao, I was here to worship Buddha when I unexpectedly encountered Miss Liu. Her mother sent her to fulfill a vow."

Fearing that Miaozhen might not know Miss Liu, she emphasized, "Governor Liu's daughter is the same age as your Fu'er."

Miss Liu rose and bowed gracefully. Miao Zhen quickly helped her up and took off her bracelet, saying, "It's a small gift to express my appreciation on our first meeting."

Unexpectedly, just as she was about to help Miss Liu put it on, Miss Liu instinctively moved her hand to the side. Although Miss Liu immediately showed embarrassment, she could clearly see that Miss Liu seemed to dislike her.

...

On that day, Xiao Jingshi and his son returned. Miaozhen saw that the two of them looked travel-worn, so she first had hot water prepared for them to take a bath, and then quickly prepared their favorite dishes.

Zhao Ge'er originally had very fair skin and looked like a scholar. These days, after being exposed to the wind and sun, his skin has become a little darker, but he looks exceptionally energetic. Miao Zhen looked at her son with great satisfaction.

"It's good for you to gain some experience with your father now, but you also need to calm down. I heard that your father is going to take you to study under some great Confucian scholar."

"It's Mr. Yang from Jinan. He was the second-place scholar in the imperial examination, and my father spent a lot of money to hire him for his son," Zhao Ge'er whispered.

Miao Zhen could manage the children's studies when they were young, but she didn't know how to handle their studies after they grew up and Xiao Jingshi had to arrange it. She had no objections to this.

As the mother and son were talking, Xiao Jingshi came out of the bathhouse. He always had a Wei-Jin style and was completely unrestrained at home. He wore loose clothes and had his hair down. Even though it was not raining, he was still wearing wooden clogs and had sent Zhao Ge'er away.

Miaozhen asked in confusion, "What are you doing? We're having a welcome dinner for you and Zhao-ge today."

“It’s so late, it’s not appropriate for him to stay here. Just have someone send a portion to him, so we can have a quiet chat as husband and wife.” Xiao Jingshi has worked hard enough these days, and now he just wants to be with his wife.

Seeing this, Miaozhen had no choice but to instruct the maid to pack several dishes of Zhaoge'er's favorite food into a food box and send them over. She then stood up to serve him soup: "This is meatball soup. I thought you must be thirsty after traveling day and night to get back, so I had someone make some clear soup."

Without a second thought, Xiao Jingshi took the drink and asked, "What happened while I was away?"

Miaozhen then recounted how she had met Miss Liu while treating Madam Pan.

"Then what do you think of Miss Liu?" Xiao Jingshi was quite concerned about his eldest son's marriage.

Miaozhen made no attempt to hide her feelings, saying, "Miss Liu's appearance and demeanor are beyond reproach. As the daughter of the governor, she is certainly extraordinary. However..."

She then told him about how she had given the bracelet, and how the other person had avoided mentioning it.

She even directly expressed her opinion: "I originally thought that she was a young woman and perhaps not used to meeting strangers. I misunderstood her. So I thought I would wait until I could find out more about her before making a decision."

Xiao Jingshi held Miaozhen's hand and said, "If she dislikes you, then this marriage should be called off."

“That was just a gesture, and it might not have been malicious. Look, this is an invitation from the Dowager Princess of the Prince of De’s residence. We should be able to run into each other again then. I’ll take a look then,” Miaozhen said.

Meanwhile, Fu Ye's letter arrived in Zhejiang. Fu Yu was already troubled by the recent Japanese pirate raids, but unexpectedly, he received a letter from Fu Ye saying that he had met the eldest son of the Xiao family and thought that he was a perfect match for Lu Jie'er. The letter also mentioned that Mrs. Xiao had specially given Lu Jie'er a gift, which seemed to indicate that she valued Lu Jie'er very much.

This put Fu Yu in a difficult position. He was saying to Madam Ruan, "Given Lu Jie'er's temperament, it would be better to choose someone from a small family with a better temperament. The Xiao family might not be able to tolerate her."

“In that case, you can simply refuse.” Ruan Shi and Miao Zhen were on good terms, so she naturally knew that Miao Zhen disliked Lu Jie’er.

Fu Yu tapped the letter again: "But Brother Ye said that Madam Xiao is treating Lu Jie'er very well now. You don't know that the heir of the Marquis of Yunjian is keeping an eye on the Xiao family. He's just waiting for him to make a mistake so he can seize on his weakness. Xiao Jingshi has only been an official for ten years and has spent most of his time in other places. His foundation is not deep, and he can be easily impeached. It's not surprising that they have changed their attitude now."

Madam Ruan hadn't expected this, and feeling awkward about offering advice, she couldn't help but ask, "Then what is your intention?"

"You can write a letter for me to Jinan. It's easier for you women to talk. First, to say hello, since our two families have always had a good relationship. Second, to ask if the eldest son of the Xiao family is engaged," Fu Yu said.

Ruan immediately wrote this letter. Miaozhen received the letter the day before she went to the Prince of De's birthday banquet. This made Miaozhen and her husband even more flustered. If they did not settle their son's marriage soon, they would have a hard time explaining to the Fu family.

But time is just too tight!