The book contains Jiang Shuyue's poem "Ode to the Willow." Didn't Zhen Jingxiu tell Sui Sui to put her poems in his study?
On her first day of school, Jiang Shuyue asked Sui Sui to take her there.
Jiang Shuyue is not only obsessed with medicine, but she also loves prose and poetry. She can recite hundreds of Tang and Song poems from memory.
Jiang Shuyue ate breakfast later than Sui Sui. After washing up and changing her clothes, she went to the front hall and happened to meet Nangong Zeyue bringing Sui Sui back.
She wore a simple, moon-colored dress, and her loosely tied bun was adorned with nothing but a lotus-shaped hairpin. Her light makeup and pale lipstick made her skin look as white as snow, and she was beautiful and charming.
One glance was enough to make one's heart flutter, and Nangong Zeyue's gaze naturally shifted away from her.
"Are you going to the clinic? I'm on my way, I can give you a ride."
Jiang Shuyue looked up at the front gate. "It's still early. Qiuju and I will go to the Zhen family's house."
"What are you going to do? They don't know your relationship with Sui Sui."
"The steward of the Zhen family said that Old Madam Zhen is not in good health. I have been thinking about going to see her, but I have been busy with the clinic lately and have not been able to get away. I should go and see her today no matter what."
“They don’t know my relationship with Sui Sui, so I have to make this trip.”
Nangong Zeyue thought about it and realized it made sense. She had received a favor from the Zhen family and couldn't ignore it just because the other party didn't know.
You should know that it's not easy to get into the Zhen family's Qingyun Study.
To enter the Zhen family's private school, one must be either extremely wealthy or of noble birth, and even then, only those with exceptional academic talent and selected through the Zhen family's process can gain admission.
A short while later, Qiuju selected several medicinal herbs from the storeroom that were suitable for the elderly to regulate their bodies.
Nangong Zeyue went to the gambling house, while Jiang Shuyue and Qiuju went to the Zhen Mansion.
When Butler Zhen saw Jiang Shuyue, he felt that she looked very familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen her before.
"Please come in, young lady. The old lady has been looking forward to your visit for a long time." The steward personally greeted the mistress and servant through the courtyard gate and then sent a maid to the east courtyard to inform the old lady.
The mansion is very large. After entering the first hanging flower gate, you can see ancient and elegant pavilions and towers hidden in the lush bamboo groves.
The corridors are surrounded by walls, and several framed calligraphy and paintings are hung on the walls.
The courtyard is connected by pathways, with artificial hills and waterside pavilions, and exotic flowers and plants planted among the rocks.
It truly exudes the refined elegance of a scholarly residence, both sophisticated and comfortable.
The old lady lived in the east courtyard inside the second hanging flower gate.
Upon arriving at the east courtyard, the old lady was enjoying tea under the wisteria vines.
Upon entering the courtyard, Jiang Shuyue curtsied and said, "May the old lady enjoy boundless blessings and peace."
"Please don't stand on ceremony, young lady. Please take a seat. I heard from Jingxiu that you live in..."
Jiang Shuyue raised her head, and the words of the old lady suddenly caught in her throat.
"You...you are Miss Jiang?"
Jiang Shuyue had expected the reaction of the old lady. She had attended the Zhen family's banquets before and even played a matching game with the Zhen family's daughters.
“My daughter, Jiang Shuyue, comes from Yannan. Has the old lady also seen someone who resembles me?”
"No, the beauty mark between your eyebrows, and your eyes and brows, they're so alike, so very alike."
Jiang Shuyue denied it outright, and given that she looked quite young years ago.
Compared to the dignified, elegant, and spirited person in front of me, she seems somewhat different.
Upon hearing that the person came from Yannan, even the old lady hesitated, secretly marveling at the incredible strangeness of the world, that there could be such a similar person. Even their names were the same.
"Madam, you probably don't know, do you? Miss Jiang is skilled in medicine and even runs a women's clinic."
The head butler handed the medicinal herbs that Jiang Shuyue had brought to the maid who was serving the old lady.
On the way to the East Courtyard, Jiang Shuyue told the housekeeper about her opening a clinic.
The old lady smiled kindly, "So the young lady also knows medicine. How rare, how very rare! The young lady even brought this old woman so many tonics. How thoughtful of her."
Before the old lady could give any instructions, the maidservant quickly brought up tea and pastries.
The old nanny chimed in, "The quality of the medicinal herbs you give me is excellent. The red ginseng you sent last time, I added to the bird's nest soup and stewed it together. The old lady's complexion has improved a lot since she ate it."
The old lady smiled and couldn't help but carefully examine the person in front of her.
With bright, kind eyes, fair skin and delicate features, and a face as beautiful as a lotus flower, her every move was no less graceful than that of a noblewoman from a prestigious family.
"I heard that the old lady is not in good health, so I came here today to pay my respects." After sitting down, Jiang Shuyue smiled and revealed the purpose of her visit.
A noble family like the Zhen family would certainly have a physician in their household.
If she were to offer to take someone's pulse without asking, she would be seen as presumptuous by others.
After speaking, Jiang Shuyue carefully observed the old lady's expression.
Her gray hair, adorned with delicate pearl hairpins, made her look quite energetic, but upon closer inspection, there were slight bruises under her eyes, clearly indicating insufficient sleep.
"Ah! People get old and become useless. One minute they're dizzy, the next they can't sleep at night," the old lady said, lifting her sleeves.
"Since you're here today, young lady, I won't stand on ceremony. Please take my pulse and tell me how many more years this old body of mine has left to live?"
"Madam, you will surely live to be a hundred years old. If you don't believe me, let the young lady take a good look." The nanny said, looking at Jiang Shuyue with an expectant expression.
"Granny is right. The Zhen family is a family of upright officials who have helped countless poor scholars. A family that accumulates good deeds will surely have abundant blessings. The old lady is doing well!"
Without a pulse pillow, Jiang Shuyue placed her fingers on the armrest of the nanmu wood armchair.
"Miss Jiang has only been in the capital for a short time. How do you know about our efforts to help poor scholars?"
Jiang Shuyue: "..." Sure enough, too much talk leads to mistakes.
"Miss is also a lover of books. The Grand Tutor's reputation is widespread, and all the scholars in Yannan admire him greatly," Qiuju interjected, a rare occurrence for her.
Everyone loves to hear nice words, and the old lady is no exception.
"That's all too much praise. Scholars shouldn't be too obsessed with fame and fortune and lose their true selves. Our Zhen family has been hospitable for generations and cherishes talent, which is why we have only received empty praise."
Jiang Shuyue withdrew her hand, smiled and said, "Just like Qingyunzhai on the front street, the profits are used to provide scholars with writing materials and study rooms. If you calculate carefully, the rent alone for several shops and the backyard is enough to subsidize a lot of the income."
“It’s not a rental fee. It’s all ancestral property left by our ancestors. It’s a piece of land where everyone can gather to study. My grandson has also made many friends and benefited a lot.”
After a few words of modesty, the old lady lowered her sleeves and asked humorously, "So? I guess I'll be able to hold my great-grandson again?"
"Yes, of course, the old lady is in good health. She just caught a cold during her postpartum period and developed headaches."
Jiang Shuyue paused for a moment and then said, "You can find some sea salt, heat it up, put it in a cloth bag and apply it as a hot compress once a day until next spring. This will remove more than half of the root of the disease."
"I will write you another prescription to regulate your body, and the physician will adjust it according to your condition."
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