Chapter 9 How long can I live?
Qing'er felt relieved only after watching the people leave. She went back to ask if Jiang Lan was okay. Jiang Lan said she was fine, and then she asked about another thing.
"Has big brother sent you any letters recently?" Jiang Lan asked.
Qing'er replied, "I'll ask the housekeeper later."
"No need, I'll ask when my father comes to see me." Jiang Lan said.
"Will the master come to see the young lady?" Qing'er felt there was little hope.
Jiang Lan looked at the white clouds in the sky without saying a word, her thoughts drifting further away.
I wonder if her elder brother is doing well in the academy...
Unlike Jiang Rui, Jiang Shen did not study in the capital. He was the eldest son in the family and the older brother of Jiang Lan from the same mother. He was sent to Dongling Academy by Jiang Cheng at the age of seven. It was hundreds of miles away from the capital, and it took more than half a month for a carriage to go back and forth. Moreover, the rules of the academy were extremely strict. He could only go home once every three years, and he was not allowed to ask for leave to go home even if there was a funeral or wedding in his family.
But this does not hinder its status in the hearts of scholars all over the world. Those who can study there are all chosen ones, the best of the best, and have passed layers of strict screening.
The top scholar came from Dongling, and since the establishment of the academy, it has produced three consecutive top scholars.
If it ranks second in the hearts of scholars all over the world, then no other academy can rank first.
After Jiang Rui started elementary school, Jiang Benben also planned to send him to academy but it didn't work out in the end. One reason was that Zhang was reluctant to let her precious son go so far away from home, and the most important reason was that Jiang Rui didn't pass the entrance exam.
Jiang Shen had not been at home since Jiang Lan could remember. Three years had passed when Jiang Shen returned home. She didn't like to talk much at that time, and her elder brother was also dull, so the relationship between the siblings was not close. However, Jiang Yao always took the initiative to talk to her elder brother, and always looked well-behaved and sensible in front of her elder brother, and had a closer relationship with her elder brother. In this life, she must work hard to repair the relationship between the siblings.
I wonder if Jiang Yao's eldest brother came to congratulate her on her wedding...
Thinking of her elder brother writing a letter to Jiang Yao, Jiang Lan felt a little uncomfortable. She turned around and went back to the house and decided to write a letter to her elder brother.
When Jiang Cheng returned from court, Jiang Yao and Pei Qian had already left.
Zhang complained that he didn't come back earlier to have dinner with her son-in-law. Jiang Cheng said that the emperor was in court today to discuss the flood in Zhangzhou, so he left the court late. They could find a chance to have a simple meal together later. Zhang didn't say anything more.
"How has Lan'er been these past two days?" Hearing Jiang Cheng asking about Jiang Lan, Zhang was furious but couldn't let it out. However, her face wasn't looking good. Jiang Cheng tried to persuade her, "Lan'er is weak to begin with, and she knows she's wrong this time. Madam, please don't be angry anymore. You might as well get hurt."
Zhang forced a smile and said, "Master is right. Lan'er and Yao'er are both your daughters. They are both your flesh and blood. I just hope that the two sisters can put aside their past grudges and stop making fun of themselves in front of others."
The last two sentences hit Jiang Cheng's heart, and he nodded with satisfaction.
Zhang struck while the iron was hot and continued, "Yao'er came back today and apologized to me, saying that she should have been considerate of her sister's frail body and shouldn't have been angry with her. As long as Lan'er can let it go, Yao'er will naturally be happy for the sisters to get along."
Jiang Cheng said: "Yao'er is a good child, and Lan'er is not petty. If the two sisters can get along well in the future, it won't be a waste of our efforts as parents."
Family harmony and a clean reputation are what Jiang Cheng values most.
A few days later, Jiang Cheng took a day off. After checking Jiang Rui's homework, he went for a walk in the garden. He heard the sound of a flute in the distance and stopped to listen for a while.
The flute sounded melodious and transcendental, which quite suited his taste, so he followed the sound.
The sound of the flute came from Jiang Lan's yard. When Jiang Cheng walked in, the sound of the flute stopped. Jiang Lan brought Qing'er and Gui'er to pay their respects. After Jiang Cheng asked her to get up, he asked her what song she had just played. Jiang Lan replied that she just played it as she pleased.
These four words were quite what Jiang Cheng wanted.
She knew that her father was on vacation at home today, and that most high-ranking civil officials like her father had a dream of becoming an elegant hermit, enjoying the fine arts, having a wife and children, and having a good reputation that would spread far and wide and be passed down through the ages.
So she played a tune that could match her father's elegance, and sure enough, she attracted her father.
Qing'er was now deeply impressed by Jiang Lan and felt that her decision to abandon the dark and join the light was a wise one.
Jiang Cheng asked Jiang Lan to finish playing the song. While Jiang Lan was playing the flute, he kept looking at the blooming pear tree in the yard. He looked a little dazed, as if he was recalling some time in the past.
The woman sitting under the pear tree playing the flute, her dress as white as snow, seems to blend in with the pear blossoms behind her. The flute sounds melodious and pleasant, gentle and moving...
When the song ended, Jiang Cheng was still looking at the pear tree, somewhat lost in thought.
"Daddy?"
It wasn't until Jiang Lan called out that Jiang Cheng came back to his senses. He smiled and said, "I still remember that your mother loved to sit on the swing under the tree and play the flute, and I would slowly push her on the swing from behind." At this point, he sighed, "It's a pity that since your mother passed away, I haven't heard such beautiful flute music again."
Jiang Lan comforted him, "If mother knew about this, she would definitely bless father with good health and a long life."
Jiang Cheng nodded, looking relieved, and asked her how she was feeling recently and whether she was feeling better. Jiang Lan replied that she was feeling better, but she did not tell him that Zhang had made her drink porridge three times a day, nor did she reveal that Zhang had drugged her.
As long as Zhang was still the Shangshu's wife and hadn't committed any heinous crime that forced her father to protect himself, given how much her father valued his reputation, it would be useless to rely solely on Qing'er's accusation. Zhang would then bite back at him and even Qing'er would be in danger.
To strike the snake at its most vulnerable part, she had to wait until the day Zhang made a big mistake, and then strike her so hard that she would never be able to recover.
Based on her understanding of Zhang, she was not afraid that she would make mistakes.
Moreover, she brought her father here today not to file a complaint against Zhang, but for her elder brother.
"Dad, has my eldest brother written to me recently? I wonder if he is doing well in the academy and if anyone is bullying him?" Jiang Lan asked worriedly.
Jiang Cheng smiled and said, "Shen'er wrote to me a while ago, saying that he would come back early this year to prepare for the next spring exam."
Jiang Lan said happily, "Big brother will definitely pass the imperial examination and bring honor to our Shangshu Mansion." She then asked expectantly, "Dad, when will big brother come back? Can I write him a letter?"
Jiang Cheng thought about it for a moment, nodded in agreement, and then instructed, "Everything is fine in the mansion. Yao'er's marriage can be discussed after he comes back. Don't disturb his studies. He won't be home for another six months."
Jiang Lan nodded obediently. It seemed that her elder brother didn't know about Jiang Yao's marriage, so she naturally wouldn't mention it in the letter.
Her elder brother knew about her engagement with Pei Qian. If he knew that Pei Qian married Jiang Yao, he would definitely be distracted when listening to the teacher's lecture. She would tell him slowly after he came back.
Ever since she knew that Jiang Shen would be able to go home in half a year, Jiang Lan looked forward to the time passing quickly so that the brother and sister could be reunited soon.
However, the peaceful days only lasted for one night, and the next day Zhang came again with the doctor.
When Gui'er saw someone coming at the gate of the courtyard, she immediately ran into the house to inform Jiang Lan. Qing'er looked panicked, afraid that her pretense of illness would be exposed.
When Zhang brought the doctor into the room, Jiang Lan was already lying on the bed, with Gui'er and Qing'er serving by the bed. Qing'er was very nervous, fearing that the doctor would expose her true identity once he took her pulse.
When she saw Jiang Lan, Zhang first asked her about her well-being and acted like a loving mother. Jiang Lan also cooperated with her in acting. In the eyes of outsiders, they were truly a loving mother and a filial son.
"Lan'er, I heard that you haven't been getting better these days, so your mother specially invited this great doctor Liu to come and see you."
"Thank you, mother."
Jiang Lan knew very well why her stepmother asked Dr. Liu to come. It must be because her father came to see her yesterday, and her stepmother could not hold back any longer, so she specially asked someone to come and see how long she could live.
When Doctor Liu was taking her pulse, Jiang Lan suddenly started coughing. Gui'er quickly handed her a handkerchief. Jiang Lan covered her mouth with the handkerchief and coughed for a while. When she put down the handkerchief, she saw some scarlet spots on it, as if she had coughed up blood. She was shocked when she saw it, and hurriedly crumpled the handkerchief into a ball and stuffed it under the pillow.
Zhang had already caught a glimpse of the scarlet spot, and a look of pride appeared in her eyes. She also put on a caring look and asked Doctor Liu to take Jiang Lan's pulse carefully.
After Qing'er sent Zhang away, Jiang Lan took out the blood-stained handkerchief from under the pillow and gave it to Gui'er, asking her to burn it quietly.
The blood on the handkerchief was dripped by her by pricking her finger with an embroidery needle. She was waiting for her stepmother to bring a doctor to her house to check her condition.
Even if the doctor felt that her pulse was not that weak, he would choose his words carefully after seeing her coughing up blood.
The facts were just as Jiang Lan had expected. When Zhang asked about Jiang Lan's condition on the way, Dr. Liu carefully replied that her pulse seemed weaker than that of an average person. He then spoke a lot of technical terms about liver and stomach. Zhang interrupted him and asked bluntly, "In your opinion, how long can this person live?"
Divine Doctor Liu replied cautiously, "At least half a year, at most two to three years."
Zhang was quite satisfied with this answer. After returning, she asked Tan Xiang to give Doctor Liu a large sum of hush money and then had him sent out of the house.
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