Ding Zhu had never met the wife of the prefect. After entering the mansion and being taken in as a concubine by Lord Yang, she bravely went to the main courtyard to pay her respects to the mistress of the house. However, the wife of the prefect refused to see her. She only told her that it would not be too late to see her after she waited until she had the chance to see the concubine.
The mistress was very arrogant, and Ding Zhu felt inexplicably insecure. Not only did she feel insecure about the Madam of the Mansion, but she also felt insecure about Jian Ning. If possible, she really wanted to escape and never see these two people again.
But she was just thinking about it. Following Lord Yang, she would not have to worry about food and clothing and would have someone to serve her. She did not want to go back to that shabby boat, where she would have to serve those peddlers every day and not only would she not be able to sleep well, but several girls would be squeezed into a cramped little room and would not have any freedom.
She was unwilling to return to Dingxian Village, that poor mountain village.
When they arrived at the main courtyard, the servant guarding the corridor reported, and then a maid came out to call Ding Zhu in. She was so nervous that she didn't dare to look at anyone when she went in. She knelt down with her eyelids drooping.
"Raise your head." The wife of the prefect's voice was not loud, but it revealed the majesty of the mistress of the house, which shocked Ding Zhu so much that his whole body trembled slightly.
She raised her head slightly, her eyelids still drooping, and her mind was full of thoughts about whether she would be kicked out as a liar in the next moment.
Seeing her like this, Jian Ning secretly laughed in her heart. Whether they were close to people from the same hometown or not, even if there was no relationship with Ding Youtian, she didn't want to expose her because they were from the same village. What's more, Ding Zhu was only in her early seventeen years old, which was still a high school girl in modern times. There was really no need to bother with her.
"Your name is Ding Zhu?" Jian Ning deliberately tilted her head to look at her. "You do look a bit like my husband's sister. Both are pretty."
Her words made it clear that Ding Zhu only looked a little like her "aunt", but was not her aunt.
Ding Zhu breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, but then he remembered that in front of the master, he had only determined that the female prisoner was his sister-in-law based on the description of the yamen runner, but he had never seen her with his own eyes.
She raised her head and glanced at Jian Ning, feeling unsure of what to feel.
The prefect's wife's expression brightened somewhat. It turned out that the evil sister-in-law Ding Zhu was talking about wasn't Jian Ning. However, she was a little puzzled as to how Chun'er had mistaken Jian Ning for Ding Zhu's sister-in-law. So she asked, "Could it be that the female doctor and your sister-in-law also look alike? Otherwise, why would the people serving you mistake her for your sister-in-law?"
Lord Yang coughed lightly and explained what had happened. The prefect's wife glanced at Ding Zhu, who was kneeling below, and said, "He may be young, but he's actually quite foolish. How can you claim a relationship without even meeting him? Go away. Don't act so recklessly for the second time. You'll cause trouble for the master."
Ding Zhu responded and retreated.
"My concubine was ignorant and talked nonsense, which almost tarnished the reputation of the lady. After all, she is a member of our family. I would like to apologize to the lady on her behalf." The wife of the prefect stood up and bowed to Jian Ningfu again.
This time, Jian Ning avoided her greeting and didn't accept it. He then shouldered his medicine box and said with a smile, "It's okay. Pick up the medicine, boil it, and remember to take it on time. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
"No hurry!" Lord Yang was holding the teacup and about to put it to his mouth, but when he heard that she wanted to leave, he stood up hurriedly to keep her and almost dropped the teacup. The wife of the prefect glanced at him in surprise, not understanding why he, who was always steady, lost his composure.
Lord Yang chuckled, stroked his beard, and asked casually, "Madam, your medical skills are superb. I wonder who your master is?"
Jian Ning said, "My teacher has passed away. When she was alive, she didn't like to be public, so I'm sorry that I can't mention her name."
Lord Yang nodded, and the smile on his face deepened. Most of those who do not like to show off are hermit masters. A glimmer of hope rose in his heart. He had been suffering from a hidden illness for more than ten years. He had secretly disguised himself and visited famous doctors. He did not know how many medicines he had secretly taken, but there was no effect.
"I wonder if you are passing by here or visiting relatives and friends?" Lord Yang asked with a smile.
"Neither. My husband is in the medicinal herb business. Every year he goes back and forth to the north to buy some herbs. When I have free time, I will bring my child and my husband out to have a look around."
Lord Yang was startled, thinking that since they came here to purchase medicinal materials, they might not stay here for long. If they missed it, they would not know when they would see each other again. But Jian Ning happened to be a female doctor, which made him very embarrassed.
Seeing him stroking his beard without saying anything, Jian Ning said goodbye again, "My two young daughters are still at the inn, so it's inconvenient for me to stay for long. I'll say goodbye now."
The wife of the prefect wanted to keep her for dinner before leaving, but when she heard that she had come out to buy herbs and brought her two young daughters with her, she hurriedly ordered someone to get some candies and cakes, and handed them to her along with the medical fee, insisting that she take them back for the children to try.
When Jane Ning returned to the inn, she still took the sedan chair. When she came out of the government office gate in the sedan chair, Ding Zhu hid behind the stone lions outside the government office. Seeing a maid following the sedan chair, she gave up the idea of stopping the sedan chair.
She couldn't understand why Jian Ning wanted to help her. After thinking about it, she was afraid that Jian Ning was up to something bad. She couldn't guess, so she could only come to ask Jian Ning in person and warn Jian Ning not to try to hurt her again. If Jian Ning didn't try to hurt her again, she wouldn't plan to hurt them either.
Watching the sedan chair go away, Ding Zhu snorted in disappointment. She wanted to follow it but was worried about being seen by people in the mansion. After hesitating for a while, she turned and went to the alley in the backyard.
Ding Zhu didn't know that Jiang Tongpan, who was only an arrow's throw away from her, had been staring at her for a long time. After Ding Zhu left, Jiang Tongpan strode towards the government office.
Jian Ning returned to the inn and went upstairs to talk to Ding Youtian about Ding Zhu. "She's really amazing. We actually became her brother and sister-in-law, and she even said I was a bad person."
"If you let her go today, I hope she will remember your kindness and live her life peacefully without causing any more trouble."
Jian Ning smiled and said, "The wife of the prefect is not a bad woman. I thought that if she married into a family like this, she would have a son or daughter in the future and as long as she didn't cause trouble, she would have a stable life. But now I think she may not have such a good life."
Ding Youtian said "Oh" and raised his eyebrows and asked, "What do you mean?"
Jian Ning thought about it and finally told him, "If my guess is correct, that Yang guy might have a problem with that. If that's the case, how could Ding Zhu get pregnant? Without a child, it would be hard for her, a concubine, to gain a foothold in the mansion."
Ding Youtian seemed to understand. "Remember I told you not to pay attention to her? I'm afraid your guess is almost right. Lord Yang has had several concubines, but they were all banished from the mansion after a year or two. I've never heard of any of them getting pregnant."
"That's not right. He already has two sons and two daughters. If he really had that disease, why would he take a concubine? It's not like he wants to continue the family line. This is strange."
As Jian Ning spoke, she frowned and recalled the situation when Lord Yang kept her. She felt that he had something to hide, but he couldn't say it directly because his wife and several servants were around. Could it be that her intuition at the time was wrong?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com