In the first year of his reign, Crown Prince Zhaoyan changed the era name to Heshun.
Because it was the abdication of the retired emperor, this was the first time in the many years since the founding of the Great Yin Dynasty that a succession was carried out without national mourning or bloodshed.
The capital was filled with joy, decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and filled with laughter and cheerful conversation.
As Guan Ying returned home from her shift at the women's clinic, a smile crept onto her face as she watched the bustling scene on both sides of the road.
Ding's Medical Clinic also closed early, but the doors were not closed.
Guan Ying's carriage stopped in front of the house next to the clinic.
She got off the carriage and had just stepped through the gate when Ding Gui rushed out.
"Sister Ying, you're finally back! People from the Meng family have arrived."
Guan Ying's expression changed slightly.
"Who sent them?"
"They are people close to Changye."
Ding Gui took her hand and walked towards the reception hall: "It seems that Old Madam Meng is not well. The Princess's residence would like you to go and take a look."
Guan Ying studied medicine under Master Ding for ten years and finally graduated, becoming a famous female doctor in the capital.
After that, she passed the exam and entered the female medical clinic of the Imperial Medical Academy. Starting as an ordinary female doctor, she rose to the rank of imperial physician in five years and frequently entered the palace, becoming a favorite of Empress Song.
Although the Women's Medical Clinic was subordinate to the Imperial Medical Academy, it was actually independent and only obeyed the orders of Empress Song.
The owner of the female doctor's clinic has always been Dingxiang.
When she applied to the women's medical clinic, Guan Ying even rejected Ding Gui's marriage proposals twice in order to prove her own abilities rather than relying on nepotism.
When Song Xibai, who was then the Empress, learned of this, she personally participated in the assessment, publicly praised her for her rich experience and eagerness to learn, and issued an imperial decree to marry her to Ding Gui.
She was over thirty at the time, and she was remarried. The man she married was several years younger than her, and he was the younger brother of the Queen of Han!
Countless people in the capital were talking about it, saying all sorts of things.
Even the Ding family had their reservations.
Fortunately, Ding Gui persisted, and after getting married, he moved out of the Ding family home and established his own residence next door. The two lived a quiet life behind closed doors, ignoring the gossip outside, and got along very well.
Last year, Dingxiang resigned from her position as the head of the female clinic, and Guan Ying, with her outstanding medical skills and abilities, became the new head. For a time, her and Ding Gui's small house became a hot spot in the capital.
Guan Ying and Meng Liang's son, Mao Mao, changed his name to Meng Changye when he was eight years old. The Meng family established a family genealogy, and he was recorded in the genealogy as the eldest son.
Guan Ying had tried many times to take him away from the Meng family, but Meng Changye refused.
"If I leave with Mother, wouldn't that be giving the second son an advantage?"
The princess's residence has been in constant turmoil for years, with Ronghua and her mother-in-law fighting like ants, and there's never a moment of peace in the residence.
Ronghua gave birth to a daughter the year after her marriage, which displeased Meng's mother, who repeatedly mocked her. Originally, Ronghua had been quite tolerant of her, but from then on, the two became irreconcilable enemies.
In order to have a son, Ronghua neglected to take care of her health. Less than four months after giving birth to her first child, she became pregnant with her second.
She did give birth to a son as she wished, but unfortunately, her body was too damaged to have any more children. So, this son became her darling and her lifeblood, and she spoiled him rotten. When he grew up, he became the leader of the most dissolute playboys in the capital, spending his days doing nothing good and becoming a regular at brothels in his teens.
Guan Ying has always suspected that her son was involved.
Meng Changye refused to admit it, so Guan Ying pretended not to know.
Although Meng Liang was not promoted, he still held the position of Guard Commander, which was considered a distinguished position. He had originally placed high hopes on his youngest son, but seeing that he had become an incompetent spoiled brat, his hopes turned into disappointment. Finally, he remembered his eldest son and decided to cultivate him with great effort.
So, the once insignificant person in the princess's residence has now become the "master" of the house.
Guan Ying didn't have time to take off her official robes before going directly to meet the guests.
"What does your uncle want with you?"
The visitor was a trusted follower of Meng Changye who had been with him for over a decade. He bowed respectfully to Guan Ying.
"Lord Guan, our master said that things are not peaceful in the manor and that someone may be plotting against you. He sent me to inform you that you should not go to the princess's manor recently."
Guan Ying laughed: "I understand. Tell him to take care of himself too. Oh, and about his marriage..."
Before she could finish speaking, her attendants interrupted to answer.
"The old man said that there's no rush for marriage. We'll talk about marriage after my younger brother's birthday next year."
The younger brother Meng Changye mentioned was not the one from the Meng family, but rather the son of Guan Ying and Ding Gui.
Guan Ying gave birth to a child in the third year of her marriage with Ding Gui. The child was born weak and sickly. Old Master Ding felt sorry for this great-grandson and took him in to raise him himself.
Guan Ying nodded, stopped urging him, asked a few more questions about her son's health and recent situation, and then let him go back.
Ding Gui's brows never relaxed.
"What about the Princess's residence? So many years have passed, and she still won't let you go! It's really too much!"
Guan Ying sipped her tea and said casually.
"She initially thought Meng Liang was a wonderful man, which drove me away, and she was very pleased with herself. But after giving birth to her daughter, she realized that Meng Liang was not a good man, so she harbored resentment and blamed me."
"This makes absolutely no sense! She used her power to bully you from the start, she took your position, and now she has the nerve to blame you? Is this person mentally ill?"
Ding Gui flicked his sleeves, indignant.
Guan Ying hugged his waist: "Why are you angry? If it weren't for her, you and I wouldn't be together! We wouldn't be able to learn medicine from Grandpa, let alone enter the female doctor's clinic and become the head of the clinic."
She initially thought it was the lowest point in her life, the most desperate time, but unexpectedly, it became the second starting point in her life.
Ding Gui blushed slightly and muttered, "I just felt indignant on your behalf!"
"Don't worry about me. With my current status, she can't do anything to me. Who said I'd go just because the princess's residence invited me? Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, I heard from people in the academy that he's going to abolish the sixteen guards and restore the eight guards, including the Eagle Guard led by Meng Liang. The Meng family won't be prosperous for long."
As a female physician at the Women's Medical Clinic, Guan Ying frequently went to the palace to treat the masters and concubines, and through this exposure, she learned quite a lot.
With the marriage ties between the Ding family and the Han Prince's Mansion, Guan Ying is no longer someone who can be easily manipulated!
After comforting her husband, Guan Ying changed out of her official robes, took a relaxing bath, and then went next door to pick up the child. The three of them ate dinner, took a walk for a while, and then went back to their room when their son got sleepy. Guan Ying then hugged Ding Gui and went to sleep.
With a husband and children, she has enough for this life.
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