Chapter 79 The Prodigal Brother (19) A Merchant's Son's Counterattack Against a King of a Different Surname...
The day Song Ce set off for the capital with his mother and sister, the sun shone brightly and a gentle breeze blew; it was a rare and beautiful day.
Song Yu, overjoyed, pressed her face against the carriage window, her bright black eyes gazing curiously at the scenery outside. Once the carriage had left the familiar farm and entered the official road leading to the capital, her face flushed with excitement, and she called out to Lu Wu Niang and Song Ce, "Mother! Brother! Look! The trees over there are laden with red fruit!"
Lu Wuniang looked in the direction Song Yu was pointing, a gentle smile appearing on her lips. She gently touched her daughter's head and said with a smile, "Those are hawthorns, they don't look ripe yet. When we get to our new home, they'll be available for sale at the market."
"Then Mother will buy a basket for Yu'er. Yu'er wants to eat the sour cakes that Mother makes herself." Song Yu snuggled into Lu Wu Niang's arms like a spoiled child and said in a crisp voice.
"Okay, okay, okay, whatever you say," Lu Wu Niang replied indulgently.
Before long, Song Yu nestled in Lu Wu Niang's arms and fell into a sweet sleep. Lu Wu Niang looked up at her eldest son, who was engrossed in reading, and said softly, "My son, this journey has been arduous. Why don't you rest for a while? We can read the book more carefully once we reach the capital."
"Alright, son will listen to his mother." Upon hearing this, Song Ce neatly closed his book. He turned his gaze to the ever-changing scenery outside the window and sighed, "This is the first time son has traveled this far."
"Mother feels the same way." Lu Wu Niang took over the conversation and sighed softly, "It's just a pity that our family hasn't had a chance to eat the silver apricots in the yard yet."
“Mother, there’s no need to be sad about this.” Song Ce reached out and took Lu Wu Niang’s hand, comforting her. “Yesterday I went to Linfeng Street to visit my aunt and mentioned this matter to her. My aunt smiled and said that my uncle will be going to the capital to collect debts after the fifteenth, and he can bring some back for us then.”
“Your great-aunt is kind-hearted,” Lu Wu Niang instructed. “My son, you must remember her kindness. If you have the chance, please lend a hand and take care of her. After all, your great-aunt has treated you very well since you were little. She often talks about you two siblings and is afraid that you will suffer at home.”
"Mother, you can rest assured, I understand," Song Ce replied solemnly.
The carriage rumbled along for more than half a month before the family finally arrived in the capital.
The coachman, whom Gu Tingxuan had specially reserved for him, was a native of the capital. Song Ce climbed onto the carriage shaft, told the coachman the address on the property deed, and asked, "Brother, do you know where this place is?"
The coachman chuckled and replied, "Young master, this house is located on Xingtang Street, where all the houses are top-notch! It's very lively! If you want to buy anything, just step out of your house and walk a few steps, and you'll find bustling shops all over the street!"
As expected, after the carriage slowly entered Xingtang Street, it was filled with a constant stream of pedestrians and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares. The carriage traveled leisurely for a quarter of an hour before coming to a steady stop in front of a three-room house made of blue bricks and tiles.
Following the direction the coachman pointed, Song Ce saw that the house had thick walls and neatly arranged blue tiles, exuding a simple and elegant charm. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be an extremely clean and tidy shop.
Song Ce quickly helped Lu Wu Niang down from the carriage, then hugged Song Yu tightly, and the family walked into the courtyard inside the shop together.
The courtyard was extremely spacious, almost the size of their estate in Wenyuan County. The group descended the stone steps, passed through the corridor, and came to a pomegranate tree that was growing very well, its branches now laden with unripe fruit.
In addition, the courtyard is planted with many flowers and plants, creating a quiet and pleasant environment, making it a truly ideal place to live.
Lu Wuniang fell in love with this place at first sight. The craftsmen in the capital were more exquisite than those in her hometown. The stone tables and chairs under the pomegranate tree were carved with auspicious and festive patterns, which were lifelike and very beautiful.
The family strolled around the house, admiring their new home. Little Song Yu was especially excited today. As soon as she was born, she skipped and jumped around the yard, curiously looking at her surroundings. Her lively and clear laughter echoed throughout the yard, and Lu Wu Niang breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.
"My son, this place is truly wonderful, far better than I imagined," Lu Wu Niang exclaimed.
Upon hearing this, Song Ce smiled and nodded gently, saying, "Yes, Mother. From now on, our family will live here in peace, and life will definitely get better and better."
...
After arriving in the capital, time flew by. Once the fifteenth of the month had passed, a medical clinic called Xingchuntang quietly opened on Xingtang Street.
Long before Song Ce went to the capital, he had already spoken with his aunt Song. When Master Song was short of money and planned to sell his servants, he asked his aunt to secretly send someone to buy the two maids serving Song Yu, Le Yun and Le Chun, as well as Mo Yan, Shu Yuan and Shu Xi from his courtyard. When his uncle came to the capital to collect the debt, he would bring them along.
The four maids, their eyes red with emotion, kowtowed repeatedly to Lu Wu Niang and Song Ce in the room. Lu Wu Niang patiently comforted them for a while before the four maids stopped crying and smiled.
Mo Yan cried countless times when Song Ce left the Song family. He even fell into self-loathing, thinking that he must not be good enough for the young master to leave so resolutely, abandoning him and leaving the family without looking back.
When he learned that Song Ce was not tired of him, Mo Yan hugged Song Ce and cried his heart out. After all, he was still a child. After crying, the next day he was just like he always was in the manor, closely following Song Ce, running around arranging the furniture needed for the clinic, full of energy.
Looking at the warm and harmonious family before him, Uncle Song felt a warmth in his heart. He immediately pulled Song Ce aside and drank a couple of glasses. After a few drinks, Uncle Song started talking non-stop, chatting with Song Ce about many things.
It turns out that during this period, Master Song had gone mad. He not only sold off all the servants in his household, but also the empty mansion. According to the message he sent to his aunt, he had recently made Concubine Wen his official wife and planned to return to his hometown with her to live a good life.
Grandma Song had long seen through Master Song's character, and she didn't believe a word he said. It wasn't until the fifteenth of the month, when Grandma Song sent her trusted servant to the Song residence to deliver festival gifts, that she discovered the house had changed hands.
After some questioning, she learned that Master Song had indeed taken his new wife back to his hometown. Now, Aunt Song had no choice but to believe it and quickly told her uncle about it, asking him to make sure to pass on the message when he went to the capital.
After Uncle Song finished collecting the debts and was preparing to return home, Song Ce meticulously prepared a large amount of local specialties from the capital, filling an entire cart to the brim, and insisted that Uncle Song take them back to Aunt Song. Uncle Song declined several times, but could not resist Song Ce's hospitality, and finally had to accept them.
On his way back to Wenyuan County, Uncle Song accidentally found a simple cloth bag inside the pastry box. He carefully opened it and saw that it contained five hundred taels of silver, neatly arranged inside.
It turned out that on the day Uncle Song first arrived in the capital, the two of them drank quite a bit of wine. Uncle Song got drunk and inadvertently mentioned that his family's shop was having financial difficulties. Even with the money collected during this trip, they were still short more than three hundred taels of silver...
At that moment, the man in his thirties gripped the cloth bag tightly in his hands, his eyes immediately reddening, his heart filled with emotion.
Deep winter in Beijing.
Six months later, on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, the festive atmosphere in the capital city had not yet dissipated. However, a long queue had formed outside a medical clinic called Xingchuntang.
According to insiders, the owner of this clinic is a kind-hearted and benevolent man. On the 6th, 15th, and 24th of each month, the clinic's doors are always open, and the attending physician sits behind a curtain, providing free medical consultations to ordinary people in the capital.
At first, this newly opened clinic was unremarkable, until a family carried a patient who was barely clinging to life into Xingchun Hall. You should know that this patient had been turned away by almost all the clinics in the capital, and they had come here with their last hope after having nowhere else to turn.
At the time, a kind neighbor advised the head of the clinic to send the patient away as soon as possible to avoid trouble. Unexpectedly, the head of the clinic just smiled and let the family carry the patient into the house without hesitation.
"Oh dear, it's hard to persuade a damned devil!" The kind neighbor shook his head. Oh well, he's new here and needs to suffer a bit before he'll learn his lesson. He won't listen to his elders, and now he'll suffer for it!
But no one could have predicted that three days later, the patient, supported by his family, slowly walked out of the clinic! Although the patient's face was still pale, his overall energy and spirit had clearly improved a lot! This illness, which had almost put him on the verge of death, was actually cured by Xingchuntang!
That day, the area in front of Xingchun Hall was bustling with activity, like a pot had been boiled over.
Everyone was amazed. The doctor in this clinic must be a miracle worker. Even the three major medical clinics dared not treat the patient, but Xingchuntang did! Not only that, he cured the patient!
That day, when the patient's family carried him into Xingchun Hall, many neighbors witnessed it, including that kind neighbor. Upon seeing this, he immediately turned around, picked up his feverish grandson, and rushed to Xingchun Hall.
Sure enough, in less than half a day, the miraculous doctor's single dose of medicine completely cured his little grandson! The news that a miraculous doctor was practicing at Xingchun Hall spread like wildfire throughout the capital.
Soon, many people from the capital came to Xingchun Hall, including high-ranking officials and commoners. All patients who came to Xingchun Hall had to abide by the rules set by the divine physician: regardless of their status, they had to take a number and wait in line for treatment, and those who missed their number would not be waited for.
Initially, this rule immediately drew dissatisfaction from many nobles and wealthy families. Some were envious of Xingchuntang's thriving business, some felt that the so-called miracle doctor was ungrateful, and others were furious because they were refused when they tried to invite the miracle doctor back to their homes.
In just a few months, countless people openly violated the rules, making outrageous statements and revealing their identities in front of the clinic. However, the next day, Xingchuntang still opened as usual, and those who came to cause trouble never appeared in front of the clinic again.
Seeing this, the people seeking medical help had a vague idea that the person behind Xingchun Hall must be someone of considerable influence. After those troublemakers disappeared, no one in the capital, whether noble or beggar, dared to disregard the rules of this divine doctor.
After that, Xingchuntang put up a notice stating that it would provide free medical consultations for patients in the city on the 6th, 15th and 24th of each month. In this way, the reputation of the three most famous medical clinics in the capital gradually faded, leaving only Xingchuntang firmly at the top.
...
"Good! Good! I knew I hadn't misjudged you!"
Gu Tingxuan, dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, suddenly stood up in the study and clapped his hands and laughed at Guan Mao beside him.
"Master, is there some good news?" Guan Mao asked curiously.
"The young boy we brought back from Wenyuan County is now famous throughout the capital and has become a revered physician!" Gu Tingxuan said with a smile.
"Our master truly has a discerning eye for talent. If Song Ce were still living in that small Wenyuan County, who knows when he would ever have a chance to rise to prominence!" Guan Mao exclaimed.
“Oh, that’s not quite right. With his skills, he could easily make a living in that small county.” Gu Tingxuan said.
"What you say is true, Master. I was just being foolish," Guan Mao said somewhat embarrassed.
"Go and make preparations quickly, I need to go out of the manor." Gu Tingxuan paused briefly, then smiled faintly: "Now, it's time for me, the grandson, to express my feelings to my imperial grandfather."
“But, Master, if you act so unilaterally, it might be difficult to explain to Prince Ding,” Guan Mao quickly advised.
“I confess, I confess, in Father’s eyes I no longer hold any place as the eldest son; his heart and eyes are filled with the second son. Even if I confess a thousand times, ten thousand times, Father will never be satisfied with me. You saw it this time, too; when he learned that my stuttering was cured, there was no joy in Father’s eyes, only shock and suspicion.” Gu Tingxuan gave a bitter smile, his tone full of helplessness: “Mother has passed away, and now there is no one to plan for me anymore, so I can only… plan for myself.”
“Master…” Guan Mao hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.
"Alright, enough chit-chat, go and get ready!" Gu Tingxuan instructed.
"Yes, Master!"
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