☆, Chapter 157: His Identity Was Exposed Completely
Is it confirmed?
You can confirm it after only two hours of examination?
Duke Wei couldn't believe it: "Miss Zhou, what did you say?"
Wei Xu said crisply, "Grandfather, Sister Zhou said she found the reason why Xu'er isn't growing tall! Sister, if you've found the reason why Xu'er isn't growing tall, can you cure Xu'er?"
Duke Wei stared at Zhou Mujiao, while Physician Liu and the two female physicians were stunned. Only then did they react: "Miss Zhou, are you sure about the cause of Young Master Wei's illness? Are you really sure?"
"Yes, it's confirmed."
"What illness does he have?"
"Short stature, commonly known as dwarfism."
The Duke of Wei had seen dwarfs, men in their thirties or forties who were only the height of five- or six-year-old boys. They had to live every day under the contemptuous gazes of others, which was very painful.
And his own grandson also suffered from this disease!
The thought that Wei Xu would always be like this made the Duke of Wei tremble. He almost begged Zhou Mujiao: "Please, Miss Zhou, save Xu'er!"
Although Wei Xu had begun to learn, his knowledge was still limited. Thinking he was going to die, he cried out in terror, "Sister, save me! Xu'er, don't die!"
"You will not die."
"Really?"
“But Grandfather cried, Xu’er will definitely die.”
After much persuasion, the Duke of Wei managed to calm the man down. He then ordered Wei Xu to be taken back to the backyard and his mother to come over.
Wei Xu's mother's surname was Qin. She was the daughter of the Duke of Wei's sister and also the Duke of Wei's own niece. Qin and the sixth son of the Wei family grew up together and had a very good relationship, so they got married when they reached the appropriate age.
Marriage between cousins was very common in ancient times, but modern laws stipulate that close relatives cannot marry or have children, because the closer the blood relationship between the parents, the more likely the child is to die young, and even if the child survives, it will be accompanied by various diseases.
Wei Xu's dwarfism is a tragedy resulting from consanguineous marriage.
Consanguineous marriage is only one of the causes of dwarfism. In modern times, dwarfism is treatable, and the earlier the treatment, the better. However, if the cause is related to genetics, it is generally incurable.
Therefore, Zhou Mujiao could not make any promises in the face of the Duke of Wei's request, and could only say that she would do her best.
Zhou Mujiao stayed at the Duke of Wei's mansion for ten days, and basically investigated the illnesses of all the members of the main family of Wei. She created a file for each person and recorded the details in great detail. Her handwriting was also beautiful and elegant. Flipping through her book was like appreciating calligraphy.
Wei Xu showed the booklet to the Duke of Wei: "Grandfather, my sister's handwriting is so beautiful. I want to learn to write from her!"
After reading the booklet, Duke Wei let out a heavy sigh. Putting everything else aside, the fact that Zhou Mujiao had recorded the patients in such detail gave him more trust in her. Moreover, he had witnessed Zhou Mujiao's abilities over the past ten days.
Therefore, when Zhou Mujiao left the Wei family, the Duke of Wei personally saw her off at the door and sent eighteen members of the Wei family to escort her.
Physician Xu was very envious.
Since Consort Liang passed away, he began to study the Wei family's illness. At first, the Wei family treated him with courtesy, but after three years, they stopped caring about him. Every time they saw him, they would glare at him or simply kick him out. However, apart from being verbally abused on the first day Zhou Mujiao arrived, she was treated like a distinguished guest for the next ten days!
But those people earned it through their own abilities. Although Physician Xu was envious, he knew that it was not something he could obtain through envy. He had been learning from them all this time.
“Miss Zhou, do you recognize that person over there? He’s been watching us for a long time,” a young man from the Wei family suddenly said.
Zhou Mujiao looked up and then ran forward in surprise: "Brother Zhao!"
It was Zhao Yunjing.
It had been a full two weeks since we last met. Zhou Mujiao had returned, her face flushed and she looked stunning. Zhao Yunjing, on the other hand, had gotten quite tanned. I wonder where he'd been busy all this time.
Both were busy, so they found a teahouse by the roadside to talk. Zhao Yunjing took the initiative to explain: "The Emperor has given me a new job, and I estimate I'll be busy until the end of the month."
The results will be released at the end of the month. Once the rankings are out, Zhao Yunjing will have finished his duties and will then enter the Imperial Academy to study diligently in preparation for the upcoming metropolitan examination.
Zhou Mujiao then told him about her interesting experiences at the Duke of Wei's mansion, naturally omitting the illnesses of the Wei family members.
The two had a lot to say, but since this wasn't the right place to talk and they both had to go back and report, they only picked out the important things to say.
Half an hour later, Zhao Yunjing was summoned away, and Zhou Mujiao also entered the palace.
The Wei family members escorted the girl into the palace and returned to report to the Duke of Wei: "Your Excellency, Miss Zhou has entered the palace."
Duke Wei nodded, telling them to go back first, and then casually called the steward over: "How's the investigation into Miss Zhou's background going?"
The butler said, "There's not much to investigate about Miss Zhou's background. She's just an ordinary village girl. However, the 'Uncle Jiang' who works under her looks a bit like the one from the Six Doors."
"Who?" Duke Wei asked before realizing what he meant, "That brat Jiang Wuyu?"
"If the younger one hasn't made a mistake, then it must be him."
The Duke of Wei was filled with doubt.
If that Uncle Jiang really is Jiang Wuyu, why would he be willing to work under a little village girl?
The steward said, "According to the villagers, it was Jiang Wuyu who saved Zhao Yunjing's sister, which is how the two met. Duke Zhao Yunjing is the one who has been highly valued by the Emperor during this period."
"Isn't there anything else unusual? Didn't you say that Miss Zhou has an old lady at home?"
"According to the villagers, this old lady has some memory confusion. Jiang Wuyu met her when he was a peddler and has kept her by his side ever since, treating her like his own mother. The children from the Zhou and Zhao families all call her Grandmother."
Duke Wei fell silent again. After a long while, he asked the steward if he remembered the Li family.
"The Li family? Is the Duke referring to the Li family of Li Wenxuan, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi?"
"Most of the Li family members who were exiled died on the way, and the Li family was burned to the ground. Afterwards, the government dug up eighteen corpses. Seventeen of them had their faces clearly visible, but only one female corpse had her face covered in blood and flesh. Based on her clothing and body shape, it was determined that she was Bai, the wife of Li Wenxuan."
The Duke paused for a moment and said, "Before the Li family's case was settled, their only daughter, Li Luo, went missing. Li Wenxuan offered a million-dollar reward to find his beloved daughter. Some people say that it was because of this reward that his crime of embezzlement and perverting the law was confirmed."
"After that, Jiang Wuyu left the Six Doors and never came back." The butler felt as if he had learned some incredible secret. "If the female corpse back then was not Madam Li, then the old lady in the Zhou family now is probably Madam Li."
"Madam Li and Jiang Wuyu both did it for Li Luo. One faked his death, and the other ran away. They've been gone for over twenty years. Suddenly they stopped. I'm afraid they've already found Li Luo's whereabouts."
"That Miss Zhou is most likely Li Luo's daughter. Miss Zhou brought Jiang Wuyu back to the capital in such a way that no one would suspect her. She probably has ulterior motives. She probably wants to avenge the Li family."
The steward hissed, "Your Excellency, I will immediately go to the palace to report this matter to the Emperor!"
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