Chapter 101 (Combined Chapter)
After Miaozhen and the others arrived at the Tongzhou post station, they had already washed and dressed in their embroidered official robes. Since they were about to meet Prince Yu, they could not meet casually. Even the girls changed into more dignified clothes.
Prince Yu was born in the sixteenth year of the Jiajing reign, eleven years younger than her, and should be a twenty-one-year-old youth this year.
However, Prince Yu's current situation is not actually good. He has a younger brother, Prince Jing, who is young and promising, and even more favored than him, and is said to have the support of Grand Secretary Yan. On the contrary, Prince Yu's life is now somewhat difficult, and he lives in constant fear.
After arriving in the capital, Zhao Rui took Miaozhen and her daughter to the Prince Yu's residence. The Prince Yu's residence had already held a funeral for Princess Li in April. Without the mistress of the house, there was still the chief steward to manage things.
Because it was considered inappropriate for men and women to meet, this time it was the wife of the chief secretary, Madam Ma, who brought Miaozhen and her daughter inside.
Seeing the gold-embroidered clouds and peacock patterns on Miaozhen's wedding robe, Madam Ma guessed that she was a fourth-rank noblewoman and dared not underestimate her. Throughout the journey, Miaozhen kept her eyes straight ahead; she was someone who had been to the palace for medical treatment, and her husband held an official position year-round, so she was not an ignorant woman.
The heir apparent, Zhu Yiyi, was born in November of the thirty-fourth year of the Jiajing reign. Although he was said to be four years old, he was actually a little boy who was not even three years old. The child had just been diagnosed with smallpox, and his breath smelled bad. His teeth were slightly black, which was indeed a case of malnutrition. If it had been delayed any longer, it would have easily developed into sepsis.
The child was unaware that he was ill, and his wet nurse even said, "Doctor Xu, do you think the young master is about to lose his baby teeth?"
Miao Zhen took a closer look and saw that the child's teeth were indeed about to fall out, and there was fresh blood flowing from between the teeth. She shook her head: "This is not a tooth replacement, it is malnutrition."
She first prescribed Qingwei San, which is for internal use, and Zijin San, which is for external use.
The doctors in the manor used to have prescriptions, which she had seen. One of them prescribed Ginseng and Atractylodes Macrocephala Powder, which was actually quite effective for the condition. This illness originated from the stomach, and Ginseng and Atractylodes Macrocephala Powder was specifically for treating spleen and stomach weakness. Someone had also prescribed Aloe Vera Infant Decoction, which was the prescription she had seen on the ship, but it didn't have much effect.
When the medicine was brought over, she personally watched the prince drink it and then used a small brush to apply the medicine to his wound.
Prince Yu came to see his son in person, and only then did Miaozhen truly pay her respects to him. He was a very gentle young man: "Madam Xiao, please rise. How is the Crown Prince's illness?"
“This illness is very serious. On the surface, it is just a problem with the teeth, but if it is left untreated, it may lead to death from septicemia in the future. Therefore, the treatment of this illness will not be quick. Your Highness, our family happens to have a house in the capital. I think it would be too expensive for us to live in the Prince’s mansion. Please allow us to do so,” Miaozhen said.
The Prince Yu's residence certainly had empty courtyards for them to stay in, but they were not cheap, and the Prince Yu had already chosen his second wife, Lady Wang, who was said to be moving in soon, which was inconvenient in many ways.
Fortunately, Prince Yu was a very easy person to talk to, and he even sent her a token, allowing her to come and go freely.
So, Miaozhen sent Fu Jie'er and Xiao Xi to the house to tidy up, intending to return before dark. Speaking of which, Xiao Jingshi had hoped she would have a child, which she had always disagreed with, but now, looking at the young prince, she felt a surge of affection for him.
While he was awake, she and his wet nurses would talk to him and learn about his daily routine.
His wet nurse said anxiously to Miaozhen, "Our young master can't eat anything. I'm the one who usually breastfeeds him. I don't know what to do."
"Don't worry, I'll think of a way slowly." Miaozhen thought that everyone's treatment method was different.
The Zijin Powder applied to the teeth didn't seem to have much effect, so she used equal parts of human placenta, ferrous sulfate, and gallnut, and added a little borneol, grinding them into powder. This was the formula for toothache powder, which she continued to apply to the young prince's teeth. This time, perhaps due to the effect of the borneol, the young prince said that it didn't hurt as much.
The wet nurse hurriedly asked, "May I breastfeed now?"
"Stop breastfeeding. Make some ginseng and poria porridge to warm the stomach. You don't know, this disease mostly originates in the stomach. If it's not treated now, the palate will perforate, the cheekbone will rupture, the bridge of the nose will collapse, and even the area next to the nose will rot and perforate." Miaozhen emphasized the seriousness of the situation.
She had seen many people who did not follow medical advice. In her past life, some people had said not to eat before surgery, but some elderly people would secretly feed their children because they loved them dearly. Others said to eat liquid food, but she just wouldn't listen.
These royal wet nurses' futures all depend on the young prince. If Prince Yu ascends the throne, the young prince may become the crown prince. Although they usually let the child have his way, if the prince dies or becomes rotten, he will not only be unable to ascend the throne, but will also be disliked by others.
Miaozhen and the people around the Crown Prince recounted these taboos.
The prince's tea was changed to aloe vera tonic, which Miaozhen brewed herself in the tea room. After brewing, it was filtered. She was wearing a white gauze shirt and a light blue skirt, and her hair was styled in a bun. Because of her very approachable appearance, even the young prince was quite fond of her and wanted her to hold him.
Because Miaozhen had traveled all over the country over the years and understood Buddhism, she could speak eloquently whenever she wanted, and she quickly became quite familiar with the people here.
When it was time for her to leave that evening, the wet nurses and maids who served the young master were reluctant to let her go.
Xiao Xi was already waiting outside the Prince's Mansion. Upon seeing Miao Zhen, she hurriedly came up and asked, "Miss, you have already had your belongings prepared at home, and your room is ready. This servant will help you get into the carriage."
Once they were in the carriage, Xiao Xi asked about the illness. Miao Zhen shook her head: "Right now, I can only try one thing at a time, but I think I've figured out some of the clues to his illness."
"That's good, that's good." Xiao Xi immediately felt much more relaxed.
That's how it is with treating illnesses. If an illness can be cured, both the patient and the family are happy. If it can't be cured, or if the patient dies, the family members might be reasonable, but if they are not, they might be extorted for money.
Miaozhen fell asleep in the carriage, which made the servants around her feel sorry for her. When they arrived at the familiar house, Miaozhen and the others had not taken all their belongings back then, but now everything was there.
Miaozhen first scrubbed her whole body clean, then added floral dew to the water to make herself smell fragrant before coming out of the house to eat with Fujie.
"Thanks to you, you've taken such good care of me. It should have been me taking care of you." Miaozhen said, a little embarrassed.
Fu Jie'er always felt that the reason her mother looked so young was because she didn't have that old-fashioned air about her. She was clearly the daughter and her mother was the mother, so it was only right for her mother to be bossy, but she still acted embarrassed towards her, which pleased Fu Jie'er. She smiled and asked, "Mother, do you think your daughter is capable?"
While eating water chestnuts, Miaozhen hurriedly gave a thumbs up: "Your trip was truly unexpected. My daughter is so capable. To be honest, when I was your age, I was far less capable than you. When I came back from Jinling, your grandfather took care of everything for me."
Hearing her mother's praise, Fu'er felt sweeter than if she had eaten honey. However, she still asked about the illness of the Prince Yu's heir. Miaozhen told her everything and added, "I will be leaving early and returning late tomorrow. You should rest at home. I sent Xiaoxi to deliver a letter to your third uncle's house. Your third aunt is always very thoughtful."
"Then why don't you let your daughter go with you?" Sister Fu felt quite bored at home.
"You should take care of your health first. These days you've been caught in the rain, running around taking care of things, and even going to the doctor. Wouldn't that kill you?" Miaozhen thought that a young lady should be pampered for a while so that she could take her out to socialize later.
However, she couldn't tell Miaozhen about these plans. Instead, she instructed the kitchen to make plenty of nourishing soups, including bird's nest and fish maw, since the Xiao family could afford them.
Their family originally received about five thousand taels of silver from the Xiao family every year. In addition, there was a large sum of money from taking care of Xiao Ting for three years, as well as Xiao Jingshi's previous ice boat dividends and Miao Zhen's medical fees. In recent years, there have been almost no major expenses, so the family has enough money.
Fu-jie also wanted to sleep in, and after hearing her mother's suggestion, she agreed.
She also said that Miaozhen went there very early the next morning. The young prince was still not awake, and she had already begun to secretly take his pulse. She also asked the person who took care of him how the prince slept last night.
This stomach-clearing powder was quite effective; at least the prince wasn't too uncomfortable yesterday. When he woke up, Miaozhen had him rinse his mouth with salt water. This child is quite clever; most children would drink water if they saw it, but he can understand Miaozhen's instructions.
"The young master is really smart." Miaozhen felt sorry for the child, so she made him take his medicine again and wiped his teeth with toothpaste.
For three consecutive days, the prince's condition was better than when she first arrived. At least his teeth were no longer bleeding, and he could even drink some porridge, unlike before.
But Miaozhen discovered that in addition to the malnutrition of the zouma, the child also had the malnutrition of the slender and cold type. The child needed to take Muxiang pills, so she gave the child Muxiang pills and Lanxiang powder, and to her surprise, it really had a miraculous effect.
She was an extremely patient person. She wiped the prince's teeth and rinsed his mouth three times a day, morning, noon and night. She was almost always by the prince's side. She personally prepared the ginseng and poria porridge, as well as the mung bean water and aloe vera juice.
Actually, not as many people are paying attention to the Crown Prince as one might imagine. Many people in the Prince Yu's residence are waiting for the new Consort to arrive next year. Prince Yu himself is still a young man and doesn't know how to take care of her.
Miaozhen's tireless companionship with the young master, helping him with his illness and arriving early and leaving late every day, moved everyone in the Prince Yu's residence.
The prince's wet nurse, Madam Yuan, said, "Lady Xiao is truly very hardworking."
These wet nurses were actually younger than Miaozhen. They were so young that they abandoned their own children to nurse other people's children at the Prince Yu's residence. Miaozhen, on the other hand, left her own children to come to the capital to treat the Crown Prince. They all shared the same plight, so they got along well with each other.
Of course, the most crucial point is that there are no conflicts of interest among them.
She folded some colored paper into stars to make wind chimes, which she then hung by the prince's bedside to cheer him up.
Before the wind chimes were finished, it was already late. Miaozhen squeezed the prince's little hand and said, "I'll go back now. Prince, please rest early tonight. We can make the wind chimes together again as soon as you open your eyes tomorrow morning, okay?"
The prince could already speak, and he held Miaozhen's hand with his little finger, saying, "Doctor Xu, don't go."
"Doctor Xu is going home to sleep, just like the young master," Miaozhen said, giving the wet nurses a meaningful look.
They came over and surrounded the prince. Miaozhen breathed a sigh of relief, went out, got into the carriage, and went home.
When she arrived home today, she noticed that Sister Fu looked rather downcast, so she quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
Thinking that her mother had been very tired lately, Fu Jie shook her head and refused to say more. Miao Zhen looked at her daughter and said, "You must tell me if you have something to say, otherwise I won't feel at ease going to Prince Yu's mansion."
When her mother pressed her for details, Fu Jie'er finally said, "My third aunt and fifth aunt came over today. My third aunt was alright; she had a concubine's daughter who was having her first birthday and wanted to invite me. But my fifth aunt said to my face, 'I'm so old now, shouldn't you take better care of me?'"
"You know about our long-standing feud, so don't take her words to heart. We came to the capital to treat the Prince Yu's son. If I cure him, my reputation in the capital will surely soar, and perhaps even the Emperor will summon me. Even if the Emperor doesn't summon me, I can still take you to the residences of princesses and nobles. Your future will be limitless, so why bother with her? The reason I haven't told you these things is simply because I haven't cured him yet," Miaozhen said with a smile.
It turned out that her mother had everything planned out. Fu Jie'er noticeably ate her rice faster: "I don't believe Fifth Aunt's words."
She's almost fifteen and still not engaged, so naturally she's a little anxious.
It's not that she's worried about getting married. She had met her prospective fiancé once from afar. He was a cheerful young man with a good temperament and was said to be very talented. But in the blink of an eye, he got engaged to someone else.
Lady Wang praised her repeatedly, appearing to be very fond of her, but unexpectedly, she fell for someone else.
She was afraid that her marriage would be thwarted, and that even her parents would think she was an unlucky person.
Seeing her daughter's state, Miaozhen invited her to sleep with her that night and then spoke of her plans: "The reason you are not yet engaged is not because it is difficult for you to marry, but because I thought it would be better to wait until your father makes a higher position. I originally planned that your father would be promoted to the capital after he was in Fujian, but I did not expect him to go to Jinan. However, don't worry, I will definitely make sure you have a grand and glorious life."
She herself came from a family of girls, and even grew up there. What adults sometimes think is no big deal is a big deal to children.
With her mother's assurance, Fu Jie felt that she was being unreasonable: "Mother is already so tired, yet she still worries about her daughter."
"What are you saying? You are my daughter. If I don't worry about you, who will I worry about? However, one must know what one's primary responsibility is. Since I am here to heal the sick, I will devote myself to this for now. As for you, since you are to inherit my mantle, you must study medical books and case records diligently at home. Once the Prince Yu's illness is cured, you will have plenty of time to demonstrate your abilities," Miaozhen said, looking at her.
Fu Jie'er thought about it and realized that Liu Shi had hit the nail on the head. But what was Liu Shi anyway? What did it matter if she didn't marry? Her father and mother treated her so well.
The mother and daughter talked until midnight, and when Fu-jie woke up the next day, her mother had already left.
This time when she went to the capital, she only brought her foster mother and Cui Die Fei Yan with her. When they saw that she was awake, they hurriedly helped her wash up and served her breakfast. "This morning, Madam said that you like to eat milk soup, so the kitchen specially cooked it with walnuts and peanuts. It's so fragrant."
Sister Fu raised her head and asked, "When did my mother leave?"
"She left as soon as it was light; Madam must have worked so hard," Cui Die sighed.
As Fu Jie drank her milk, she thought about how her mother used to sleep in late every day in Jinan and would even take a nap, but here she got up before dawn, which showed how diligent she was.
No wonder Mother succeeded. She puts aside all distractions and perseveres through thick and thin, unlike me, who is always thinking about other things. She also needs to concentrate. Besides, Mother carefully selected wives for her two cousins, and even when Aunt Zhang, who used to live next door, remarried, Mother was so meticulous. How much more so for her?
Sister Fu trusted Miaozhen, so Liu's attempts to sow discord naturally failed.
Over the years, Fifth Master Xiao still failed to pass the imperial examinations. Thanks to Third Master Xiao for helping him obtain a sinecure as a proofreader at the Imperial Academy, although Liu was slightly dissatisfied, it was still acceptable, unlike before when he was just a mere scholar.
However, Liu's life was not easy either. First of all, the Xiao family's life was not as good as before. Although Xiao Wuye was born out of wedlock, living with his parents-in-law was different from living with his elder brother and sister-in-law.
Although Gao had managed the family business when her parents-in-law were alive, she was now in charge. The third branch of the family had a continuous stream of legitimate and illegitimate sons and daughters. Now, with three sons and three daughters, and Gao also carrying one child, these people would ask for money at the drop of a hat. As a result, the jewelry Liu wore was still from seven or eight years ago.
However, her enemy, Xu Miaozhen, was doing better and better. Now she was the wife of a fourth-rank official. Look at her daughter, Fu Jie'er, a little maid. Today she wore a pearl crown made of South Sea pearls. The pearls, which were the size of a thumb, made her envious. The next day she wore Shu brocade shoes and a gold filigree hairpin inlaid with cat's eye.
Clearly, Xiao Jingshi and his wife were living a very comfortable life. Indeed, the second wife was extremely wealthy, and Xu Miaozhen's consultation fees were also very generous. How could she not be jealous?
She used to think she was doing alright, but now things are getting worse. Although her son passed away that year, she still has a daughter who is eleven or twelve years old this year and will soon be of marriageable age. The dowry will be a major expense.
The family would contribute at most five hundred taels; the rest would have to be provided by the couple themselves. If Liu's family were wealthy, she wouldn't have married Xiao Wuye's illegitimate son. Although her father was a fifth-rank official, the dowry he gave was limited, even less than that of the sixth wife, Bian Shi. Bian Shi's family were wealthy merchants and had no shortage of money.
When she was in pain and saw others being triumphant, she was naturally resentful. Knowing that Gao was now heavily pregnant and inconvenient, she first apologized to Gao: "I wronged Fourth Sister-in-law back then, and I have always wanted to apologize, but I was too embarrassed to do so."
Seeing that she seemed genuinely repentant, Madam Gao was quite pleased: "It's good that you think this way. As the saying goes, it's better to resolve a feud than to let it fester. Fourth sister-in-law, how about helping Prince Yu's heir to get treatment? Although she's not very good at socializing, her medical skills are here. She can help noble people solve their problems, and our Xiao family can also benefit from it."
“Yes, Third Sister-in-law is right.” Madam Liu immediately admitted, but then she added, “It’s a pity that Fourth Sister-in-law goes to Prince Yu’s mansion every day now, and I can’t see her. During the day, only Fu’er is there. I want Miao’er to go and keep her company.”
“That’s excellent,” Gao agreed.
Liu took the opportunity of sending her daughter over to Fu Jie'er's place. Fu Jie'er told Miao Zhen about it that night. Miao Zhen frowned and said, "That Liu was never a good person. Even if she is being nice now, who knows what she is up to? Never mind, you will come with me to Prince Yu's mansion tomorrow."
"Mother, I can handle it," Fu'er said, afraid that her mother would worry.
“You’re still young, and she’s an elder. If she’s just asking around randomly, that’s fine. But if she brings a matchmaker to your door, or pretends to have someone else look at you, you won’t be able to explain yourself no matter how hard you try.” Miaozhen analyzed the pros and cons.
Fu Jie opened her mouth: "Can't we tell Third Aunt?"
Miaozhen straightened her daughter's clothes: "After all, even distant relatives can't make decisions for each other. No one in this world can truly make decisions for you. If your reputation is ruined, even if someone makes decisions for you, time cannot be turned back."
So when Liu came over the next day, the gatekeeper said, "Fifth Madam, our Fourth Madam took the eldest young lady to the Prince Yu's residence today to thank you for your kindness and ask you not to bother. She also said that after the matter at the Prince Yu's residence is settled, she will host a banquet to invite you to the residence."
Liu sighed in frustration. This Xu was far too shrewd and slippery, making it impossible to take advantage of her.
Her plan was to build a good relationship with Sister Fu so that she would be forced to marry a man who was all show and no substance, and that he would regret it for the rest of his life. This would also be a way of avenging her son. However, her plan backfired.
When Sister Fu last came to see the young master, the child had a foul odor in his mouth, a big belly and a thin body. Now his teeth are much stronger and his body looks much stronger than before.
Previously, Sister Fu didn't know how to take care of people, but later Miao Zhen asked her to keep an eye on Brother Zheng. Sister Fu had experience taking care of her younger brother, and she quickly made the prince smile.
"Mother, is the young master almost recovered?"
"It will be soon, and I won't have to come every day anymore."
This was a good sign. However, two days later, the prince developed a high fever, and Miaozhen changed the prescription again. But she refused to give up and kept adjusting the prescription.
After the prince's smallpox was diagnosed, he had oral ulcers and blisters, a dozen or so small grayish-white patches. Since acupuncture was not suitable for such a young child, massage was used instead. First, the technique of clearing the Tianhe point was used to relieve the exterior and reduce fever. Then, the Tianhe point was used to replenish body fluids and clear stomach heat. Next, the large intestine was cleared to purge the damp heat from the prince's abdomen. Finally, the six fu organs were cleared, the heart was calmed, the general tendons were massaged, the Zusanli point was massaged, and the Jueyinshu point was massaged.
Using this method to bring the fever down, and then using massage to relieve the herpes, after three days, I finally felt much better.
The child liked Miaozhen very much, and also liked Sister Fu. After his spirits improved, his body was completely healed in a month and a half after being treated by Miaozhen.
The Crown Prince's wet nurses invited Prince Yu to come and see him in person, and the Crown Prince was able to stand up and bow, saying, "Your son greets your father."
His body was still fragrant and soft, smelling like a baby's milk. When Prince Yu saw his son, he couldn't help but pick him up himself.
Prince Yu may not have been a very capable person, and he even seemed to deliberately ignore the illness of his son. However, Prince Yu was a very kind and grateful person. He specially asked the chief historian to submit a memorial to express his gratitude to the emperor for his great favor and to praise himself for his superb medical skills and diligence in saving his son.
The emperor bestowed twenty bolts of palace satin, six gold leaves, and twenty silver beans. Miaozhen and Fujie made two sets of clothes for the prince overnight and sent them over. They also personally thanked Prince Yu and behaved very respectfully, which successfully earned Prince Yu's complete trust in them.
After leaving the Prince Yu's residence, Fu'er looked at Miaozhen and asked, "Mother, should we hold a banquet for our relatives first?"
“No, let’s send a visiting card to the Marquis of Yun Jian’s residence first. It’s better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester. If I can cure his mother’s illness, the crisis at the Marquis of Yun Jian’s residence will be resolved, and the sword hanging over your father’s head will be gone.” Miao Zhen curled her lips.
As long as the Marquis of Yunjian's mansion doesn't target them, no one will interfere with her daughter's marriage.
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