Chapter 117 The Official in the Capital
When the Zhu family saw Zhao Ge'er, they were overjoyed. The young man was incredibly handsome. His father had striking features and high-set eyes, but he looked imposing. His son, on the other hand, seemed gentle and affectionate.
However, no matter how much the Zhu family was tempted, they still had to break up with the Xiao family. Miaozhen was focused on asking her eldest son about the imperial examinations and didn't have time to talk to the Zhu family much.
Zhao Ge'er got into the carriage and talked to Miao Zhen about the imperial examination: "I don't have any other requests, I just want to finish the exam as soon as possible. I didn't expect that the more I wrote, the smoother it became. Especially when Father made me write from morning to night, I felt extremely tired, but when I took the exam, it was not as intense as the intensity Father gave me."
“We originally thought that if you passed the provincial examination, you wouldn’t have to study so hard anymore. People often feel that they have a way out and can’t fight with their backs against the wall. This cycle repeats itself until they eventually give up.” Miaozhen thought that if her son passed the provincial examination, the pressure would be greatly reduced.
How many people are eliminated by the provincial examinations every three years?
My spirit has been worn down.
Zhao Ge'er laughed and said, "There's still the provincial examination! My son's head is aching from studying so much."
Seeing her son acting coquettishly, Miaozhen smiled and said, "With your mother here, how could you have a headache? I'll give you a massage and a hot compress when we get back."
Zhao Ge'er beamed with joy.
Zheng Ge'er secretly tugged at his older brother's clothes, and Zhao Ge'er immediately sat down next to Zheng Ge'er, hugged his younger brother and said, "How are you doing? How are you doing with your studies? Let me tell you, no matter how good you are or how powerful your family is, without official rank and title, people will look down on you."
Zhengge wrinkled his nose: "I know, brother. Mother told me too."
"It's good that you know. You have to be tough on yourself this time. Once you get through this, you'll be free." Zhao Ge'er was also trying to persuade him earnestly.
Zheng Ge'er made a face: "Okay."
Seeing that the two of them were talking with great seriousness, Miaozhen asked Zhaoge'er, "Have you gone to see your sister?"
“My sister is pregnant, so I shouldn’t bother her,” Zhao Ge’er said.
Miaozhen calculated the days and said, "It's about time. I need to make some preparations before going to the Marquis's residence." She hadn't thought much of it when her daughter's last letter mentioned her pregnancy, but she didn't expect it to happen so soon.
As they talked, they arrived in the capital in less than half a day. Once the host and hostess arrived, the place felt like home.
Miaozhen saw that there was snow piled up over the flower pavilion and no one was sweeping in front of or behind the houses, so she said, "Sweep the main road and the side path first, and pile the snow on both sides. After we have rested, we will shovel the snow clean tomorrow morning."
This is a considerate approach to servants. Otherwise, it would be truly torturous to have servants, who are already exhausted from traveling, shovel snow all over the mansion without sleep.
The family now has five courtyards. Xu Kun and his wife Zhang, along with their children, can have a courtyard. Even Xiao Jingtang, who lives in the second courtyard, can have three side rooms and two side rooms.
Inside the house, Bitao had already begun directing the maids to tidy up. Everyone was doing their own job. An hour later, Xiaoxi came over to report: "The fourth and fifth courtyards behind have all been cleaned and swept again, and Zhengge'er's room has also been tidied up."
"Okay, I understand. Have Ping An come over later. I want to ask him about things on the estate."
After everything was settled here, invitations were sent to the Marquis of Yun Jian's residence and the third branch of the family the next day, inviting them to come over for a meal five days later.
Xiao Xi laughed and said, "Our great-aunt was very happy to see me, and she wished she could come right now."
"This child, even after becoming a mother, she still won't settle down. I'll go see her tomorrow." Miaozhen said this, but she also missed her daughter very much.
Then Xiao Xi said, "Fifth Madam's daughter is already betrothed, but she regrets it now."
"How do you know that?" Miao Zhen thought that she had only gone to deliver the invitation, how could she even know whether the other party regretted it or not.
Xiao Xi smiled and said, "The third wife asked you for medicine before. Once, when her daughter got married, you happened to be a guest in the third house and gave her a pair of silver-gilt plum blossom hairpins."
Miao Zhen thought about it and it seemed that there really was such a thing. It seemed that she went to the capital to treat the Prince Yu's son and also took Fu Jie'er to the Third Branch once.
Did she tell you that?
"That's right. They say that Fifth Madam got anxious after our eldest daughter got married and wanted to take advantage of the situation to arrange an excellent marriage for her. But our eldest daughter ignored her. She begged Third Madam, but Third Madam was afraid of her and only gave her a few perfunctory replies. She then invited two official matchmakers, and she married her daughter off to the family of a scholar from the Imperial Academy. Later, she heard that our eldest son had become the top scholar in the provincial examination, and many people went to Third Madam's house to inquire about him. She then regretted marrying him off so early." Xiao Xi spread her hands.
Miao Zhen found it amusing: "She really has the nerve. I've already given her a break by not publicly severing ties, and she still dares to think that way."
Although she is broad-minded, she is not a saint.
Xiao Xi also laughed: "Anyway, you are a magnanimous person and won't hold it against her."
"Of course I can't be bothered with her. By the way, I've already told Ping An to have the supplies sent over from the Tongzhou estate. Today I need to instruct everyone to shovel snow."
Miaozhen had finished tidying up these past few days and put the meat, dried vegetables, charcoal, and rice sent from the estate into the storeroom. They had prepared a lot of New Year's goods while they were in Henan, and asked Zhang to take them out.
Just as she was about to go see her daughter, the Han family asked her to treat the old lady. Miaozhen wanted to schedule a time in the afternoon, but the Han family said, "Fourth Madam Xiao, there is no time to lose. You should hurry. Our old lady has fainted from heart palpitations."
"What? Take me to see her quickly." Miaozhen didn't know if she could cure him. She was skilled in treating gynecology and pediatrics, but she had also been studying general medicine more recently.
Zheng Ge'er originally planned to go see Fu Jie'er with Miao Zhen, but unexpectedly, he turned around and went to the Han family. He immediately took out his gun and said, "Mother, your son will go with you."
“Alright, now that we’ve treated Old Madam Han, let’s go to your sister’s place and have them bring our gifts as well,” Miaozhen said.
The mother and son went together, and Miaozhen quickly arrived at the Han family's house. The men stood outside, while the women were all inside, where it was very hot. This old Mrs. Han was plump, had a slippery pulse, and was nauseous and vomiting; she was also said to always have phlegm.
"Come on, ma'am, stick out your tongue so I can take a look." Miaozhen roughly knew that this was a symptom of coronary heart disease, but the diagnosis required looking at the tongue coating. A yellow coating with sticky phlegm indicated hot phlegm, while a white coating with thin phlegm indicated cold phlegm.
Seeing that Madam Han's tongue was dark purple with a thick white coating and her complexion was sallow, Miaozhen couldn't help but ask the head maid serving Madam Han, "Has the old lady been very tired lately?"
The eldest daughter shook her head: "How could that be? Our old lady just does her prayers in the Buddhist hall every morning and evening."
“At such an advanced age, having to kneel to do homework, what else could it be but exhaustion? Look at the old lady's dark circles under her eyes,” Miaozhen said, pointing to her eyes.
Miaozhen prescribed Wendan Decoction and Gualou Xiebai Baijiu Decoction, mainly to clear heat, resolve phlegm, and soothe the chest and regulate qi. However, she was not a specialist in pulse diagnosis, so she told the Han family, "I specialize in gynecology and pediatrics. For heart palpitations, you should consult a doctor who specializes in this prescription."
Nowadays, most families are like this. When they hear that a doctor is famous, they all go to pick him up, regardless of whether he is suitable or not. Miaozhen once treated a patient with a broken bone, and the patient was taken to the doctor's home before being sent back.
After leaving the Han family, Miaozhen went to the Yunjian Marquis's residence. After having a cup of tea with Madam Ming, she prepared to go to the Imperial Son's Courtyard. Unexpectedly, she met Second Madam Zhao on the way. Second Madam Zhao quickly stepped forward to greet her: "My dear in-law, you've arrived! My sister-in-law is pregnant and has been eagerly awaiting the arrival of her family."
"I'm very relieved that she has your wife and your two sisters-in-law taking care of her. If she could have both a son and a daughter like Second Madam, I, as her mother, would be even happier," Miaozhen said with a smile.
Second Madam Zhao raised her eyes and glanced at Miaozhen. This was Xiao's mother. She had fair skin, a beautiful complexion, and a slender figure. She looked to be the same age as her. If she hadn't been exiled back then, how could she have ended up like this?
The two parted ways at the corner of the corridor. Miaozhen stepped forward, and Zhengge stood guard by his mother's side. His father had told him that a man should learn martial arts for two reasons: to strengthen his body and to protect his country.
He may not have the opportunity to go to the battlefield now, but he can still protect his family.
In just over half a year, Miaozhen saw that her daughter's hair was now styled in a bun and she had matured a lot. She was very happy: "I only found out you were pregnant when I went to the capital and heard it from your younger brother. Sit down, let me take your pulse."
Sister Fu smiled and stretched out her hand. After Miaozhen finished taking her pulse, she said, "Your pulse is steady. You should keep warm, but not too hot. Pregnant women are most afraid of heat. You don't know that when I was pregnant with you and your brother, my aunt wouldn't let me use ice in the summer. I secretly had someone buy ice for me, otherwise I would have died from the heat."
"Mother, don't you think that since you got pregnant, all the ailments you didn't have before have started to appear?" Fu'er was still feeling a bit uncomfortable.
Miaozhen looked at her and said, "This is normal, but the most important thing is that you can't eat as much as you feel hungry. Eat until you are seven-tenths full. Seven-tenths full means that when you feel full, you hesitate about whether you want to continue, then you have to stop. If you eat too much, the baby will be too big, which will be hard on the mother. You may even tear down there."
Fu Jie'er was well aware of these things, but people often feel that indulging a little is okay. Now, hearing her mother say this, she quickly replied, "You're right."
“Your father will have an audience with the Emperor on New Year’s Day, but we don’t know what position he will hold. If he is going to take up a post in the south, we can only stay in the capital for a few days,” Miaozhen sighed.
Fu Jie'er, being in the capital, knew more: "The Emperor has neglected state affairs for many years. I think he might not even be able to meet with the Emperor in time. You should tell Father not to have too much hope."
“That’s true. Your father was always an official outside the capital. He was summoned to the palace back when he was still in Xuanda. Oh well, whatever. In any case, I hope I can wait a little longer so I can come and see you more often.” Miaozhen is worried about both her children now.
Fu Jie'er held her mother's hand and said, "You don't need to worry about me, I'm very capable. But it's time to put choosing a wife for Zhao Ge'er on the agenda. We'll set a date, and it will take two or three years from the wedding to the wedding."
"You've only just gotten married, and you're already worrying about your brother. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Miaozhen said with a smile.
That's what they say, but since her daughter is now in the capital, she must be more familiar with the people there. So Miaozhen also asked her daughter, and Fujie had been paying attention and mentioned a few people she knew.
She stayed for lunch, and the dishes at the Marquis's residence were naturally quite good. Miaozhen looked at them carefully and then said to Fujie, "We must be careful with what we eat."
"Don't worry about this." Sister Fu thought that since Granny Zhao wanted to send her croton soup, she would just give it to her family intact. If she didn't directly retaliate against such a person a few times, she really would dare to do anything.
Seeing that her daughter was pregnant yet still looked radiant, while she herself couldn't manage to look like that, Miaozhen couldn't help but laugh and say, "Anyway, just come to us if you need anything."
Fu Jie'er recalled that back then, her mother hired a female official from the palace for her. Besides teaching her how to serve tea, the official also inadvertently taught her many palace intrigue techniques. She kept these to herself but didn't want to tell her mother.
Now that she's at the Marquis of Yun Jian's residence, and with her husband backing her up, she's ready to unleash her full potential.
After her daughter ate, she felt a little sleepy, so Miaozhen took Zhengge'er back first. Speaking of which, there was a letter the Crown Princess of Zhou had asked her to deliver, which she had forgotten about these past few days due to her busy schedule. She quickly had it sent over, but unexpectedly, after Xiaoxi delivered it, she returned and said, "That family is holding a funeral."
"Oh? Could she be the Crown Princess's cousin?" Miao Zhen couldn't help but ask.
Xiao Xi waved her hand: "No, it's her niece. I heard she was killed by thieves."
"What?" Miaozhen covered her mouth, deciding it was best not to go out for the next few days.
Three murders in quick succession have caused widespread panic. When Xiao Jingshi came out of the bath that night, he looked at Miaozhen and said, "You don't need to be afraid. Zheng'er is living in our east wing now. I'm right here beside you. No one will hurt you."
"I'm most afraid of these things. A bandit once scared me so much that I'm always terrified whenever I travel alone, and it still is now." Miaozhen's biggest fear is people hiding in wardrobes or someone suddenly popping out from under her bed at night and staring at her.
Xiao Jingshi put his arm around her and said, "Don't be afraid, I'm here. You don't need to be afraid of anything."
Miaozhen turned around and hugged him: "Tomorrow I will put up a sign saying that I only see patients at home."
Seeing that she was really frightened, Xiao Jingshi told her a joke, but it was so dry that Miaozhen pursed her lips and tried to laugh but couldn't. However, when she told the joke, Xiao Jingshi laughed so hard that he almost fell off the bed.
"Is what I said really that funny?"
"You often speak very seriously, but it sounds very funny."
The two chatted and laughed for a while, which made them feel much more relaxed. Xiao Jingshi was looking forward to New Year's Day and was also worried about Miaozhen, so he would go out during the day to contact acquaintances and run errands for officials. As soon as it got dark, he would immediately return to his room to keep her company.
After taking Miaozhen's prescription, Mrs. Han felt much better. She personally brought her daughter to thank her. Miaozhen hurriedly said, "This is not necessary. I am not a doctor who specializes in treating palpitations and phlegm. You should ask a specialist doctor to come and treat your condition in the future."
As the Prime Minister's wife, Mrs. Han's humility in coming in person impressed Miaozhen, but she knew that it was precisely because of Mrs. Han's humility that she had higher expectations of others.
"I heard that Chief Clerk Xiao's term has ended and he's currently waiting for his new post?"
Miao Zhen's heart skipped a beat. Did the Han family mean to elevate them by saying that? But Xiao Jingshi was already a third-rank official, so he couldn't be that bad. However, she couldn't afford to offend the Han family, so Miao Zhen glossed over the matter: "That's right. Originally, it was said that his term of office was over and he would return to the capital to report for duty. My master was also anxious."
Madam Han smiled. A young talent like Xiao Zhaozhi should be chosen for her daughter much earlier. Therefore, she said, "My husband greatly admires Xiao Zhaozhi, saying that he is a rare good official in the court who is wholeheartedly for the people."
At this point, Miaozhen smiled and said, "That would be wonderful. Our lord is also wholeheartedly devoted to serving the country."
When Madam Han was still the wife of a Grand Secretary, she wanted to marry Fu Jie'er because she was attracted to the Xiao family, not only because they had officials, but also because they were extremely wealthy. Now it seems that the Xiao family has produced outstanding individuals in every generation. Although they cannot be considered a prestigious or powerful family, as long as they can produce a talented scholar, their future is just around the corner.
However, the Han family wasn't being too greedy. Today, they were just bringing their daughter to meet Miaozhen. Miaozhen glanced at the Han family's daughter and still had a good impression of her.
Among the famous young ladies in the capital that my daughter mentioned was this Miss Han Ruozhen.
The next day, relatives came over, and everyone chatted together. However, Xiao Jingtian from the third branch of the family was about to leave the capital. Madam Gao said, "Our master has already accepted the appointment to serve as the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner in Guangxi."
The Provincial Surveillance Commissioner was also a third-rank official, which meant he had failed in the competition in the capital.
Miaozhen asked, "Didn't you make arrangements, sister-in-law?"
Gao shook his head. In officialdom, it's all about interests. From the very beginning, those who stayed in the Hanlin Academy were the candidates for prime minister. Xiao Jingtian and Xiao Jingshi didn't have that kind of connections, nor were they top-notch, so they were both assigned to the Six Ministries.
However, most of the ministers and vice ministers of the six ministries were scholars from the Hanlin Academy. Xiao Jingtian naturally wanted to compete for official positions such as the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture and the Nine Ministers. However, the Gao family had already retired, and even if the Gao family were good at socializing, they had limited resources.
In officialdom, it's all about exchanging benefits or replacing relatives by marriage. Since Xiao Jingtian hasn't reached the point where he can offer benefits yet, he can only be appointed to an outside post. That's just how realistic officialdom is.
Seeing her like this, Miaozhen didn't ask any more questions. After a while, her daughter and son-in-law came over. Zhao Rui helped Fujie into the room, still worried about her.
When Fu Jie'er came over, the elders all wanted to impart their wisdom on raising children. Fu Jie'er used to hate listening to these things, but now she listened with great interest. Looking at her mother, she saw that while others were chatting, she was actually reading a medical book on general medicine. She thought that this was probably the reason why her mother's medical skills had always been so good.
After the meal, Xiao Jingtian asked Xiao Jingshi, "Fourth brother, have you decided which places you want to go? You have made contributions in quelling the famine, and I heard that the commission for sweet potatoes pleased the Emperor greatly. You should be able to stay in the capital this time, right?"
"I've taken care of everything I needed to. Now it's up to fate," Xiao Jingshi said nonchalantly.
Now that Governor Lu has passed away, Yan Song has fallen out of favor with the Emperor in November, while Xu Jie has been given an important position. Back when he was in the Hanlin Academy, Xu Jie was the head of the academy and was his teacher. This time, he wrote an article and went to visit him. Xu Jie was surprisingly very polite to him. Xiao Jingshi had a better idea of what was going on.
However, he couldn't tell anyone until it was announced, something he learned from Miaozhen.
A few days later, Xiao Jingshi made the appointment, jointly recommended by the Grand Secretaries and the Nine Ministers, and was recommended by the court to be the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. It is said that there was a person with more seniority than him who competed with him, but Grand Secretaries Xu and Han argued on the grounds and he won.
Xiao Jingshi said to Miaozhen, "It's normal for Grand Secretary Xu to recommend me, but the Han family's actions are..."
Miaozhen's heart stirred.
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