Chapter 120 Mother-in-law and Daughter-in-law
The day before the imperial examination, Miaozhen sent a reputable official matchmaker to deliver the betrothal letter. The next day, she took her son to the examination hall. As she rummaged through the long-eared examination basket, she said, "I've cut all the food inside into small cubes. This is the silver coin as a reward, along with ginseng slices and medicine for colds..."
She was never by her son's side during the prefectural, provincial, and municipal examinations, so she was determined to make up for it this time and naturally prepared very thoroughly.
Zhao Ge'er, however, was reminiscing about the murder case from a few days ago: "Father solved it pretty quickly."
“Isn’t he a good person? To prevent his family from harming others. Even so, your father is working too hard. But it’s alright, after I’m done sending you off, I’ll go back and make some soup and snacks to send to the yamen to reward him.” Miaozhen thought to herself, her mind already wandering.
Zhao Ge'er thought to himself that his parents used to be very busy. His father was busy with the imperial examinations, his mother was busy with medicine, and they had three children in between. Now his father had become a government official in the capital and his future was stable. His sister had gotten married, he had passed the provincial examination, and his brother had also become more ambitious. His parents' relationship was even better than in previous years.
He chuckled to himself, but also felt a little embarrassed.
Miaozhen escorted him to the entrance of the examination hall and watched him enter smoothly before telling the driver to quickly take her back.
She simmered a pot of Ophiopogon japonicus and Dendrobium officinale lean pork soup in the kitchen. This is a soup that clears heat, reduces internal fire, and nourishes the liver. It is best for people who sit for long periods of time, stay up late, and suffer from internal heat and dry mouth. After the soup was simmering in the clay pot, she started making desserts.
Bone-in abalone is a popular dessert in Suzhou, so I made that. I also made osmanthus cake, as well as savory shrimp and pork crystal dumplings and crab roe spring rolls.
After preparing the food boxes and spring platters, they were sent to the Dali Temple.
Xiao Jingshi was busy with official duties and his mouth was dry. He heard from the servant that Miaozhen had made it herself. When he opened the food box, he was surprised to find lean meat soup inside. There was no need to spit out bones and make a mess. He took a sip and felt really comfortable. At home, Zhenzhen often made these kinds of things, so he didn't think much of it. But now, drinking a sip of sweet and hot soup and eating some snacks in the yamen was just too pleasant.
After Miaozhen woke up from her afternoon nap, she picked out three visiting cards for patients and asked her servant to invite them over for a consultation.
Soon, the wife of the Vice Minister of Works was brought over by sedan chair. Her ailment was that she would have diarrhea for three days before her period, after which she would not be able to have a period, and her stool would be as watery as water.
"I've seen many doctors and taken a lot of medicine, but nothing worked, so I gave up. But now that you're here, I'll try my luck."
How long have you had this problem?
"Eight years."
Miao Zhen had been thinking about this for so long, and seeing that her pulse was deep and thready and her tongue coating was thin, she came to a conclusion: "This is caused by spleen deficiency. The spleen governs blood. If the spleen is not strong enough, it cannot govern blood. As a result, when menstrual blood is injected into the sea of blood, the dampness caused by the improper functioning of the spleen will invade. Therefore, you always have watery stools first and then menstrual blood."
"Am I not healthy?" The wife of the Vice Minister of Works often heard people say that she was prone to getting internal heat and diarrhea because she was too healthy.
Miaozhen shook her head: "That's not it, it's just a lack of temper."
After the consultation, she still had to prepare the medicine. The Atractylodes macrocephala had to be stir-fried with soil, the Morinda officinalis had to be soaked in salt water, and the Coix lacryma-jobi also had to be stir-fried. After all that, she prescribed a total of ten doses.
"Don't stop taking the medication during your period. Finish the course first, and then come back for a follow-up appointment in two weeks."
Then she saw two more patients. Her income for the day was pretty good; having money coming in every day made her happy.
After Zhao Ge'er finished the imperial examination, he went home and fell asleep immediately. When he woke up, he ate three bowls of rice and wanted to eat meat pies. Miao Zhen saw that he was full and then asked, "How did the exam go?"
"I don't know either." Actually, Zhao Ge'er was already very satisfied with becoming the top scholar in the provincial examination last year.
Miaozhen smiled and said, "I have something else to tell you. The Han family sent over the bride's birth chart, and we've already found a matchmaker to check their horoscopes. We'll go and arrange the engagement in a few days."
Although Zhao Ge'er had guessed it before, he didn't dare to ask about his marriage. Now that his mother said this, he smiled and said, "I will leave everything to my parents' arrangements."
The matchmaker quickly calculated the date for the engagement, which was the eighth day of the fifth lunar month. These three months were just enough time to prepare the engagement gifts.
However, one cannot have both fish and bear's paw. Although he had a good marriage, he failed the imperial examination. The top scholar of this year was named Xu Shixing, and the list of scholars in the 41st year of Jiajing's reign was also known as the Xu Shixing List.
The Ning'an Marquis's family wanted to find a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) for their daughter, but almost all the Jinshi this year were already married or had already betrothed. Therefore, they chose a young candidate from Beizhili. Miaozhen knew that candidate; he was the son of the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and he was twenty-three years old this year.
It is said that he had already been engaged to a fiancée, but this situation arose because of her passing.
Miaozhen had already let it go, but with Zhengge'er back, she lost interest. Zhengge'er usually loved to eat because of his martial arts training, but she didn't expect him to crave meat even more after returning from the academy. He was gnawing on big bones and tearing apart roasted chicken legs, leaving Miaozhen speechless.
“Son, I heard the food at Beihai Academy is pretty good. Why are you so hungry every time you come back?” Miaozhen pushed the stir-fried spinach and stir-fried water bamboo shoots in front of him: “You should eat some vegetables too.”
Zhengge'er said with a bitter face, "Mother, I eat those bland vegetables every day, and I look pale and I'm constipated."
"These are stir-fried with lard at home, they're delicious. You can't just eat meat, it's easy to get indigestion." Miaozhen remained unmoved.
After eating the meat, Zheng Ge'er reluctantly ate some vegetables while holding his nose, until he was full. Miao Zhen had a maid bring over some dried tangerine peel and hawthorn tea and some fresh fruit, but little did she know that after drinking the tea, Zheng Ge'er wanted to eat the fruit, as he felt very thirsty.
Miaozhen couldn't help but say, "Don't you like to drink water normally? And since your mother isn't watching over you at the academy, your lips are always so dry."
Xiao Jingshi, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but say, "Zhenzhen, you're meddling too much."
Zheng Ge'er laughed and said, "Mother is doing this for my own good. I'm too lazy. The day I first arrived, I drank tea, but I was too lazy to wash the teacup, and it got moldy. So I stopped drinking water."
"You're so lazy, kid." Miaozhen was speechless. She thought that a lazybones like Zhengge'er didn't deserve a good cup. It would be better to give him a rough porcelain bowl that cost two coins each.
Zhao Ge'er also said, "Go brush your clothes later, look at your neck, it's all black."
When Zheng Ge'er returned, he cleaned himself thoroughly from head to toe. He was scolded by Zhao Ge'er for a long time, but he just smiled and laughed. He never got angry with his family. Zhao Ge'er actually felt sorry for his younger brother and would ask him all sorts of questions in private. Zheng Ge'er would tell his older brother everything.
Miaozhen let them talk about whatever they wanted in private; the love between her two sons was the best thing ever.
Xiao Jingshi was also off today. After dinner, he went to the bathroom to wash his hair. He loved cleanliness the most, but today that Zheng Ge'er was back, he also wanted to spend more time with the children. Especially when he was a councilor and went out, Zheng Ge'er would accompany him, chatting and laughing. Thinking back on it now, he felt particularly warm.
Meanwhile, on Miaozhen's side, while Xiao Jingshi went to the washroom, she went to bed for a nap. After a while, she felt someone undressing her. She groggily pushed him away, saying, "Stop it, I want to sleep."
"Zhenzhen, please grant my wish. I'm so tired these days." Xiao Jingshi originally planned to dry his hair on the couch before going to the study, but when he saw Miaozhen sleeping on the bed, he couldn't resist.
Miao Zhen opened her eyes when she heard him speak. She saw that he had his hair down and was wearing a silver nightgown. Her eyes lit up and she thought he was exceptionally handsome. She turned over and pinned him down.
...
Zheng Ge'er was talking in Zhao Ge'er's courtyard, "So Father solved the case so quickly. Brother, you don't need to feel regretful, there are many wrongful convictions in the Dali Temple."
"Although there are many tasks, Father seems to be able to handle them all, so I have no use for them." Zhao Ge'er was also a little annoyed.
My dad is too capable; he has no opportunity to use his talents.
Zheng Ge'er thought he could do it, after all, he was fast and quite skilled, but his father also had many experts around him. He then advised his brother, "Brother, you should study harder, pass the imperial examination, and become an official yourself."
Zhao Ge'er chuckled: "Silly brother, passing the imperial examination is not that easy."
“I don’t know if it’s easy for others, but it’s definitely easy for you, brother. If you pass the imperial examination, I’ll come back and set off the biggest fireworks.” Zheng Ge’er said with conviction.
Seeing his younger brother like this, Zhao Ge'er shook his head: "Father and Mother will definitely scold you."
Zheng Ge'er covered his mouth and chuckled, "I don't know if my parents said anything, but my sister-in-law definitely did."
Zhao Ge'er chased after his younger brother, wanting to hit him, and the two brothers started arguing, which made the people outside smile knowingly. In the evening, everyone gathered in the main room for dinner, even Xiao Jingtang and Xu Kun and his wife came over.
When Madam Zhang saw Miaozhen sitting upright, her face flushed with spring-like beauty, she looked gentle and tender, and seemed to have become much more attractive herself.
When Miaozhen saw that everyone had arrived, she first had dried fruit, fresh fruit, candied fruit, and fine wine served. Xiao Jingshi took a sip of wine, which was very refreshing, and couldn't help but smile at Miaozhen. Then, she said seriously to Xiao Jingtang, "Now that I am in the Dali Temple, you can only work as clerks here. This is such a waste. I think you should go to the Imperial Academy to study first. Once you pass the evaluation, your situation will be settled soon."
Previously, Xu Erpeng was selected as the Suzhou Prefectural Officer through the recommendation of the Suzhou Prefect, but now that he is in the capital, there is no local recommendation. It is more appropriate to go through the Ministry of Personnel to appoint him as an official. As long as he passes the Imperial Academy Examination, he can still be appointed as an official by asking the Ministry of Personnel to make some arrangements.
It even follows the proper official procedures, all aboveboard and aboveboard.
Now that Xiao Jingtang is in the capital, he knows his brother's abilities even better. He realizes that he is indeed not suited to work at the Dali Temple. The Dali Temple handles too many cases, mostly criminal matters, and his social skills are useless there. He has to listen to other people's opinions on things he is not good at. Taking a sinecure like the fifth brother and the others is of no use at all. After the third brother left, the fifth and seventh branches of the family became poor and often came to beg for money.
He wanted to be independent, accumulate some skills, travel around, and even if he became a wealthy idler in the future, he could still protect his family's wealth.
I can't rely on my brother forever.
However, Xiao Jingtang and Xiao Jingyan had a good relationship, so he still asked him, "Where did Big Brother go?"
"He went to a temple, and I heard he's already become a monk. I managed to find out when Third Brother left. Don't worry, I've already sent the letter back." That was all Xiao Jingshi could do. Xiao Jingtang probably chose to become a monk in the capital because he was afraid of being dissuaded by his clansmen.
Xu Kun, who had been silent until now, suddenly said, "Brother-in-law, could it be that Master Xiao has decided to become a monk because of the suicide of the Ding family mother and son? As the saying goes, 'I did not kill Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of me.'"
It's not quite appropriate to say this now, but Xu Kun had heard his father mention it before. After all, many of the people in front of their book stalls were storytellers. Although his father stayed at home, he was well-informed because he wrote storybooks, and Xu Kun had heard some of these stories.
Xiao Jingshi and Xiao Jingtang exchanged a glance, both recalling what had happened back then. Xiao Jingyan seemed filial and respectful, a natural fit for the next clan leader, but deep down he harbored resentment and a desire to rebel. Xiao Jingshi remembered that it was from Xiao Jingyan that he first saw erotic books and learned about matters between men and women.
Later, he broke off his engagement with the Ding family and married Xia Xianjie. It seemed normal, but his sense of responsibility tormented him, especially when the Ding family was not doing well.
"Brother Kun, why did the Ding family mother and son commit suicide?" Xiao Jingshi asked.
Xu Kun glanced at Xiao Jingtang, somewhat reluctantly saying, "After Ding's husband died, her family struggled financially. But widows often attract gossip, and some people have ill intentions. It's said that Madam Chao sent Master Xiao over to help, and he said a few words of intimidation. At first, it did have some effect, but later..."
"Later, I don't know why, nobody cared anymore. Those who had been scared away before naturally caused even more trouble. Ding's son was often stopped and bullied on the road. Even Ding herself... In short, it was a terrible situation, so she committed suicide."
Xiao Jingtang explained, "It's not my fault, brother. If you meddle too much, people will start to gossip."
Miaozhen suddenly remembered something: "I know about this. It was Sixth Sister-in-law who told the eldest son's family about it."
It was precisely because of this incident that Xia Xianjie sent Xiao Jingtang a concubine.
It's strange that Lou Qiongyu cared so much about Ding, but later she stopped caring about her. Her brother also worked in Suzhou Prefecture, and if any member of the Lou family or Lou Qiongyu had gone there, it would have been considered as supporting Ding.
Little did she know that Lou Qiongyu was also secretly blaming herself. Because of Xia Xianjie's revenge, she dared not contact Ding Shi again. Now, on the anniversary of the death of Ding Shi and her son, she personally went to sweep and clean the grave.
When she returned, she saw that Madam Ren was calling her over. Lou Qiongyu hurried over and Madam Ren said, "Your fourth brother wrote to confirm that your eldest brother has become a monk at the Zijin Temple in the capital. Your aunt has also been getting old in recent years. Although she looks healthy, what should we do? Why don't we go and persuade her?"
They kept saying that Xiao Jingyan stayed in the capital to find a job, but when Madam Chao sent Xia Xian to the capital, they told her the truth: Xiao Jingyan had disappeared. Madam Chao almost fainted.
Lou Qiongyu said, "Grandma, we should tell the old lady over there slowly." After saying that, she thought of the possible reaction of Madam Chao and felt heartbroken, but she also blamed them for breaking off the engagement. Then she thought of Sister Xia Xian and felt a sense of satisfaction.
All the fighting and arguing will ultimately amount to nothing.
Unexpectedly, after they spoke with Madam Chao, Madam Chao said to Madam Ren, "Sister-in-law, although my grandson is now fourteen and engaged, this wretched child is still my son. I have already asked Madam Xia to write a letter, and I will trouble Jing Shi to persuade him again."
The journey from Suzhou to the capital is quite long, and her health wouldn't allow it. Furthermore, Xia Shi is also a woman, and her grandson is still too young; neither option is suitable, and she would need persuasion from people in the capital.
Madam Ren couldn't help but say, "Sister-in-law, you should try to be more open-minded. At least our eldest son is all grown up now."
“If it were a few years ago, I could have gone whenever I wanted, but now I can’t leave.” Madam Chao knew that as the matriarch, she had to first marry her granddaughter-in-law and hand over the family affairs to her before she could feel at ease.
Xia was too harsh and vindictive, and not a very peaceful person. Keeping her around would only leave a source of trouble, and she couldn't force her to live a life of widowhood. So, she first asked Xiao Jingshi to persuade her with his emotional appeal. If that didn't work, she would have him write a letter of divorce. In the future, she would follow Wang Anshi's example and adopt her as a goddaughter to marry her off.
Madam Ren sent someone to speak with Master Xiao, asking him to help deliver a message. Meanwhile, Madam Chao called over Sister Xia Xian and they talked behind closed doors for an hour.
Even though Xia Xianjie disliked her mother-in-law, she had long considered this place her home since her parents had passed away. Seeing how understanding and righteous Chao Shi was, she couldn't help but cry out, "Why is my life so miserable?"
Madam Chao could tell that Xia Xianjie was indeed unwilling to leave the Xiao family, but she was getting old, and Xia Xianjie would be left a widow in her youth. She was already resentful, and she was afraid that she would harbor resentment and always target others. In that case, the eldest branch of the family would definitely be in chaos. Rather than that, it would be better to be a good person.
"As the saying goes, after the darkest hour comes the dawn. You're sixteen this year (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning), so let's get married. You're still young; you can't be stuck here forever. You still have a life ahead of you. Don't worry, you can take all your dowry with you, and I'll even give you two extra loads. Sigh, if you marry into a good family, when we two old folks are gone, a distant relative is never as close as your own mother, and you can support him when he's in trouble." Madam Chao was very eloquent, and her words convinced Xia Xianjie to agree wholeheartedly.
"It's up to the old lady to decide." Xia Xianjie definitely had feelings for Xiao Jingyan, perhaps even deep feelings, but later Xiao Jingyan left without a word and never came back. Gradually, these feelings turned into resentment.
However, Xia Xianjie said, "Grandma, I'm not young anymore, and I don't know anyone. Please make the decision for me." There was nothing wrong with saying such things; she still trusted Chao's character.
Madam Chao smiled and said, "Don't worry, at least he's a man of good character and a responsible person."
"Mother, don't tire yourself out, and don't send me any more dowry. I could spend my dowry in several lifetimes." Xia Xianjie suddenly felt relieved about many things.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had disliked each other for years and were wary of one another, but now, because of Xiao Jingyan's decision to become a monk, they are able to support and understand each other.
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