Chapter 129 Chapter 129 Chapter 129
After the bride returned to her parents' home on the third day, Xiao Suxin had no desires and urged the second master Xiao to go back early. Xiao Suyun originally wanted to stay and take better care of her daughter, but Miaozhen had also taken her daughter out to socialize. People would ask questions at first, but when they learned that she was just a niece, they lost interest.
Even those who came to her door were mostly second wives or illegitimate sons; everyone was very shrewd, and Xiao Suyun was helpless.
Miaozhen is preparing to arrange the betrothal for the Liu family. Master Xiao will have to stay for a while longer. In any case, he is getting old and it will probably be difficult for him to come to the capital again in the future. He barely made it here this time due to the long journey. If he can meet Zhengge'er to arrange the betrothal, he will have no regrets.
Xiao Jingshi then advised his father, "Zheng'er will be taking the prefectural examination in April. If he passes, it will be a joyous occasion. You can stay and celebrate with him then. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
"No, I'd rather not. Your mother is all alone, and I'd worry about her too." Master Xiao thought about how he had many grandchildren at home and how his wife was getting old and not in good spirits. He had thought it was a good experience when he first attended Fu'er's marriage, but in just three short years, things had changed a lot.
Xiao Jingshi did not insist on keeping him.
Miaozhen was discussing the betrothal ceremony at the Liu family's residence with Han Ruozhen: "I've prepared the items, just like the betrothal gifts you had back then. However, the items still need to be checked. I have two patients coming over later, so could you take a look for me?"
This is the first test for the daughter-in-law. If she is not willing to relinquish power, she will not be allowed to do these housework. Of course, Han Ruozhen is willing.
Miaozhen really likes girls who are willing to take responsibility. She dislikes those who are lazy, who want to do everything easily and effortlessly, and who shirk responsibility onto others.
Han Ruozhen no longer needs to pay her respects morning and night. If there is anything, Miaozhen will invite her over to discuss it. When there is nothing, she can go back to her room to do what she likes. Miaozhen is also preparing to see patients. Because of her son's wedding, there are many patients backlogged up. Now there are almost long queues to see her.
After explaining to Han Ruozhen, she invited the patients over. The first one was easy to treat; she had a cough with a lot of phlegm, a white and greasy tongue coating, chest tightness, and nausea. Miaozhen prescribed Er Chen Tang for her.
The second case was more troublesome. After giving birth, something was hanging down from her vagina, which terrified the young woman. She tried talismanic water and saw doctors, but nothing worked. Finally, she found Miaozhen.
"Doctor, is this illness really incurable? A female doctor once gave me acupuncture and said it was postpartum dysplasia, but it still didn't get better."
Miaozhen asked her to go behind the curtain, take off her clothes, looked at her, and shook her head, saying, "This is not postpartum weakness, but liver failure. Did you have a fit of rage or overwork before giving birth?"
The woman nodded: "Yes, my husband is making a fuss about taking a singer from outside into the family. Our family is a scholarly family, how can we allow such a thing to happen? Of course I'm angry."
“Anger and rage caused the liver to lose its ability to store blood, resulting in the shedding of the liver's fatty membrane. This is not the uterus. The uterus can only prolapse to the opening; it cannot go beyond the opening. Yours is about the size of a palm. Now you need to greatly replenish your qi and blood so that the prolapsed liver membrane can retract. Generally, you should take ten doses first. If you feel it is effective, I will prescribe more medicine,” Miaozhen asked.
Seeing that Miaozhen asked detailed questions and said nothing superfluous, and considering that he was a famous doctor, the woman naturally dared not say anything. The consultation fee was three taels of silver, and the medicine fee was five taels of silver, for a total of eight taels of silver.
After seeing off the two patients, more patients arrived one after another. Madam Lu took the initiative to come over and assist Miaozhen. The Lu family had been famous doctors for generations, and Madam Lu had been exposed to medicine since childhood, so she was quite skilled in it as well.
With her help, Miaozhen was like a tiger with wings; this was truly an unexpected joy.
The Lu family was not prominent. Although she was not particularly clever or charming, she was intelligent and kind. She had been quiet and unassuming before, but now that Miaozhen had started seeing patients, she took the opportunity to step in.
“Aunt, I’ll learn medicine from you from now on,” Madam Lu said with a smile.
Miaozhen looked at her and said, "I would love to, but you'll study surgery and I'll study gynecology. It all depends on whether you're willing or not."
That's what she said, but Madam Lu thought to herself that she hadn't formally become an apprentice, yet she had been taught core medical skills. In her family, if she hadn't been raised as a boy since childhood, medical skills would still be passed down to men, not women.
Seeing that Madam Lu was uneasy, Miaozhen knew that she had misunderstood, so she smiled and said, "Anyway, you can stay here and come to my place whenever you have free time, and learn slowly."
"Okay." Madam Lu thought to herself, no wonder her husband said that her fourth aunt was a good person, and now she really is.
She felt that Miaozhen's approach to medical care differed from others. First, she was very particular about privacy, allowing only one person in at a time, and keeping all doors locked. She was also very truthful in her medical practice, requiring signatures or fingerprints at every step, especially for serious illnesses where fingerprints were mandatory; she never exaggerated the severity of the condition.
Every day, they had to keep a medical log and medical records, and also had to have people organize the herbs. They would also draw up a restocking list for whatever needed to be replenished. Although there weren't many people in the family pharmacy, everything was very organized.
Besides seeing patients, she would spend most of her days at the pharmacy preparing medicines. Even after getting married, she would still be busy with her own affairs. Madam Lu wondered how her aunt could keep seeing patients like this. She always felt that there were too many things to do at home after marriage.
“You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Very few people can manage both their home and outside world perfectly. I’ve given up a lot of social interaction with others, and your uncle sometimes helps with things at home. How to get their support depends on your own abilities.” Miaozhen didn’t say anything about who should support whom, but rather whether the support was meaningful.
For example, she was able to distinguish herself through her medical skills and make connections with Xiao Jingshi. This single act earned her the Xiao family's unconditional support. Xiao Jingshi was also willing to help with many household chores. Just as Xiao Jingshi was an excellent official, Xiao Jingshi was willing to help when needed. In this way, both sides needed each other's support to go the distance.
Just as politics is a process of constant compromise, you can't expect people to support you for nothing; you have to convince them.
After hearing Miaozhen's words, Madam Lu seemed to be thinking, and then couldn't help but say, "Wouldn't that be too distant?"
Why should a family act like this?
Miaozhen smiled and said, "Even close brothers need to keep clear accounts." Her words were hard for people in ancient times to understand, and she couldn't explain it too clearly. So-called marital relationships and parent-child relationships are like this: unconditionally giving and always supporting you. That is probably the kind of magnanimity only a saint has.
Miaozhen's words gave Madam Lu many other thoughts. After returning home, she told Xiao Tingzhi, "Auntie's ideas are different from others. The more I think about them, the more useful they seem. The bonds between people will eventually dissipate, even between husband and wife. They cannot be sustained by feelings alone. It is better to have the ability to stand on one's own feet."
Ting-ge'er laughed and said, "Look at you, you've gained so much insight since you came to the capital. You suffered so much back home."
“My aunt told me I don’t have to give up surgery and switch to gynecology. I can study whatever I’m good at, and I have a family tradition in medicine. She’ll recommend me to treat patients so I can gain more experience,” Madam Lu said with a smile.
Tingge'er couldn't help but nod: "My aunt took care of me for four years and treated me like her own son. Now that she knows that the clan chief's family may not be able to take care of me, she intends to support me and let me come to the capital to stay so that I can study hard. After I get my official title, I won't be controlled by anyone when I go out to serve as an official in the future."
Madam Lu also hoped that her husband could achieve something so that he wouldn't have to deal with his family. Those people were not doing well and always wanted to take advantage of them, but they couldn't resist because of their filial piety.
Fortunately, someone rescued them. Ting-ge raised the book in his hand: "This is a book that Brother Zhao gave me. He told me to read it first, and then he will personally guide me in reading."
"I originally thought there would be a lot of rules in the capital, which made me very uneasy. But I didn't expect that everything would be different from what I imagined once I arrived in the capital." Madam Lu decided to take good care of Miaozhen.
Ting-ge lost his mother at a young age and spent the next few years under Miao-zhen's care. Although he later returned to the Chao family school to study, he always remembered Miao-zhen. He also came to Fu-jie's wedding a few years ago. At that time, his aunt encouraged him and gave him an invitation from his uncle, telling him to use the invitation if he needed anything. This helped him a lot.
He can sense who truly cares for him; although he's a bit timid, he knows right from wrong.
Therefore, he said to Madam Lu, "No matter what, I will study hard. You can also be more filial to your aunt when you have nothing to do."
At the end of March, Miaozhen went to the Liu family to get engaged. After the engagement was completed, the Xiao family members gradually returned home, and the house became much quieter after so many people left.
With Han Ruozhen quickly getting the hang of housework, Miaozhen's life became much easier, and she spent her days either seeing patients or studying medical books.
Xiao Jingshi was counting down the days. When he came back, he brought her a drunken chicken from Taibailou: "Didn't you say that you should reward yourself every ten days? Last time it was a big bowl of noodles, this time it's a drunken chicken. You should really enjoy it."
Unexpectedly, he took her affairs to heart so seriously. Miaozhen smiled and said, "Perfect timing, let's have dinner together tonight."
After Zhao Ge'er got married, Miao Zhen wished the couple could spend more time together, so she didn't allow Han Ruozhen to come over to pay her respects in the evenings, and they ate their meals separately in their own rooms. Now the couple eats dinner together every night, so Xiao Jingshi tries to come back every night.
Sometimes Miaozhen thinks that many men use being busy with official duties as an excuse to stay away from home and indulge in pleasure rather than come back. But they are not that busy; it's all just an excuse.
The maids quickly set out the meal, and Miaozhen recounted what she had seen during her house call that day: "Didn't we hear that the charcoal seller and his wife in the south of the city were very loving? They said that the old lady had been paralyzed for the past three years and that the old man had been taking care of her. Guess what happened today? The old man insisted on feeding the old lady something she didn't like, and she refused to eat it. The old man slapped her repeatedly, but I managed to stop him. No one around dared to say anything."
“There are no filial sons at the bedside of a chronically ill patient, and besides, that charcoal seller is already in his sixties or seventies, so he’s probably getting impatient,” Xiao Jingshi said.
Miaozhen nodded: "Yes, sometimes I think it's better for people to die suddenly, just like that, without knowing anything. Being paralyzed in bed, powerless, or suffering from a disease like dementia, that's truly worse than death."
Previously, Xiao Jingshi was not afraid of death, but now, hearing Miaozhen say this, he quickly said, "My wife, we are still young, so there's no need to mention these things."
Miaozhen, who had seen countless deaths, could say these things without feeling, but when she saw a hint of fear in Xiao Jingshi's eyes, she quickly sat down next to him and comforted him, "I won't say anything more. I'll show you something fun later."
"Okay." Xiao Jingshi felt immediately reassured.
After finishing their meal, Miaozhen took out a hand grip ring she had made herself. It was modeled after a temari ball, but made so that it could be gripped properly and felt very comfortable to hold. She said, "You often hunch over your desk writing, and your hands easily go numb. This can help exercise your hands; it feels very comfortable."
The front is embroidered with an eagle. Xiao Jingshi wore it on his wrist and squeezed the ball, and indeed felt much more relaxed.
"When did you do this? How come I didn't know?" he asked with delight.
Miaozhen laughed and said, "If I told you everything, there would be no surprises. Now that my daughter-in-law has taken over the housework, I see patients when I have them, and when I don't have patients, I have a lot more free time. I can read books and do needlework."
Xiao Jingshi knew that Miaozhen didn't care who managed the household, but he said, "Once a person loses power, the people below are prone to outwardly complying but inwardly disobeying. You can't just ignore everything."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Miaozhen said with a smile.
Xiao Jingshi inevitably thought more. Every country has its own emperor and its own officials, let alone a family. Although Zhenzhen was much more relaxed, without power, the servants would inevitably not listen to her.
Miaozhen knew perfectly well that her husband truly cared for her, but next year Liu Shi would be marrying into the family. Both of her daughters-in-law were extraordinary, so she wouldn't need to worry about them in the future. They would probably start competing with each other, so she wouldn't dare to act recklessly.
In April, when the prefectural examination was held, Zhao Ge'er personally escorted his younger brother to the examination hall. Looking at his brother, who was even taller than himself, Zhao Ge'er said to Miao Zhen on the way back, "Zheng Ge'er is so tall, I wonder if he can sleep well in the examination room."
"You don't need to worry about him. He doesn't keep things to himself and will fall asleep soon. I'm just worried that he won't pass the exam..." This is what Miaozhen is most worried about.
Zhao Ge'er laughed and said, "Beizhili is better than our Suzhou Prefecture. Moreover, after your father and I found out who the examiner is, we figured out the types of articles he likes. Then we asked Zheng Ge'er to write according to the examiner's wishes. Even if we don't get the top score, we should at least pass the preliminary examination."
Before Miaozhen came into contact with the imperial examination, she never imagined there were so many intricacies involved. So sometimes it's not that you're incapable, but rather that these families with a long history of success in the imperial examinations have the secrets.
These tips are even crucial.
The prefectural examination usually consisted of three sessions: the first two sessions took one day each, and the third session took two days. The first session was the main examination; only after passing this session could one proceed to the next session, which was the re-examination.
Zheng Ge'er has been practicing martial arts for many years and is in good spirits. After the first exam, he talked to Miao Zhen about the situation at the exam hall during dinner: "There was an old man who was so old, but he still came to take the exam. He had to be carried out when he left."
"Don't laugh at others like that. Many people have given up long ago at this age. It's not easy to persevere for so long." Miaozhen said, putting some stir-fried clams on a plate for him. Clams are diuretic, and Zhengge'er needs to clean his body now.
"Mother, I miss you and Father so much when I'm taking the exam," Zhengge'er said.
He wasn't just being sweet-talking; he genuinely missed his parents.
Xiao Jingshi was somewhat moved upon hearing this, but Miaozhen said, "Your brother accompanied you in your studies and personally escorted you to the examination hall. How could you not miss your brother?"
"My brother has a sister-in-law now, and he's really fierce when he teaches me to read." Zheng Ge'er still feels a little scared when he thinks about it.
Miaozhen said, "Who would be willing to risk offending people to teach you? It's only your brother."
Zheng Ge'er chuckled.
After finishing dinner, he quickly ran back to his room to rest. After passing the first round, he participated in the remaining two rounds and finally got Xiao Zhengzhi's name on the group's case file.
Zheng Ge'er has now passed the preliminary examination and no longer needs to take the county examination because he failed the prefectural examination. Naturally, his family invites close relatives to a banquet.
The Liu family also invited Zheng Ge'er over. Zheng Ge'er was handsome and straightforward, and his father-in-law and brother-in-law liked him very much. They even secretly let him meet Miss Liu.
Zheng Ge'er, realizing he wasn't as elegant as his brother, performed a sword dance. He even twirled the sword as he sheathed it, displaying remarkable manners. Miss Liu was captivated by his skill and presented him with a book.
After the books were brought back, Zheng Ge'er immediately went to the main room and said, "Miss Liu is so kind to my son; she even gave him books."
"The Liu family has a long tradition of scholarship. In the past, when they were powerful and aristocratic families, books were not lent out. The fact that they sent you so many books shows that they treat you very well." Miaozhen was also happy for her son.
Zhengge'er then said, "Mother, I feel that Miss Liu seems to like me a lot, but we haven't met many times, have we?"
"Your clothes were probably chosen by your father," Miaozhen said, rubbing her forehead.
Zhengge'er practices martial arts and likes to wear close-fitting clothes, with colors that he can mix and match at will. Miaozhen thinks that scholars should be elegant and refined, so she mostly chooses clothes that are straight-cut robes.
Later, Xiao Jingshi couldn't stand it anymore and spoke the truth, thinking that the mother and son were too unsophisticated. So he personally designed clothes for his son, and sure enough, after wearing them, he looked tall and handsome.
Zheng Ge'er was not ashamed at all, but rather proud. He went to the study and pestered Xiao Jingshi to make him a few more clothes. Xiao Jingshi pointed at him and said, "Stand there and don't move. You haven't even washed your hands and you smell of sweat. Are you going to come over here and suffocate me?"
"I'm sorry, Father, I'll go wash up right away."
“What you’re doing isn’t bathing, it’s rinsing. Alright, come sit down three feet away from me, I have something to tell you.” Xiao Jingshi pointed to a stool a little further away, not allowing his son to come closer.
Zheng Ge'er didn't complain even though his father disliked him. He listened to his father's questions with a smile and answered honestly. At the end, he even said, "Mother said it's all because you picked out such good clothes for your son."
"Your mother tells you everything, but what she says isn't wrong, it just depends on my mood." Xiao Jingshi wasn't exactly a loving father, unless Miaozhen asked him to.
When Zheng Ge'er saw that his father had agreed, he even wanted to perform a sword dance for Xiao Jingshi. Xiao Jingshi was almost driven crazy by his son. This child was very stubborn and had a strong personality when he was young. How come he is so funny now that he has grown up?
Seeing that his father was also unwilling for him to practice swordsmanship, Zheng Ge'er said, "Father, I'm going back to sleep now... to study."
Xiao Jingshi waved his hand helplessly: "Go, go."
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