Chapter 24 (Combined Chapter 24)
The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is both the Lantern Festival and her birthday. Only Xiaoxi and Xiaotao knew this. They each made needlework for her. Xiaoxi gave her a pair of purses, while Xiaotao, who wasn't very good at needlework, made two pairs of shoes.
Miaozhen then rewarded each of them with a string of cash and two feet of silk in the color of the sea and sky to make spring clothes. The two were overjoyed.
Xiao Xi said, "You often make house calls during the holidays; you must be very tired."
“Nobody has it easy. I see Third Grandmother running around all by herself, having to flatter the old ladies and other wives. Even the other ladies can’t stay idle; they still have to socialize. Compared to all that socializing, I only need to do this one thing,” Miaozhen said with a smile.
Besides the eldest daughter who is widowed at home, the Cheng family has three other daughters who are still married. The first wife doesn't have a good impression of the concubine's daughters, but she has to make the most of her own daughters.
Cheng Bin also noticed this and said angrily in the room, "If only my aunt were here, but she is far away in Shandong, and my marriage is in her hands."
Her foster mother hurriedly said, "My dear girl, please speak softly. I'm sure she wouldn't dare to go too far on the surface."
"She didn't go too far. My father is the governor of Shandong, after all. Otherwise, she would have chosen a son of a prefect for me, and even emphasized that he should be the eldest son of the legitimate wife. Who would care? Fortunately, the old lady won't let her do whatever she wants. She gave her a way out, saying that she should discuss it with my father first." Cheng Bin was furious when she mentioned this.
Then, noticing two pimples on her forehead, she couldn't help but say, "Please invite Physician Xu over later. She's a big shot in our household now, and she's probably very busy. Take a bottle of rose dew and some jade flower pollen from here with you."
The foster mother agreed, but couldn't help saying, "It's strange, the Third Miss used to only love painting and didn't have much ambition for fame or fortune. But this time, she seems to be vying to show off every time she goes out."
"She also wants to find a good marriage partner," Cheng Bin knew perfectly well.
As the master and servant were talking, before they could invite Miaozhen over, they heard from outside that the second master had died of illness in the capital, and the eldest son of the eldest branch was escorting the coffin home. They had already sent someone by fast horse to deliver the news in the past few days.
It is said that the old lady of the West Mansion fainted on the spot and it took her a while to recover. However, Miaozhen did not see Yu Zhoujin go over. Little did she know that Yu Zhoujin also had her own troubles. Because she was beautiful, the second mistress of the West Mansion, Madam Ye, did not want her around, so she did not go there often.
Third Grandmother sent someone to tell her to go over, and seeing that Yu Zhoujin didn't move, Li Yao'e went over first.
As soon as they left, Banxia came over and said, "It's a good thing you didn't leave, otherwise I wouldn't know who to see for my illness."
"What's wrong? Did Third Master go to your place again?" Miaozhen asked.
Banxia tried to shut her up: "Why do you always talk about this when you're a young woman? He's been coming to my place lately, but whenever I say I'm not feeling well here or there, he gets all grumpy."
Miaozhen felt sorry for her: "You should be careful lately. The family is in mourning now, and if there is a child, it may be difficult to save."
"Thank you for reminding me." Banxia realized what was happening.
Miaozhen examined her and found that her discharge was bluish, sticky, and smelly, and she couldn't get better even after changing her underwear three times a day.
"The liver belongs to the wood element, and the color of wood is green. This is a problem with your liver. I will prescribe a modified Xiaoyao San for you, which can relieve the stagnant fire in the liver meridian and clear the damp heat in the lower abdomen." After saying that, he wrote out the prescription.
Banxia held her hand and said, "I don't know what I would do without you. Last time I got jaundice, I thought I was going to die."
"I can't guarantee what will happen in the future, but as long as I'm with the Cheng family, if you come to me, I'll help you look into it," Miao Zhen said.
Then Banxia tried to give her something, but she quickly declined, saying, "I'm not being polite, but the ladies have all given me rewards when I treat them. Besides, I also have my own allowance. You should save it up."
Banxia was extremely grateful and then confided in her, saying, "The eldest mistress will be back soon. She's a smiling tiger, unlike the third mistress. The third mistress is a bit serious, but she's actually very principled. If the third young master really takes someone in, she'll tolerate it. The eldest mistress is different."
"Although I don't have that intention, thank you anyway," Miaozhen said with a smile.
Banxia said enviously, "That's true. Your family is considered a gentry family, so you don't have to suffer like this. It looks glamorous from the outside, but it's not that easy to live like this."
Miaozhen wrote down the prescription for her and told her to take it and decoct the medicine.
Six or seven days later, the coffin of the second old master returned, and the eldest young master also returned from his mourning period. Unfortunately, his only daughter, Qin Fang, fell ill. Knowing that Li Yao'e was skilled in minor pulse diagnosis and had taken good care of the twins in the third young master's family, Madam Cheng directly transferred Li Yao'e to the hospital.
As for Miaozhen, she also had a task. Because she cured the lump on Xiaoruan's body, the daughter-in-law of the Cheng family's old relative, who was then the governor of the river, specially sent a sedan chair to invite Miaozhen to come and treat the patient.
Grandma Lu's condition was similar to that of Little Ruan's, both being chronic illnesses. However, her condition was slightly different from Little Ruan's, requiring a gradual approach, taking at least three months. Miaozhen would visit her every few days during these three months.
She explained the pharmacology and properties of the medicine to Grandma Lu. After the first moxibustion treatment, Grandma Lu said she felt very comfortable. Seeing that she could make very clear diagnoses and had the demeanor of a real doctor, and that Grandma Lu didn't say much each time she came over, she would give Miaozhen sixteen taels of silver and two bolts of fashionable satin as a thank-you gift.
When she returned today, she saw a woman wearing a blue headscarf enter Yu Zhoujin's room. As soon as Miaozhen entered the room, she asked, "Who came from next door?"
Xiao Tao shook her head.
Miaozhen carefully put away the money and satin; this was three months' worth of consultation fees and treatment costs, and she couldn't afford to lose it. After putting the money away, she changed her clothes again. Xiaotao took her and Xiaoxi's clothes out to wash. Usually, whoever went out with them would help with the laundry at home. Anyway, their clothes weren't dirty; they just had too many bacteria on them from the outside, so they had to be starched and washed.
When Xiao Tao carried the wooden basin out, she saw Xiao Lingdang guarding the door and asked softly, "Why don't you go in?"
"The girl's aunt has arrived." Little Bell said helplessly.
She actually envied Xiao Xi and Xiao Tao. Not only was Miss Xu's medical skill superb, but she was also cheerful and talkative, never scolding or beating her servants, and even sharing good materials with Xiao Xi and Xiao Tao. The mistress she served made her do all the dirty and tiring work, and was incredibly lazy.
Thinking of this, I looked at the house again.
Aunt Yu was talking to Yu Zhoujin: "Niece, what's wrong with you? I heard that the other two are destined for great things, but you're stuck here on the sidelines."
"We can't just hope that the people in this mansion get sick, can we?" Yu Zhoujin wasn't too hasty; such behavior would be unseemly.
As long as she maintains her integrity, she doesn't need to compete with them. They're just asking for more rewards, and they're different from her.
But she was still uneasy, especially since Li Yao'e had been serving Miss Qinfang so well these past few days that even the eldest mistress, Madam Ji, had praised her.
To be fair, Lady Ji trusted Li Yao'e quite a bit, since Li Yao'e was plain-looking and seemed very honest.
Lady Ji was a beauty, with willow-leaf eyebrows and cherry lips. She was a clever girl when she was young, but now she seemed quite worried. Everyone said that her husband loved her and was unwilling to take a concubine, but in reality, he also had two concubines, one of whom was pregnant. She had been instigated by someone and said that she was afraid of her and had miscarried. The Cheng family all thought it was her.
Thinking of this, she sighed softly.
After the three-month mourning period, she will have to choose one or two people to act as representatives, so that outsiders won't criticize her for not being virtuous.
Just then, Li Yao'e came over and said, "Madam, the young lady has fallen asleep. She is still too young to use needles, so I will come back tomorrow to give her a massage."
Madam Ji looked at her and said, "Don't go back. Stay in the back room of our building. I'll have someone prepare two rooms for you. We'll talk about it after Fang'er recovers."
"Thank you, Grandma." Li Yao'e looked completely submissive.
Madam Ji said, "Your maid Cuiyu is too old. I'll send someone else over."
Li Yao'e initially disliked Cuiyu and couldn't persuade her to stay, but now she feels some affection for Cuiyu. However, it's not up to her to decide what to do.
Cuiyu was originally sent by the Cheng family, but now that the new master wants to kick her out, she has to leave too. Fortunately, Li Yao'e gave her two sets of clothes, and no one knows where she went.
“Sister Xu, please keep an eye on things here for me. I’ll come back once the young lady over there is better,” Li Yao’e said.
Miaozhen said, "We are here to support the entire Cheng family. Last time, when you were looking after the children of the second branch of the family, you didn't have to stay there. Why do people have to stay there now?"
Li Yao'e sighed: "Since she said that, I couldn't really refute her."
This old lady wasn't the type to yell and scold, but her tone always carried an air of unyielding authority. Li Yao'e couldn't go against her, and Miao Zhen was also powerless to help, only saying, "Come back quickly after you're done treating her, so we can keep each other company."
Sometimes, when one is alone, it's hard not to feel a touch of homesickness.
But then she thought that perhaps it was all for the best. She was recommended to Madam Lu by Madam Ruan. If she had some reputation in these official families, she wouldn't be confined to the backyard after she got married.
She still has to take it one step at a time. Things can't be accomplished overnight. Sometimes you can't rush things.
It was also said that the magistrate from Shandong had returned with Concubine Zhu. Concubine Zhu's eldest son was already eighteen, and she was almost forty. She had a long face, fair skin, and was a very good woman at getting along with people. When she stood next to Madam Zeng, everyone felt that they should have replaced her.
No wonder the master doted on her so much; it was because she was so kind and charming.
When Aunt Zhu returned, the First Madam heard that she was complaining of chest pain, so Miaozhen was summoned over. When she arrived, Aunt Zhu had just arrived as well, and they heard the First Madam crying out "Ouch!" "Ouch!"
Miaozhen thought she really had a heart problem and didn't have time to ask any more questions before taking the pulse of the First Madam. But when she glanced at her, she saw the First Madam's eyes flickering. After thinking it over carefully, she realized that the pulse was clearly problematic. But she still said, "If the First Madam is suffering from a heart attack due to anger, she still needs to rest well and should not get angry often..."
After going around in circles and pedantic for a long time, she finally came out of the main room.
Xiao Xi was puzzled: "Why didn't you prescribe medicine based on your diagnosis today, young lady?"
"I'm not sick at all, why would I take medicine?" The First Madam was only pretending to be sick to make Concubine Zhu serve her, so she was tormenting her concubines.
Xiao Xi exclaimed "Ah!" in surprise.
Miaozhen snorted coldly: "I don't need to get involved in the affairs between other wives and concubines. The First Madam just wanted me to fabricate a medical record, saying that she was really sick. That's absolutely unacceptable. Medical skills are not a tool for their infighting in the inner quarters. Next time they come, just tell them I'm leaving."
“But this can’t go on forever,” Xiao Xi said.
Miaozhen pondered for a while and then said, "I think Aunt Zhu is no ordinary person. Let's just get by for now. Anyway, I won't help her fake it."
Aunt Zhu is the younger sister of the master's first wife. I wonder what her relationship is with the eldest son? But she must be very favored. Although she is very low-key, she is wearing first-class dark brocade and her headdress looks simple, but it is made of top-quality mutton fat jade.
It is also said that the first wife, Zeng, complained of a chest pain and asked Aunt Zhu to bring her tea and water. Then she thought the water was too hot and deliberately spilled it, falsely accusing Aunt Zhu of trying to harm her.
"Madam, how could I possibly harm you? Please don't misunderstand." Aunt Zhu also quickly knelt down and kowtowed. She was a ruthless person, and her fair skin caused her forehead to swell up instantly after kowtowing several times.
In fact, Aunt Zhu was also very humiliated. At first, she respected Zeng Shi very much and was afraid of offending her. But later she found that Zeng Shi never thought about peaceful coexistence. Instead, she felt that as the legal wife, she could treat others as she pleased. Rather than that, she decided to fight back.
Seeing her mother like this, Cheng Bin immediately burst into tears, "Auntie, what are you doing? You've only just returned and you're already like this." Then she looked at Madam Zeng and said, "Please, Madam, only punish me, don't blame Auntie."
Seeing Cheng Bin's reaction, Zeng said, "Second Sister, this has nothing to do with you."
Just as Cheng Bin was at her wit's end, the master came over. As soon as he entered, he sent the servants away, leaving only his wives and concubines. He did not help up Aunt Zhu, but said to Madam Zeng, "If we keep making noise like this, it won't be good if the old lady finds out."
When Madam Zeng saw the master of the house approaching, her previous arrogance vanished completely.
Little did she know that the master secretly felt sorry for Concubine Zhu, and said, "I can't openly side with you, but she's gone too far. You can't keep doing this in the future."
"Does Master mean that I can resist a little?" Aunt Zhu asked timidly, feigning fear.
Seeing her like this, the master looked at the redness and swelling on her forehead and said, "It's alright. You have children of your own, and you are my closest confidant. How could I see you like this?"
Zeng was still smugly pleased with herself, talking to her second daughter about how she controlled her concubines, unaware that Aunt Zhu had already gained the support of the master.
Cheng Yuan immediately sensed something was wrong: "I was just going to pay my respects to the old lady, how did this happen? Please don't do this."
"What's wrong with me? It's only natural for a concubine to lift the curtain, serve tea and water, and be waited on. Is that not allowed?" Zeng felt utterly aggrieved.
Cheng Yuan knew that although her mother was a second wife, she came from a very good family and was spoiled at home, so she was not good at any schemes or tricks. However, Aunt Zhu was the best at bullying the strong with the weak.
The more she fought, the more defeated she became, which is why her mother finally agreed to let her marry Lu Shi'an, a poor man, believing that she would not be bullied if she married down.
So she sat down and advised, “Mother, you are right. But Aunt Zhu is not an ordinary concubine. She was born a good concubine and is also the late Madam’s cousin. She gave birth to my second sister and fourth brother, and she also has connections with my eldest brother.”
"So what? I am the Madam after all." After hearing her daughter's analysis, Madam Zeng, who had been so focused on showing off her power, began to regret her actions.
Cheng Yuan said, "Just ignore her from now on. Father is a man who values rules and regulations. He won't let her slap you in the face. Only if you make a mistake and fall down will she have a chance to straighten you out."
Madam Zeng scoffed, "How could a concubine possibly be promoted to the rank of principal wife?"
Cheng Yuan used to think so too, but after she got married and saw many things in the world, she realized that anything is possible. As long as the higher-ups don't say anything, who would know?
So Cheng Yuan still said, "Mother, anything is possible."
Zeng shook her head and said nothing more.
After Li Yao'e moved to the main house, Yu Zhoujin came more frequently. Miaozhen also drew a flower pattern and asked, "What color should I fill in here?"
Yu Zhoujin had been discussing with her for a long time when the second young lady's maid came over to ask for some liniment. Miaozhen had Xiaoxi bring her a porcelain bottle and whispered, "Is this for Aunt Zhu?"
"How can it not be? Never mind, I'm leaving now." The maid didn't want to say anything more and hurriedly left.
After she left, Yu Zhoujin hurriedly asked what had happened. Miaozhen replied vaguely, "Even if Aunt Zhu doesn't have a son or daughter, she still has the master. I don't know what she's doing."
While Miaozhen was taking a nap, Yu Zhoujin secretly gave Xiaoxi twenty coins. Xiaoxi hesitated on the surface, but still told him what had happened, saying, "This Aunt Zhu is being bullied. If Master goes to visit her later, I wonder what kind of trouble she'll cause. Who knows who will be in charge?"
Yu Zhoujin was determined to rely on the old lady and eventually be given a concubine, but the old lady was getting old and her health was failing. Why didn't she change her strategy? If she could get Aunt Zhu to say a few good words about her to the master, that would be a good deal.
With this in mind, Yu Zhoujin decided what he was going to do.
Xiao Xi closed the door and whispered something to Miao Zhen, who then breathed a sigh of relief: "It's good that they're all vying for that position, so I won't get caught up in the vortex of other people's wives and concubines fighting for it."
"How can you say that about them? Isn't it just Miss Yu?" Xiao Xi said.
Miaozhen shook her head: "You're still too naive. Forget it, these things have nothing to do with us anyway. Actually, the Cheng family is a large family that started as salt merchants. They're rich and generous. We workers can get more pay here, and that's enough. Don't try to get involved in their family affairs."
A few days later, when she went to the Lu family to help Grandma Lu with moxibustion, Grandma Lu happened to have guests. She sat in the guest room drinking tea and waited for a while before Grandma Lu said, "The person who came just now was Madam Nan Lishu, and she invited me over."
"Then you should eat less raw, cold, and chilled food. You'll get better in a few days, but you still need to be careful about what you eat." Miaozhen, as a doctor, only said what a doctor should say.
What other ladies are like, that has little to do with her now that she's just a nobody.
Sometimes when she walked among the homes of officials, she would envy them for living in such high-rise houses and wearing such beautiful clothes, but she would shake her head and think that she was already very good.
Although Grandma Lu didn't talk much, her symptoms eased every time she came, so she felt she was much better than the previous doctor she had consulted.
I was initially a little awkward about this young woman who was still unmarried, but now I really admire her medical skills.
"I've often heard that you three Wu Wenyuan are good at medicine, but I thought it was all just for fun. Now it seems you're no worse than seasoned doctors."
"You flatter me."
"Spring is just around the corner. I sent you two bolts of satin last time, but I suppose it's not very convenient for you to make clothes while living at the Cheng family's house. Since you're about the same size as me now, and I recently had my birthday, I didn't really like the color of the clothes my servants sent me. If you don't mind, you can take them and wear them."
This is when someone wants to give her clothes. Miaozhen said, "You always find ways to give me nice things. I don't know how to thank you enough."
Grandma Lu: "Just wear these. After the Cheng family finishes their mourning period, your second daughter will probably have a happy event soon. These outfits are fine for you."
"Is the second young lady getting married?" Miaozhen didn't know.
Grandma Lu smiled and said, "The lady who just came was sent by me to act as matchmaker."
Miaozhen then understood. Aunt Zhu had swallowed her anger and arranged such a good marriage for her daughter—this was the family of the Minister of Rites in Nanjing. Although not as prestigious as the Minister of Rites in Beijing, it was still a first-rate family.
This news could not be kept secret, of course. Although the family was in mourning, some rumors had leaked out. Zeng Shi was not very perceptive, and Cheng Yuan, who often served the old lady, got along well with the maids in the old lady's room, so she found out.
She knew about what happened in her past life, and naturally she also knew who her second sister Cheng Bin married. In the past, they would say that Cheng Bin's husband was a womanizer with many concubines and maids. But thinking about how her second sister was pregnant before she died and did not feel any discomfort, she understood that what her second sister wanted was status, not how devoted her husband was.
Of course, Zeng didn't know anything about her second sister's husband yet, and only said, "Such a good marriage should have been reserved for you by your father, why did he give it to her?"
“My second sister is older than me and is the eldest daughter of our main branch. Her good marriage is also a good thing for me. You should act like the proper wife. If you criticize her and make a scene, Father might feel sorry for my second sister and give her something nice, which may be exactly what Aunt Zhu wants to see,” Cheng Yuan said.
Before Zeng could speak, Zhao's mother said, "That's exactly how it is. We may have gotten our revenge, but in the end, we're the ones who suffer."
"Aunt Zhao, what do you suggest we do?" Zeng was also at a loss.
As Zeng's chief advisor, Zhao Mama had to come up with a solution even if she didn't have one. She said, "The first thing is for you to buy a beautiful concubine to share the favor. No matter what, Aunt Zhu is getting old. How can she compete with a younger person?"
Cheng Yuan also agreed with this method: "You can just sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. Let them fight. They can't choose someone of low status. They must be good-looking concubines with good skills. That way they can compete in the arena."
"What do you think of that Miss Yu?" Madam Zeng thought of Yu Zhoujin, who was quite pretty, from a respectable family, and had the support of the Xi Mansion.
Zhao's mother shook her head: "That girl is indeed somewhat seductive, but her methods are not good. Among the female doctors who came in at the same time, she is not popular."
Zeng had a sudden inspiration: "What do you think of that Miss Xu? Her father is a scholar, he is also a good doctor, she is also dignified and beautiful, and she is well-versed in poetry and literature."
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