Chapter 27 (combined with another chapter)
Banxia was originally the head maid of the Third Madam, who helped her win over the Third Master. However, Banxia contracted jaundice last year and later became ill. Although she served in the room, the stench from below could not be concealed. The Third Madam thought she was useless and let the Third Master frequent brothels. Not only did she not care for her, she also made her move to the small room in the back.
Miaozhen and she were usually very close. Miaozhen would send her maids to bring her snacks and fruits from time to time, and she would also help her with moxibustion. Banxia heard some news and took the opportunity to come and talk to Miaozhen in the middle of the night, saying, "She is a stubborn and unreasonable person. You must be very careful."
"I never expected to offend her because of this." Miaozhen took her pulse and found that the Third Madam was perfectly healthy. Moreover, judging from Banxia's illness, the Third Master probably had contracted some kind of disease. What was she supposed to say?
Banxia sighed, "Anyway, you should be careful. If she says anything to you, don't argue back, just listen."
Miaozhen smiled and said, "I know the principle that when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head."
"You know that's good. Actually, you're better off than me. Look at your dad, he often brings you things from so far away, and he even comes to see you in person. You'll definitely leave someday, and I don't know how things will turn out for you." Banxia said with great envy.
Miaozhen said, "You're not young anymore. If the Third Madam has a new candidate, she will definitely send you to be matched with someone. Since that's the case, you should make your own plans first."
Banxia agreed, and since she couldn't stay any longer, she hurried away, afraid of being caught by the night patrol.
Miaozhen remembered her kindness and sincerity, but she couldn't remain indifferent to the Third Madam. She first discussed with the two maids, Xiaoxi and Xiaotao, saying, "If she wants to force me to my death, she'll just frame me or something. When I go out to see a doctor, you two stay in the house and keep a close watch on the door."
“Young lady, she is a lady-in-waiting, and you are just a servant. If she wanted to deal with you, she could easily do so. Rather than that, we should strike first,” Xiao Xi said, her eyebrows furrowed.
Miaozhen waved her hand, saying, "We must not do that. We are short-handed. If we reveal our presence, we will make things worse. I will observe her attitude tomorrow. If she hates me, she will definitely show it. Mid-Autumn Festival is just around the corner, and she will not dare to do anything reckless now."
She and Yu Zhoujin used to keep to themselves, but Yu Zhoujin has been smearing the Third Madam. He pretends to be so upright all the time. It's true that those in the same trade are enemies.
If I don't teach you a lesson, you won't even know my name, Xu the Demon.
She also said that she went to Ji's place early in the morning and found that Ji was nauseous and had severe morning sickness. She only wanted to eat sour food. Ji's wet nurse even said something about sour food for boys and spicy food for girls. Everyone was very happy.
Miaozhen chimed in with a few words before taking Grandma's pulse and saying, "I see that Grandma's liver qi is too dry. I'll prescribe you a liver-soothing and qi-tonifying decoction. If the symptoms lessen, you'll feel more comfortable."
"Go and drive it," said Madam Ji.
Miaozhen personally oversaw the preparation of this medicine. After drinking one dose, Ji's symptoms lessened, and after two doses, her morning sickness disappeared, allowing her to sleep well.
As Ji's foster mother saw Miaozhen out, she said, "Thanks to you, Miss."
"It's nothing. By the way, Mom, I can't come here all the time anymore. I've heard people say behind my back that I'm going to Grandma's place too often, calling me a lapdog. I think she's pregnant, which is of utmost importance, but I'm afraid of being framed by malicious people, so I can only come less often to avoid suspicion." Miaozhen wiped away her tears.
This maidservant, also from a noble family, naturally possessed the air of a powerful servant. Seeing Miaozhen so aggrieved, she assumed it was because her mistress was pregnant and someone couldn't stand it and wanted to get rid of the doctor. She rolled up her sleeves, about to go in, when Miaozhen stopped her again.
The foster mother hurriedly asked, "Miss Xu, what's wrong?"
“It’s only a little while since Madam’s health has improved. If you make her lose her temper, the baby will definitely be lost. In my opinion, if they’re just talking and venting their frustrations, that’s fine. But if they actually do it, then we’ll figure it out.” Miaozhen advised her instead.
The foster mother suddenly realized and pulled her aside, saying, "Miss Xu is right."
Miaozhen added, "If she comes after me, I'll just suffer some injustice, it's nothing. I'm just afraid..."
"What are you afraid of?" the foster mother asked.
Miaozhen sighed, "I'm afraid they'll first devise a clever plan to get rid of me, and then they'll try to mess with Grandma. That would be bad. It's alright if I leave. Actually, my father originally wanted to take me back, but I wanted to repay Grandma's great kindness and wanted to wait until Grandma gave birth to a child safely before doing so. Now that Grandma is like that, you are her eyes and ears. Please send more people to be on guard."
The wet nurse nodded repeatedly at these words. Ji Shi had a large dowry, making her quite a formidable force. The wet nurse was her headmistress, in charge of all the maids, and her spies obeyed her every command.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the third wife, Madam Ye, claimed to be ill and asked Miaozhen to come over.
Miaozhen left Xiaoxi to watch the house and took Xiaotao directly over. The third room was quiet, except for the sound of Madam Ye groaning in bed. Knowing what was going on, she asked Madam Ye's maid, "When did the Third Madam's illness begin?"
The girl said, "It started hurting in the middle of the night, but our grandmother was considerate and didn't want to disturb anyone."
They were clearly plotting to frame someone, but they pretended to be compassionate towards their subordinates!
Upon hearing this, Miaozhen smiled and said, "Everyone in this household knows that Third Madam is like a bodhisattva. It's just that we don't come here often. Third Madam is truly blessed and in good health. I wonder how she is doing now?"
"First my head hurt, then my stomach hurt, and I just felt a tightness in my chest," the girl made up.
Miaozhen said, "Then let me take your pulse first."
Madam Ye refused to take her pulse, saying the pain was unbearable. Miaozhen could only stand there, so Madam Ye told her to stay standing, saying she needed to sleep for a while and would take her pulse later.
She also said that Miaozhen usually visited Madam Ji, and whenever Madam Ji was unwell, she would help her recover. Today, for the first time, no one came, so she asked her foster mother to invite Miaozhen.
Miaozhen said, "Third Madam said she'd let me see her again when she wakes up. Please trouble you to go back and tell Eldest Madam." She then winked.
The wet nurse knew that the Third Madam was behind it all, so she went back and told Madam Ji. During the conversation, she added a lot of embellishments, saying, "Last time, Miss Xu said that someone was definitely trying to get rid of her and then manipulate Madam's pregnancy. Now it seems that's true. That Third Madam never even catches a cold, so why would she do this?"
"She must be uncomfortable seeing that I'm pregnant, and instead of saying anything to me, she's using me as a scapegoat." It wouldn't be a problem under normal circumstances, but this female doctor Xu is extremely skilled. She usually talks to her, relieves her pain, and takes care of her belly. At this time, she is indispensable.
We should wait until the baby is born before discussing this matter.
Therefore, after a moment of contemplation, she said, "You should first calm Miss Xu down and prevent her from being driven away in a moment of impulsiveness. As for those who want to deal with me, I will handle them myself."
The foster mother agreed and left in a hurry.
Madam Ji stroked her belly and murmured to herself, "My child, I will do everything I can to ensure your safe delivery."
As soon as he finished speaking, a gust of wind blew in, and apart from the curtain moving slightly, nothing else was noticeable.
Meanwhile, Miaozhen's time with Madam Ye felt like a cruel mother-in-law deliberately tormenting her daughter-in-law. She initially relied on Madam Ji's help, but she couldn't depend on Madam Ji entirely.
After all, this third wife was Ji's elder.
She waited patiently, and when the sun was blazing at midday, the maids brought over an ice basin and told her to wait outside. It wasn't until she was starving and her legs were trembling that Ye seemed to have just woken up.
Miao Zhen was summoned to her place while feeling dizzy and disoriented. Ye Shi glanced at her and devised a vicious plan.
Now even the eldest son's wife, Madam Ji, is pregnant. She has also arranged for the third master to take a concubine and become a maid, but none of them have been successful. The old lady even praised the eldest wife for her virtue, helping the eldest master get a scholar's daughter. If she were to follow suit, she would surely receive a compliment as well.
She had inquired and learned that this female doctor, Xu, came from a humble family. Although she wasn't a stunning beauty, she was still pretty as spring. What pleased her most was that the girl was well-proportioned. If she were to come to see the doctor at night, and the Third Master were to seduce her first, once the deed was done, the girl would probably have no choice but to submit.
Others might not be able to give birth to her, but since Dr. Xu is a gynecologist, wouldn't she help her with her own treatment?
As long as Xu gives birth to a child, everything will be fine.
Having no sons in the family is the most shameful thing. In the future, all the family property will belong to someone else. The third wife recalled that when she was young, she had heard her father mention that he was born when her grandfather was around fifty years old. He was born to a concubine and raised under the name of the first wife. Unfortunately, her grandfather passed away early, and people in the clan coveted her family's property. They even said that her father was an adopted bastard. Several mouths couldn't clear the truth.
She had no choice but to do this for the sake of her three wives.
Miao Zhen was exhausted when she left the third house. The third wife didn't want her to take her pulse at all, probably because she wasn't sick and just wanted to torment her. But she still didn't lie down. She went to Madam Ji first and pretended to faint.
"Grandma, I'm so sorry I'm late," Miaozhen said hastily, offering her apologies.
Seeing her like this, Madam Ji simply asked, "Did she cause you any trouble?"
Miaozhen said weakly, "I dare not say that the masters are unwell, but I wanted to take the Third Madam's pulse but she wouldn't allow it. She just kept saying she was in pain and told me to stand and wait for her to wake up. I dared not move. To tell you the truth, I stood under the scorching sun for several hours and have already suffered from heatstroke. After I finish examining you, I have to go back to rest. I'm afraid another doctor will have to come tomorrow."
“I can’t do without you here,” Madam Ji said hurriedly.
Miaozhen nodded: "I know that too. This Third Madam is really strange. She used to always send Miss Yu, but I don't know why she asked me to go today. I'm afraid she'll be in a hurry to ask me to go tonight too. If this continues, I'm afraid I'll have to leave the manor."
Upon hearing this, Madam Ji became even more furious, but she said, "This is specifically aimed at me."
"Grandma, don't get upset and harm your health, that would be my fault," Miaozhen said.
Madam Ji held her hand and said, "I'll have someone clean up the back room. You can come and stay here tomorrow."
As she came out of the main house, she ran into Yu Zhoujin returning from the old lady's place. Yu Zhoujin said with a hint of schadenfreude, "I heard you went to the third madam's? How was it?"
Miaozhen simply said in a "simple" tone, "My legs are weak, and I feel dizzy and lightheaded. I don't know why, but Third Madam won't let me take her pulse."
Yu Zhoujin showed no concern whatsoever, only a smile, and said, "You really have bad luck."
"Yes! What illness did you go to treat the old lady this time?" Miaozhen asked.
Yu Zhoujin was eager to show off, going on and on about how she used acupuncture and how the old lady praised her. Seeing that Miaozhen was not doing well, she talked even more enthusiastically.
After the two returned, Miaozhen began copying the scriptures. She knew that the old lady loved these scriptures. In the past, everyone kept to themselves, but now that you, Yu Zhoujin, have done this, I am only doing it to protect myself.
Meanwhile, Miaozhen returned at noon and was fully recovered after lunch. However, she still had to pretend to be weak to deliver the scriptures. Naturally, it was not easy to enter the old lady's room, as the maids guarded it very carefully, for fear that someone would take advantage of it.
When these people saw Miaozhen, they thought she was just there to curry favor, so they said, "Just teach us the scriptures, and we'll take them in. There's nothing for you to do here."
Miaozhen hesitated for a moment, then looked at the old lady's eldest maid and said, "Good sister, I have something to tell you."
Chunxian, the old lady's head maid, has always been superior to others and holds considerable prestige among the grandmothers; even Madam Ji dares not offend her. Miaozhen naturally treats her with utmost respect, as if she has something to say.
Chunxian came over and said, "Speak your mind."
“Sister Yu has been treating the old lady’s illness all along. Her medical skills are said to be excellent. However, when I went to the pharmacy to prepare the medicine, I found that the prescription might be wrong. You know, I’m younger than her, so I can’t contradict her. Therefore, I’m just telling my sister.” After saying that, she took out a prescription.
Yu Zhoujin originally came from a family of doctors, but she saw too few patients. Miaozhen, on the other hand, had been seeing patients frequently since she studied medicine with the Ru and Tan families. After joining the Cheng family, Miaozhen treated all sorts of people. Doctors, like any other profession, rely on practice; it's not good to just follow dogma.
You need to see and experience a lot before you can distinguish the differences.
For example, if an elderly woman has palpitations, it cannot be simply attributed to several conditions, such as yin deficiency with excessive fire, yang deficiency with water retention, or insufficient heart blood.
The old lady's symptoms were clearly those of yin deficiency and excessive fire, but Yu Zhoujin treated her as having yang deficiency and water retention. Simply prescribing Linggui Zhugan Decoction was not enough.
Chunxian wanted the old lady to live to be a hundred years old more than anyone else. She simply said, "I'll take you in, and you can give the old lady another checkup."
"Okay." Miaozhen breathed a sigh of relief.
She had to prepare for both possibilities: while being protected by Madam Ji, she also needed to seek the protection of the old lady, especially since the third wife might be up to something these days.
Grandma Cheng was an elderly woman in her seventies with silver hair. She was in good health, except for a heart palpitation problem that made her prone to night terrors. When she saw Chunxian bring Miaozhen in, she was somewhat displeased and said, "Didn't Zhoujin just leave? Why is another one here?"
Chunxian pondered for a moment before speaking. Old Madam Cheng glanced at Miaozhen, her eyes narrowing: "Since you know, why don't you just tell Zhoujin directly?"
“I wanted to say something too, but this concerns the old lady’s illness, how could I turn a blind eye? I’m only concerned with pleasing my peers, after all, I’m a servant hired by the Cheng family. Besides, given Sister Yu’s personality, she probably wouldn’t listen to me. Last time she gave the old lady acupuncture, she ended up causing bruising under her skin. I told her when I got back that you can’t do that to such a critical acupoint, but she scolded me instead. After that, she didn’t want to go to the old lady’s place anymore, so I’ve been the one treating her.” Miaozhen lowered her head.
Old Mrs. Cheng had a bad impression of Miaozhen, who betrayed her peers. She only slightly extended her hand. After Miaozhen finished taking her pulse, she asked Old Mrs. Cheng to stick out her tongue before saying, "Your heart palpitations are easily stabbed, there are bruises on your chest, and your pulse is choppy. This is a case of qi stagnation and blood stasis. You also have phlegm in your body. Do you also have pain in your shoulders and back?"
Upon hearing this, Grandma Cheng looked up and said, "That's right, my shoulders and back hurt together, and my chest feels stuffy."
"Let me give you a massage first to make you feel a little better, and then I'll bring the medicine tonight," Miaozhen said with a smile.
...
A moment later, when Miaozhen came out of the old lady's room, the people in the old lady's room became much more polite. As she walked out of the courtyard, she looked back and thought, "In this world, the only way to surpass others is to have real talent and ability that no one can bring you down."
Unfortunately, many people don't understand this principle.
Having gained fame, one should strive to live up to it, rather than seeking only to cheat and spread rumors.
That night, she took her maid to deliver medicine to the old lady. The old lady noticed that her face was pale and hurriedly asked what was wrong. Miaozhen replied, "I brought my maid with me, and a gust of wind blew by, which frightened us terribly."
"That won't do. How can young girls like you come out like this? Just tell them what I said: from now on, when you make house calls at night, there must be two nannies in front to discipline the maids, and one madam behind them," the old lady said.
Na Chunxian immediately said, "I'll talk to Third Grandmother tomorrow."
Miaozhen said, "The old lady is truly the most compassionate person I have ever met. We servants are so grateful to her."
Grandma Cheng, being so young, naturally liked to hear kind words. She changed the prescription, and after drinking the medicine, she was in a good mood and fell asleep soon after.
Treating Old Madam Cheng's illness was something Yu Zhoujin always took for granted, but when she heard that Miaozhen had gone to see the old lady, she immediately came over to question her.
She bared her teeth at the threshold, pointed at herself, and said, "Why have you also gone to climb the social ladder? You've been running all the way to the old lady's place."
Miaozhen laughed and said, "We are all servants. Does the old lady only allow you to treat patients? Would you get angry if someone else were to treat you? If that's the case, you usually treat patients with the third madam. Why have you asked me to treat you lately? Don't we just treat patients whoever has time?"
“How could you possibly know the intricacies of this? For example, which medications this patient is incompatible with, or which patient has a pre-existing condition? I always prescribe medications with great care. How can you rashly change my prescription?” Yu Zhoujin felt increasingly justified as he spoke.
Miaozhen said, "Since you say so, then why is the Third Madam asking you to go so often lately? If you go to the Third Madam, I will respect you and I will not go to the Old Madam's place."
While revenge on Miaozhen was justified, the old lady was still the most important. Therefore, she looked at Miaozhen and asked, "Is what you said true?"
“Of course, a gentleman’s word is as good as his bond,” Miaozhen said calmly.
Yu Zhoujin thought to himself that since he had no grudge against the Third Madam, he could let her go. He would then let the Third Madam lay maggots there and claim that Miaozhen was not the one who was being targeted. He said that the Third Madam was a woman who was desperate for her son and had long wanted to find a proper second wife for the Third Master. She was eager to keep the Third Master from leaving with that second wife.
Therefore, thinking about her makes me less afraid.
Meanwhile, the Third Madam had kept the Third Master at home early on, saying she had promised to send him a beautiful concubine. She personally instructed people to fold the quilt and make the bed, which made the Third Master extremely happy.
"The maids are indeed of too low a status. If they were proper concubines, that would be much better. Madam is truly virtuous." The Third Master thanked him.
"To properly take a second wife, we must use a sedan chair to marry her, but we need to wait until the master has inspected her before making any decisions. When she arrives, the master can just take a look. If she is good, I will make the preparations. If she is not good, then so be it." The third wife knew her husband very well. He was a master of romance and a lecherous devil. How could he let go of the meat he had in his hands?
Late at night, the Third Madam sent someone to invite her. She had already made arrangements. If Miaozhen refused, she would have someone say that she had seduced the Third Master. If she did comply, that would be best.
If things get out of hand, just find some excuse to kick them out.
For families like theirs, manipulating an ordinary person is still quite easy.
But she didn't know that the person who came was Yu Zhoujin. Because there were many people with her, and she wanted to tell her own story but was afraid that others would hear it, she only brought a small bell with her.
Yu Zhoujin was extremely beautiful and charming, but because Madam Ji was pregnant and unwilling to share the emperor's favor, she could not rise to the top. Almost as soon as she entered the house, the Third Master saw her from behind the screen and fell in love with her.
When the third wife realized she had mistaken the person for someone else, she was about to make a scene when she saw that the third master was already full and drooling, so she had no choice but to walk to the back.
...
“Young lady, it’s so good that you don’t need to go to the third room for medical treatment,” Xiao Xi said with a smile.
Miaozhen nodded: "Yes, Yu Zhoujin has no grudge against the Third Madam. I reckon he'll be back soon. Once the First Madam gives birth, my father will definitely take me back."
Given the unequal social standing, this is the only option.
Xiao Tao's snoring could be heard, and Miao Zhen nodded to Xiao Xi: "You should go to sleep too."
The two had only been asleep for a short while when they saw Gu's mother and others making a fuss. Sister Ji Zhen went upstairs to wake Miao Zhen up: "My goodness, how can you still sleep?"
"What's wrong?" Miaozhen asked, feeling dizzy.
Sister Ji Zhen said, "Something happened. Third Sister Yu went to treat Third Madam's illness, but she didn't know that Third Master was inside. Somehow, she pricked Third Master's vital spot with a needle. She was carried back by Gu Mama and a few others, and her hair was very messy."
Miaozhen never imagined that the Third Madam would be so vicious. She was just worried about being tortured by the Third Madam, so she brought several maids with her to intimidate the Third Madam.
I never expected her to have this idea!
"What should we do then?" Miaozhen asked, puzzled.
Sister Ji Zhen shook her head.
After this incident, the Cheng family, fearing that Yu Zhoujin might commit suicide, gave fifty taels of silver to Aunt Yu. Aunt Yu happily took the money and spent twenty taels to prepare Yu Zhoujin's dowry. As for the Third Master, he had only been stabbed in the thigh, but because he was ashamed, he pretended to be sick and went to Jiangzhou.
The third wife was severely scolded by Old Madam Cheng and lost all face. She pretended to be sick and stayed at home like a rat in the street, not daring to come out.
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