Chapter 29 (Combined Chapter 29)
“Young lady, I took your pulse but didn’t find anything wrong. Perhaps it’s just the change of seasons and your health is experiencing some problems.” Miao Zhen thought that if she exposed this matter, she would inevitably have to cover for her, but this was not something she could do to cover for someone else. Who knows, she might even bring about her own death because of this.
The young woman looked at her as if she were a lifeline: "Miss Xu, don't pretend, I know—"
“Young lady, we doctors only treat the sick. You’re not sick, so why are you taking medicine indiscriminately?” Miaozhen stopped her from continuing.
It's good that everyone pretends not to know. Whether you have an abortion or are trying to maintain a pregnancy, it's something that can't be spread around.
She never expected that Miaozhen would completely deny that she was pregnant. Before the eldest young lady could say anything more, Miaozhen said, "Eldest young lady, last time I cured your illness, and the second madam secretly rewarded me with something. If you have any worries, you might as well go to the second madam."
After saying that, she quickly left, only breathing a sigh of relief after running out the door.
The eldest daughter eventually told the second wife in secret. The second wife first asked who the man was, but the eldest daughter gritted her teeth and said nothing, only saying, "Anyway, I will not keep this child."
"What a tragedy, what a tragedy." The second wife was loving with her husband her whole life, but her children were not successful. Her daughter was widowed, and her son was ignorant and not as good as her illegitimate son.
The young woman just cried, and only after crying did she say, "I went to see Physician Xu, hoping she could help me, but she pretended to be stupid."
Upon hearing this, the second wife quickly said, "How could you tell her? There are too many people to talk about it. What if your affair gets out? Here's what we'll do: your father is going to take up his post soon, and you'll go with him this time. We'll abort the child on the way, and then no one will find out."
"You're right, your daughter will listen to you in everything." The eldest daughter thought her mother would scold her, but she didn't expect her to come up with a solution so quickly.
At the same time, the second wife said, "Now that Physician Xu knows about this, then—"
"Kill him to silence him?" the young woman asked.
The second wife was speechless: "How can we kill such a big, living person? Give me a hundred taels to keep her quiet. Two hundred taels is too much; people might think your secret is valuable. One hundred taels is just right. Of course, this is also a warning. If we find out about this and it gets out, we'll kick her out for theft."
The eldest daughter breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her mother was very shrewd.
Miaozhen, of course, understood what the Second Madam meant, but pretended not to know anything and accepted the hot potato of one hundred taels. She thought that the Cheng family didn't know she would be returning home after the New Year, and then she wouldn't have to worry about these shady matters anymore.
She acted as if she knew nothing about the eldest daughter's affairs. Only after the second master went to Fujian to take up his post and the second wife and others left with him did her anxious heart finally relax.
It was already October, and in the south, you didn't need to wear a light jacket in October.
Sister Ji Zhen brought up the food and ate with her, saying, "Why do you look so preoccupied? Are you alright?"
"It's nothing. I was just thinking that you're engaged now, and you'll probably be getting married soon. I'm all alone here." Miaozhen changed the subject.
Sister Ji Zhen said, "My home is nearby. Even if I don't live in the mansion, I can still come in if they need anything. But you, don't end up like me, an old maid, this marriage was forced and you're still being looked down upon. A girl still has to get married eventually..."
Miaozhen listened to Sister Jizhen's rambling, but her mind wandered elsewhere.
After the meal, Old Mrs. Cheng said that she had gone to the West Mansion for tea the day before and caught a cold. Miaozhen then said to Sister Jizhen, "I'll be leaving now."
At Mrs. Cheng's age, the only person she can still visit is her old sister-in-law.
The old lady of the West Mansion was quite interesting. After Yu Zhoujin left, she never mentioned her name again, as if the person never existed. Miao Zhen thought that surviving in a wealthy family really meant knowing exactly what to say and what not to say.
She came over, took the pulse, and seeing it was just a common cold, wrote a prescription and handed it to the old lady's head maid, Chunxian. The old lady also asked about Madam Ji's belly: "How is your eldest mistress doing?"
"Everything is fine, and Grandma is resting peacefully during her pregnancy, so please don't worry," Miaozhen said.
Madam Ji was indeed very careful. It hadn't been easy for her to conceive this time, and she even helped Miaozhen's father, all to put his mind at ease in taking care of her. However, there was one thing that worried her quite a bit.
"You mean there was a woman's handkerchief in the old man's luggage?"
"Yes." Tongfang glanced at Ji Shi, then lowered her head. She was originally Ji Shi's dowry maid. After Ji Shi became pregnant, she was chosen to be Tongfang. She was given a facial tattoo and was served by two other maids.
Unfortunately, although the old man came to her place, he never stopped having affairs outside.
Madam Ji glanced sideways at the maidservant: "If you really cared about me, this thing shouldn't have appeared in front of me in the first place. Are you expecting me to make a scene so you can reap the benefits?"
The maidservant was so frightened that she immediately knelt down. Even if she had ten lives, she wouldn't dare to do it. If she didn't tell Madam Ji about this, Madam Ji would probably accuse her of helping the master cover up the truth. But she couldn't defend herself at this moment, because if she did, she would be accused of contradicting her grandmother. So she could only keep kowtowing.
Madam Ji was unwilling for her to go out with her forehead bruised and swollen from the banging, as others would think she couldn't handle things easily. Therefore, she narrowed her eyes and said, "Go kneel on the roof tiles under the west eaves for two hours before you come back."
The maidservant hurried off.
When Miaozhen arrived, she saw that the concubine who had been so popular not long ago was now kneeling on the roof tiles, her head swaying and looking pitiful. However, she dared not look at her for long. She came to Ji's place alone and did not mention what she had just seen. She simply took Ji's pulse first.
"Your pulse is fine, but your liver fire is a bit strong. It's probably because it's late autumn and the weather is too dry. You can drink some white fungus and quail soup."
Not wanting to discuss her husband's infidelity with an outsider, Madam Ji leaned back against the pillow behind her and sighed softly, "People outside think we're all pampered and precious, but they don't know we also have our troubles."
Miaozhen comforted her, saying, "Life is full of disappointments, so try to take it easy."
"Yes, I'm thinking of going to Jingxu Nunnery to donate some incense in a few days. Why don't you come with me? That way, if I'm not feeling well, you'll still be there for me." Madam Ji was getting a little impatient and wanted to go out for some fresh air.
Miaozhen had no choice but to say, "Then I'll take one of my maids and one maid who's brewing medicine with me."
She still needed to leave a maid to look after the house and guard her belongings. Actually, Miaozhen didn't really approve of Madam Ji going out like this, since she was pregnant and the journey wasn't good for her, but Madam Ji insisted, so she could only carefully follow along.
"It's all up to you." Madam Ji wanted to be more devout in her Buddhist worship so that she could give birth to a big, healthy boy.
When Miaozhen went out, she could still hear Ji Shi discussing with her foster mother how much rice and fine cloth to send to the nunnery. Looking at the maid kneeling on the roof tiles, Miaozhen shook her head.
With such a kind heart, why not give some to the people around you?
Before she transmigrated, Miaozhen always felt that being a concubine was a bad thing. But now that she's in this environment, she realizes her thoughts have changed. Not everyone has the right to choose what they do. For example, the maids around Madam Ji—whether they become concubines or maids is entirely up to their masters. Their indentures are in the hands of their masters, leaving them with no choice but to accept it.
Li Yao'e was undoubtedly clever; she saw through Ji's methods and Cheng Junze's philandering and promiscuity, and made plans early on.
Her husband was reportedly served by the master, and she and the master clearly had a close relationship, yet she managed to use her lover to find herself a marriage. This can be described as both skillful and daring.
Yu Zhoujin appeared shrewd on the surface, confident in the support of the West Mansion, and was determined to become the master's concubine, but unexpectedly she fell into a trap.
Miaozhen had always thought it was a twist of fate, but upon reflection, she realized it wasn't. At the time, Madam Ji had asked Li Yao'e to treat her daughter's illness, issuing a direct order for Li Yao'e to go. However, when it was Li Yao'e's turn, Madam Ji had to take a long detour. After Yu Zhoujin replaced her, she and the Third Madam were practically driven to ruin.
Whether the Ji family contributed to this, aside from their own scheming, is unknown.
A few days later, Miaozhen went out with Madam Ji. She was treated with some courtesy and even had a sedan chair for transportation.
While being rocked around in the sedan chair, Miaozhen was surprisingly sleepy and yawned countless times. She figured it was because she usually had to use her brain, and now that she didn't have to, she felt relaxed and wanted to sleep.
Ji, however, was unusually energetic. After getting out of the sedan chair, she saw Miaozhen like this and covered her mouth with her handkerchief and laughed: "You usually seem like a very capable person. How come you are so dizzy now? But you do look like a young girl. You are usually too composed."
Sometimes Ji would joke with them, just like now, and act very approachable.
But Miaozhen still responded cautiously: "Grandma, please stop teasing us."
Ji raised an eyebrow and walked straight into the nunnery, supported by the maid. Miaozhen followed behind.
To her, most of the nuns in the nunnery were swindlers, and she rarely associated with them. But these people were well-informed and often roamed around wealthy families, acting as matchmakers, brokering lawsuits, and even acting as intermediaries for officials lending money.
At this time, Xu Erpeng also asked Madam Mei to offer twenty taels of silver, six dou of mung beans, and one shi of grain to a nun named Mochou, asking her to help arrange a marriage for his daughter.
"Giving so much money?" Mrs. Mei felt that her husband had given too much.
Xu Erpeng laughed and said, "Tell her that if she succeeds, I will reward her handsomely."
This son-in-law was the one he had his eye on. His family ran a tea and medicine business, and he had an uncle who was a prefectural judge. He was also incredibly handsome, and although he was a bit arrogant and had a sharp tongue, he was very talented. He had already become a scholar at the age of seventeen. He would definitely not let such a candidate go.
“Those nuns, with their silver tongues, they talk nonsense, call a deer a horse, and none of the women in wealthy families are immune to their charms. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary methods.” Xu Erpeng didn’t think he had done anything wrong.
Madam Mei looked at her husband: "Is this young master Xiao really that good?"
Xu Erpeng explained, "Let me tell you. The first family is a prominent local family in Suzhou Prefecture, right? His eldest uncle is the tax commissioner, in charge of taxation; his brother works as a physician at the Wu County Medical Training Institute; and his uncle is a legitimate Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) who serves as a Tongpan (assistant magistrate) in Kaifeng Prefecture. Even though his family runs a tea and medicinal herb business, do you think just anyone can get a tea permit?"
"That's true, but how did you come to choose him?" Madam Mei wanted to know the answer. She actually had someone else in mind. If her husband's candidate had any flaws, she would bring up her own candidate. If her husband's candidate was good, she wouldn't need to bring it up.
Xu Erpeng said, "I have read his articles, and they are indeed very well written. He is also quite resourceful. Some people are very resentful that he became a student of Wu County at the age of seventeen and wanted to frame him during the annual examination. However, he was able to fight back, which is not easy. When ordinary people are retaliated against, they either tremble with fear and do not know what to do, or they put on the airs of an official and let others bully them into ruin. But he can handle things with a sense of proportion, which is very difficult."
“That’s not bad. Mrs. Ma told me the other day about the son of a hereditary centurion. The one you’re talking about seems even better,” Madam Mei murmured.
Xu Erpeng smiled and said, "Mrs. Ma also has a daughter. Everyone has selfish motives. If she really had someone good, she might not introduce her to you. You have to think about it. She also has a daughter. How did her daughter end up marrying into the Wang family of the patrol inspectorate?"
After thinking for a moment, Madam Mei sighed, "But do you think that child, who is extremely wealthy, has an uncle who is an official, and is also capable, would be interested in our family?"
"That's why I'm looking for Aunt Moni. I asked around at her house, and she said that this Master Xiao the Second has never liked studying since childhood, but he envies his older and younger brothers who are both officials. He's obsessed with officialdom, so he arranged for his eldest son to be betrothed to the daughter of a deputy commander since childhood. However, he dislikes the fact that the family is from a military family and wants to marry his other two sons into wealthy and educated families. Our family seems suitable. I'm currently a government-subsidized student, and I've also donated money to become a scholar. I also own shops and houses, but compared to the Zhao family of the carriage and horse trading company, and the youngest daughter of a student in the Imperial Academy, our Miaozhen family doesn't have much of an advantage. So we have to take a risk." Xu Erpeng spread his hands.
The Zhao family, who ran a carriage and boat business, was much bigger than my family. Not to mention Tong Jiansheng, who was an official in Suzhou Prefecture. My family was just an outsider who had finally settled down. We had little wealth and no influence.
So that's how it is. Madam Mei couldn't help but say, "But a marriage that is forced may not be a good one."
"You don't understand, do you? Even in our bookstore, we use every trick in the book to grab business, so why can't we do the same when it comes to grabbing a son-in-law? If you don't fight for it yourself and just wait for others to come to you, then you'll only be able to pick up what others have left over. If I hadn't found a way to break through, that would have been fine, but I just happened to find out that Second Master Xiao listens to Second Madam Xiao, and Second Madam Xiao is extremely fond of Buddhism. Isn't this a match made in heaven?" The more Xu Erpeng thought about it, the more he thought it was a good match.
As the mother, Madam Mei had to ask one more question: "How is Second Madam Xiao? Also, you speak so highly of them, won't our daughter be mistreated after she marries into the family?"
Xu Erpeng pressed his hands down, signaling his wife not to rush: "Mrs. Xiao is a bit of a peace-loving and charitable person, yet she has given birth to three sons and two daughters and has a good relationship with Mr. Xiao. It is clear that she has her own methods. But a smart person with methods is always better than a muddle-headed fool."
"Besides, you say you suffer mistreatment, but does marrying into a poor family mean you don't suffer mistreatment either? Moreover, some poor people who suddenly become rich are even more terrifying. Getting promoted, making money, and losing their wives are things they crave. No matter how good their original wives were, they always want to replace them with better ones. On the other hand, wealthy families are a bit more disciplined. After the Xiao family became wealthy, Madam Xiao, who was originally just the daughter of a minor official, has remained in that position. Even if the Xiao family splits up in the future, our daughter knows medicine. If she gets a pharmacy, she will be set for life."
Madam Mei glanced at her husband and said, "I see you've already decided on this son-in-law, so I won't say anything more."
Leaving aside what the couple was thinking, Aunt Zhu also had her own worries. Her daughter's marriage was arranged, and her son was eighteen. The old lady seemed to want her son to get engaged to Qin Zhilan, but she was unwilling. She was just talking about it with her daughter, Cheng Bin.
“Your brother is destined for a career in government, how can he marry an orphan? But I am just a nobody, what can I do?”
Cheng Bin said, "Everyone else is fine, but the First Madam is so eager to matchmake us. She's trying to disgust us."
"Everyone knows that, but unfortunately she's the eldest, and your mother is the youngest." Although Aunt Zhu didn't care much on a daily basis, she had her husband's love and both a son and a daughter, and her life was much better than that of the first wife. But in terms of status, she was just a concubine.
For example, Aunt Zhu couldn't bring up her son's marriage; she could only hint at it indirectly in front of the man. But the First Madam could openly and fairly mention it in front of the Old Madam and the First Master because she was the Fourth Young Master's legal mother.
Cheng Bin snorted coldly: "That's all she has to do, Auntie. What should we do?"
"She schemed against my son, and I won't let her daughter off the hook either," Aunt Zhu said fiercely.
Hearing Aunt Zhu say this, Cheng Bin felt a little reluctant. Although she wasn't that close to the Cheng sisters, Cheng Yuan and Cheng Shu, they didn't have any major conflicts. However, her status determined her position, so she had no choice but to agree.
Cheng Yuan was not stupid, of course. She had been urging her mother to arrange her marriage all her life, but Madam Zeng trusted the master more and scolded her: "You are a young lady, how can you talk about your own marriage? Don't worry, your father knows what he's doing. He has already told me."
"You said so?" Cheng Yuan was still somewhat incredulous.
The first wife reassured her daughter and refused to say anything more.
Cheng Yuan suddenly remembered why she chose Lu Shi'an in her previous life. It was because she heard that her marriage was arranged by Aunt Zhu, so she found a talented but poor man.
However, her hatred for Lu Shian made her forget all of this.
After her rebirth, she realized that she couldn't change her mother's temperament at all, and she couldn't say anything at home. Feeling a bit depressed, she went outside for a walk, and by then the sun was already setting.
When she saw that Xu Miaozhen was hanging her head and looked very tired, she quickly greeted her.
Miaozhen was surprised to see the Third Miss here and hurriedly went forward to pay her respects. Madam Ji was having a good time, but as someone who followed her, she had to keep a close eye on her pregnancy at all times, fearing that something might happen to her. She was on tenterhooks until the very end when they returned.
"Greetings, Third Sister."
Cheng Yuan looked at her: "Why do you look a little tired?"
Miaozhen didn't want to say it was because Ji was tired from traveling, so she just said, "I get a little absent-minded in the autumn. What about you, Third Miss? Why are you sitting here in the middle of autumn? You're likely to catch a cold."
"I ate too much at noon and felt a little unwell, so I came out for a walk." Cheng Yuan thought that although Xu Miaozhen came from a humble background, she had a good father. At least when Lu Shi'an had people put on plays to slander the Xu family, Xu's father was said to have encouraged people to subtly and overtly criticize Lu Shi'an in the books.
Thinking about this, she also felt somewhat sorry for Xu Miaozhen, after all, her husband had reportedly been giving her the cold shoulder, and she had even ostracized her...
Therefore, Cheng Yuan invited Miao Zhen to tea the next day. Miao Zhen smiled and said, "I would like to go too, but I still have to take care of the eldest madam and also visit the old lady."
Now Miaozhen thinks that the best friendship is one that is as light as water. She used to feel sorry for the young widow and often talked to her. But later, she tried to drag her into such a big thing. She pretended not to know and even threatened and berated her in various ways.
If she doesn't accept the money, the second wife will think she's trying to leak information; if she does accept it, they can accuse her of theft if they're even slightly dissatisfied.
Now, she politely declines all advances from these ladies, grandmothers, and young women.
Back in her room, she had someone quickly bring water, washed up, and went straight to bed. Unexpectedly, in the middle of the night, Gu Mama came with people to invite Miaozhen over, saying that something was wrong with the new concubine of the eldest son's family.
"What's wrong?" Miaozhen rubbed her eyes, yawning, feeling like she couldn't even open them.
Mother Gu said, "I don't know either. I heard that the master and mistress have both gone there, so we can't be careless."
Miaozhen didn't dare to linger. She quickly changed her clothes, had Xiaoxi braid her hair, and rushed off with her medicine box. The new concubine was extremely favored. At first, she was on par with Concubine Zhu, but in the end, she almost dominated the spotlight.
Miao Zhen had no chance to get to know her, and now that they had met, she never expected it would be under these circumstances.
A bloody stench filled Fang's room. A dark, menacing crowd surrounded them, their faces ashen and sallow. The master was extremely anxious. Zhu looked heartbroken, while the first wife was shouting something…
As soon as Miaozhen entered, all eyes were on her. She calmly went in and asked Aunt Fang's maid, "What's wrong, Aunt?"
The girl's voice trembled with sobs as she stammered, "Our aunt ate a bowl of bird's nest soup tonight, and that's how it happened."
Miaozhen picked up the bird's nest soup and smelled it. It seemed to have a herbal aroma. She asked the girl, "Why do you put herbs in bird's nest soup?"
Thinking of this, she quickly took her pulse again and looked at her hands. Her fingernails and fingertips were bluish-white. After a few breaths, she said, "Auntie is pregnant and has accidentally taken poison. Her bleeding is not stopping because her injury has affected the fetus."
Because of Ji Shi, Miao Zhen had probably watched too many domestic dramas in her previous life, and even had a lot of medicine prepared in advance in "Complete Collection of Women's Prescriptions", such as medicine for pregnant women's poisoning and hemorrhage. She originally thought that there would be no use for it, but she didn't expect that it would actually come in handy now.
Aunt Fang looked weakly at Miaozhen: "Miss Xu, am I really pregnant? Is the baby alright? I don't care, I just want the baby."
"It depends on whether the child is harmed. I have a pill here made from peony bark, white poria, cinnamon bark, peach kernel, and red peony root. I'll have someone prepare a light vinegar soup. Chew one and swallow it later. If the fetus is healthy, then you and the fetus will be fine. If the fetus has died in the womb, then it can be used to purge it." As Miaozhen spoke, she quickly had someone bring vinegar and warm water.
She moved very quickly, taking out pills from her medicine box in almost an instant and giving them to the concubine.
Seeing that Consort Fang's bleeding had gradually stopped, the First Madam loosened her grip on the handkerchief. Knowing that Consort Fang was pregnant, she quietly covered it up. Consort Zhu couldn't resist and instigated another maid to attack, which the First Madam didn't stop. If Consort Fang lost her child, and it was discovered that Consort Zhu was behind it, they would definitely fight each other. In that case, she could benefit from the infighting.
I didn't expect Physician Xu to arrive so quickly; this whole game is ruined!
The master was already in his study. Upon hearing that the fetus had been saved, he immediately ordered that Miaozhen be rewarded and that silk be given as a gift. Miaozhen already had quite a lot of cloth, so she declined the offer. It was already a blessing that she hadn't been dragged into such a scandalous affair.
In this poisoning incident, the concubine who committed the poisoning was given forty lashes and sent to the estate. Aunt Zhu was relieved that she was not implicated and dared not do it again. The First Madam felt that her wish to watch from the sidelines was shattered, while Aunt Fang experienced the horror of palace intrigue for the first time.
As expected of someone who had been in a position of power, Master Cheng directly added Miaozhen's name to the biographies of famous doctors and had it engraved on a stone tablet. Of course, this record was not about his concubine's private affairs within the inner quarters, but about Miaozhen's deeds in helping Old Madam Cheng with her illness.
Miaozhen, on the other hand, became the sole beneficiary of this whole affair!
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