Chapter 49 (Combined Chapter)
Because her youngest son had become an official, Old Madam Xiao had already been granted an imperial title. Miaozhen went upstairs to pick out some gifts and then prepared a list for Xiao Jingshi to see: "What do you think of the birthday gifts to send to the old lady?"
Xiao Jingshi examined the items in his hands: a large bolt of bright red brocade with gold trim, two plates of longevity noodles, two plates of longevity peaches, a pair of shoes, and two roast chickens. After looking at them, he asked, "Approximately how much silver is needed? I'll provide it."
“Madam said that we, as granddaughters-in-law, should each do our best. How can I let you pay? I have this foot, and the rest won’t cost much. Don’t worry about it, just tell me if it’s appropriate?” Miaozhen urged.
Xiao Jingshi laughed and said, "Replace those two roast chickens with Jinhua wine."
Sure enough, Miaozhen crossed out the item here and added Jinhua wine. One jar of Jinhua wine costs five qian, and two jars would cost about one liang. Longevity noodles and peaches would cost two qian of silver. She took out the silver and asked the servant Ping'an to prepare them.
Lou Qiongyu was also a foot-long, the rest were more or less the same. She was a jar of lotus wine, a mutton, a plate of longevity noodles, and a plate of longevity peaches.
The two of them then spoke to Han Yueyao, who nodded repeatedly, saying, "That's perfect."
Although Han Yueyao felt a pang of sadness, she only hated herself for being so weak. She didn't blame anyone else, because her two younger siblings treated her very well. Not to mention the fruit sent by Xu's family, which they would send to her, Lou was the same. Whenever there was something, they would never overstep the bounds of propriety and would discuss things with her.
Before June 20th, Miaozhen personally checked her over and had some of the items sent to Old Madam Xiao. At that time, her belly was already showing, but she was wearing a loose-fitting pipa-style jacket, so it was not noticeable unless you looked closely.
She herself is a gynecologist and is pregnant. She writes down her physical condition and mood every day. If she feels unwell on a particular day, she prescribes her own medicine and records her feelings. It can be said that she has personally experienced it.
Grandma Xiao celebrated her birthday. Although it wasn't a full birthday, all her relatives and friends came, including the Xu family. Xu Erpeng and Madam Mei even came to talk to Miaozhen.
Xu Erpeng looked at Miaozhen and said, "It's important for you to practice medicine, but the child in your belly is important too. As the saying goes, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Don't be foolish."
"Yes." Miaozhen knew perfectly well.
Xu Erpeng's recent novel about detective stories in the inner quarters of the palace has been selling extremely well. It's only June, and he's already earned four or five hundred taels of silver this year. Naturally, he has quite a bit of experience with it, and he whispered, "Look at Empress Dowager Zhang, if she had a biological son, would she be in the position of Empress Dowager now?"
Miao Zhen wondered how the Xiao family, a mere merchant family, could compare themselves to the imperial palace, but she knew her father meant well, so she simply agreed.
As the three were talking, someone outside said that Master Xiao had invited Xu Erpeng to the front hall, so Xu Erpeng went ahead. Miaozhen and Madam Mei exchanged a smile, and then Miaozhen asked, "Father, I wonder if you will be able to go back early today?"
"Your dad has been here all day."
Not to mention that everyone went to Old Madam Xiao's place together. Although Old Madam Xiao was indifferent to worldly affairs and usually looked old, she was the ancestor of the entire Xiao family, and everyone had to go over to kowtow and wish her a long life.
Xia Xianjie was quite capable. Previously, she was separated from her husband by Madam Chao under the pretext of observing mourning. Discouraged, she changed her strategy immediately after the Dragon Boat Festival. She secretly flattered Old Madam Xiao and sent her a mountain of gifts. Old Madam Xiao was so pleased that she told Madam Chao to her face that Xia Xianjie was too Confucian and that she should prioritize having offspring.
Thus, Xia Xianjie and Xiao Jingyan lived separately for a month before moving back in together.
She was sitting with the old lady, and as the wife of a scholar, she was dressed very luxuriously. At this moment, she had once again used a scheme to defeat her mother-in-law, and she was extremely proud of herself.
When the younger generation offered birthday greetings, Miaozhen, being pregnant, could only kowtow slowly. She also stood up carefully. She didn't drink any alcohol at the banquet, but ate a few bites casually.
Xu Erpeng, on the other hand, was like a fish in water. Although he was not as high in status as Lou Zhubu, he was not narrow-minded. He was just like everyone else. When people didn't flatter him, he would listen to the opera. Thinking about his daughter's pregnancy, he even drank an extra cup.
He generously rewarded the servants who served him wine and ran errands. To him, the Han and Lou families were now official households, and although he was not, his daughter was equal to the daughters of the two families. Didn't that prove his power even more?
So in the end, the actor was tipped with a single string of cash.
Some people didn't notice Xu Erpeng, but others thought that Master Xu was truly generous.
But there are very few people with Xu Erpeng's mentality. For example, Xia Xianjie is clearly the center of attention, and she is sitting next to Old Madam Xiao. Even the wives of the four prefects of Wu County and the wife of the prefect of Suzhou speak to her politely. However, when Old Madam Xiao pointed at Miaozhen and said, "I am now a family of three generations. If I could see the birth of the child in my granddaughter-in-law's belly, it would be a family of four generations."
With just that one sentence, several officials' wives flattered Miaozhen. That evening, Xia Xian complained to Linglong, "Anyone who didn't know better would think she was pregnant with the crown prince! Isn't Lou Shi pregnant too? But she just loves to show off. Every woman in the world has a child, every woman has a child. Why is she so special?"
Linglong was Xia Xianjie's trusted maid, and also a proud one. Xia Xianjie treated her differently from the other maids, and held her in high regard. Linglong then said, "You need to take good care of your health now."
Sister Xia said, "It is only right to take care of myself."
Unlike Han Yueyao, who was more reserved, she went to see Miaozhen for a medical checkup the next day, saying to her, "I've been married for two or three years, but my belly hasn't shown any signs of pregnancy. I don't know why."
Seeing that she was very thin, Miaozhen couldn't help but ask, "How are you feeling after each time you have sex?"
“After each sexual encounter, I would stay in bed all day. Doctors used to examine me and said I had qi deficiency,” Xia Xianjie said, still somewhat embarrassed.
Miaozhen asked her to stick out her tongue. People with qi deficiency usually have a large tongue with teeth marks, but she did not. She also took her pulse and found that her pulse was thin and weak.
"Do you feel weak and powerless when you walk a short distance normally?" Miaozhen continued to ask.
Xia Xianjie shook her head: "It's fine on ordinary days."
Miaozhen asked a few more questions before saying, "You don't have qi deficiency, but blood deficiency. Thin people are prone to internal heat, and sexual activity naturally depletes the body's energy, making the kidney water even more deficient. As a result, you have yin deficiency and excessive fire. I'll prescribe a medicine for you, and you should be more moderate in your daily life."
"What nonsense are you talking about? We all sleep in separate beds now that we're in mourning." Xia Xianjie naturally denied it.
Miaozhen thought to herself that Xia Xianjie's problem was caused by excessive sexual activity and liver qi stagnation. In her condition, even if she accidentally became pregnant, she was very likely to miscarry if the man's sperm count was not strong.
Therefore, it is best to abstain from sexual activity, take the medication for three months, and resume sexual activity only after the medication has been effective. If sexual activity is not abstained from, the medication may not be as effective.
Xia Xian put the prescription written by Miao Zhen into her sleeve and went to Haitangxuan. At this time, Lou Qiongyu had just woken up. She was already very sleepy after becoming pregnant. When she saw Xia Xian coming to visit, she quickly got up and asked someone to prepare tea and food.
Xia Xianjie said casually, "That's true. Just now when I went to Furongwu, I saw that fourth sister-in-law boasting that the old lady had favored her. I thought, it's not like you're the only one who has it. The sixth sister-in-law has it too, doesn't she?"
Lou Qiongyu was initially confused, but upon hearing Xia Xianjie's words, she found it somewhat unbelievable: "Really?"
Xia Xianjie laughed and said, "You're just saying this as a casual remark. If you really ask, they definitely won't admit it."
Lou Qiongyu wasn't one to get into conflicts, so even if she felt uncomfortable, she would tolerate it. However, one of Lou Qiongyu's maids suffered from severe menstrual cramps last month, and Miaozhen treated her for free and even gave her medicine. The maid immediately went to Furongwu.
Miaozhen sighed softly, "I never expected her to make up stories about me. She came over this morning and asked me to help her see a doctor. I'm heavily pregnant and I'm helping her see a doctor, but she's spouting nonsense. Isn't this just trying to sow discord between us sisters-in-law?"
Seeing Miaozhen's reaction, the girl quickly went back and quietly told Lou Qiongyu. Lou Qiongyu said, "I knew this didn't sound like something Fourth Sister-in-law would say."
Even Lou Qiongyu's attendants said, "Sixth Madam, Eldest Madam is very shrewd. Yesterday, the Old Madam praised her so highly, why didn't she say anything?"
Fortunately, someone resolved the situation; otherwise, things would have been quite awkward between Lou Qiongyu and Miaozhen. Miaozhen had told Xiao Jingshi about it during lunch, saying, "I really don't know what I did to offend her?"
“You haven’t offended her anywhere. As long as you have a higher status than her in this house, she wants to suppress you,” Xiao Jingshi said, hitting the nail on the head.
Miaozhen lowered her head and touched her belly: "I am the wife of the second wife, and she is the wife of the first wife. We are from different families, so how could this be?"
She said this, but in her heart she had already begun to guard against it. If it was just some small talk, that would be fine, but if it was something reckless, she was not someone to be trifled with.
From beginning to end, she only told Xiao Jingshi what she was saying, but she didn't ask for his help. To put it bluntly, there was a strict separation between men and women, and Xiao Jingshi could no longer help her. Besides, although their relationship was better than when they were married, the future was uncertain...
But Xiao Jingshi narrowed his eyes and said, "If she's just talking nonsense, just ignore it. But if she's slandering you or trying to harm you, tell me whether there's any evidence or not."
"I understand," Miaozhen said with a smile.
But then Xiao Jingshi brought over a bag of silver, opened it directly and said, "How can I let you always use your private savings to prepare birthday gifts? My father's birthday is in July and my mother's birthday is in August. Take this."
Miaozhen opened the box and found forty taels of silver. She quickly said, "Even for a birthday gift, this much isn't necessary. Let me take some out."
But then Xiao Jingshi flicked her forehead: "Use the extra yourself."
"I'm pregnant, how dare you hit me?" Miaozhen was angry.
Xiao Jingshi had been joking with her, but seeing her bury her face in her arms, he assumed she was crying and quickly said, "I didn't use any force at all! I just meant you were separating from me too far. Don't cry—"
"Haha..." Miaozhen burst out laughing.
Seeing her laughing so hard she was doubled over, Xiao Jingshi couldn't help but say, "You sure know how to be funny."
The two played around for a while, which dispelled a lot of the gloom of the morning. Xiao Jingshi now eats and dresses at home. His personal income comes from the fact that he did a good job with the ice-fresh ship. He received a share of the profits from it and used these profits for his own expenses. Since the family has not yet separated, he cannot do business in his own name. So he invested money in Wu Zhang's shop and only received a share of the profits.
But these dividends were enough to ensure his livelihood, which is why he was able to give Miaozhen seventy taels in just a few months.
Miaozhen, of course, wouldn't use those forty taels for herself. The more casual others are, the less casual you should be. Don't think men are stupid; a woman who loves to take advantage of small things and doesn't understand how to secure the bigger, core interests will only gain petty gains.
If he were greedy, Xiao Jingshi wouldn't have given him his personal savings; he couldn't just give him small amounts of money every now and then.
For Master Xiao's birthday celebration, Miaozhen prepared two bolts of sapphire blue satin with longevity characters, a jar of Sanbai wine, a plate of longevity peaches, a plate of longevity noodles, and a pig's trotter. Their gifts for Master Xiao were actually more substantial than those for Old Madam Xiao. Firstly, they were considered grandchildren by Old Madam Xiao and couldn't overstep their elders; secondly, Old Madam Xiao lived with the eldest branch of the family, while Master Xiao was the head of the second branch.
These two bolts of satin did not belong to Miaozhenlou. She couldn't very well take out the satin that the Xiao family had given her, as it wouldn't look good. Besides, the rest of the satin were gifts from people when she went to see a doctor. Of course, they would only give her something like a longevity-themed satin because she was young. So, she had someone buy them from outside.
The gifts alone cost about fifteen taels of silver, which is quite a lot.
Of course, in addition to these items, Miaozhen also had a pair of knee braces made.
The Second Master Xiao was able to amass such a large fortune not only because of his younger brother. He would look at the gift lists from everyone, and among his sons, the Second Master's family gave the most generous gifts, which he knew.
This time, Han Yueyao didn't have to pay out of her own pocket to give gifts to Master Xiao. She had prepared a list and discussed it with Xiao Jingheng. The gifts included a set of brocade clothes, two roast geese, a plate of longevity noodles, and a jar of Jinhua wine.
Lou Qiongyu's gifts were similar to Miaozhen's, but her satin was chosen directly from the fabrics that others had sent.
Miao Zhen's belly was about five months along, and her lower abdomen was protruding more. When she was writing prescriptions for patients, she could feel the baby in her belly move, as if it was greeting her. This gave Miao Zhen a very strange feeling. She wanted to share it with Xiao Jingshi first, but she still had patients in front of her, so she had to finish what she was doing first.
"Your back pain is so bad that you can't straighten up, walk or lie down with difficulty, and you can't bend over or straighten up. It's nothing but living in damp and low-lying places all year round, which has damaged your kidney essence. That's why you're like this. Just take this Qing'e Pill. Take thirty pills each time. Remember not to take it when you have a cold," Miaozhen said with a smile.
Because these Qing'e pills are made from walnuts, and since Lou Qiongyu had sent them over last time, she made quite a few and divided them into several bottles. Unexpectedly, they actually came in handy.
The patient asked, "How much will it cost?"
The entire consultation and medication cost seven qian (a unit of weight), which she accepted and had the patient escorted out. Then another woman came in; this woman was fifty years old and had been suffering from hemorrhage for a year, despite taking numerous medications.
Miaozhen couldn't help but ask, "What happened to you a year ago? How did you suddenly suffer from hemorrhage?"
Seeing that Miaozhen was the only one in the room, the woman wiped away her tears and said, "My lady, you don't know that I only have one son whom I cherish like a treasure. I never thought he would leave so suddenly, without leaving behind any children. Do you think I should cry?"
"It seems the root of the problem lies here. The Inner Canon says that when Yin is deficient and Yang is excessive, it leads to collapse. You, sir, have been too sad, resulting in insufficient Yin and excessive Yang. Therefore, you cannot take strong tonics because your blood is hot and dissipated, not caused by cold."
After saying that, he prescribed a large dose of Huanglian Jiedu Decoction, and then had her grind two liang of Cyperus rotundus, two liang of Paeonia lactiflora, and one liang of Angelica sinensis into a fine powder. He instructed her to drink the Huanglian Jiedu Decoction, then mix the three herbs with water and take them, and finally take Areca nut pills.
These were all common herbs. Miaozhen invited the old woman to sit in the main hall and had the servant grind the herbs in the pharmacy. Once everything was ready, she stamped it and handed it over to the woman's maid.
Thus, Miaozhen shared with Xiao Jingshi, "The baby actually moved inside my belly. I originally planned to come over then, but a patient came over, so it wasn't convenient to come."
Xiao Jingshi gently stroked her belly with a hint of awe, and asked suspiciously, "Why isn't there any movement?"
"So you need to talk to it often, so it gets used to you and will start talking to you," Miaozhen said with a smile.
Xiao Jingshi said with some distress, "Unfortunately, I'm going to Nanjing next month. We'll talk about it when I get back."
Miaozhen didn't want to disturb him any longer, so she went back to her room to rest. In the afternoon, she asked Xiaoxi to take the key upstairs and get a piece of blue silk and some blue gauze, and have someone make a set of clothes for Madam Xiao.
Since these three people's birthdays all fall on the same day, Miaozhen has to prepare in advance for all of them.
It is said that the old woman took the medicine home, and a few days later, she came back for a follow-up visit, saying that she had improved a lot and specially brought two taels of silver and two bolts of Hangzhou silk.
Miaozhen told her to continue taking the medicine until she recovered.
The old woman was introduced by Madam Chao, and she went to Madam Chao's place to thank her for recommending the doctor. Madam Chao smiled and said, "It's nothing. It's better that you're better than anything else. My son is studying medicine, but he doesn't treat this kind of disease."
Hearing this, Xia Xianjie unconsciously touched her stomach. She had been taking the medicine for a month, but there was no effect at all. Xu Miaozhen's medical skills were so good, so why was it useless to her?
Could it be that she deliberately prescribed herself bad medicine?
Thinking of this, she stopped taking the medicine after returning to her room. "They want me to take it for three months? They're just trying to fool me. Anyway, everyone will only praise her medical skills and talk badly about me."
Linglong had no choice but to take the medicine away. Seeing that Xia Xianjie was lying on the couch again and couldn't get up, she couldn't help but say, "You should rest for a while."
The eldest son and eldest daughter-in-law had been locked in a fierce battle until dawn last night, and today they have to go to the eldest daughter-in-law's place to pay their respects. No wonder they're exhausted. And the eldest son is quite something; he even dragged her into a session this morning, which she found almost unbearable.
However, Xia Xianjie herself was not restrained in her sexual activity, and after she stopped taking the medicine, she became even more unrestrained.
Miaozhen would have warned her before, but after learning that she was stirring things up behind her back, Miaozhen stopped saying anything. Saying such things too often would only annoy people.
Chao Shi only had one son, Xiao Jingyan, who was already twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, but had no children. How could she not be anxious? She couldn't help but feel even more resentful towards Xia Xianjie. There were many ways for mothers-in-law to torment their daughters-in-law, but Chao Shi didn't beat or scold her. Instead, she made Xia Xianjie copy scriptures for her in her room.
Constantly pestering her son is just draining his energy. Letting her copy scriptures will help her calm down.
Even when Old Madam Xiao called, Madam Chao said that Sister Xia Xian was sincerely copying scriptures in order to have a son, so Old Madam Xiao stopped.
Meanwhile, at the end of July, Miaozhen learned something. The county magistrate's wife sent someone to say that her name had been submitted, but she was not selected to enter the palace and was left out.
Although Miaozhen was somewhat sad and lost, she thought that things in life could not always go as planned.
If she could be easily dismissed, it meant she wasn't good enough. So, besides taking care of her pregnancy, she continued to read medical books and study prescriptions.
Xiao Jingshi didn't know about Miaozhen's situation, but seeing that she was more diligent than usual, he said, "You should also take care of your health."
"Well, I don't have much to do right now, so it's not good to just sit around doing nothing. I might as well read some books," Miaozhen said with a smile.
Xiao Jingshi thought it was no wonder that she was already quite famous and wealthy at such a young age; she certainly had extraordinary abilities.
As the two were talking, they saw an old lady surnamed Miao outside who had asked her family's platoon leader to bring over a plaque that read "Warmth in the Apricot Grove." In addition to the plaque, there were also two ounces of pearls, two bolts of raw silk, a bolt of Jintan hemp cloth, and a bolt of peach-red satin.
Miaozhen went out to attend to some social engagements, and had the plaque hung in the main hall before entering the house to speak with Xiao Jingshi.
Xiao Jingshi asked, "Why such a grand ceremony? Have you cured someone?"
"That Miao woman was heavy-set and had been infertile for a long time. She had tried all sorts of remedies and folk cures for having a child. I treated her once and found that she had gained weight due to an improper diet, which caused her uterus to become blocked. So I helped her clear phlegm and replenish her qi. Now, because she took my medicine, she is pregnant and has come here to give thanks."
Xiao Jingshi laughed and said, "My wife is really amazing."
Miao Zhen rarely heard a compliment from her, so she just smiled. When this reached Xia Xian's ears, she couldn't help but feel that Miao Zhen had deliberately refused to help her, and she even harbored resentment towards her.
Ping An was living with the pageboy in the study. The pageboy was almost molested by Xiao Er's patron. Knowing Miao Zhen's character, Ping An immediately begged her for help. Miao Zhen immediately went to Xiao Jingshi. Xiao Jingshi investigated and told Xiao Er, who then kicked the patron out.
To express his gratitude, the page boy specially brought a table of food and drink. Miaozhen knew that this child was clever and would always bring patients in whenever they came to the door without ever refusing them. Therefore, she simply comforted him, saying, "Now that the thief has left, you can go about your business in peace."
The pageboy knelt down, kowtowed, and went out, but was seen by Xia Xianjie, who loved to walk with ghostly steps. She was a troublemaker, and now that Xiao Jingshi was not there, the pageboy went into the room and had an idea in mind.
Right then and there, someone stood guard where Xiao Jingshi had passed and stepped forward to ask, "Are you hosting a banquet today?"
"No, not at all." Xiao Jingshi said and then turned to leave.
Xia Xianjie said, "I saw your wife and a pageboy drinking together. They were having a lively time behind closed doors."
Not to mention that Xiao Jingshi already knew about the pageboy's affair, Miaozhen was not that kind of person. He was originally a fiery person who would get angry at the slightest provocation, but he had restrained himself a bit because of his studies. Now that he saw Sister Xia Xian talking nonsense, he immediately pulled out his riding whip from his sleeve: "You wicked woman, what are you saying? Try talking nonsense again!"
Xia Xianjie thought that even men couldn't stand this kind of thing, let alone Xiao Jingshi, who was proud and arrogant. Unexpectedly, he pulled out his riding whip and looked like an angry Vajra. The whip almost hit the ground, and she was so frightened that she ran away as fast as she could.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
