Chapter 61 (Combined Chapter)
Miaozhen didn't have much social interaction with the third branch of the Xiao family. Firstly, she needed to focus on her exams, and secondly, she felt that keeping her distance would make it less likely for her to get involved in other people's family affairs.
She had many wives and concubines, and her brothers did not share the same mother. Madam Rao was stubborn and headstrong, so she would almost never approach them except on necessary occasions.
Now that things have settled, Xiao Jingshi moved in on a set date. The house has five courtyards, so it's very spacious for everyone. Mei Shi has her own courtyard, Miaozhen and Xiao Jingshi left the main house empty and lived in the fourth courtyard, and their children each lived in the side rooms while they lived in the main house.
After everything was settled, Xiao Jingshi invited a chef over and hosted a banquet for the three families. Miaozhen also generously cooked some desserts herself.
Seeing how exquisite the pastries were, Madam Gao couldn't help but laugh and say, "Fourth sister-in-law, you have this skill too!"
"I hope you all don't mind," Miaozhen said with a smile as she sat down.
This Ms. Gao married into the family at the age of twenty-four. She was like someone who wore a shell, as if she had stepped out of the "Admonitions for Women". It is said that she delayed her marriage because she was observing mourning for her grandparents.
However, Gao's performance was perfect, which made Rao seem unhappy, especially since Gao had a good relationship with the other two wives of concubines, which also made Rao uncomfortable.
Miaozhen had seen countless people and could naturally understand the pros and cons, so she rarely got involved.
When Cen Yuan saw that Xiao Jingshi and Miao Zhen had moved to a new house, and remembered that the second branch of the Xiao family was very wealthy, yet they all wore white robes, he thought of a scholar who had bought Xiao Jingshi's house, and it seemed that he was coming in with great force.
He was unaware that Xiao Jingshi had gone out in the past few days to visit the residences of Governor Lu and Minister Huang in the capital, carrying letters from Commander Huang and preparing generous gifts. He had not met Minister Huang in the palace, but he had met Governor Lu.
After seeing off the third branch of the family, Miaozhen had Jinchai help Meishi down to rest. Only then did the couple relax and breathe a sigh of relief.
Xiao Jingshi hadn't had a proper conversation with Miaozhen these past few days, as he had been busy. Miaozhen had also been busy. Now that the two of them were finally talking about their feelings, he said, "Although you were a little nervous in front of the imperial physician that day, I knew you would definitely pass."
"Why? Is it because you think my medical skills are quite good?" Miaozhen asked.
Xiao Jingshi shook his head: "If I call you from so far away, you'll usually do it unless you're really bad."
Miaozhen slapped him: "You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth."
He was just teasing Miao Zhen. Seeing her pouting, he added, "Actually, you don't need to say anything. With so much experience, you're much better than those who are all show and no substance."
Miaozhen leaned on his shoulder and whispered, "Jingshi, do you know? What makes me happiest is not going to the capital, but going to the capital with you. It's really good that we, as husband and wife, can each work hard."
"Oh dear, you're the one who's leading me now," Xiao Jingshi said with a smile.
Miaozhen shook her head: "You know me, sometimes I'm a bit of a hypocrite. If I were given someone's letter, I wouldn't know what to do."
As Xiao Jingshi watched her speak, a strand of her hair fell down and slid down to her fair cheek. He couldn't help but lean forward, and before Miaozhen could react, he had pressed her down onto the bed.
What's wrong? You always do this after only two or three sentences without saying a word.
Miaozhen was so exhausted from being "bullied" by him that she glared at him and said, "You clearly know that people have a lot to say, but you still do this. I'm scared of you."
"What did you say? I'm listening." Xiao Jingshi propped his head up and looked at her, finding her even more adorable.
Miaozhen tried to recall what she wanted to say, but seemed to have forgotten.
Seeing that Miaozhen was speechless, Xiao Jingshi laughed loudly, "Where did your brain fly off to?"
"Sometimes I really want to hit you." Miaozhen was also a little discouraged.
Xiao Jingshi noticed her dark circles and the few strands of hair falling down, realizing she was overthinking. He covered her eyes with his hand and said, "Go to sleep. We can talk about it tomorrow."
The next day, Miaozhen woke up refreshed and had breakfast with Madam Mei. She was very happy, and Madam Mei was even more proud, especially since her daughter had answered questions fluently in front of the imperial physicians and the officials of the Directorate of Ceremonial. She couldn't help but say, "I won't have to worry about you in the future. If your younger brother can be like you, I won't have to worry about anything."
“Of course it’s possible. The Chao family’s school of learning is very good. Look at my brother-in-law. Although he has the help of Instructor Ding, he still received better education outside the family.” Miaozhen said with a smile.
The main reason is that the children raised by her parents are all hardworking. As long as they have normal intelligence and talent, their parents give them their full support, and they have someone to guide them, it is difficult to pass the imperial examination, but it is possible to pass the provincial examination.
After finishing her breakfast, Madam Mei said shyly, "I miss your father and my two younger brothers a little."
"Soon. I've passed the interview now. After I enter the palace, I've heard that once I've finished treating patients, I don't need to go back to the palace. So, I'll send you back then," Miaozhen said.
Madam Mei patted her daughter's hand: "You should go about your own business first, it's alright with me."
Miaozhen smiled and said, "Don't say that. I was just telling your son-in-law yesterday that since you've come all this way to the capital, we should take a stroll around the city together."
"That's great, but I'm afraid it will cause you trouble," said Madam Mei with a troubled expression.
Miaozhen waved her hand: "He usually agrees to whatever I say, so you don't need to worry."
In fact, Madam Mei was also very curious about how the two of them had become so close, so she couldn't help but ask, "Is the way your son-in-law treats you in private different from how he treats you in public?"
“It’s no different. Sometimes I’m too blunt and don’t care about other people’s feelings at all. Like, when people know how I performed that day, they’ll definitely say I was amazing. He said that since they let you come, they’ll definitely let you go. Can you believe there are people like that?” Miaozhen said, getting angry again.
Mei said, "That's really tactless."
For some reason, whenever she heard others talking about him, Miaozhen still felt compelled to explain: "No, it's not that. He just likes to tease me."
Seeing her daughter like this, Madam Mei knew that the couple had a good relationship, and said, "At first I was worried that a forced relationship wouldn't be sweet, but I didn't expect that you two could be like this."
“Of course you mean well, but Father probably thinks he’s a good person, which is why he did this. I’m lucky, though. If I had met someone who hated me and couldn’t see any of my good points, the marriage would never have lasted,” Miaozhen said.
The mother and daughter chatted like this, while Xiao Jingshi continued reading in his study. In the afternoon, his third uncle introduced him to some officials.
Now that the father and son of the third branch of the family are both serving in the same court, the Xiao family has an even stronger sense of being a scholarly family. Madam Mei nodded at Miaozhen: "The Lu Shi'an I told you about last time, he and your third brother are both in the Hanlin Academy. I asked your third sister-in-law, and she said that your third brother has now gone to the Censorate as a Censor, but Lu Shi'an has been left behind as an editor."
Miaozhen didn't understand Lu Shi'an, and said, "Now that he has passed the imperial examination and is doing well in his official career, why would he still remember us? Besides, when he proposed to me back then, I had already promised to marry him. Now that he has married the daughter of a high-ranking official, he probably doesn't want to talk about the past."
“That’s true, but you don’t need to be afraid of her. You are now qualified to enter the palace,” said Madam Mei.
Miaozhen nodded.
Now, Lu Shi'an, having risen from a junior compiler to an editor, was considered one of the best in the Hanlin Academy. In recent years, since marrying the fourth daughter of the Cheng family, his career had been extremely smooth. However, there was one problem: his sister-in-law seemed to dislike him very much and was always trying to sow discord between him and his wife.
Today was another day like this. After returning from the Xu family, Cheng Shu, the fourth daughter of the Cheng family, was not in a good mood. She said to Lu Shi'an, "Sister is really something. She said something about being arrogant because she has achieved success. The man she married is twenty-three years older than her. At least the age difference between you and me is not that big. Her third son will be taking the imperial examination next year."
Every time she had her period, Lu Shi'an would warm her stomach and feet. She was the one who made the decisions at home. She was a proper first wife, which was better than her sister being a second wife.
When Lu Shi'an encountered his wife complaining about his sister, he said instead, "To be honest, it's because I haven't done well enough that your sister has a prejudice against me."
Cheng Shu said sweetly, "You've done more than enough. My mother and father both love you."
Lu Shi'an smiled and said to her, "From the first moment I saw you, I knew you were the kind of person who was not vain at all and only valued status. Otherwise, I wouldn't have risked sending you a letter."
Cheng Shu knew that the Lu family had also taken a liking to Lu Shi'an back then. The Lu family's daughter was beautiful and had a better appearance than her own family, but Lu Shi'an didn't look at his sister or the Lu family's daughter, but only liked her.
He was also a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), and Cheng Shu didn't find anything wrong with Lu Shi'an.
“I am naturally aware of your feelings for me.” Cheng Shu couldn’t help but lower her head.
Lu Shi'an said, "Yes, my aunt originally intended for me to marry the daughter of a scholar from our family, but fortunately, that family looked down on my humble background and married their daughter into a wealthy family instead, so they no longer agreed. Now that I think about it, our marriage was preordained."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Shu blushed again. Lu Shi'an embraced her, feeling smug. He thought to himself that the Xu family was blind to talent. After his story was told by one of his colleagues, who happened to have a theatrical troupe, they put on a small play called "The Story of Hanshan," which tells the story of how Master Xu looked down on Scholar Lu for his poverty, and how Governor Cheng recognized his talent.
Such a minor drama naturally didn't reach Miaozhen so quickly. She had already received an imperial decree to treat Empress Fang's illness and had to change into palace attire. She couldn't enter the palace in her usual clothes. With her hair in a high bun and wearing colorful clothes, she looked much more luxurious.
Xiao Jingshi looked at Miaozhen: "Why aren't you nervous today?"
“My initial nervousness stemmed primarily from a desire to save face. Now that I’ve been summoned to the palace, I’m not afraid of medical treatment. I’ve seen all sorts of difficult and complicated illnesses over the years. I haven’t heard of Her Majesty the Empress having any serious illnesses either, so I’m not nervous anymore,” Miaozhen said.
Xiao Jingshi didn't expect her to be so frank, and quite adorable, especially when she said she was concerned about saving face. He laughed again and looked at her, saying, "If it were anywhere else, I could accompany you, but I can't accompany you to the palace. Be careful."
Miaozhen laughed and said, "I know. I'm not after the reward, I just want a good background, like a Buddha statue being gilded."
People in the palace are not easy to deal with. Miaozhen always felt that it was a high-risk profession. She thought it was enough to just get some prestige for herself, but she shouldn't be too greedy. Sometimes, a little ambition is good, but too much ambition will backfire.
Xiao Jingshi thought she was frighteningly clear-headed. In a place where the third branch of the Xiao family were all officials, she was able to completely calm down and keep memorizing those medical books and reviewing past treatment plans. Now, when she entered the palace to treat the Empress, she was very calm and low-key.
He even felt that Miaozhen's high-profile entry into the palace was only to ensure the quality of her medical skills; otherwise, she probably wouldn't have entered the palace.
Miaozhen certainly wanted to show off, even make it public, but she knew that the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind. As long as she stood out, even the smallest things would be exaggerated, so it was better to keep a low profile.
Accompanying her to the palace was a female doctor named Huang, who was selected from Fujian. She was twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old and specialized in dentistry. She was there to treat Empress Fang's eye ailment.
The two of them were in the same place, where a special female official taught them etiquette. Huang Yifu was a very talkative person. Her Mandarin was not very good at first, but she gradually got better and better, which put pressure on Miaozhen.
The capital city is truly a place teeming with talent; I must work harder myself.
After leaving the Inner Palace Bureau, Huang Qiaoying said to Miaozhen, "I learned those rules very quickly. They're not difficult at all. It's just that we haven't had the chance to do so. Don't you think so?"
Miao Zhen remained silent. At home, she could talk about anything with Xiao Jingshi, but in a place like the palace, where there were ears everywhere, she couldn't speak freely.
But it wouldn't be good not to respond, so she changed the subject, saying, "I heard that your husband also sent you to the capital? Is he still in the capital?"
Huang Qiaoying nodded: "Yes, are you here too?"
“Me too, my husband came to the capital with me,” Miaozhen said with a smile.
The two went out, each receiving their own carriage and returning home. After learning the rules for about half a month, Miaozhen and the others were finally allowed to enter the palace.
Huang Qiaoying was very curious about everything in the palace, while Miaozhen, having traveled from the future, naturally knew about things like palace maids plotting to kill Emperor Shizong, and how Empress Fang used this incident to deal with the favored Consort Cao Duan, so she was very cautious.
Of course, even if she didn't know the history, Miaozhen wouldn't be naive. Back when she was in the Cheng family, even though she was doing quite well, she still almost lost her virginity in the end. This shows that the higher up people are, the less they care about the law, and they can do things flawlessly.
Just like the case of Yu Zhoujin, everyone knew what happened at the time, but afterwards many people said that Yu Zhoujin deliberately seduced the Third Master for money, and so on.
The palace walls were very high, with red walls and green tiles. No eunuchs or palace maids were playing around. Miaozhen and Huang Qiaoying followed a eunuch through the main hall, and then two female officials led them to Kunning Palace.
She had visited the Forbidden City in her previous life. Kunning Palace was actually not very big. To be honest, it was not as good as her family's Furongwu, which was situated by a lake.
Upon entering the main hall of Kunning Palace, a young woman sat on a phoenix throne, her appearance dignified. Below her, palace concubines sat in a manner resembling swan wings. Miaozhen and Huang Qiaoying bowed to the palace ladies under the guidance of the female officials.
"This humble citizen, Xu from the Xiao family, greets Her Majesty the Empress and all the ladies."
Huang Qiaoying also bowed in the same manner.
Empress Fang sat upright above, and seeing that Miao Zhen was too young, she couldn't help but ask, "How long have you been studying medicine?"
"Your Majesty," Miaozhen replied calmly, "when I was eight years old, my mother was almost harmed by an incompetent doctor during the delivery of my younger brother, so I resolved to study medicine. It has been twelve years since then. I first became an apprentice of Tao Menru, a famous doctor in our prefecture, and later, by chance, I became an apprentice of Madam Tan, the wife of Lady Yang."
Empress Fang was from Jiangning, so of course she knew of Tan Yunxian's great name. A woman below smiled and said, "So you are a member of the Tan family. You are truly extraordinary."
The speaker was Consort Shen. Although she had no children of her own, she had heard that Princess Ning'an, Zhu Luzhen, who raised Consort Cao's second daughter, was also a person of considerable influence in the harem, even more favored than Consort Du Kang, who had given birth to a prince.
Upon hearing Consort Shen's praise, Miaozhen quickly replied, "This humble woman dares not accept such praise."
"Do you have children?" Empress Fang asked with a smile. As someone in a position of power, she was very willing to show her gentleness to people from the lower classes like Miaozhen.
Miaozhen smiled and said, "I gave birth to a son and a daughter in the twenty-second year of the Jiajing reign."
Upon hearing this, Empress Fang's eyes lit up: "Are they twins, a boy and a girl?"
Miaozhen nodded: "It is precisely because I have nurtured children that I have done a lot of research in pediatrics over the years."
Although superstition is not good, this trick is quite effective. For example, when Miaozhen gave birth to twins, the concubines thought she was very lucky, and this can be considered part of Miaozhen's resume.
In fact, Miaozhen could sense that the concubines in the palace were all very lonely, so she was very curious about the newcomers who entered the palace, such as when Miaozhen gave birth to twins and about her husband's family.
"I also got married in the twenty-second year of Jiajing's reign. My husband was just a scholar who received his provincial degree that year. It was a coincidence that he went to the capital to take the imperial examination this year, and I was also summoned to the capital, so we went to the capital together." Miaozhen spoke with a sweetness that she herself did not realize.
Compared to Miaozhen, Huang Qiaoying was much more talkative. She told some common sayings and jokes from the streets in a vivid and lively way. Miaozhen listened to her from the side and did not mind. On the contrary, she thought it was a good thing that someone took the lead and attracted the conversation.
The two entered the palace and chatted for a while before Empress Fang dismissed them. Miaozhen went to see Consort Wang for treatment, while Huang Qiaoying stayed with Empress Fang. It was only then that Miaozhen learned that Consort Wang was the birth mother of Crown Prince Zhu Zai Rui. Miaozhen only knew that after Jiajing Emperor came Prince Yu, and was unaware that there had been a Crown Prince before him.
Consort Wang was quite plump, with a round face and a soft voice. She lived in Yude Palace, one of the six western palaces of the inner court, which was quite close to the emperor, and this was enough to show her status.
Now, Miaozhen entered the inner room, keeping her eyes straight ahead, and first asked Consort Wang, "Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell?"
Although the Crown Prince is already ten years old, Consort Wang is actually not very old. She entered the palace in the ninth year of the Jiajing reign and gave birth to the Crown Prince in the fifteenth year. She is only in her early thirties now.
Consort Wang couldn't speak in front of the imperial physicians, so she always diagnosed them through a curtain. Now that she saw Miaozhen, who was also a woman and whose main focus was on treating illnesses, she couldn't help but say, "I don't have any other ailments. It's just that every time my period comes, it goes for a few days and then comes again for a few days."
"When you menstruate, is there a lot of menstrual flow?" Miaozhen carefully noted.
Consort Wang nodded: "Yes, sometimes I have to keep changing my menstrual belt all day long, but the second time it comes, it's not much."
Because Consort Wang was wearing powder, Miaozhen couldn't see her complexion clearly, but she asked, "How is your complexion? How is your sleep? How are you usually?"
She asked very detailed questions, and Consort Wang poured out her heart to this young doctor: "I only sleep well two or three days a month. I can't fall asleep if I go to bed early, but I often have no energy."
Have you taken any medication before?
"The imperial physician said that I had excessive heat in my blood, and that excessive blood and qi caused me to have heavy menstrual flow. He prescribed some medicine, but it didn't seem to help much."
Miaozhen shook her head: "Actually, having abundant blood and qi does not necessarily mean having a lot of menstrual flow, because blood flows through the meridians. If a person is very healthy and has abundant blood and qi, menstruation usually stops in a few days. Only people with blood deficiency, due to repeated blood loss, suffer from blood and qi deficiency, resulting in hollow bone marrow. Qi is the commander of blood, and if qi cannot hold blood, then qi will not return to the meridians."
Seeing that she spoke eloquently, Consort Wang smiled and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you."
"Your Majesty is too kind. This is simply what a common woman should do," Miaozhen said with a smile.
Miaozhen immediately prescribed a modified Siwu Decoction. Siwu Decoction is for replenishing blood. It contains Angelica sinensis, Ligusticum chuanxiong, Paeonia lactiflora, and Rehmannia glutinosa. Adding Atractylodes macrocephala and Schizonepeta tenuifolia can replenish the middle energizer and boost qi, and also guide blood back to its proper channels. Cornus officinalis and Dipsacus asper can enhance the tonification of the liver and kidneys, and also replenish essence and blood to stop bleeding. Glycyrrhiza uralensis can harmonize the properties of all the herbs.
Miaozhen wrote out the prescription, and Consort Wang instructed her to take it to the Imperial Hospital. She then kept Miaozhen behind to speak, saying, "You must have had a long and tiring journey to the capital."
"Fortunately, the scenery along the way was beautiful..." Miaozhen only talked about local customs and traditions, or her experience of seeing a doctor, and the popular food in Suzhou, without mentioning anything that would annoy her.
Consort Wang bestowed upon her two bolts of brocade satin with gold embroidery, two bolts of jacquard silk, two strings of fragrant beads, and six rings. Miaozhen hurriedly said, "Your Highness is really too much."
Consort Wang smiled and said, "It's nothing. Come to the palace in a few days, and I'll have something better for you."
Thus, Miaozhen had no choice but to leave the palace with the gifts. Huang Qiaoying, like her, also received many gifts. She said to Miaozhen, "These ladies are so kind. I wish I could keep going to the palace."
Miaozhen smiled and said, "Then I wish you all the best in achieving your wish soon."
The palace carriage brought them back, carrying palace satin with it, making quite a grand return. Upon seeing this, Lady Mei exclaimed with delight, "The palace is truly different!"
"Actually, I feel that they may not all have a comfortable life in the palace. There are too many rules. I don't even dare to breathe loudly in the palace." Miaozhen still feels more comfortable at home.
When Xiao Jingshi saw Miaozhen showing them the rewards, he said, "I didn't even know that Consort Wang was the Crown Prince's birth mother. I almost embarrassed myself."
She was happy about what others were eager to do, but she didn't want to gain anything from it; she was only thinking about how to cure her illness.
Xiao Jingshi then said, "If the Crown Prince were to ascend the throne—"
"Let's not say that. There are many Imperial Guards in the capital, so we must be careful with our words and actions." Miaozhen knew that scholars loved to discuss current affairs, and the discussions among the people in the teahouse were almost reaching the sky.
Seeing this, Xiao Jingshi had no choice but to say, "Alright, alright, I won't say anything more. I'll listen to you, okay?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
