Chapter 70 (combined with Chapter 70)
Lou Qiongyu was initially worried, but to her surprise, Xiao Jingshi came out of the main room the next day in a good mood, all smiles. She then went to see Miaozhen, who, although still in bed, seemed to be in good spirits.
"Sister-in-law, have you and Fourth Brother made up?" she asked cautiously.
Miaozhen smiled and nodded: "We've made up. Actually, we were just bickering."
Lou Qiongyu breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good, that's good, I was so worried."
The two sisters-in-law talked about some household chores, and then Lou Qiongyu brought up the matter of the third wife: "Their child doesn't know anything about vegetables, and doesn't eat eggs or meat. She often only eats yams. Isn't that strange?"
“Children like this are prone to osteoporosis. For example, a normal, healthy child might fall and be fine, but a child with osteoporosis might fracture a bone if they fall.” Miaozhen shrugged.
Lou Qiongyu thought to herself that Fifth Sister-in-law could have gone to Fourth Sister-in-law for treatment. She only knew that Fourth Sister-in-law was good at gynecology before, but now she was also quite proficient in pediatric massage.
Unfortunately, Fifth Sister-in-law seemed to have some issues with Fourth Sister-in-law, so she preferred to find an outsider to treat her illness rather than Fourth Sister-in-law.
However, although there are good doctors outside, it is very rare to find a truly qualified one. Fortunately, I wasn't that foolish.
When it was said that Madam Zhang had come to visit, Lou Qiongyu took the initiative to say, "I'll go and send her away."
When Zhang heard that Miaozhen was ill, she came to visit her. Lou Qiongyu smiled and said, "My sister-in-law needs to rest quietly. Even people from the palace haven't been able to go in yet. Let's talk about it another day."
"Alright, then." Since Xiao Jingshi rejected her yesterday, and Xu Shi seemed to be wary of her as well, Zhang Shi had no choice but to leave.
In fact, she didn't want to make a big fuss, but life was too dull and boring. Her husband was practically an appendage of the Earl of Jingshan's sons, and he was away from home all year round. She seemed to be living a life of luxury for a month, but she was left alone in her empty room.
But no one would see her, so she had no choice but to go back dejectedly.
Miao Zhen really thinks that adults also have many things to do, so why do they start looking for other people when they feel lonely? And how can they be so shameless when they clearly know that the other person is married?
After resting and recuperating for several days, Miaozhen regained her energy. She looked at the medical invitation that had been brought to her, replied to it, and the person soon came to her door.
The woman who came was about fifty years old. She sat down and said, "I have been having pain in my chest for more than ten years. I have taken a lot of medicine but it has not helped."
Miaozhen noticed that the area she was pressing was the precordial region, so she asked to examine her tongue. Her tongue was dark purple with a thin, yellowish coating, and her pulse was deep and thready. She then asked, "What do you do?"
“When I was young, I supported my whole family by spinning and weaving. I sat from morning till night, and I still had to work at night, so it was very tiring.” The woman pounded her chest as she spoke.
"Do you often have trouble sleeping? When you can't sleep, do you feel dizzy or have tinnitus?" Miaozhen continued to ask.
The woman nodded: "I often suffer from insomnia. I only sleep well a few days a month, and I can't sleep at all."
"Is it normal for you to need to urinate or defecate during meals?" Miaozhen asked again.
The woman shook her head: "Not very good."
Miaozhen had her lie down on the bed again. Seeing that her lower limbs were swollen, she asked her questions again before saying, "Your spleen and stomach are not in harmony, which is why you have palpitations and shortness of breath. It is a case of qi deficiency with blood stasis. I will prescribe some medicine to invigorate qi, strengthen the spleen, and remove blood stasis."
After saying that, he prescribed a modified Xiangsha Liujunzi Decoction, a two-month supply.
The woman left two taels of silver as payment, and Miaozhen had her maid escort her out.
Before the medical record was even finished, someone came to the door carrying an infant. The infant was a month old, but his face was still yellowish-orange. The woman said, "Some members of my family say it's a demon and they want to bury the child alive. Doctor Xu, what kind of illness is this?"
"Sit down first, let me take a look. It's definitely not a demon." Miaozhen shook her head. This is the importance of a doctor; otherwise, many such things would happen because of ignorance.
The child's eyes were yellow and his urine was red, his tongue was red with a yellow and greasy coating, and his fingertips were purple and stagnant. It should be jaundice. She said, "This is also called breast milk jaundice. The person who is breastfeeding should be more restrained in her diet, and the breastfeeding mother should eat small meals and breastfeed frequently, with each feeding not exceeding 15 minutes. She should also get more sun exposure on a daily basis. As for me, I will prescribe some Artemisia capillaris decoction."
Seeing Miaozhen's calm tone, the mother, who had just finished her postpartum confinement, became even more at ease. If even the doctor found it difficult to treat, then it must be a serious illness.
The woman thanked her profusely, and Miaozhen had someone wrap up the medicine and prescription for her, charging her five qian for the consultation and the medicine.
Six or seven more people came in succession. Miaozhen was not in a hurry because of the large number of patients. She had to carefully diagnose each one. There was also one person who needed to wait for moxibustion in the afternoon and would have to come back in the afternoon.
Other people's children and adults all go to the doctor, and her own child is no exception. Fu Jie'er and Zhao Ge'er are both older and their resistance is much stronger, but Zheng Ge'er is only one year old. Miao Zhen specially asked his wet nurse to bring him over and check him carefully. She was relieved to see that he was alright.
Let Zhengge'er's wet nurse stay here with the child. She picked up a book and started reading about the treatment of cranial fontanelle. The traditional Chinese medicine treatment of cranial detachment is the same as the Western medicine treatment of hydrocephalus, which is common between six months and seven years old.
She looked up and saw that Xiao Jingshi had already returned. "How did it go by so fast? My shoulders are really sore."
Xiao Jingshi quickly came over to massage her. Miao Zhen felt so comfortable that her scalp tingled. The massage was strong enough, and Miao Zhen was very good at handling pressure, so it felt very comfortable.
“You usually massage me, but today I’ll massage you a little longer,” Xiao Jingshi said, bending down.
Miaozhen laughed and said, "Once I start reading, I lose track of time. Have you eaten yet? I'll have someone set the table."
"No rush, let me massage you for a while first," Xiao Jingshi said, pressing her down.
After their last argument, Xiao Jingshi was actually a little scared. The woman he was dealing with wouldn't usually throw a tantrum, but if they really separated, she would have her own plans and would think everything through in advance.
The thought of her leaving him filled Xiao Jingshi with fear.
It was also said that Xiao Jingtian was being transferred to a post outside the capital, and Gao wanted to go with him. Miaozhen sent Cheng Yi over and saw that there was another concubine standing next to Gao, who seemed to have no presence at all.
Madam Gao was doing this entirely for her own reputation, afraid that people would say she was jealous, so she insisted on having a woman by her side. This time, she didn't give her any more birth control pills, since the concubine was already pregnant. She did everything perfectly, but Miaozhen was in great pain.
No one in the world would willingly share a husband with whom they have a good relationship. Gao uses these tactics to make herself appear invincible, and it's true that Rao is becoming increasingly powerless.
But she could only keep these words to herself. Madam Gao, on the other hand, said to Miaozhen very warmly, "This winter, your fourth brother and the others will be selected for the Imperial Academy. You should try to make connections with them. It would be best if they could stay in the Imperial Academy."
Although Gao suspected Miaozhen about Qiuyue's previous incident, she thought, why ruin her relationship with her sister-in-law for a servant? Besides, among the next generation of the Xiao family, only her fourth cousin and husband passed the imperial examination and ranked among the top, so the two of them could look out for each other in the officialdom.
Moreover, Miaozhen treats all her ailments, big and small, as well as her children's illnesses, and she always does her best to help.
"I've remembered what Third Sister-in-law said. I'll tell Jingshi when I get back," Miaozhen said.
Madam Gao added, "You often treat the illnesses of high-ranking officials and nobles, so you can try to smooth things over when the time is right."
Miaozhen smiled without saying a word. The person was only seeking her medical treatment, and unless they specifically asked, she really couldn't use this to seek anything in return. Especially since her status was different now; she had the right to enter the palace with an imperial plaque, and many concubines trusted her. The higher she climbed, the more she needed to maintain her integrity.
Moreover, the Xiao family is quite wealthy, so Xiao Jingshi should be concerned about his future.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, do you know Fourth Grandma Tong?"
As Miaozhen was pondering the question, she heard Liu ask her. She shook her head, then thought for a moment and said, "Are you talking about that woman whose maiden name is Xu? Lord Qiu's cousin?"
Liu said, "Yes, the Tong family has also been relocated. When I went back to my parents' home last year, I heard her asking about you."
How could she not inquire? She even said that her female teacher was named Xu Miaozhen. Although her own name was similar to "Zihan," she was quite certain that Lady Qiu only had one disciple named Xu Miaozhen.
“I met her once last time; maybe she was curious about me,” Miaozhen said with a smile.
Liu had always secretly disliked Miaozhen and often suppressed her. Today, however, she took the initiative to bring it up. Miaozhen probably guessed that it was because of her child's illness. Although she didn't like Liu very much, the child was innocent. Therefore, after Liu mentioned the child, Miaozhen took the initiative to say, "Why don't you let me take a look?"
Throughout the journey, Mrs. Liu kept talking about the child's problems: "He won't eat ginseng or deer antler, he's so thin and weak, he doesn't like snacks or staple foods, and yesterday he had loose stools after eating something that was slightly cooled down."
Miaozhen went to see Liu's son, who was also her nephew, Kuige'er. Kuige'er was simply weak in the spleen and stomach, so she first massaged the child, kneading Banmen, calming the liver, clearing the stomach, tonifying the spleen, rubbing the four transverse lines, kneading the four seams, kneading Zusanli, kneading Sanyinjiao, kneading Pishu, and pinching the spine.
After doing this, she said, "You don't need to eat too much meat on a regular basis. Make some poria, jujube and millet porridge. I'll prescribe some Fuzi Lizhong Pills. Dissolve one pill in a cup of water to make seven parts. Children can't drink it all at once; they need to drink it in two or three doses."
Mrs. Liu breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you then."
"No need to thank me. Kui-ge'er is my nephew, so it's only right. I'll have someone bring the pills when we get back." Miao-zhen had no intention of making peace with Liu-shi. Although Liu-shi wasn't as lenient as Xia-xian-jie, she had still ostracized her because of Lu Shi-an's matter.
After leaving Liu's place, she saw Xiao Suyin. Xiao Suyin is now a devout Buddhist and is very popular because of her usual sermons. However, her relationship with Cen Yuan and his wife is becoming increasingly cold.
Upon seeing Miaozhen, Xiao Suyin also invited her to attend the Buddhist assembly. Miaozhen replied, "It's not that I don't want to go, it's just that I feel sleepy as soon as I get there, and I don't want to disturb you."
Xiao Suyin smiled and said, "Alright then, but just let me know if you want to come."
"rest assured."
Returning home from the third house, Miaozhen thought that women in ancient times also worked very hard to live their own lives. Gao Shi improved her status through social interaction, Xiao Suyin developed her reputation by reciting Buddhist scriptures, and there was even a talented woman named Mrs. Wang, whose husband was a womanizer. She wrote excellent poems and organized poetry gatherings. Whoever was chosen as the champion at her poetry gatherings would become famous throughout the capital.
There are even many unmarried women who do not want to get married and choose to live with their parents by becoming nuns.
Upon returning, Miaozhen saw that Xie Dengzhi's wife, a colleague of Xiao Jingshi, had come over. Miaozhen invited her to sit down, and Mrs. Xie said to her, "Do you still remember Mrs. Lin? Her family hasn't been doing well lately. Her only son passed away, and the elderly couple both fell ill. Although they aren't seriously ill, they need to take medicine year-round. They haven't received their salaries this month, so I was thinking of sending them some food and clothing. But you know they are very strong-willed people. I came to ask you for advice."
"I don't have any ideas right now." Miaozhen also finds it difficult to get people with strong pride to accept things. If you give something away for free, they will think you are doing charity and will treat a great favor as a great enmity.
Mrs. Xie thought to herself that it made sense. The Xiao family was very wealthy, so they would definitely accept gifts from them. The only concern was that the Lin family might not accept them. So she said, "I have an idea. Her embroidery skills are excellent. Why don't we give her some embroidery pieces and ask her to help us? That way, we can send more gifts over."
Miaozhen agreed: "That's a good idea. My son Zheng is at the age where he grows quickly and wears out his clothes fast. It's a good time to go see Mrs. Lin."
Mrs. Xie smiled and said, "I knew you would agree. You usually give medicine to the poor, so you've done a good deed."
Miaozhen said a few words of modesty, then asked Mrs. Xie, "How is Xian-ge'er?"
"After your treatment, my health has improved a lot, and I'm starting to grow taller now," Mrs. Xie said.
Miaozhen chatted with her for a few more minutes before having someone see her out. Two days later, she personally brought Zhengge'er to visit Madam Lin and explained their purpose. Madam Lin knew that Miaozhen was helping her family, but she could accept this method, so she agreed. Therefore, Miaozhen sent a bushel of white rice, six strings of cured meat, and some seasonal vegetables and fruits over.
Madam Lin, having benefited from the situation, went around praising Madam Xie's kindness and righteousness. Xiao Xi said somewhat indignantly, "Madam Lin really doesn't know what's good for her. You clearly put in a lot of effort as well."
“But this idea was suggested by Mrs. Xie, so why worry so much? Let’s each do our part,” Miaozhen said.
"Didn't you say you were going to close down this year? Everyone's working so hard, how come you..." Xiao Xi asked, puzzled.
Miaozhen said, "There are some things that we shouldn't worry about, so we should worry less about them. For example, I know how to handle my own affairs, and he knows how to handle his own affairs as well."
Just like how she didn't want to enter the palace, but Xiao Jingshi insisted on helping her, he must have been annoyed.
Xiao Jingshi tells her what to do, and she will do it, but if she goes around socializing haphazardly on her own, it will backfire and be counterproductive.
In fact, Xiao Jingshi was not used to searching for and extracting phrases in the Hanlin Academy. Although staying in the Hanlin Academy had a good future, it almost always required perseverance, and only a handful of people could get promoted. Rather than that, he would rather go to the Six Ministries or the Court of Judicial Review to do some real work.
His scholarship was only average in the Hanlin Academy, which was full of outstanding scholars, which suited him perfectly.
The Imperial Son-in-Law, Marquis of Jingshan, Cui Yuan, passed away in July. Zhang, who lived next door, was going to the Marquis's mansion with her husband to attend the funeral. Zhang had no chance with Xiao Jingshi after that, but because of this funeral, she found another target.
That's a story for later. At this moment, Xiao Jingshi came in from outside, his clothes were torn in several places, and he seemed quite excited.
"What's wrong?" Miaozhen hurriedly stepped forward to ask.
Xiao Jingshi said, "Today we went up the mountain together for fun, but we didn't expect to encounter a pack of wolves. All of my colleagues were terrified. One of them, who is usually very serious, was so scared that he lost his hat, and another one even wet his pants. Luckily, I brought a dagger and chased all the wolves away."
"They chased away the wolves? Good heavens, are you alright?" Miaozhen prepared to go to the pharmacy to get medicine.
Xiao Jingshi laughed and said, "I'm fine, it was just a bit dangerous at the time."
Miaozhen made him take off his clothes, carefully examined him, and then clutched her chest, saying, "It's too dangerous. This kind of place is far too dangerous. Never go there again. You're my only husband. If you're really gone, what will happen to me and the children?"
"Why worry about this? It's nothing, don't make a mountain out of a molehill." Xiao Jingshi said dismissively.
Miaozhen replied earnestly, "Then why were you worried when I stayed at the nunnery for one night? Human life is actually very fragile. Everyone, whether poor or rich, is equal in the face of death. Although we doctors are used to seeing life and death, we only hope that our own family members are safe and sound."
Seeing his wife like this, Xiao Jingshi's excitement subsided considerably, and he quickly said, "It's my fault."
“It’s not that you’re bad, you’re very good. I know my husband is a great hero, but as his wife, what I care about most is your life.” Miaozhen shook her head.
Seeing that Miaozhen had been applying medicine to his minor wounds and making him take his medicine, Xiao Jingshi took her hand and said, "I'm sorry, I won't make you worry like this again in the future."
"Forget it, I'm not your mother. If I say too much, I'll just become a nagging old woman. Just keep it to yourself."
An adult must take care of their own life. She recalled Zhang Dun, the prime minister of the Northern Song Dynasty, who once traveled with Su Shi and encountered a tiger. Su Shi dared not linger, but Zhang Dun risked his life to lure the tiger away by banging a gong. Zhang Dun even dared to carve words on a cliff.
Su Shi described him as someone who "could risk his life to kill others."
Miaozhen felt that Xiao Jingshi seemed to be somewhat like this iron-fisted prime minister, adventurous and fierce.
Xiao Jingshi noticed that Miaozhen had changed quite a bit since their last argument. She seemed to be talking to him too, but she no longer focused most of her energy on him like before.
This feeling was awful. He wanted her to care for him, pay attention to him, and always keep her heart with him. Could it be that the honeymoon period was over, and Zhenzhen was starting to feel that she wasn't a good husband anymore, so she didn't truly love him anymore…?
Miaozhen had no idea he was thinking so much. Seeing him sitting naked, she came over and said, "Go to bed first. I'll bring some water later. You don't need to take a bath; just wipe yourself down."
"You still care about me?" Xiao Jingshi was immediately delighted again.
Miaozhen laughed and said, "You're talking nonsense again. You're my husband, who else would I care about if not you?"
Xiao Jingshi felt a pang of sadness; it turned out she only did it because he was her husband…
The next day, Miaozhen received an invitation from Mrs. Wang, inviting her to a flower banquet at Ningyuan Garden. Miaozhen took the invitation and snorted coldly.
It is also said that Mrs. Wang had a fight with Xiao Jingshi and was resentful that Xiao Jingshi did not respect his elders. So this time she sent an invitation to Miaozhen and planned to tell Miaozhen about Xiao Jingshi's bad behavior.
Miaozhen asked Xiaoxi, "Invite that old woman from East Street who wears hair ornaments over. I'm going to a banquet the day after tomorrow. I don't need her to dress me up in a fancy way, but I must look good. I saw that she did a great job doing Madam Luo's makeup last time; she made up her face to perfection."
"You finally want to dress up! When this old lady helps you with your makeup, I'll be watching, and I'll help you with your hair and makeup in the future too." Xiao Xi couldn't wait for Miao Zhen to dress her up more often.
"We need to let Jingshi take a look more." This was the first thing Miaozhen thought of.
Couples shouldn't be inseparable every day; a little novelty now and then is essential to keeping the relationship fresh. But most importantly, women need to shift their focus. If they only focus on their men every day, they'll eventually get annoyed, and they'll have no way out.
Soon the day of the poetry gathering arrived. It was a day off, and Miaozhen was getting ready outside. The old woman who was wearing hair ornaments looked at Miaozhen's face and said, "Grandma, your skin is as white as goat's milk and your eyes are like apricots. However, your eyes are too sharp, and you look particularly shrewd. But for a woman to be beautiful, she should be more gentle, so your hair should be combed up. I will focus on making sure your eyes are painted well."
A true expert's skill is immediately apparent.
Miaozhen nodded: "Okay, just tell me what kind of jewelry you want, and I'll find it for you."
"Jewelry is about quality, not quantity. Don't worry, I'll definitely make sure you look your best."
See, as long as you have the money, becoming beautiful is very simple.
After dressing up, even Miaozhen never expected to look so beautiful. She lifted the curtain and saw Xiao Jingshi coming over, and she was stunned on the spot.
Completely different from her usual demeanor, she had radiant skin, beautiful features, and an innate gentleness. Her clothes, though not elaborate, accentuated her full bust and slender waist, making her shapely and captivating. He couldn't take his eyes off her.
“Zhenzhen,” Xiao Jingshi said as he approached.
Miaozhen smiled faintly: "I'm planning to go to the Wang family's poetry gathering."
Xiao Jingshi usually saw Miaozhen dressed very properly, but today she stood out so much that he said worriedly, "I'll go pick you up today."
"Okay, then you'd better come early, because I'm leaving early." She was just going to meet this Mrs. Wang, who was spreading rumors everywhere that Xiao Jingshi was drinking and carousing. Did she have no shame?
Xiao Jingshi's ears turned slightly red, but he simply nodded.
Then Miaozhen walked up to him and said, "Today I will go and meet her, and also warn her that it is impossible for her to slander someone after her own husband has done something wrong. You can rest assured."
"She's definitely feeling guilty, so you should just go and have some fun," Xiao Jingshi said.
Miaozhen shook her head, and just as she was about to speak, someone from the palace arrived, saying that the eldest princess was unwell and inviting her to the palace. The person added, "His Majesty personally visited the princess and found her seriously ill, so he is inviting you in."
"Okay, I'll be right there." Miaozhen asked Sister Tian to get the first-aid kit.
It's a pity that dressed like this, she can't go to the banquet. Looking at Xiao Jingshi beside her, she saw that he was very nervous. Suddenly, she said as if by telepathy, "Don't worry, when I see a doctor, the Emperor is usually not in the inner room. He is always informed by the palace servants."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingshi smiled slightly, but then felt embarrassed that his secret thoughts had been exposed.
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