For the twins, it was natural for Chu Qianhuang to learn household chores from Shen. What made them envious was that even Chu Qianchen could learn along.
The stepmother really treats the second sister in a special way. The two sisters thought with envy.
Shen's eyes were sharp and she saw their yearning. She said, "Sister Wu, Sister Ying, you are still young. You should learn from the teachers in the boudoir school now. I will teach you next year."
The twins' eyes brightened even more, they agreed happily, held hands, and walked away happily.
"Sister Huang, Sister Chen, the two of you come with me to Jinghong Hall." Shen took Chu Qianchen and Chu Qianhuang to the northeast of the Marquis' Mansion.
Jinghong Hall is where Shen usually meets the maids in charge and handles household affairs.
The three of them didn't speak the whole way. They only saw servants from the marquis's mansion kneeling and bowing from time to time along the way, and none of them dared to look directly at Shen.
From their silent attitude, it can be seen that they may have heard about Chu Lingxiao rushing to Rongfu Hall to question Shen.
Half a cup of tea later, Jinghong Hall appeared in front of them. Chu Qianhuang rubbed her handkerchief and couldn't help but say, "Mom, I heard that my grandmother has invited many doctors from the surrounding towns to see my father in the past two days. They all said that my father's leg might be..."
Chu Qianhuang naturally didn't know that Chu Qianchen had given Chu Lingxiao a "three-night nightmare". She was simply worried about her father's leg injury and wanted to tactfully tell Shen that her father didn't lose his temper with her on purpose.
She just wanted her parents to reconcile.
Shen was unmoved and said calmly, "Your father's injuries were all his own fault."
Seeing that Shen was still angry and didn't want to say more, Chu Qianhuang pursed her lips and didn't say anything else.
She didn't have the chance to say anything more. Just then, several maids in charge came over here and bowed to Shen and the others. They surrounded Shen and led her into the Jinghong Hall.
This wait lasted for a whole morning. Chu Qianchen followed Shen Shike to do the housework for the whole morning and felt dizzy.
She had lived two lives and had learned a lot, but she had never learned how to manage household chores. Just hearing about these matters of daily necessities gave her a headache.
Compared to Chu Qianhuang's full concentration, Chu Qianchen seemed to be making small movements frequently, sometimes resisting the urge to yawn, and sometimes drinking tea to refresh himself.
Shen naturally noticed it and found it interesting and funny: this girl usually looks calm and composed, as if nothing can stump her, but she didn't expect her to be so impatient with the housekeeper.
If it was something else, Shen would not force Chu Qianchen to learn it. After all, everyone has their own strengths, and Chu Qianchen could not be expected to know everything. However, he had to learn the household chores, as Chu Qianchen would have to get married in the future.
She said she would not be a concubine, and as a wife, she must be the housekeeper.
Anyway, Shen didn't expect to feed Chu Qianchen and Chu Qianhuang into fat men in one bite. She planned to let them watch and listen for a few days, and then she would slowly tell them why they did this.
The maids in charge reported their affairs one after another in an orderly manner. The last one to report was Nanny Zhao, the maid in charge of the sewing room.
"Madam, the summer clothes ordered earlier are ready and have been sent to each room."
"Also, the material we just bought from Jiangnan arrived last night. Would you like to take a look?"
When Nanny Zhao said "take a look", she was actually asking Shen whether she wanted to pick one first.
"Bring it up and show it to the eldest and second young ladies first." Shen agreed with a smile, then turned to Chu Qianchen and Chu Qianhuang and said, "This material was purchased from the Jade Weaving Workshop in Jiangnan. It is the newest material this spring."
The Central Plains is now divided into two, with Qi and Hao ruling the north and south. Jiangnan belongs to Nanhao, and it was only after the previous emperor ascended the throne that the two countries stopped fighting and gradually resumed trade, and the materials from Jiangnan were able to be transported to the capital.
Nanny Zhao also guessed that Shen would want to see it first, so she had people waiting in advance. Then, several maids and old women from the needlework room immediately brought in the materials from the Jiangnan Jade Weaving Room.
Dozens of rolls of materials were placed on several large desks, making the room seem a little brighter.
Which woman doesn't like new materials? Even the maids present couldn't help but glance at the materials.
Zhao Ma smiled and said, "Madam, this batch of materials has exquisite patterns and several new colors. They are very different from the materials we have in Daqi. This Jade Weaving Workshop is indeed worthy of its reputation."
Shen took a quick look and nodded, "These materials are really good, with bright colors and thin textures. They are just right for making summer clothes for the girls. Let the girls in each room pick one."
Chu Qianchen glanced casually, and heard Chu Qianhuang say with a smile: "Second sister, you like crimson purple, I think that crimson purple is nice, it just matches your lotus-colored pleated skirt."
Upon hearing this, a maid quickly brought the crimson purple material to the two girls.
Chu Qianhuang pulled a corner of the material and wanted to compare it to Chu Qianchen, but just as her fingers touched the material, she was stopped by Shen, "Sister Huang, your second sister likes red."
Shen pointed to the scarlet material in front of her and said, "This scarlet is good. Scarlet is more lively than bright red. It's just right for Sister Chen."
Shen asked the maid to bring the scarlet material, and placed it in front of Chu Qianchen to compare it again and again, and then she said with great interest: "Madam Zhao, I think this material should be used to make a jacket. If the edging is made of lotus color, it can also match the lotus color long skirt of the second lady."
"Liu Dashuan's family, when the jewelry for this season is ready, send it to me first and I'll pick out two for the second young lady."
Nanny Zhao and Liu Dashuan's wife naturally agreed, feeling both surprised and moved: the second young lady was indeed liked by the eldest lady, and even if Aunt Jiang was jumping up and down and making a fuss, it did not affect her at all.
"..." Chu Qianchen stood still as Shen pulled a corner of the material and gestured on her body.
She stared at Shen in a daze, and suddenly she understood.
When she was young, her favorite color was indeed red.
It was just because Aunt Jiang didn't like her wearing red, saying it would offend Chu Qianhuang.
So, she never wore red clothes and never told anyone that she liked red.
How did the stepmother know?
Chu Qianchen felt a little complicated: after so many years, if she hadn't been reborn, she would have almost forgotten her love for red in her previous life.
However, when someone personally handed the red dress to her, her heart couldn't help but soften.
It turns out that there are still people who know her preferences and who still care about her preferences.
Shen's smile became softer and kinder. She knew Chu Qianchen liked red because she guessed it from Chu Yunmu's words.
There was a pair of Mohelos wearing red clothes in Chu Yunmu's room, one girl and one boy.
Chu Yunmu once told her proudly that this was a gift from Chu Qianchen when they were in the manor, and it represented the two of them. However, he didn't like the red dress at all and was just trying to accommodate Chu Qianchen.
"..." Chu Qianhuang looked at Shen and Chu Qianchen talking and laughing, and her eyes darkened.
She also liked the scarlet material.
She was the eldest daughter and the most noble girl in the mansion. Her sisters of the same generation had never competed with her for the color red. Everyone tacitly accepted that the color red belonged to her, whether it was clothing, jewelry, or furnishings.
Chu Qianhuang opened her lips slightly, but ultimately said nothing and pursed her lips.
However, no matter how well she concealed it, she was still young after all, and a hint of unhappiness could not help showing in her expression.
Shen originally wanted to turn around and ask Chu Qianhuang for her opinion on what to embroider on the hem of the dress, but she happened to notice the strangeness in her expression.
Shen sighed in her heart: Sister Huang still didn't copy enough scriptures.
Starting tomorrow, let her copy the Heart Sutra.
When Chu Qianhuang met Shen's eyes, her heart skipped a beat and she had a bad feeling.
Just as she was about to say something, she heard Shen say, "Sister Huang, you pick one too."
Chu Qianhuang: "..."
After Chu Qianhuang had chosen the material, Shen took Chu Qianchen and Chu Qianhuang out of Jinghong Hall, and the maids in charge respectfully saw them off.
As they walked away, there was a commotion in the hall.
The maids in charge were talking at once. Some lamented that the eldest lady was so good to the second young lady that even the eldest lady had to give way to her; some said that the second young lady would have a bright future since she had the eldest lady's favor; others shrewdly saw that the eldest lady wanted to teach the second young lady how to take care of household chores.
These maids in charge were all smart people. They knew how to treat Chu Qianchen from Shen's attitude.
In their eyes, no matter how favored Concubine Jiang is, even if the Marquis is furious for her, it will not affect Shen's status. The Marquis's wife is the Marquis's wife and has an imperial decree.
There is a huge difference between the principal wife and the concubine; there is no comparison at all.
All this noise was completely invisible to Chu Qianchen's ears.
After she went to the main courtyard to have lunch with Shen and Chu Yunmu, Shen sent her away.
"Sister Chen, from now on, you just need to accompany me for half a day to learn how to cook."
There was no rush to learn housekeeping in a few days. Shen planned to teach slowly and step by step. Moreover, she knew that Chu Qianchen was studying medicine and must have a lot of things to do.
Chu Qianchen ran away like a bird out of a cage.
She felt that learning housekeeping was much more troublesome than learning medicine, horse riding and archery, military tactics, etc.!
After she returned to Wanyan Courtyard, she changed into a light blue dress, went out, and went to Jishidiang again.
She had made an appointment with Shen Wan and her daughter at 3:00 p.m., but Shen Wan and Gu Zhiyan had arrived early.
"Seventh Lady." Chu Qianchen waved at Gu Zhiyan.
Gu Zhiyan walked towards her obediently, staring at her without blinking with a pair of black and white eyes, then grabbed the hem of her skirt with his left hand, his little face still dazed.
However, the scar on her face had faded so much that it was almost invisible, and her little face became as beautiful and lovely as a lotus flower emerging from water, like an enamel doll.
Thinking back to how the little girl looked a month ago, the guys at Jishidiang could not help but sigh, thinking that the little doctor was simply an amazing person.
Chu Qianchen bent over and carefully examined Gu Zhiyan's face, nodded slightly with satisfaction, and said to Shen Wan: "Madam, your daughter's face is almost healed. If you use a bottle of Shiquan ointment, the scar will disappear completely."
"Thank you, little miracle doctor." Shen Wan thanked him repeatedly, overjoyed.
Before that, she only thought about making the scar on her daughter's face lighter and covering it with makeup in the future. She never thought that her daughter's face could be restored to its original state.
Shen Wan's eyes felt slightly sore and she almost cried.
Rong Mama and the maidservant beside her also knew how worried their master was about the wound on the county lady's face, and even alienated her from their prince because of it. It was not until recently that the relationship between the couple eased.
Shen Wan was about to ask Rong Mama to pay the consultation fee when Chu Qianchen suddenly asked a question: "Madam, does your daughter's absence disorder need treatment?"
Shen Wan was startled, squatted down with a complicated look, took Gu Zhiyan's hand, and asked, "Is her disease curable?"
Last year, after she found her daughter, she consulted the imperial physician and famous doctors in the capital. They all said that her daughter had lost her soul due to fright. In the end, they just prescribed a prescription to calm the nerves and relieve the shock, but it did not help her daughter at all.
So, she could only turn to gods and Buddhas for help. In just a few months, she visited many Taoist temples in the Gyeonggi area. Until last month, she heard that Taoist Master Xuan Jing had come to the capital, so she took her daughter to Yuanqing Temple.
She visited Taoist Master Xuan Jing three times and begged him for mercy before he agreed to perform a ritual for her daughter.
Taoist Priest Xuan Jing was indeed a god-like man. After he performed a ritual once, it worked and my daughter gradually began to get better. She used to only play with her parrot, but recently she was occasionally willing to play cat's tangle with me or say a few words.
Chu Qianchen also looked at Gu Zhiyan and nodded affirmatively: "It can be cured."
After a pause, she continued, "Your daughter wasn't like this before, was she? Madam, if you want to cure her amnesia, you must find out why she became like this."
"..." Shen Wan's pupils shrank slightly, and her expression became a little hesitant. She covered Gu Zhiyan's small hand between her palms, as if trying to draw strength from her.
Just thinking about what happened at that time, her face turned slightly pale, her body felt weak, and her expression was extremely conflicted, with fear, panic, uneasiness, heartache, etc.
She really didn't want to think about the past anymore...
Rong Ma naturally understood her own princess. She sighed secretly in her heart and did not dare to persuade her.
At this time, Gu Zhiyan let go of Chu Qianchen's skirt and put his left hand on the back of Shen Wan's hand, as if he had sensed her uneasiness.
Shen Wan's eyes lit up, her eyes slightly sore, and she said to herself, her daughter is already well, as long as Taoist Xuan Jing can perform the ritual one more time, maybe her daughter will be completely healed!
Seeing Shen Wan's reluctance to speak, Chu Qianchen roughly guessed that this matter might involve some secrets of the Prince's Mansion.
She was not interested in digging into other people's secrets, but only by knowing the crux of the problem could she prescribe the right remedy.
Last time in the Chu family's garden, she gave Qiniang a sachet. The spices in the sachet were mixed by her personally. It has the effect of calming the mind and will make Qiniang's condition better, but a sachet alone is useless.
If Qi Niang's amnesia is not treated, it will only get worse as she gets older.
Chu Qianchen didn't intend to force her, so he stopped talking about this topic and said, "Your daughter's face doesn't need to be rechecked in the future."
"As for her loss of consciousness, if it gets more serious, you can come to Jishitang and leave a message."
Shen Wan was actually a little nervous just now, fearing that her hesitation would anger the little doctor. She didn't expect the little doctor to be so kind. She was extremely grateful and thanked him profusely: "Thank you, doctor."
Aunt Rong gave the medical fee to Amber, and then the mother and daughter left Jishidiang.
Shen Wan held Gu Zhiyan's hand and walked towards the red wheelbarrow. As they walked, she said, "Qiniang, we will go to your aunt's house later and let your aunt see that your face has healed..."
"Are you happy? Your cousin Huang is here too, why don't you let her take you out to play again?"
When saying this, Gu Zhiyan turned her head and looked at Chu Qianchen, looking at her, looking at her... until the wet nurse carried her onto the red-wheeled carriage.
After Shen Wan got on the car, the red-wheeled car gradually went away.
Jishidiang suddenly became much emptier. There were not many patients in the clinic at this time.
The waiter quickly prepared the herbs that Chu Qianchen wanted.
Chu Qianchen asked Amber to collect the medicine bag, and asked Doctor Liu as usual: "Has the clinic encountered any difficult and complicated diseases recently?"
Doctor Liu wanted to shake his head at first, but then he remembered something and said, "Little genius doctor, people have come to the Yongding Marquis's mansion every day these days to ask you to go to the mansion for a consultation. I heard that the Yongding Marquis broke his leg."
Chu Qianchen knew about this matter, so he said directly: "Don't pay attention to it."
Doctor Liu had no good feelings towards the Yongding Marquis Mansion which had smashed Jishiditang, so he naturally would not speak well of it and skipped the topic.
"Oh right!" Doctor Liu clapped his hands and said, "I almost forgot, there is one more thing. Do you remember the monk in white who came here last time?"
The holy and otherworldly monk appeared in Chu Qianchen's mind and he nodded.
She naturally remembered the eldest prince of Nanhao, Wuhejialou.
Doctor Liu could roughly guess that the monk in white was not an ordinary monk, and he even vaguely felt that even the emperor seemed to know him that day.
Could it be some famous monk? Doctor Liu thought to himself as he took a simple wooden box from the waiter and handed it to Chu Qianchen, saying, "Little doctor, this is a thank-you gift from the monk the other day."
Chu Qianchen took the box but didn't rush to open it.
After Jialuo took away the prescription for treating malaria that day, he never brought the patient for a follow-up visit. Now that he has sent a gift of thanks, it seems that the patient is fine.
There is a high probability that there will be someone in Jialuo's envoy team who understands medicine, so they can naturally adjust the prescription based on her prescription and the patient's condition.
Looking at the eight Buddhist treasures pattern on the box, Chu Qianchen suddenly had an idea.
The Dazao Pill is missing one ingredient, Qilingcao, and there has been no news about it.
The Seven Spirit Grass is produced in the southern part of Yizhou, which is exactly the junction of Yizhou and Haozhou. The Wuhe clan has dominated Haozhou for two hundred years. Although the Seven Spirit Grass is rare, it is definitely much easier for the Hao royal family to find it than for himself and the prince.
After coming out of Jishidiang, Chu Qianchen immediately took Amber to the inn in the south of the city.
She remembered that when she first met Jialuo at the tea stall near the South City Gate, she had heard his followers mention that they lived in an inn.
In preparation for the Wanshou Festival next month, many foreign tribes that were vassal states of Da Qi came to the capital to pay tribute. Most of these foreign people lived in the Siyi Pavilion, but the people of Nanhao were different. Nanhao was a big country with a similar strength to Da Qi, so the Ministry of Rites did not dare to neglect them and arranged for them to temporarily stay in the capital's post houses.
The inn was only three blocks away from Jishidiang, and Chu Qianchen went there on foot.
She openly asked the guard of the posthouse to pass on her message, saying directly that she wanted to meet the eldest prince of Hao Kingdom.
"Miss, please wait a moment." The guard couldn't help but look at Chu Qianchen a few more times.
After the Nanhao envoy arrived in the capital at the end of last month, Chu Qianchen was the first person to come to the door besides the people from the Ministry of Rites, and she was also a young girl who had not yet reached the age of marriage.
Why would such an innocent little girl want to see Uhajalou? !
Although he was confused, the guard still sent someone in to pass the message. After a while, the bearded man named Duomo, whom Chu Qianchen had seen before, arrived.
Domo looked up and down at the veiled Chu Qianchen with a strange look on his face.
The eldest prince said that this little miracle doctor was the little girl who could shoot an arrow through a target from a hundred paces away. He thought they looked somewhat similar but also somewhat different, especially the voice was very different, but if the eldest prince said it was, then it must be her.
The Great Qi Dynasty had a vast territory and a large population, and it was home to many talented people, so it was not surprising that there was such a young genius. Let alone the Prince Gu Jue, who had been on a diplomatic mission to their Hao Kingdom when he was fourteen years old. He was a person who made people both amazed and feared.
"Miss, please." Tama stretched out his hand as a gesture of invitation.
He led Chu Qianchen and his servant into the inn and passed through the front building. The courtyard at the back suddenly became much quieter, giving a feeling of tranquility in the midst of noise.
Domo led Chu Qianchen to a quiet courtyard in the northeast of the inn.
A faint scent of sandalwood can be smelled in the air. In the corner of the courtyard, there is a patch of lush green bamboo, which dances in the wind and rustles, appearing peaceful and quiet.
Chu Qianchen immediately saw the young monk in snow-white clothes sitting in the pavilion.
Green bamboo, monks, sandalwood.
Chu Qianchen couldn't help but think of a sentence: The green bamboos are all true. The lush yellow flowers are nothing but Prajna*.
"Master." Chu Qianchen nodded to Kala in the pavilion, neither humble nor arrogant, but calm and composed, as if she was facing just an ordinary monk and not the Crown Prince Nanhao.
In addition to Jialou, there was also a handsome young man in green clothes in the pavilion.
"Please take a seat, young lady." Jialuo stretched out his hand as a gesture of invitation, his voice as gentle as the spring sunshine in March.
Chu Qianchen readily sat down opposite Jialou. There was only a small stone table between them, on which a Buddhist scripture was placed.
Chu Qianchen didn't beat around the bush, and didn't even ask whether Jialou's follower who was infected with miasma had recovered. He went straight to the point: "In Jiangdong and Lingnan, the mountains and waters are humid. Between spring and summer, wind poison is rampant, causing many miasma. Every spring and summer, the people in Lingnan suffer greatly from it, and those who are seriously ill are in danger of death. I have a preventive prescription here."
Upon hearing this, Tama couldn't help but show joy on his face.
However, Jialuo had a calm expression and stared at Chu Qianchen intently. Time seemed to have stopped for a moment, and only the green bamboo outside the pavilion was still swaying.
The tree wants to be still but the wind does not stop.
Jialou asked directly: "I wonder what the girl wants to exchange?"
"Seven-Star Grass." Chu Qianchen said.
Tama and the young man in blue couldn't help but exchange glances.
Seven-star grass is extremely rare and only grows on the border between Yizhou and Haozhou. It is also precious and hard to find in Hao State, but for the royal family, no matter how precious it is, it is not that hard to find.
The inner treasury of the royal family of Hao State kept seven-star grass.
Jialou smiled slightly, and in front of Chu Qianchen, he ordered Duomo: "Duomo, you will set off in the afternoon and go back to Dahao to get the Seven Star Grass in person."
Tama took the order seriously.
Bang bang! Chu Qianchen's heartbeat quickened. She originally thought it would take some time, but she didn't expect that the Nanhao royal family had the Seven Star Grass.
This is a pleasant surprise.
The other party was straightforward, so Chu Qianchen was also straightforward, and he directly recited the prescription: "60 qian of Anemarrhena, 20 qian of Radix Peucedanum, 40 qian of Radix Digu... "
"According to this recipe, adding honey can make twenty pills. As long as you take one pill half an hour in advance and then enter the miasma area, you will be safe for two hours."
Duomo opened his eyes slightly and looked at Chu Qianchen in surprise.
He originally thought that this young miracle doctor would only give the prescription after getting the Seven-Star Grass, but he didn't expect that she would give it to him so readily.
This little girl is young and delicate, but she acts very generously!
Whether it was the stunning arrow shot that day, or her calmness and composure when facing the Emperor of Da Qi in Jishidiang before, it made people feel that she was not simple.
However, isn't she afraid that they will blame the Seven Star Grass after getting the prescription? !
Of course, their eldest prince always keeps his promises.
But how could she be so sure?
In just a blink of an eye, Domo's mind was already racing.
No matter whether this girl is a human, a ghost or a monster, the eldest prince is very observant and extremely smart. No one can hide anything from the eldest prince. Anyway, he just has to listen to the eldest prince!
Tama stood upright outside the pavilion, like a spear standing on the battlefield.
*Quoted from "Zu Ting Shi Yuan"
(End of this chapter)