Chapter 17
Wow.
Gu Zhizhuo's phoenix eyes sparkled. She remembered that in her previous life, such rumors appeared six months later.
It seems that when he walked out of the capital in shackles, he heard people talking about it on the streets and alleys. In just a few months, the news spread throughout the entire Daqi Kingdom. At that time, several strange events and phenomena also occurred.
Gu Zhizhuo pressed on with great interest, "Anything else?"
"The purple aura lingered above Taiqing Temple for a long time, which many believers saw. It is said that Master Qingping was about to emerge from seclusion, but because of this divination, he revealed a heavenly secret and immediately spat out a mouthful of blood. Then, Master Qingping postponed his emergence from seclusion to continue sensing the mandate of heaven."
Gu Zhizhuo tapped the table lightly with his fingers. Interesting. They even know what divination Master Qingping performed during his seclusion, and that he even coughed up blood afterward. And they all speak as if they witnessed it themselves.
"More people are going to Taiqing Temple these days."
After Qiongfang finished speaking, she swallowed hard. She couldn't help but think of the words she heard in Chonghua Palace on the day of the Thousand Autumns Festival. Could there really be a woman with a blessed destiny?
She looked at her daughter expectantly, but Gu Zhizhuo smiled without saying a word, picked up the medicine, and drank it all in one gulp.
This medicine is in three doses; this is the last one.
"Her medical skills are truly excellent!" Gu Zhizhu thought to himself, sucking on a candied plum.
Qingmei deftly presented a plate of peach blossom pastries and a plate of pine nut pastries.
"Miss, the second and third young ladies came by. Seeing that you were still resting, the second young lady left two kinds of pastries that she made herself for you to try. The third young lady left you a storybook, which is the most popular in the capital right now."
My second uncle died in battle in northern Xinjiang ten years ago, leaving behind my second aunt and siblings Gu Zhiwei and Gu Yique. My third uncle is still alive, but he lost both legs in northern Xinjiang last year. My third cousin, Gu Zhinan, is from the third branch of the family.
"Zhu Madam's maid, Zhu, has also come a few times."
“When I told her you had a high fever, Granny Zhu acted as if she were deaf and insisted that you go to the Grand Madam’s place, but I ignored her.”
Qingmei felt that this woman surnamed Zhu was probably not very bright. She could tell whether the girl really had a high fever just by looking at her, but she kept insisting that the girl was faking it.
Madam Gu is the young lady's own grandmother. How can a grandmother tolerate a servant being so disrespectful and pretentious?
Ah, their Eastern Depot is still the best; they have a clear distinction between superiors and inferiors.
Gu Zhizhuo nodded and asked curiously, "Where are the storybooks that Third Sister brought? Let me take a look."
She picked up a peach blossom pastry, took a small bite, and found the crust to be flaky and the filling to have a sweet peach blossom aroma. With each bite, the sweet flavor filled her mouth.
"tasty!"
Gu Zhizhuo squinted his eyes in satisfaction.
It's been such a long time since I've had peach blossom pastries made by my second younger sister.
She took a sip of tea to moisten her mouth, then picked up another piece.
“Miss,” Qiongfang said, “the Third Miss said you’ll definitely like it!”
Qiongfang took the storybook left by Gu Zhinan. When Gu Zhizhuo saw the title "Picking Flowers" on the cover, he almost spat out his tea.
She said with glee, "Who told Third Sister that I like watching this? It's clearly Cousin Danling who likes watching this."
Qiongfang exposed her: "I saw with my own eyes that you and the Fifth Princess were watching together. Last time, they were watching 'Waiting for Your Return'."
Gu Zhizhu laughed so hard he almost fell over.
When Qiongfang mentioned it, she remembered that for a while her stepmother, Madam Ji, would send over some storybooks, which were nothing more than tales of talented men and beautiful women falling in love at first sight and being destined for each other for three lifetimes.
Once, while out for a spring outing, she happened to encounter a scholar selling calligraphy and paintings. Ruihuang mentioned something—I think it was something about a storybook where a wealthy young lady accidentally bought the calligraphy and paintings of a down-on-his-luck scholar, leading to a perfect match. Ruihuang then encouraged her to learn from the storybook and use her hairpin to buy calligraphy and paintings from the scholar.
She was only eleven or twelve years old at the time, thankfully not that stupid.
Qiongfang said, "You also made a promise with the Fifth Princess that you would go to see the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) parade through the streets, to see if the Tanhualang (third-ranked scholar) is as handsome and extraordinary as described in the storybooks."
How embarrassing! Gu Zhizhuo covered her face.
She patted the crumbs off her hands, tossed the storybook to Qiongfang, cleared her throat, and changed the subject, saying, "Let's go, let's go, let's go out with your girl."
Today is the day I have a follow-up appointment with Xie Yingchen.
"Go out!" Qiongfang nodded, and the girl went out as soon as she was told to.
"Miss, I'll go and have someone prepare a carriage."
"No need, we'll go on horseback."
Qingmei blinked. She had figured it out in the past two days. Qiongfang was very carefree. Even though she had taken over the management of the courtyard, Qiongfang didn't care at all. She just stayed by Miss Gu's side and would never go against her.
Qiongfang put the veil on her face, shook the small copper bell on the table, and Xuezhong and Chunxin, who were waiting outside, came in.
Two maids helped her change her clothes, and Qiongfang styled her hair into a double bun.
Before leaving, Gu Zhizhuo didn't forget to take the black bow that she had hung in the study with her.
On a bright spring day, with a warm breeze caressing his face, Gu Zhizhuo squinted his eyes contentedly.
She went to the stable to fetch the horse first. As soon as she opened the stable door, the jade lion rushed over excitedly.
Gu Zhizhuo lost her balance and stumbled from the impact. The jade lion nudged her with its head, begging for candy in a spoiled manner.
She quickly took out maltose from her purse.
There was no need to hold the reins. After finishing the malt sugar, the jade lion followed behind her, hopping and skipping along. Qingmei didn't think it was a proper horse at all.
After exiting through the side gate, Gu Zhizhuo headed straight for Zhuque Street.
Baekje Hall is located on Suzaku Street.
"girl."
As soon as she dismounted, a servant came out cheerfully and led Yu Shizi and Qiongfang's horses to their lodgings. The shopkeeper also came to greet her and escorted her inside.
The manager of Baijitang was surnamed Su. He was a servant of the Wang family, and both his parents were prominent managers in the family.
As soon as he entered Baijitang, Gu Zhizhuo asked impatiently, "Manager Su, has anyone come looking for me these past few days?"
"No. The young lady reminded me, and I remember it."
Okay. Gu Zhizhuo walked inside.
Shopkeeper Su then said, "Miss, the silver needles you requested have been administered."
"Really?" Gu Zhizhuo exclaimed in surprise, "So fast!"
For a doctor, silver needles are like hands and feet. After being reborn, not having a set of silver needles made her feel uneasy.
Gu Zhizhuo was skilled with fine needles, the kind that were as fine as hair, unlike ordinary silver needles. Baijitang did not have any readily available.
Last time, Gu Zhizhuo asked Manager Su to find a craftsman to make a set.
She said with a delighted expression, "Let me see it."
Shopkeeper Su cheerfully took out a needle case from inside and presented it to them.
Gu Zhizhuo opened the needle case and took out a needle from it.
She gently stroked the needle with her fingers, and with a light flick, the silver needle emitted a crisp humming sound.
She felt reassured, as if with it she could decide life and death.
good.
She nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Manager Su."
"It's nothing to thank you for your trouble." Manager Su personally served her tea and water, and said in his spare time, "At the beginning of the year, Wang the blacksmith's youngest son suffered from febrile convulsions and almost died. Su Zhan saved him with a Purple Snow Pill, and Wang the blacksmith brought his son here to thank him again and again. This time, as soon as the boy arrived, he gave him the injection you requested overnight."
Su Zhan was the son of Manager Su. When he was young, he was freed from slavery and sent to Chen Baishu's side as a medicine apprentice to learn medicine. After completing his apprenticeship, he became a doctor at Baijitang.
Gu Zhizhuo took a sip of tea and casually asked, "Where's Su Zhan?"
Today, only an elderly doctor with gray hair was sitting in the clinic at Baijitang.
"I went to the Lin family's pharmacy. They recently acquired a batch of North American ginseng. Su Zhan went over to check on how well it was processed. If it's good, he'll buy some back." After saying that, Manager Su added, "The Lin family is skilled in processing ginseng. The North American ginseng they process can be considered top-grade."
Gu Zhizhuo's mind raced: "I remember Su Zhan is skilled in treating children's illnesses?"
Shopkeeper Su smiled even more broadly: "Yes, yes, you remember everything, young lady."
Gu Zhizhuo smiled and said, "When he comes back, tell him to try using the gold pot and silver spatula next time he makes the Purple Snow Pill."
Manager Su repeated, "Gold pot, silver spatula?"
She nodded.
Zixue Dan is an ancient formula, but the Zixue Dan used by various families nowadays is lighter in color and has a mediocre medicinal effect.
In her previous life, she accidentally discovered that using a gold pot and silver spatula could make the Purple Snow Pill even more purple, more in line with the ancient formula's description of "purple in color and resembling frost and snow." Only then could it be considered a true Purple Snow Pill, with its medicinal effects more than doubled. (Note)
Manager Su had no doubt: "When Su Zhan returns, I'll have him give it a try."
As they were talking, Gu Zhizhuo sat down inside and waited listlessly.
"girl."
Seeing that she was bored, Qiongfang came up with a bad idea: "I also brought out the storybook that the Third Miss gave me. Would you like to see it?"
Gu Zhizhuo wanted to say "no," but before she could finish, she couldn't help but say, "Okay."
She took the storybook from Qiongfang and flipped through it with great interest. When she came across something interesting, she covered her face with the storybook and laughed.
Qiongfang looked completely bewildered.
In the past, girls would read storybooks with tears in their eyes, feeling melancholic and sentimental. How come they seem to enjoy them so much now?
"Girl, what does this say?" she asked, extremely curious.
"A scholar met a young lady from a wealthy family by chance and fell in love at first sight. The two secretly pledged their lives to each other, and the young lady gave all her savings to the scholar to help him go to the capital to take the imperial examination."
"Then what?"
"The scholar achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination and was betrothed to a prince in the imperial palace."
Qiongfang asked anxiously, "What about Miss Jia?"
“Miss Gu,” Gu Zhizhuo said seriously as he closed the storybook, “went to stab the scholar to death.”
Qiongfang's eyes widened, her face clearly showing only one word: Huh??
Qingmei almost burst out laughing.
Girls love to flatter people. This kind of storybook is probably about Ehuang and Nüying serving one husband. I wonder what kind of poor scholar is fantasizing about it.
The brass bell at the door jingled.
Someone has come in.
Could it be the young master?
Gu Zhizhuo quickly hid the storybook behind his back.
A note from the author:
Note: The method of using a gold pot and silver spatula comes from Hu Qing Yu Tang.
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