Chapter 222 [VIP]
The Chen family had rented out their house in Kyoto. Some of the servants they had hired stayed in Kyoto, while the rest, who had signed indentures, went to Shanzhou.
However, three months ago, when the order came down to summon Chen Qingyan back to Beijing, Qinghuai helped cancel the lease on the house. So now the whole courtyard is empty, which is convenient for Wang Ying, otherwise it would be troublesome if she were discovered.
The carriage came to a stop, and Chen Ju, clutching his chest, took a while to catch his breath before jumping down, his voice trembling as he said, "My lord, we've arrived."
"Keep your voices down, don't wake the neighbors. First, tidy up the west room and light the kang (heated brick bed)."
"Yes!" The two went off to do their work separately, while Wang Ying and Yuan Bao stayed by Liang Lao's side.
Liang Boqing looked up and saw the familiar courtyard in the dim light of dawn. Shock and joy were mixed in his heart, and he was so excited that he couldn't speak. He never thought that he could actually come to the capital!
After the house was tidied up, Chen Ju and Chen Zhandong carefully moved the old man off the car and carried him into the house to settle him down.
Wang Ying personally cooked a bowl of porridge for him, along with some refreshing pickles. The old man drank a full bowl of porridge and then went to sleep.
Because everyone hadn't rested much last night, Wang Ying told them to go to sleep first, and then go to the Imperial Medical Academy to ask for help after they had slept well, otherwise they wouldn't be able to get enough people during the morning shift.
*
After waking up from her afternoon nap, Wang Ying washed up and went to see her master. Seeing that he was in good spirits, she took the letter written by her fourth uncle to the Imperial Medical Academy to ask for help.
Chen Ju drove him there, while Chen Zhandong stayed behind to look after Old Liang. It would be fine once Chen Qingyan and the others returned in a while, otherwise there really wouldn't be enough manpower.
Wang Ying rubbed her temples, feeling somewhat tired. The most urgent task was to cure her master's illness.
Upon arriving at the Imperial Medical Academy, Wang Ying handed the letter to the gatekeeper. Shortly afterward, a physician surnamed Lin emerged carrying his medicine chest.
The man was about the same age as Fourth Uncle, dressed in a plain long gown, and asked in a gentle voice, "Are you a relative of Lord Chen?"
"I am Chen Jing's nephew-in-law, and I have come here specifically to ask for your help in treating him at his family's traditional Chinese medicine clinic..."
Physician Lin raised his hand to interrupt him, "Your fourth uncle said it in his letter, let's go."
Wang Ying quickly cupped her hands in greeting and invited him to get into the car first.
On the way, Physician Lin inquired about Liang Boqing's illness. Wang Ying briefly explained what she knew: "The old man is over sixty years old this year. He was in good health before, but since he caught a cold last autumn, he has been coughing constantly and his body has gradually become thinner. After the New Year this year, his condition suddenly worsened, and he is bedridden and unable to walk."
Physician Lin stroked his beard and said, "It sounds like a lung ailment, but are there any other symptoms?"
Wang Ying shook his head, "I don't know much about the other juniors." After all, he had only arrived in Changting County yesterday, and he only learned about these things from Senior Brother Liang. He didn't know much else.
"Never mind, let's wait until we see the Daoist examine his pulse to see how he is." As he spoke, the carriage had already arrived at the Chen family's gate.
After getting off the bus, Wang Ying led him straight to the house where Old Liang lived. When they came in, Old Liang was already awake and had just finished drinking half a bowl of porridge.
Physician Lin first felt the pulse, which was weak and superficial, indicating a deficiency. He then examined the patient's eyes and tongue, finding excessive lung heat. Overall, the problem wasn't too serious, but the condition had been delayed for a while, and the patient's health was declining due to his age. If it continued any longer, the patient would likely pass away within two or three months at most.
Physician Lin asked, "What medicine did you take before? Do you still have any?"
"Yes." I just happened to get some medicine from the doctor in the county town last night, so I brought some over.
Physician Lin opened the medicine, sniffed it, frowned, and tossed it aside. "Incompetent doctor! The patient was already weak and deficient in Yang energy, and you added cold herbs like Trichosanthes kirilowii and Scutellaria baicalensis to the medicine. It's no wonder the patient died!"
Wang Ying's heart skipped a beat. "Is this medicine poisonous?"
"There's no poison in it, but it's not the right treatment. If an ordinary person took it like this, it would be fine. After a few days of cooling down, the illness would be almost cured. But an elderly person of this age can't withstand such a torment. It should be treated with mild and moisturizing herbs like Phellodendron bark, Gentian root, and Sophora flavescens, focusing on nourishment and supplementing with heat-clearing herbs."
Upon hearing this, Wang Ying knew there was hope. "I would be grateful if Physician Lin could help treat this patient!"
"I first gave the old man acupuncture to release the accumulated cold toxins in his body, and then I wrote a prescription and went to get the medicine."
Acupuncture requires undressing, and since Wang Ying couldn't stay inside, she asked Chen Ju to stay by her side and help.
About half an hour later, Physician Lin came out carrying his medicine box. Wang Ying handed him the basin of water she had prepared so he could wash his hands.
Physician Lin said, "I just finished writing the prescription. I'll take it to get the medicine later. By the way, go to Lingzhifang on Xuanwu Street to get the medicine. It's a pharmacy run by my apprentice. If you mention my name, they won't charge you extra."
"Thank you, Physician Lin!" Wang Ying quickly took out the silver she had prepared and gave it to him.
Lin Xiang waved his hand, "Your uncle and I are old friends, so there's no need for money. Chen Jing has been the prefect of Yanzhou for three years now. Shouldn't he go to the capital to report on his duties this year?"
"Yes, I'll be back in about two weeks."
"I'll just catch up with him again. He can take the medicine for half a month and see how it goes. After he finishes it, he can come to the Imperial Medical Academy to see me."
"Thank you, Physician Lin." Wang Ying thanked him again and asked Chen Zhandong to fetch a carriage to take her back to the Imperial Physician's Garden.
After everyone left, he rushed into the west room, "Master, are you alright?"
"I feel much better. I knew I had to come to Kyoto..."
He had been feeling extremely weak and struggling to breathe, but after the imperial physician administered acupuncture and released a lot of dark blood, he felt much better and his breathing became much easier! He truly is a miracle doctor!
Perhaps I really will have a chance to see Yuanbao become the top scholar in the imperial examination...
*
The doctors at the Imperial Medical Academy are truly skilled, as expected of those carefully selected from nine generations of their families!
Since that day of treatment, Old Liang's condition has improved day by day. After finishing half a month of Chinese medicine, he was able to get out of bed and walk a few steps. His recovery speed is truly amazing.
After taking the medicine, Wang Ying went to the Imperial Medical Academy again to ask Physician Lin for help. This time, after taking the pulse, Physician Lin said that the old man's illness was almost cured, but his body still needed to be recuperated. He prescribed some nourishing Chinese medicine for him.
Liang Boqing was already old, and this time he was also weakened. It will take him a year and a half to fully recover.
Hearing him say that, Wang Ying was completely relieved. As long as her master could be cured, that was all that mattered!
As the weather gradually warms up, the old man can't stay indoors any longer and starts to go for walks in the yard. In his spare time, he can even teach Yuanbao to read. Who would have thought that this was a man who was almost on his deathbed just half a month ago?
It's just that grandparents spoil their grandchildren too much. When they were teaching Chen Qingyan and the others, they always had a ruler in hand, and if they made a mistake, the ruler would come down with a thud. But now, when they teach Yuanbao, they treat him like a child, always smiling and never getting angry.
On the eighth day of the third month, Chen Jing and his party finally returned to the capital, a full seventeen days later than others.
Although Chen Qingyan learned from the experimental field in advance that her teacher's health was stable and gradually recovering, she was still worried about him.
When they arrived home and actually saw the person sitting in the courtyard, they were completely stunned. "Master?!"
"Hey, you're back." The old man's hair and beard had turned completely white from his illness. Dressed in a long robe with wide sleeves, he looked at them with a smile, like an old immortal.
Liang An, who had returned with him, couldn't help but kneel down with a thud, crying out, "Waaaaah, Master, you're cured!"
Chen Jing was also filled with emotion. He quickly stepped forward, grasped his old friend's hand, and said, "I'm relieved to see you're alright. Lin Xiang is quite capable!"
Wang Ying greeted everyone with a smile, "Come inside first. You've had a long journey, so take a break. I'll go ask the kitchen to prepare some food. After you eat, you can go back and rest."
For lunch, I cooked meat soup with flatbread and even ordered a few signature dishes from Tianxianglou Restaurant. I even thought of Xiaoyingying, making her some milk custard and small steamed buns with fermented dough.
The long journey was too tiring for the child. Fortunately, she did not catch a cold. Despite the careful care of the servants along the way, the little girl still lost weight.
During mealtime, Wang Ying held Yingying and fed her. The little girl was indeed different from the little boy; she ate quietly and didn't get her clothes dirty.
Fourth Aunt said, "Let the old woman feed you. You've been busy all day, come and eat first."
“I ate this morning, so I’m not too hungry right now. I’m just killing time anyway, so I’ll just have to dote on our little girl.”
Yingying tilted her head and looked at Wang Ying, "I want Uncle... to feed me..."
Mrs. Bai smiled and tapped her daughter's little nose, "You're not shy at all."
Wang Ying couldn't help but laugh; the child had changed quite a bit since their trip. She used to be very shy around strangers, refusing to let anyone but her mother and wet nurse hold her, but now she's fine with relatives holding her.
When men get together, they inevitably drink some alcohol. Old Liang, who is currently taking Chinese medicine and cannot drink, was so tempted that he kept swallowing his saliva.
Chen Qingyan poured him a cup of tea and said, "Take some time to write a letter home. When we left, Senior Brother Liang Shuo was very worried, afraid that he would never see you again."
"That silly boy..." Old Liang couldn't help but sigh when he mentioned his son. He used to feel regretful that his son hadn't inherited his talent. He had nurtured him for more than ten years, but in the end, his son couldn't even pass the imperial examination.
After this serious illness, he saw many things more clearly. His son's pure, kind, and filial character surpassed that of many others. Nothing in this world is perfect, and he was content to have such a virtuous child.
Old Liang was still not fully recovered and felt a bit tired after the meal. Qinghuai and the others had just returned and were also going back to their own place to pack up, so Wang Ying didn't keep them any longer.
The servants cleaned the house, and Chen Qingyan took a bath in the bathroom. Exhausted from the journey, he fell asleep in the bathtub.
When Wang Ying arrived, the water was almost cold, so she quickly woke her up, washed her clean, and changed her clothes to prevent her from catching a cold.
Back in the bedroom, Chen Qingyan hugged Wang Ying and said, "Fortunately, you had the experimental field to save Master."
"Unfortunately, this teleportation ability can only be used once more." But hopefully, it won't be used the last time, because if it is, something big will definitely happen.
"I'm going to the Ministry of Personnel tomorrow to report on my work, and I reckon I'll probably have to go to the palace to meet His Majesty."
Wang Ying asked with some concern, "Have you thought of your explanation? Don't let anything go wrong."
"Before leaving Liangzhou, I discussed the story with the Marquis. He sent people to help transport the grain and even made false accounts. Even if the court sends people to investigate, they won't find anything."
"That's good. Master has been telling me all this time that the experimental field must not be spread. Although we know it's not very useful, if it gets to the ears of someone with ulterior motives, it might turn into a paradise."
Chen Qingyan said, "I am from the province. It just so happens that you wrote an agricultural book, which has helped increase production in Shanzhou a lot in recent years. You can use this as an excuse to explain the origin of those grains."
"You can arrange it as you see fit."
Chen Qingyan drifted off to sleep, and Wang Ying helped him tuck himself in before getting up and going to the experimental field.
With the accumulation of experience over this period, the experimental field is almost full again. It will probably reach level nine in a few more months. I wonder what new rewards will be given after reaching level nine.
A note from the author:
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