Chapter 037 Chapter 37
"False pregnancy? Doctor, that's impossible. You must have made a wrong diagnosis." Guan was extremely anxious behind the curtain. How could she be having a false pregnancy?
Yan Jingzhao looked very calm: "Yes, doctor, you can check again."
The doctor was a famous doctor. Hearing the two people questioning him, he couldn't help but get angry: "It's definitely not wrong. I'm not one of those quack doctors who lie to you just to make you happy. If you don't believe me, false pregnancy usually lasts about two or three months. After these two or three months, you will know?"
Yan Jingzhao quickly said something nice: "Doctor, your medical skills are great, and we don't disbelieve in yours. It's just that we have been married for almost two years and this is the only time this has happened. We have to be careful."
After hearing what Yan Jingzhao said, the doctor also said, "What Yan Hanlin said is right. I will diagnose him again."
This time, Guan was even more impatient. The doctor didn't say much. After taking her pulse and asking about her symptoms, he still insisted that it was a false pregnancy. Yan Jingzhao sent the doctor out and gave him a generous reward. The doctor knew that he couldn't say anything nonsense.
"Why don't I take my father's letter and ask Dr. Wang Yu, who specializes in gynecology at the Imperial Hospital, to come and take a look?" Yan Jingzhao said to Guan.
Before Guan could respond, Yan Jingzhao went to ask for help again. This time, Doctor Wang Yu said the same thing: "Madam, you are not really pregnant. It is just that you have amenorrhea and have qi stagnation and phlegm obstruction, which has caused the qi and blood in the Chong and Ren meridians to be blocked. Phlegm stagnation will cause slippery pulses, and qi stagnation will cause abdominal distension." Therefore, you seem to be pregnant, but in fact you are suffering from depression."
If Guan didn't believe what the first doctor said, but the second one was still a doctor, Guan began to be skeptical. Then when he heard Yan Jingzhao tell the doctor to prescribe any medicine he had, Guan suddenly became suspicious. Was this Yan Jingzhao's conspiracy?
She deliberately hired many people to create the appearance of a false pregnancy and abort her real child to take revenge on herself.
Yan Jingzhao was certainly not that bored. He just felt that he had hardly touched her during that period of time because he was preparing for the exam. How could she be pregnant? He originally asked a doctor to come and investigate, but he didn't expect it to be a false pregnancy.
Doctor Wang Yu and the expert doctor they had invited were all acquaintances, so they wouldn't say anything irresponsible. Yan Jingzhao also couldn't tell anyone about her fake pregnancy, so he discussed it with Xie, who said, "Otherwise, we can just say that this pregnancy doesn't look good, and let your wife take care of herself in the name of confinement."
"Mom, I can see that she is very angry. Xi Que, who is beside her, also told me that she had two outbursts this month, and some of them were strangled and beaten severely. I think it would be better to let her go to a quiet place to recuperate more, so that she can calm down a little." Yan Jingzhao said.
Xie didn't say whether it was good or bad, but just said, "You should discuss it with your wife, and then inform your parents-in-law."
Yan Jingzhao smiled and said, "If I tell her, I'm afraid she won't go. Mother, you are a kind person. If she continues like this, it will be bad if there is a murder case in the family. Both my son and father are in the official career, don't worry, I will definitely handle this matter well."
After he said this, what else could Xie say? She could only sigh that her son had never cared about these trivial matters before, but now he was very smart. She had no choice but to agree.
Later, Xie told Yao Niang, "Your sister-in-law's pregnancy was a fake one. Your brother has already told Madam Guan about it. She is a liar. Your brother still gave her some respect by only telling her to worship Buddha for a few months after giving birth."
"Has the Guan family agreed?" Yao Niang asked.
Xie nodded, "At first, the Guan family thought that your brother didn't like your sister-in-law and deliberately set up a trap, but Madam Guan came over and took a look. Your sister-in-law had her hair disheveled and was angry and yelling that everyone wanted to harm her. Your brother said that mediocre Taoists were harming people, so he asked Shuntian Prefecture to arrest the Taoist who sold the talisman water."
"Living in our house, there are so many eyes watching her. If she makes the slightest mistake, people might gossip about her. What's more, your sister-in-law is like this. If she tells others, it will bring shame to the Guan family. Of course, she agreed, but she was afraid that others would say that her daughter was not good. She also specifically asked you to accompany her to worship Buddha, but I refused."
Yao Niang pointed at herself and said, "Who does Madam Guan think she is? She even dares to order me around."
Xie spread her hands and said, "That's right. I used to think she understood better than her daughter, but in reality, she is still the same, trying to control our whole family. In this situation, your brother is trying his best to give face to the Guan family. As for what will happen in the future, it's hard to say."
However, Yao Niang asked: "Mother, can I go see my sister-in-law?"
Xie shook her head, not willing to negotiate: "Of course not. It would be bad if the disease gets worse. Besides, you are not married yet, so don't worry about it. Your brother has his own ideas, and even I can't control him."
Suddenly, Yao Niang remembered that when her brother was taking the imperial examination, she had said that her brother might be happy if Guan gave birth to a child. Her mother scolded her. Perhaps her mother knew there was a problem from that time on. No, it should have been earlier, from when her sister-in-law started eating supplements crazily, her mother predicted that there was something wrong with her.
In fact, my mother stopped giving my sister-in-law the tonic. If she had really listened to me, she would have known that all medicines are poisonous. But Guan became even more aggressive and caused the disaster today.
When Guan's carriage left Anrenfang, many people didn't know about it in the morning. Xie thought that Mrs. Guan would accompany Guan, but she said that she had something to do at home and everything would be arranged by the Yan family. Guan Dashi valued Yan Jingzhao more than Guan, and took special care of him in the Hanlin Academy.
Xie said, "How many families look for a capable son-in-law just to take care of the family. Your brother is only twenty this year, and he has a high academic record. He has at least forty years of official career, while none of your sister-in-law's brothers passed the imperial examination. And your brother is not a poor boy. If the Guan family does not show good will, how can your brother accept it?"
"Alas, since I grew up, I found that the relationship between people is nothing but a relationship of interest." Yao Niang felt quite discouraged.
When Xie was trying to comfort her, Yao Niang laughed and said, "But what does it matter? If you can be used by others, it means you are still useful. If you are no longer useful, then no one will respect you."
Xie said with relief: "You kid."
Yao Niang stood up again and said, "I have to make a Taoist robe for my brother as well. Last time I made one for my second and third brothers, but not for him because I was afraid that my eldest brother would scold me."
"Go." Xie touched her daughter's head.
Now that she no longer had to go to school, Yao Niang had a lot of free time. She returned to her room and started cutting with Mother Gu, and then sewing.
After having a few side dishes at noon, she felt hot again, so she went to the lake to take a boat ride, letting the boatwoman row and feeling the breeze which was very comfortable.
I didn't expect that as soon as I got off the boat, Qianniang and Yingniang came to me. They asked, "Why can't I find you anywhere? It turns out you're just having fun on the boat."
"It's so boring staying at home, I just want to go out and get some fresh air." After saying this, Yao Niang asked them what they wanted to see her for.
Yingniang said quickly, "Third sister, don't you remember that when we went to the Xuanping Marquis's Mansion last year, the wife of the Duke of Cheng said she wanted to invite us to her polo club. My mother said she would ask someone to come over to cut a new riding suit, and she was just about to ask you to come over."
"Just for such a small matter, you can just send a servant over. Is there something else?" Yao Niang pointed at the two of them and smiled.
Qianniang glanced at Yingniang and said, "Isn't it about riding a horse? None of us three have the time to learn. I was just about to ask you."
"It's even more impossible for me now. You see, my elder brother has so many classes in the Hanlin Academy now. How can he have the time to teach me?" Yao Niang had never thought about really learning polo. She always felt that people in the world were always pursuing perfection too much, not knowing that water will overflow when it is full and the moon will diminish when it is full.
If you want to ride a horse to relax, that's fine, but if you want to really play polo, you can't learn it overnight.
Qianniang and Yingniang were a little disappointed. Every time they looked at Yan Ningxin's heroic and heroic appearance, they also wanted to learn. However, Zhen was now busy with Yan Jingwen's homework. She urged Yan Jingwen to consult Yan Jingzhao every night. In addition, Yan Ningxin's wife, Madam Gong, was ill, and she had to find another wife. She had too many things to do and had no time to take care of these girls.
The three sisters came to Yao Niang again. Yao Niang asked someone to make tea and serve snacks, and took out some new books. Qian Niang was reading a new book, while Yao Niang and Ying Niang played double sixes.
"The number on your dice is big enough." said Yao Niang.
Yingniang smiled but said nothing. Her mother was an expert at playing double-six. It was said that when she was at her grandfather's house, Zhen was the only one in the family who could beat her grandfather, which was enough to show her skill.
Actually, Xie didn't like playing double-six games. She followed her stepmother, who was afraid that people would pick on her for being a concubine's daughter, so she taught her more about housekeeping and managing the household. As a result, Xie opened a fructose shop this year. The floor space of the fructose shop was bought with the surplus earned from the teahouse.
Yan Yingqi, who originally thought that his wife was just making trouble, admired Xie and realized that she really had the ability to make money.
Yao Niang played a few rounds of chess with her, then yawned and climbed onto the couch: "I'll take a nap for a while."
"Wait a minute, Third Sister, I'll lie here with you for a while." Yingniang took off her shoes and squeezed Yaoniang. She smelled a fragrance again: "Third Sister, why do you smell like flowers?"
Yao Niang closed her eyes: "Maybe I am the reincarnation of a flower fairy."
"Tsk..." Yingniang hugged Yaoniang's arm and fell asleep faster than Yaoniang.
Looking at the two sisters who were noisy just now but now fell asleep, Qianniang couldn't help shaking her head. She became drowsy and fell asleep on the table.
They had dinner at Yao Niang's place. It was already before the Dragon Boat Festival. Xie knew that Xiao Qianniang and Ying Niang were having dinner here, so she specially asked someone to add a few more dishes.
While eating, Yingniang suddenly asked, "Why hasn't my sister-in-law come back these days?"
"Yes, it takes time to recover. The quieter, the better." Yao Niang said with a smile.
Qianniang thought that some things in this house were only discussed behind closed doors between couples and would spread throughout the house in less than an hour, but some things were known by everyone but kept silent, and only the carefree Yingniang dared to ask.
In fact, Guan's life was not easy. She came here to worship Buddha in name, but the daily life made her even more impatient. But what if she went back? After she went back, everyone in the mansion knew that she was faking pregnancy. How would everyone look at her? Especially Yan Jingzhao kept asking doctors to see her again and again. Everyone in her family, including her husband's family, looked at her as a joke.
Yu, whom she always looked down upon, was living a better life than her.
Even if she went back in the future, Yan Jingzhao and she were not in harmony with each other, and her mother-in-law didn't like her, so what was the point?
Thinking of this, she heard a noise outside the door. It turned out that there was a child crying. She frowned at first, and then heard a girl outside shouting: "My sister was married for only three years, and you family tortured her to death."
Xi Que said, "Grandma, I'll go out and take a look."
"Yeah." Guan nodded.
Of course, the purpose of going out to check is to drive the person away and not disturb Guan's peace. Guan was originally having wild thoughts and she dreamed in the middle of the night that Yan Jingzhao wanted to kill his wife, which made Xi Que wonder if the grandmother was really crazy.
But after a long while, Xi Que came in and said, "Grandma, to be honest, there are also pitiful people outside. The little girl lost her mother when she was young, and was raised by her elder sister. Her elder sister got married a few years ago, but she didn't expect that her parents-in-law would not like her after she got married. She finally gave birth to a son in the second year after marriage, but she contracted a strange disease, and her in-laws refused to treat her, saying that she was unlucky. Thanks to this little girl selling flowers everywhere, she earned money to buy some medicine for her elder sister. Just when she got better, the child was taken away by the mother-in-law, and she died of grief."
Guan cried out, thinking of her own fate, which was the same. Her husband's family disliked her for having a strange disease and sent her here. Her husband pretended to be doing it for her own good, but in fact he deliberately found a doctor to reveal his illness and embarrassed her in front of the family.
"Xi Jue, this child has depended on her sister since she was young. Now that her sister is gone, I'm afraid she has nowhere to go. Ask her if she is willing to follow me?" Guan was also grateful that her dead mother at least had a sister to help her speak out. As for her, her mother ended up standing on Yan Jingzhao's side.
The magpie was stunned.
**
Yao Niang didn't go to the polo club at the Duke of Cheng's mansion. She was obsessed with making clothes these days and didn't want to go to a dusty place. But when Ying Niang mentioned that her elder sister Yan Ningxin was in the spotlight, Ying Niang was of course unhappy.
After Yao Niang finished making the Taoist robe for Yan Jingzhao, her father Yan Yingqi suddenly went crazy and asked her to make him a long gown for a scholar. Her mother said that her father was jealous, so she had to work hard to make the robe for him.
Now she finally has time to sew new clothes for her little babies. She draws all the clothes with a paintbrush and then sews them according to the patterns. She is too lazy to go no matter who calls her.
"Third sister, do you think our eldest sister is funny? She was drinking from a big bowl at the polo field, thinking she was a hero of Liangshan? She has brought shame to our family." Yingniang covered her mouth and laughed.
Yao Niang said, "As long as Mr. Shen likes her, it's fine. We, the others, don't care about her."
Ying Niang curled her lips and said, "I don't think Mr. Shen has any problem, but it's Miss Shen who is trying hard to bring them together."
"Okay, the hemming is done. After I finish sewing this one, I have to go out for a boat ride today. To be honest, I'm afraid of getting tanned in this scorching sun. It's my birthday next month, and I plan to put more cold drinks on our tables." Yao Niang did not respond to Ying Niang's words.
Time flies so fast, Yao Niang will soon be thirteen years old.
When I was little, I always wanted to grow up quickly, but now growing up may not be a good thing.
It is also said that the eldest wife of the Gong family was ill and could not be a full-time wife, so the sixth wife, who is now the head of the Gong family, invited another one for them. This lady has a higher status. She is the wife of the prince of Jinghai. The prince of Jinghai is the childhood friend of the current emperor and the commander of the Jinyi Guard, Liu Ji. The Jinghai Marquis's mansion is a hereditary marquisate. In short, she is already one of the most powerful people.
At the dinner table, Yan Yingqi also said to Xie: "We have also invited Madam Quanfu. This is the most important happy event in our family since we came to the capital."
When Yan Yingqi said this, he was wearing a long shirt made by Yao Niang. The pattern was very simple, but Yao Niang had starched and washed it in advance, and also fumigated it with the pine scent that his father loved, so it was close-fitting and breathable, and very comfortable to wear.
Xie smiled and said, "That's great. The eldest lady and Miss Shen are a perfect match. Good fortune is yet to come."
"I have talked to the Madam this time and asked her to have more people as dowry. It would be better if all the four departments and six bureaus could send a set of people as dowry." Yan Yingqi was not afraid of anything else but Yan Ningxin making a fool of herself.
A mistress is more than just someone's wife. She also plays a very important role in daily household chores and interpersonal relationships. Sometimes, when a mistress is missing, the entire house cannot function properly.
The four departments and six bureaus are responsible for providing services for the grand banquet, and now my eldest sister is actually going to marry such a group of people as a dowry.
Yao Niang said, "Daddy, you are so kind to my elder sister."
Yan Yingqi looked at Yao Niang and said with a smile, "Little girl, you are still jealous, isn't your father not good to you?"
In the past, Yao Niang thought that caring for you and loving you meant being good to you. Later, she began to help her mother with the accounts and gradually got to know the inner chambers. Only then did she realize where the money and power were, and where the talent was.
"Master, the child is ignorant, don't bother with her." Xie smiled. She didn't hold a grudge, because she knew very well that Yan Ningxin was really not capable. If she really made a fool of herself, it would harm her younger sisters.
If the old man really cared about her, why didn't he bring her back earlier, but let her be raised in the Prince Qi's Mansion?
The current situation is not because of Yan Ningxin, but because the man she married is Mr. Shen Linfeng.
Yao Niang would not really fight for anything. How could she get real favoritism when she grew up with so many brothers and sisters? She was used to it since she was a child. Her grandparents would consider her requests again and again or even not agree to them. When they finally agreed, they would attach many requirements, as if they were doing a favor to themselves. But her brother didn't need to ask anything. If he sighed a little, everyone would try to figure out why he was unhappy and how to help him relieve his boredom.
In fact, although she was angry with Yan Ningxin because of the painting incident last year, she no longer blamed Yan Ningxin after her father punished her. To put it bluntly, the other three sisters at least stayed with their biological mother, but Yan Ningxin didn't have a biological mother, and Zhen only showed superficial care for her.
It seems that Yingniang has been secretly learning how to manage accounts and human relations this year, and even Zhen has privately taught her to play backgammon and mahjong. Is Yan Ningxin still able to play polo now?
So, Yao Niang ate a piece of hot pot meat and said, "Dad, I was just joking. My elder sister is getting married soon, so of course the grander the better."
Actually, this son-in-law was originally intended for the third girl, but now that the matter was done, he naturally would not say these words to Yao Niang and Xie Shi anymore. After the meal, when Yao Niang left, Yan Yingqi mentioned it to Xie Shi: "There is no need to rush about Yao Niang's matter. Her aunts used to get married at the age of seventeen or eighteen. I will definitely find the best son-in-law for her, so you can rest assured."
"What's the best? As long as the future aunt is a good person, it is better than anything else." Xie didn't have too many thoughts. She thought that someone who was wise and brave, had a good family background, and had good character was rare.
Everything being too perfect is not necessarily a good thing.
Yan Yingqi smiled and said, "You have to be a good person and have good abilities, only then can you be worthy of our daughter. Don't worry, there are many impetuous young men in the capital now. The other day I saw that the eldest son of Master Du's family was quite ambitious, but the Du family was born in a poor family after all. Although his daughter married Commander Liu, it was only a temporary success."
"What do you mean?" Xie looked at him.
Yan Yingqi was not judging people casually, but simply said: "Among Zhang Tang, Lai Junchen and Jiang Bin, which one has a good ending? This man is indeed very smart, and he did not rely entirely on his status as the emperor's childhood friend. However, even if he himself can have a good ending, his descendants may not be able to do so."
Xie was shocked.
Yan Yingqi also said: "Even in our family, there are ups and downs, but after all, poetry and literature are passed down from generation to generation. As long as our descendants pass the imperial examinations and produce a talented person, the family will prosper. Or like your family, even if there is no talent, it is still a country family and will not experience excessive ups and downs."
Xie brought him a cup of tea and said, "I think it is not easy to seek wealth and honor by risking one's life."
"That's the truth. Forget about it. How is my eldest brother's wife?" Yan Yingqi asked.
Xie said, "He is still worshipping Buddha."
Yan Yingqi snorted coldly, "She has such a poor tolerance. She hasn't encountered anything yet. She faked a pregnancy and ate some magic water desperately. Otherwise, she wanted to fill her bed with shark fin and bird's nest. When something went wrong, she went crazy. My eldest brother kindly asked a doctor to come, but she yelled at him to kill her. It's really a bad marriage. How can such a person take on the responsibility of a clan wife? Fortunately, in our family, my parents-in-law didn't even let her follow the rules. She had her own kitchen when she was a teenager. I remember that my mother had been married for many years, and she didn't have her own kitchen until my grandmother passed away."
"Forget it, why get angry over her? I just don't know when Jingzhao will come to pick her up?" Xie asked.
Yan Yingqi said, "Not yet. Something big has happened in the palace. I think we should wait until the eldest girl gets married before bringing her back. Otherwise, if she keeps saying these irrelevant things and the Shen family hears them, they will think we are terrible."
Xie nodded: "Well, her food, clothing and daily expenses there are exactly the same as at home, but Jing Zhao seems to be reluctant to visit her. If she says that Jing Zhao wants to kill her again, it will be bad if someone hears it."
In Xie's view, it was just a small matter. If it was a false pregnancy, she could just take care of herself. But Guan was suffering from paranoia.
The couple discussed for a long time. Seeing that he was still wearing a long shirt, Xie couldn't help but ask, "Do you like this dress so much?"
"It's mainly because it's comfortable to wear. It's said that daughters are the most caring. I don't know who can be worthy of Yao Niang." Yan Yingqi has also met many young men in Beijing, but there are really few who can compare to Shen Linfeng. Those who are not bad have also been to Qinlou and Chuguan.
**
It was sultry in the morning. Xie made a lot of ice cream and turned on the air conditioner. Yao Niang drooled at the sight. Just as she was about to say something, she saw Zhen leading a young lady over.
Given the status of the Zhen family, the person who came personally must be an important figure, but I didn't expect him to be so young.
After Xie and Yao Niang paid their respects, they returned to the third room. After the mother and daughter ate the ice fruit, she suddenly said, "Your elder sister's wedding has attracted a lot of attention, and they have invited the wife of Commander Liu to come. Look at that lady just now. I heard that she got married at the age of 15, and she was in charge of the entire mansion within a few days of her marriage. Your elder sister must stay calm."
"Daddy gave her so many people as a dowry. I think her good days are definitely yet to come." Yao Niang said with a smile.
But it was said that it was hot and humid in the morning, the sun was white with heat, and then there was a heavy rain at noon.
Therefore, Zhen also sent someone to ask Yao Niang to go with her to meet the commander's wife. Yao Niang was of course willing to go, but Xie could not go. If she went once, Zhen would probably secretly not let Yao Niang go next time.
"Go ahead. Mother needs to take a nap." Xie looked at her hesitant daughter.
Yao Niang turned around and hugged Xie: "My daughter will be back soon."
At this time, things that seemed fair became unfair again. But she was afraid that she would be too late and upset the conductor's wife, so she had to walk quickly.
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