Chapter 48 Beautiful, strong and miserable
Zhu Yuhuan and Xu Wangzhi accompanied the two children as they walked along the street, stopped at various places, watched the jar-balancing juggling performances, and bought cakes and fruits. Unfortunately, the medicine-hair puppets could only be seen at night. Zhu Yuhuan did not plan to spend the night outside with his younger siblings, so he wandered around the shops instead. When they were tired, they would go to a nearby teahouse to rest and listen to storytelling.
Seeing that Zhu Youtong and Zhu Qiyu were listening intently, Zhu Yuhuan then relayed the news about Liu Yuanran's apprentice Shao Yizheng, adding, "I heard from Master Liu that Master Shao is quite knowledgeable in medicine. If you have time, you could exchange some ideas."
Medical skills require a large number of patients as models and the integration of experiences from many schools. Moreover, Xu Wangzhi had the ambition to write a book for his grandmother and had a compassionate heart as a doctor. Naturally, he hoped that the book would be as accurate as possible, so he immediately agreed.
Xu Wangzhi and Zhu Yuhuan walked to a corner of the private room, looked around, and then took out a few letters from his sleeve and handed them to Zhu Yuhuan, saying in a low voice: "The thickest one is from Commander Saihazhi, and the rest are from Minister Xue. They were all sent to the clinic by Minister Shen."
Xue Xuan was assigned to a post outside the capital, which was unrelated to the Wunong Temple. In order to avoid suspicion, anything he wanted to say to Zhu Yuhuan would often be sent to Xu Wangzhi, who then passed it on to Zhu Yuhuan.
The letter didn't actually contain any major events; it simply discussed local customs and Neo-Confucianism, not primarily government affairs, and only occasionally touched on them during debates. However, Xue Xuan was deeply concerned about the development of Wunong Temple, frequently inquiring about its conditions and the state of the imperial farm's grain supply. Zhu Yuhuan, naturally, told him the truth and even mentioned spinning and weaving machines. The two seemed more like pen pals than ruler and subject.
As for Saihazhi, he reported his safety to Zhu Yuhuan.
Xue Xuan served as an official in the south, while Saihazhi went directly to Yunnan. The journey was more difficult, so it was naturally inconvenient for him to write to Zhu Yuhuan frequently.
Zhu Yuhuan glanced at it to make sure that no one had seen it before, and then she opened the letter from Saihazhi. It began with a greeting from her master. She couldn't help but smile and said, "Master, are you safe and sound..."
Compared with Xue Xuan's implicit style, Saihazhi seemed much more friendly. He wrote about his recent situation in Yunnan in a clear manner. At the same time, he mentioned that Yunnan and other places have many ethnic groups and are complex. The chieftains have been operating in the local area for many years and are not subject to discipline. Not only do they disobey the orders of the court, but they also exploit and harm the people under their rule.
Xu Wangzhi saw Zhu Yuhuan frowning slightly and asked cautiously, "Did something happen?"
Zhu Yuhuan flipped through all the letters before putting them away. He said, "It's nothing. It just mentioned the local customs and practices of Yunnan. I'll pass the letter on to you after I figure out how to reply."
Xu Wangzhi had also heard of Yunnan. For Xu Wangzhi, who had once followed the refugees on foot, such a wild and desolate place could only make him think of all kinds of thieves and bandits who killed and robbed people. He could also understand why Zhu Yuhuan frowned when he saw the "local customs and people" written in the letter.
Xu Wangzhi patted Zhu Yuhuan's hand and said, "Distant water cannot quench a nearby fire. Don't think too much. It's better to have a good New Year."
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but laugh when he heard her say that, and said, "How could I be overthinking it?"
Xu Wangzhi sighed upon hearing this, as if feeling helpless. "If you weren't the overthinking type, why would you bother with all this? Wouldn't it be better to just be a princess? Patrolling the border, weaving, farming... you have to do so much, and the people who are truly willing to appreciate your kindness aren't the ones who can speak for you. Why bother?"
She was a few years older than Zhu Yuhuan, and she also claimed to have experienced a lot of things and suffered a lot, but when she saw how hard Zhu Yuhuan worked, she unconsciously felt a little more pity in her heart.
Zhu Yuhuan exchanged a glance with her, then took Xu Wangzhi's hand and shook it, smiling, "Oh, someone cares so much about me. Even if I have to do more or work harder, I'll be satisfied."
Xu Wangzhi shuddered at her amusement. Looking at her sparkling eyes, he couldn't help but say, "That's so corny."
"That's right, it's corny. What you just said was corny to me." Zhu Yuhuan peeled the orange on the table, broke off half and gave it to Xu Wangzhi. "I have money and free time now, and I can even take them out to play. I'm not a pathetic person. At most, I can be considered beautiful, strong and miserable."
"Beautiful... beautiful, strong, and miserable?" Xu Wangzhi blinked, revealing a somewhat confused expression, and asked, "What do you mean by beautiful, strong, and miserable?"
"It's powerful, beautiful, and yet fragile." Zhu Yuhuan curled the hair on his cheek with his index finger and said, "How is it? Is it appropriate?"
Xu Wangzhi no longer felt the pity he had just felt, and said, "Forget it, forget it. Just pretend I didn't say anything."
"That's right." Zhu Yuhuan took a sip of tea and said with a smile, "We finally have a festive time. I'm bringing my brothers and sisters to play with you. Why do you keep talking about those annoying things?"
When they talked about hanging out, Xu Wangzhi became curious again and asked, "Why don't you bring the prince with you?"
Zhu Youtong vaguely heard the word "Crown Prince" and looked back, only to see her sister sitting in the corner with a confused look on her face. She saw Zhu Yuhuan smile at her and then turned back.
Zhu Yuhuan pouted and whispered, "See? It's not me, it's Tongtong." She fiddled with the plum blossom branches in the long-necked vase and said, "Besides, the streets are crowded at the end of the year. If the prince does something wrong, then it will really become as the rumors say. I have rebellious intentions towards the prince."
Xu Wangzhi thought of the rumors he had heard before and nodded, "That's true..."
Zhu Yuhuan suddenly thought of something and said, "By the way, I have something I want to ask you."
"What's up?"
Zhu Yuhuan explained with a smile, "I've been away from home for too long this year. Everyone in the palace is watching me. I can't go in and out of the palace as I please. The next time I go out will have to wait until after the Lantern Festival. Please help me distribute the New Year's money to the children in the charity hall. Don't worry about the money. The teahouse has prepared it."
Hearing her say this, Xu Wangzhi naturally agreed and said, "No problem. Anyway, my mother, my brother and I don't have many relatives in the capital. We can just visit the managers and doctors of a few pharmacies and clinics and exchange flying invitations. When we have some free time, we can go to the charity hall to help you distribute money."
"Also, Chen Yanli is spending the New Year in the capital this year. Ask him to come to the teahouse to see me when he's free. I have something to tell him."
Xu Wangzhi wrote down everything and couldn't help but sigh, "Why do I feel like I've become your errand boy?"
Zhu Yuhuan teased, "Then I'll ask the people at the teahouse to give you some New Year's money too, okay?"
Hearing this, Xu Wangzhi imitated her and joked, "You think you can get rid of me with just a few bucks? That won't do."
She thought Zhu Yuhuan would retort, but she saw Zhu Yuhuan's serious face and said, "Don't worry, there will definitely be more than this."
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