Chapter 108 Kindness to the wicked
Food-poisoning? There were surely no good fortunes on the jujube pit, but the medicinal properties were quite slight. Even if the medicine given to Zhu was not suitable for his disease and failed to cure him, he definitely wouldn’t lose his consciousness because of that.
He Danggui chuckled to herself. That was quite funny. It was a secret that she saved Zhu and it was also confidential that she offered the heirloom. However, the problem still came to her now. Fine! Last night she found a set of 14 centimeter long-silver needles with wax ends from Senior Lord Luo’s study. It was a chance to see if it fit.
The best set of needles in her previous life were the gold needles forged in Chongwen Tower of the capital, 70% gold and 30% brass, soft and hard to break. The needles were about 11-centimeter long. The thick ends were like bowstrings, while the tips were like cattle hairs, with rhinoceros’ horns as handles. As the old saying went, herbs cured the interior injuries while acupuncture cured the exterior. Many famous ancient doctors who had written down ancient works had said that acupuncture and moxibustion worked better than herbs. The quality of the needles had a direct influence on the acupuncture and moxibustion. Fine needles did not change with the temperature, and they were always suitable for the body temperature. There was no pain when the needles were stuck. The color didn’t change under one’s skin and one didn’t have to worry if the needles would get stuck. Senior Lord Luo had been practicing medicine for more than 50 years, so his equipment was definitely excellent.
He Danggui stood up and asked Mammy Tang to tidy her clothes. Huh, Zhu was unconscious after eating “the bird’s nest soup she sent”? She didn’t even need to think about this. The trick in this problem was if the soup was given by Madam Luo, Zhu would be still energetic. The deleterious thing was more her reputation than the jujube pit.
Sitting in front of the dressing table and feeling the needles wrapping around her wrist, she let Mammy Tang deal with her hair, but thought deep inside, “Dong Xinlan, you and I have no conflict of interest, but you are not satisfied with your peaceful life. Now that you’d like to make trouble, I’ll do you favor and stir up the mess. My needles were only used to save lives in the previous life, but I earned a broken and desperate end for myself; Mr. Dou Haizhen had used his needles to save countless people for 10 years, but earned himself a friendless and bloody mess end. Except me, his so-called “fake disciple”, there was even no one there to bury his body. So, good things can only be used on humans. For the wicked beasts, the benevolence of the doctor is redundant.”
“Mammy, it is fine if I go to Liu Li Tang, but everyone in the family is aware that I have no knowledge about medicine–How can my elder sister-in-law take Zhu to me? I can’t tell them about the story of jujube pit. So, if I hold Zhu in public and recite the Heart Sutra to dissolve the toxin, wouldn’t that be strange?” He Danggui said, “Moreover, we didn’t go out yesterday, but they came and took the ‘punishment from the Immortal’ to us. I don’t know what will happen if we once again violate what we said about staying at home to prey for the Immortal. Mammy, what do you think?”
Mammy Tang was distressed and said anxiously, “Be that as it may, Zhu’s life is in danger. Saving one’s lives is like putting off the fire! The jujubes were given to you by the Immortal. Maybe if you cradle Zhu in your arms, he will wake up!”
He Danggui said with a smile, “Interesting, if I have that skill, I’ll be an Immortal. If I hugged Zhu and he did not wake up, my elder sister-in-law would be excited, and my hands would shiver. If I drop Zhu on the ground, what should I do? In my point of view, my elder sister-in-law is too concerned about Zhu, which is not useful to save him. Don’t you remember, Mammy? When I share my jujubes with others, I should do it voluntarily. Holding Zhu and chanting would be secondary. Although I’m willing to share my jujubes with everyone in Luo’s Family. But Mammy, I am timid by nature. If someone speaks loudly, I will cry. And I will faint as soon as anyone pushes or urges me! By then, ‘being voluntary’ becomes ‘being forced’. Maybe Zhu would die immediately because the poison would work instantly!”
Mammy Tang was dumbfounded. But on second thought, He Danggui was right. Ms. Dong had always been gentle and demure, and she always spoke softly to anyone except the Third Miss. Mammy Tang herself had seen Ms. Dong gurgling Third Miss with her hands on hips many times before. Every time Mammy Tang saw Third Miss crying hopelessly, she also felt quite distressed. However, Ms. Dong was pregnant with Yan, so it was understandable that a pregnant woman’s temper was furious. It was better for her to spit it out than to hold it. What’s more, she was half of the elder to Third Miss, and it was also good for Third Miss to be tutored. Holding this idea, every time Mammy Tang saw this situation, she immediately avoided it so that Ms. Dong wouldn’t feel embarrassed.
But the situation had changed now. Third Miss cried a whole afternoon because she was trampled by a horse. If she was fainted for being pushed by Ms. Dong, who could chant for Zhu to dissolve the toxin? Thinking of this, Mammy Tang was puzzled, “Although there are a lot of highly-skilled doctors in our family, they are unable to deal with these Immortal staffs. Madam Luo is now anxious and regretful. She is extremely puzzled. Third Miss, please help me!”
He Danggui chuckled and said, “How about this? Mammy, you can invite my elder sister-in-law and nephew here, and then put nephew Zhu alone in the East Wing-room. I’ll sneak in to check on him. It would be best if I saved him, but if not... We’ll know what to do by then. Don’t worry, Mammy, we got Senior Lord Luo in our family. He is the No.1 in the medical circle!”
Mammy Tang’s eyes lit up and nodded repeatedly, “That sounds great. I’m on it. I’ll invite them to come here right now, Third Miss, please dress up quickly!” Then she stopped combing that half-finished hair and hastened away.
He Danggui was not very good at combing hair. After a long time, she still couldn’t finish the semi-finished haircut that Mammy Tang left. It was still messy and unformed. Huai Hua came in from the outside and smiled, “Let me do it for you, Miss. I used to help Sister Zhen Zhu with her hair, and I’ve practiced it for a long time!” As she said that, she put down the water basin, and took over the handful of black hair. In a while, a pretty Fanwan haircut was completed.
He Danggui admired the shadow in the mirror and smiled, “I didn’t expect you to have such a craft. This bun is quite chic with moderate elasticity, and I feel good about it. My hair is all yours in the future.”
Huai Hua’s face was a little gloomy even if she was praised, “Sister Zhen Zhu’s skill on combing hair is the greatest. No one is doing that better than her. If she is here, how good it will be! We advised her several times, but she refused to go with us, and said that she was ‘destined to stay only in the Taoist temple’. I don’t see anything good in the dark Taoist temple.”
He Danggui also sighed. It was never easy to go or stay. Where was one’s home in this big world? Some wounds had scabs on the surface, but pus underneath. There was one on Zhen Zhu’s heart, and another in her heart as well.
Zhen Zhu won her husband’s family in the lawsuit, got the money she deserved, and changed herself to became a nun. Seemingly, she had nothing to worry about and nothing to strive for. But the truth was that she still couldn’t forget the family that had ruined her, and those memories were her pus. Because of that, she fled and hid herself in the Taoist temple. She thought as long as she didn’t listen to it or watch it, there would be no disturbance in the world.
When He Danggui woke up in this life, she once had the same idea. She was afraid that she would repeat the experience of the previous life after returning to Luo’s Family, constantly forgiving and being bullying by those of Luo’s Family, confusedly drowning in the fiery pit of Lord Ning’s Mansion and finally burying a lifetime. Although she got a brand-new body without any wound, the poisonous pus of memory was still peeping at her in a dark place, which kept her listening and watching. In the end, she resolutely chose a path that was diametrically opposite to that of Zhen Zhu. She had to go back to the old place where the pus grew, remove all the dirty things, and then put a good medicine on her wound.
Looking at the sorrowful appearance of Huai Hua, He Danggui extorted, “Zhen Zhu likes the winter in the Taoist temple. At that time, the mountains are covered with frost flowers. It is very beautiful. When flowers bloom in spring, she will be willing to go out. At that time, we will keep her here and stop her from going back to Shui Shang Temple. How does that sound?”
Huai Hua nodded happily, then turned to cover her mouth and shouted, “Oh, no, Chan Yi hasn’t returned yet! Does it mean the First Miss has, has got her…”
He Danggui picked out a pearl, put it obliquely on the chignon, and then whispered, “Relax, she wouldn’t do that. I’ll ask someone who can freely enter and leave Ting Zhu Yard to find Chan Yi.”
After finishing her make-up, Mammy Tang came in, panting and reporting, saying that Ms. Dong and her son were about to “come”. He Danggui took the opportunity to ask whether she knew why Miss Ji and Chan Yi did not return all night.
Mammy Tang replied, “Ji came back last night, but went to Fu Shou Yard hurriedly. Because today is the billing day in Madam Luo’s small storehouse, and she is the manager there, so she cannot be absent. As for that round face maid ... I haven’t seen her since last night.” He Danggui was puzzled. Was there a wolf in the mansion that stole the little sheep Chan Yi?
Mammy Tang enjoined He Danggui again. When the time was right, she would drag Ms. Dong out with Mammy Li and Mammy Hua. He Danggui could hide in the tea room of the East Wing-room in advance. As long as Zhu was taken there, she should rescue him by all means immediately. Mammy Tang also said that no difficulty was insurmountable if one set one’s mind on it. As long as He Danggui held Zhu tightly and recited the Heart Sutra taught by the Immortal sincerely, the Immortal would be impressed. He Danggui nodded with a smile.
After Mammy Tang left, He Danggui turned to the West Flower Hall and wanted to tell Ning Yuan about delaying their healing plan, but Ning Yuan and the fake Feng Yang were not there. So, she had to go to the tea room in the East Wing-room, waiting for the arrival of her lovely dying nephew who was poisoned.
When passing by the Side Palace, she heard many voices from inside, so she leaned quietly to the door and looked at the situation inside.
It turned out that Feng Jiugu, who finally got the news, came here to see her nephew, and now she was holding the fake Feng Yang’s hand, and Madam Luo, Mammy Pin and Ning Yuan all accompanied them.
Madam Luo and Ning Yuan were chatting very speculatively. She could hear that Ning Yuan saying something like “ancestral in the north”, “father died early”, “only child in the family”, “jewelry business for generations”, etc. Probably he was making up his background for Madam Luo. Madam Luo laughed happily, inquired about his birth date for a while, and then inquired about his marriage status.
It seemed that Madam Luo had temporarily put aside the unpleasantness of her great grandson’s being poisoned for the jujube pit. Ning Yuan replied that he had not yet married a wife, and he was still lack of a wife in charge of the family- The matchmaker character in woman’s nature was going to pump out, and Madam Luo began to gain a deeper understanding of Ning Yuan’s view of women. They talked about from women’s appearances, virtues, tempers, knowledge to the relation between women’s butts and their birth of boys and girls, and then further the topic between the size of a woman’s feet and the degree of her husband’s love.
He Danggui couldn’t help curling her lips. Madam Luo only heard that Ning Yuan’s family was occupied in jewelry business, and she had already become so intimate with him. If one day she learnt that Ning Yuan was from the royal family, she might pack Luo Baiqiong and Luo Baishao together to send him as a gift!
Looking at Ning Yuan’s face that looked like Lu Jiangbei, she couldn’t help wondering about his real appearance. Even though he was from Zhu’s Family, Ning Yuan must be his pseudonym. What was his real name? Did she know him in her previous life? The Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang had so many sons, grandsons and nephews. Who knew whom Ning Yuan might be?
Inside the Side Palace, Madam Luo began to talk about her granddaughter Qiong, who had superb swing skills, superb lute-playing skills to perform five ancient songs, meticulous attention and caring to the servants, and great appreciation of aesthetics.
Ning Yuan caressed a strand of silk hanging in his braid, and asked abruptly, “In a family like yours, the girls are required to bind their feet since childhood, right?”
Madam Luo froze for a moment before she nodded, “Of course. My granddaughters were equipped with Mammies who were specially responsible for their foot-binding since they were 6 or 7. Every now and then their mammies would check the shape of their feet and improve the binding method as well as the herbs used for their foot bath. Yuan, you can ask around if you like. The three-inch golden lotus (a way that women binding their feet in the feudal age) made by my family is well-known throughout Yangzhou City...”
Ning Yuan interrupted her and asked suddenly, “What about your daughters of daughters?”
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