“That’s no problem. You can come on my boat. I also need to go to the Cheng Family in Anhui to invite a Small Pulse Female Doctor to regulate my niece’s health,” Cheng Junxian said.
Xu Erpeng thought, big families really are strict—men and women kept apart.
He said, “To be honest, my wife makes most decisions about our daughter. Let me discuss it with her and reply to you later, would that be alright?”
Cheng Junxian, being a gentleman, didn’t mind.
Tan Dalangjun admired Xu Erpeng’s backbone, unlike others who’d grovel at such an opportunity.
He said, “That’s reasonable. A mother worries when her child travels far. Take your time and discuss it.”
Xu Erpeng agreed and personally saw them out.
Cheng Junxian asked him to send someone in three days for a reply.
For Xu Miaozhen, this was a great opportunity.
With a connection to the Cheng Family, she might even be recommended to the Palace as a court physician one day—her status would skyrocket.
But the ancient world wasn’t like the modern one.
Leaving home to serve a powerful family, any mistake could mean death, and there was no fairness for those without power.
So she told Xu Erpeng, “Taking the shortcut through the Cheng Family is tempting, but I’d rather build my reputation slowly in Suzhou Prefecture. There’s no need to rush.”
“I agree. The Cheng Family is a high gate, and Cheng Dashan is reasonable, but we can refuse for now—just say you’re getting married soon.”
Xu Erpeng wasn’t afraid to offend; after all, he wasn’t their servant and had his own title.
As the saying goes, ‘it’s better to break ten temples than one marriage.’
If someone could mediate, that would be best.
The next morning, the whole family went to the Mei Family to celebrate Mei Juren’s birthday.
Mei Juren was in good spirits these past two years.
Seeing Mei Shi’s gifts—two boxes of Shou Tao, two boxes of Yin Si Mian, premium Fu Ju, two long robes, and two pairs of shoes—he stroked his beard and smiled.
In the past, Mei Shi had married the worst, but now, thanks to Xu Erpeng’s growing wealth, no one dared look down on her.
Only Qiao Yimu seemed out of sorts.
Normally, she dressed up, but today she wore a dull green robe and blue skirt, looking gloomy.
Mei Shi whispered to Xu Miaozhen, “Your Qiao Yifu brought home a courtesan, causing chaos in the household, and now ignores his proper wife. Last New Year, she didn’t send anything home—he just spent the holiday with his other wives.”
Xu Miaozhen was shocked.
Looking up, she saw Qiao Yimu staring at her fiercely.
She thought she was imagining it, but when she blinked, Qiao Yimu had already left.
Ever since Fifth Aunt gave birth to a son, Qiao Yimu lost favor.
Last year, Fifth Aunt mocked her for not recognizing Xu Miaozhen’s tricks, so she resented her deeply.
Now, with her husband captivated by a sharp-tongued courtesan, Qiao Yimu couldn’t win against the concubines and turned her hatred on Xu Miaozhen.
Since others had ruined her marriage, she felt she must repay the favor.
She whispered with her mother about arranging a marriage for Xu Miaozhen with a family that looked good on the outside but was rotten within.
Mei Shi told Mei Juren, who didn’t care about women’s schemes and told Xu Erpeng.
Xu Erpeng, though plump and gentle-looking, was very decisive.
He knew if his daughter married poorly, she’d suffer for life.
Even when told it was the Xian Cheng’s family, he refused.
“My father-in-law may not know, but my daughter is a disciple of Wu Xi Yang Ruren, and even high officials want her as a resident physician. We’re not considering marriage now.”
Mei Juren and the others asked for details, and said, “That’s your family’s good fortune. As they say, ‘even a seventh-rank official at a prime minister’s gate is lucky’—maybe you’ll get a post one day.”
“I’m not fit for high office, don’t tease me,” Xu Erpeng replied.
Qiao Yifu, now running a money house and desperate for connections, became very friendly, drinking with Xu Erpeng.
Xu Erpeng just sipped a little wine, and once the banquet ended, went home to write—nothing could stop him.
Xu Miaozhen and Mei Shi left together, unaware of Qiao Yimu’s schemes.
Qiao Yimu was still hoping, but Mei Taitai later told her, “It probably won’t work. I heard the former Grand Secretary’s family invited her as a resident physician.”
“What? That girl only studied medicine for a few years, and she’s already treating patients? Isn’t that just her brother-in-law boasting? He writes books and can’t tell fiction from reality.”
Qiao Yimu actually knew Xu Erpeng never lied, but she just couldn’t believe her unlucky sister could have such fortune.
Mei Taitai advised, “As they say, ‘bend or stretch as needed.’ Your husband is looking for a backer, so you should cozy up to your eldest brother-in-law at the table. Pretend to be friendly with them, and once you regain favor and have support, you can deal with them as you like.”
Hearing her mother’s words, Qiao Yimu was enlightened.
Meanwhile, after the Mei Family banquet, things were much the same at Xu Da Lang’s house.
He’d been teaching at the local shexue and composing poetry with a local scholar, which eased much of his frustration.
He truly saw the man as a confidant, not realizing the man had ulterior motives.
He knew Xu Da Lang was poor, but his two brothers ran a bookshop and a tea shop in Jinchang, both busy with customers.
When Xu Miaozhen returned home, Ma Yulan brought a box of assorted fruits.
“Why are you still being so polite with me? Come, give me your hand so I can check your pulse.”
Ma Yulan quickly complied.
Xu Miaozhen checked her pulse and said, “Not bad, but your qi and blood are weak. Don’t overexert yourself, keep up the regimen.”
“Alright, I’ll listen to you, okay?”
Ma Yulan trusted her completely after being cured.
After a few more jokes, Xu Miaozhen gave her a sachet to ward off evil and told her to wear it.
When Ma Yulan left, Xu Miaozhen was called to the front hall for dinner.
Since lunch had been heavy, she just ate some porridge and two small dishes.
After eating, she went to bed.
Unexpectedly, late at night, Xu Da Lang arrived, looking miserable.
Only Xu Erpeng was up, busily writing.
Hearing his brother had come at this hour, his eyelid twitched.
“Big brother, why are you here now?”
“Erpeng, you have to save me! I’ve been caught out—if I don’t bring five hundred taels, my life’s over.”
Xu Da Lang hadn’t expected that his drunken confession about being a fake tribute student would get him in trouble.
Xu Erpeng frowned.
“Brother, what exactly did they catch you for?”
But Xu Da Lang wouldn’t say, only repeating, “Just tell me—will you save your big brother or not?”
“I can’t.”
Xu Erpeng was not one to be blackmailed and answered immediately.
Xu Da Lang was furious.
“Are you really going to watch me die?”
“Then tell me what you did. If you don’t, I can’t help.”
Xu Da Lang was distraught.
He’d nearly slit his wrists when threatened, but the pain stopped him; he thought about drowning, but the water was too cold.
After mustering the courage to ask for money, his brother refused.
He covered his face and sobbed.
Seeing his brother like this, Xu Erpeng felt a twinge of pity, but he was still thinking about an unresolved plot point in his writing.
He crossed it out and started editing again.
Xu Da Lang, seeing he was being ignored, said, “If this gets out, it’s not just me—you’ll all be implicated. Don’t believe me if you want.”
Xu Erpeng waved him off.
“Whatever.”
Since his brother wouldn’t explain, Xu Erpeng didn’t bother arguing.
He knew Xu Yiming—blustering and self-righteous, but timid and unlikely to commit a major crime.
Xu Yiming stormed out, only to be grabbed by several servants.
In that moment, he felt despair, but also hope.
If his brother wouldn’t bankrupt himself to save him, maybe he’d do it for his own safety.
With that thought, he calmed down.
The next morning, someone came to the house.
When Xu Miaozhen entered the front hall, she found her parents looking very serious.
Her father looked at her and said, “Zhenzhen, we’ve all been dragged down by your uncle. He pretended to be a tribute student and a xiucai, but he’s nothing of the sort. Someone’s going to report him, and if he’s convicted, we’ll be implicated.”
“What? Uncle was a fake?”
Xu Miaozhen was shocked.
Xu Erpeng added, “Yes, they’ve even got his fake tribute certificate. There’s only one way—either spend money to buy him a real tribute title, or else…but I just can’t swallow that. Why should I clean up his mess?”
Thinking it over, he told his daughter, “Later, I’ll reply to Cheng Dashan. Don’t worry. If you go to the Cheng Family, at least there’s a way out. In the fourteenth year of Chenghua, in July, Yang Fu, who impersonated Wang Zhi, was executed. Your uncle might not face that, but we could be exiled. I’ll write a divorce letter for your mother, and if you succeed in the future, take your mother and brothers away.”
Xu Miaozhen knew her father was preparing for the worst, but she remained calm.
“Don’t think that way. Nowadays, you can buy lighter sentences. Besides, you didn’t commit the crime. I have an idea: prepare some cloth and spices as gifts for Cheng Dashan, and act as if nothing’s wrong.”
“Tell him I’m willing to be a resident physician at the Cheng Family and ask him for a visiting card, saying you’ll need it to fetch me later. Once you have the card, no one in Suzhou Prefecture will dare act rashly. That way, I get a good future, and you avoid disaster.”
Xu Erpeng clapped his hands and laughed.
“That really is the perfect solution.”
Seeing her father agree, Xu Miaozhen felt relieved and gave him some careful advice.
Xu Erpeng listened attentively, finally declaring, “From now on, I only care about our own family. As for others, I won’t bother. Your uncle loves vanity and even now won’t tell the truth, just trying to drag us down. If he gets beaten or exiled, he deserves it.”
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