Miaozhen had actually heard about Yu Zhoujin’s family background from Li Yao’e. The head of the Yu family had been caned and dismissed from office during the Great Rites Controversy in the Jiajing era. Yu Zhoujin’s branch originally relied on the main family for survival. After the Yu family declined, her parents died early, and she lived with her uncle’s family.
Her uncle abandoned scholarly pursuits to practice medicine, possessing the Yu family’s hereditary medical techniques. He earned the reputation “Yu the Acupuncturist,” known for saving lives with a single needle. Because of this, her aunt brought her to the West Residence. The elderly lady of the West Residence, seeing her exceptional beauty and skills in needlework, embroidery, board games, and chess—along with her excellent medical expertise—thought of her deceased grandson and Yu Zhoujin’s deceased uncle. Considering that her widowed aunt was unemployed and still raising a son, she recommended Yu Zhoujin.
Of course, Li Yao’e could learn about her background because Yu Zhoujin usually acted arrogantly and unyieldingly. While she might exchange a few retorts with Li Yao’e and Miaozhen, she was even less polite to others.
After putting away the clothes and glancing at the door, Yu Zhoujin had already left. Xiao Xi couldn’t help but mutter, “She’s just jealous of you. If you really rewarded her, she might actually be happy.”
“Never mind her, let’s focus on ourselves,” Miaozhen said with a laugh.
Now was the time for her to establish her medical reputation in this household. Such jealous remarks were to be taken lightly—why bother nitpicking? However, she also knew her limits. Whenever she encountered children’s illnesses, she would let Li Yao’e handle them and never compete for them.
After lunch, a maid from the Second Young Lady came to invite her. The Second Young Lady was born to Zhu Yiniang of the eldest branch. Although Zhu Yiniang was a favored concubine, the Second Young Lady was born of a secondary wife. On the day the First Wife was unwell, this young lady was said to have contracted wind-cold and had been resting in bed.
The Second Young Lady and her two younger sisters lived in the rear chambers behind the third branch. When Miaozhen entered, she noticed the room was bright in the middle and dim on both sides, with the left side serving as the Second Young Lady’s bedroom. Interestingly, her room was different from others, filled with various manuscripts, poetry drafts, ancient books, calligraphy, and paintings—it seemed she was an avid reader.
“Young Lady, Xu Langzhong is here,” the maid announced.
Miaozhen glimpsed the young lady by the window, who appeared to be about fourteen or fifteen years old. Her hair was styled in a spiral bun adorned with a white jade hairpin, revealing a fair neck from behind—suggesting she was a beauty. However, when she turned around, her delicate elegance was marred by a red nose, resembling rosacea.
Indeed, upon seeing Miaozhen was around her age, the Second Young Lady immediately poured out her troubles: “Since the New Year, I’ve frequently caught wind-cold, with a constantly runny nose. Later, my nose turned red, probably from frequent blowing, and nothing seems to help.”
Miaozhen first checked her pulse and then said, “This is lychee nose, also known as rosacea. You also have rhinophyma on your nose. Your pulse is deep and slow, your tongue slightly red, and your skin texture is imbalanced, leading to sores. These are symptoms of qi stagnation and blood stasis.”
During her time studying under Tan Yunxian, besides focusing particularly on gynecology, she also noted other symptoms.
“What should I do? I can’t even go out like this,” the Second Young Lady said anxiously. As a proud person nearing her coming-of-age ceremony, she was about to be betrothed. If her appearance was flawed, what would become of her?
She had tried many topical medications, but none were effective.
Miaozhen comforted her, “You need both internal and external treatments. I’ll write a prescription now, and you can have someone fetch the medicine later.”
When she previously saw Master Tan using Lvru Powder, she had read about the external application of Diandao Powder in the “Golden Mirror of Medicine” in modern times, but it might still require acupuncture and internal medicine. For internal treatment, she prescribed Heshouwu Pills to nourish blood and detoxify.
“Please don’t apply it yourself yet. Wait until the medicine is prepared, then have someone call me over,” Miaozhen said.
The next day, after the medicine was ready, a personal maid named Hanyan from Second Young Miss came to invite her. Miaozhen went over again, performing acupuncture for her daily, then personally applying the medicine, and having someone administer Heshouwu Pills with Gan Cao soup.
Since Second Young Miss’s condition wasn’t severe, after ten days, her nose turned light red, and the redness, swelling, and pustules subsided.
As Miaozhen visited daily, Second Young Miss would chat with her. Seeing Miaozhen arrive early one morning, she said, “I never thought it would heal. This morning, I used the facial wash you mentioned.”
“You’re doing very well. For this condition, you should eat less raw, cold, and alcoholic foods. Just be more careful in daily life,” Miaozhen said with a smile.
Second Young Miss had Hanyan bring a box. Opening it, it contained several pieces of jewelry. She said to Miaozhen, “I’ve been wanting to thank you. These are all my favorite pieces—please choose a few.”
Miaozhen quickly declined, “Young Miss, what are you saying? I’m just a physician hired by the Cheng Family. How could I accept your belongings? It’s really not necessary.”
She firmly refused, but Second Young Miss insisted. Unable to decline further, Miaozhen selected a pair of silver crabapple flower hairpins. Second Young Miss silently praised Miaozhen for her understanding, unlike others who might be greedy. Remembering her sensible nature, she smiled and said, “These aren’t worth much. I have more for you.”
She then took out two “Yidianyou” hairpins—one gold-headed lotus petal hairpin and one crabapple petal hairpin—along with a pink standing-collar robe and a water-field-patterned Bijia, giving them all to her.
Miaozhen hadn’t expected that in less than a month, she’d acquired three sets of clothing and several more jewelry pieces. Back at home, she had only gotten a pair of earrings and a gold accessory set this year, usually just wearing Silk flowers and hair ties.
Regardless, she had gained quite a bit. By September, she also received a monthly allowance of three taels and six mace. Miaozhen set aside two mace for Xiao Xi and Xiao Tao’s daily expenses, saving the rest.
When Li Yao’e came over for a meal that day, she was wearing a peach-red woven gold Bijia given by Third Madam Xiao Ruan Shi, shimmering brilliantly.
“You even understand sores and ulcers?”
“I just happened to treat similar patients before. If it’s more complicated, I might not know. But Sister, now that Second Madam and Third Madam both value you, you must find time to support me,” Miaozhen said with a laugh.
Li Yao’e replied, “You say that, but don’t you often visit First Wife and Second Young Miss? What’s the difference between us?”
The two bantered back and forth. After the meal, they saw Yu Zhoujin joining them for needlework, and the three chatted about other matters. Someone came in mentioning the Double Ninth Festival climb and that the Old Madam had a stomachache and slight chill, while the Eldest Young Miss had body aches.
Li Yao’e looked at them and said, “I only know pediatrics. I’m not very skilled in other areas.”
Miaozhen glanced at Yu Zhoujin and said, “Sister Yu, you go to the Old Madam, and I’ll go to the Eldest Young Miss.”
“You said it? I heard Eldest Young Miss usually chants Buddhist scriptures and is quite kind,” Yu Zhoujin said with a smile.
Li Yao’e glanced at her and remarked, “Don’t act coy after getting the better deal.”
The eldest young lady was originally betrothed to the son of Chief Minister Xia, but unexpectedly, her husband passed away. She resolved to preserve her chastity and lived in a small tower, said to be somewhat eerie, where people seldom ventured.
However, Miaozhen knew that Yu Zhoujin had always been fond of asserting superiority. Offending her over this matter would only bring trouble upon herself.
Both Xiao Xi and Xiao Tao insisted on accompanying her this time, fearing something might happen to Miaozhen. Miaozhen laughed lightly, “You’re overdoing it.”
The eldest young lady resided in a place called Shuiyue Tower, surrounded by towering trees. Even in the early autumn heat, it felt surprisingly cool there. Yet Miaozhen remained composed as she stepped out, and a matron invited someone downstairs.
This eldest young lady had pale skin and a quiet demeanor. It was said she had vomited blood before her menstrual period, accompanied by abdominal pain. Her foster mother was deeply worried: “They say if a young person vomits blood, their lifespan may be short. What if it’s consumption?”
After taking her pulse and observing that her nasal passages were normal, Miaozhen reassured her, “It’s nothing serious. This is caused by rebellious liver qi. If there’s no internal injury, we simply need to calm the liver yang and soothe the liver qi. I’ll prescribe Shun Jing Tang—decoct it in water and take ten doses first to see.”
With that, she wrote the prescription. The eldest young lady, who had some basic knowledge of medicine, looked it over. Seeing it included five qian of wine-washed Chinese angelica root and black schizonepeta spike to guide blood back to its channels and regulate liver qi, she handed it to her foster mother.
As Miaozhen prepared to leave, the foster mother personally saw her out and gave her two gold rings. Miaozhen declined, considering the woman was a widow.
But the foster mother said, “Our eldest young lady finds it difficult to invite outside physicians, so we must trouble Miss Xu further.”
Modern people often say it’s better to have money than a husband, but in ancient times, widowhood was clearly not an ideal situation, especially for the women Miaozhen had encountered. Liver qi stagnation stemmed from pent-up emotions—young women forced to live alone, forbidden from wearing bright clothes, suppressing their true natures—it was truly difficult.
Some even regretted their decisions midway…
Miaozhen smiled, “My primary specialty has always been gynecology. Whenever the eldest young lady needs anything, just send for me.”
Seeing that Miaozhen spoke without pretense, asked no prying questions, remained steady in her diagnosis, prescribed promptly, and even offered comfort, the foster mother felt warmly toward her.
She placed the two gold rings in her jewelry box. Next door, Yu Zhoujin was heard to have received a brocade garment as a reward from the old matriarch—her own gains couldn’t compare. But she thought to take things slowly; she needed to comprehensively address the ailments of women from humble backgrounds.
She wouldn’t compete with Li Yao’e in pediatrics, but she had to excel in other areas.
The next day, Cheng Junxian’s Tongfang and an old concubine sought her treatment—cases Yu Zhoujin would never take, disdainful of their low status. But Miaozhen didn’t mind. Though she received no further gifts, she worked diligently.
Li Yao’e’s reputation grew even better—the pair of dragon-phoenix twins in her family were beloved treasures, drawing much attention.
Come October, the eldest young lady had improved significantly. When Second Madam learned Miaozhen had cured her, she promptly summoned her. This was Miaozhen’s first time meeting Second Madam Ruan Shi, who was known for her deep bond with Er Laoye and her candid nature. Seeing her in person, Miaozhen almost didn’t recognize her.
Ruan Shi should have been around forty but looked as if she were in her twenties—tall and slender, with an oval face and a charming smile. Her features weren’t particularly striking, not even as pretty as Zeng Shi’s, yet she possessed a natural sweetness.
“Second Madam.” Miaozhen performed a curtsey.
Second Madam looked Miaozhen up and down before saying, “Despite your young age, your medical skills are remarkably refined. Truly worthy of being Yang Ruren’s disciple.”
“You flatter me, Madam.”
When Second Madam inquired about her family background and learned that her father was a Student of the Imperial Academy while her maternal grandfather had been a provincial scholar, she couldn’t help but praise, “It seems you come from a family of scholarly tradition.”
“Our humble household hardly qualifies as a family of scholarly tradition,” Miaozhen replied with a smile.
Second Madam asked many detailed questions and observed how Miaozhen answered fluently yet remained modest throughout. She rewarded Miaozhen with a bolt of Dark Pattern Satin and added, “In the future, you should visit the Eldest Young Mistress more diligently.”
Miaozhen acknowledged the instruction. She noticed Second Madam seemed to hesitate as if wanting to say more, but after pausing briefly, ultimately dismissed her without another word.
On her way back, Miaozhen heard that Third Young Miss Cheng Yuan had fallen into the water. All the woman doctors rushed over immediately. Fortunately, Third Young Miss was unharmed, but First Wife Zeng Shi was terribly distressed. Having only borne these two daughters, they were her very heartstrings.
In her agitation, Zeng Shi spoke recklessly: “All three of you must stay here with me. If anything happens to Third Young Miss, I’ll hold you accountable and have you beaten with boards.”
Even Miaozhen found this speech unreasonable. They were hired practitioners, not servants—how could they be arbitrarily beaten with boards? Yet when she looked at Yu Zhoujin, who typically possessed a rebellious spirit and looked down on everything, she saw her behaving more meekly than herself, resembling a quail with even her clothing chosen in the plainest style. Miaozhen immediately understood everything.
Third Young Miss woke up shortly after and took some medicine to prevent cold. She appeared quite agitated when she saw everyone present.
As San Tai Tai had largely recovered, Zeng Shi wanted to speak privately with her daughter and thus dismissed Miaozhen and the others. Only then did she ask, “Yuan Jie’er, what happened to you? How did you fall into the water?”
“It’s… it’s nothing.” Cheng Yuan hadn’t expected to find herself alive again one day.
Yes, she had been reborn.
In her previous life, due to her parents’ marital discord, both she and her mother had attributed it to her mother marrying into a family of equal social status where they didn’t value you. Therefore, she had deliberately chosen Lu Shi’an, a poor scholar from Suzhou Prefecture, impressed by his handsome yet open-minded appearance and his excellent yet humble scholarship. Cheng Yuan’s heart had completely fallen for him.
After marriage, Lu Shi’an passed the imperial examination to become a Jinshi, during which the Cheng Family provided substantial support. Lu Shi’an’s official career progressed extremely well, but unexpectedly, he later climbed onto the Yan Family’s coattails. Hearing that the Yan Family’s daughter was quite taken with him, Cheng Yuan had died in childbirth despite having perfect fetal position and the midwife’s assurances of a smooth delivery.
Only through her unwillingness after death, having turned into a wandering spirit, did she discover it was all Lu Shi’an’s scheme.
“Mother, are you well?” Cheng Yuan asked.
Zeng Shi touched her forehead. “Of course I’m fine. Why are you talking nonsense?”
Cheng Yuan looked at her mother before her. Her mother had a straightforward but rash temperament, not only enduring lonely nights but also disliked by her mother-in-law. Without her sister-in-law holding power, she was treated like an invisible person in this household, yet she remained the one who cherished her two daughters most.
“Rest for now. I’ll send someone to report to the Old Madam, and we’ll have Female Doctor Xu come examine you again this evening.” Seeing her daughter somewhat dazed, Zeng Shi assumed she was still fatigued.
That evening, Miaozhen was listening to Li Yao’e recount how Third Young Miss, obsessed with painting, had become so engrossed in sketching from life that she accidentally fell into the lake. Fortunately, the maids had rescued her in time. However, First Wife had fined those involved and criticized Third Madam for not assigning enough people by the lake, accusing her of negligence.
“Wouldn’t that offend the second branch?” Xiao Ruan Shi was the eldest daughter-in-law of the second branch and also Second Madam’s niece.
Li Yao’e replied, “Whether it’s offensive or not, I can’t say for sure, but you should be careful too.”
Before she could finish speaking, Mama Zhao from First Wife’s household came to summon Miaozhen. The October night was chilly, so Miaozhen draped a cloak over her shoulders and went with Xiao Tao.
After taking the pulse, there was no reward, of course. First Wife even said, “If my daughter falls ill tomorrow, I’ll hold you responsible.”
When Miaozhen left the room, Xiao Tao, seeing no one around, couldn’t help but remark, “First Wife is really something.”
“She’s always like this. Last time, too embarrassed to call me during the day, she sent someone at night and made me stay up all night,” Miaozhen said with a disdainful curl of her lip.
For those like them who worked, it didn’t matter whether you were the main wife or a concubine, legitimate or illegitimate. If you treated servants well, they’d willingly help you; if you didn’t treat them as human, they certainly wouldn’t speak well of you.
Nowadays, even a pancake vendor outside the city gate could earn twenty taels a year. They, as physicians, had studied for many years to achieve such skill. They didn’t need reverence, but to face the threat of corporal punishment at every turn was utterly absurd.
Unexpectedly, Cheng Yuan found Miaozhen’s face familiar but hadn’t dared to ask earlier. After Miaozhen left, she inquired of her maid, “Who was that female physician just now?”
“Replying to Miss, she’s the female doctor our family hired specifically to treat the women. They say this Female Doctor Xu is highly skilled—she cured Madam’s chronic illness of many years, and Madam even rewarded her with two sets of clothing.”
“Where is she from?”
“She’s from Suzhou Prefecture, a disciple of the renowned physician Tan.”
Cheng Yuan thought for a while longer but couldn’t recall anything.
The next day, Miaozhen went to the third branch’s residence. It turned out that San Tai Tai’s chief maid, Pinellia, had fallen ill. Miaozhen observed her dark forehead, feverish body, and frequent, uncontrollable urination.
After carefully taking her pulse, Miaozhen said slowly, “Deficiency heat rising from the kidney meridian—how strange.”
Chief maids usually didn’t do heavy labor; in fact, Pinellia even had two maids assisting her. But in an instant, Miaozhen realized it must be due to excessive sexual activity, leading to kidney deficiency and blood stasis.
Thinking this, she quietly asked Pinellia, who, though straightforward, blushed but admitted it, adding, “I have no choice—the third branch has no heirs, and San Tai Tai blames herself.”
“But you must exercise restraint. I’ll help you recover this time, but if you don’t control yourself, it won’t work,” Miaozhen advised.
She then had someone fetch wolfberry root and personally pounded the medicine, administering it with strong wine.
Pinellia felt terribly apologetic. “How can I trouble you to pound the medicine yourself?”
“Take this medicine first. I’ll have Four-Ingredient Decoction prepared in our room—it’s more convenient. But it should be taken after meals. A few doses should suffice for recovery,” Miaozhen reassured her, explaining the reasons.
Not only was the tea room prone to mixing up medicines, but they also often failed to follow proper procedures. Some herbs needed to be stir-fried, others required precise weighing, and it was easy for inaccuracies to occur. Therefore, she discussed with Mama Gu and obtained a small pot and stove.
Whenever she had time, she could help brew the medicine herself. Otherwise, if the tea room prepared the medicine incorrectly and caused harm, she would be held responsible.
Pinellia was deeply grateful and tried to rise to offer payment, but Miaozhen said, “There’s really no need. If you insist on giving something, wait until you’ve fully recovered.”
The three of them—mistress and servants—brewed the medicine in the room. Miaozhen laughed, “When we return from the Cheng Family in the future, with our skills in brewing medicine and diagnosing illnesses, perhaps I can open a women’s clinic. You two will be my right-hand assistants.”
After dinner, she personally delivered the medicine and had Xiao Tao burn incense in the room to mask the lingering medicinal smell.
After about half a month of taking the medicine, Pinellia recovered completely. She wrapped two gold-embroidered sweat towels, a set of lotus-root-colored front-opening long jackets with a matching cloak, a pearl necklace, and a jade hair ornament in a piece of silk.
Miaozhen was startled, “You’re giving far too much.”
“Every time Third Master visits, I receive some gifts. Besides, San Tai Tai won’t let me marry out, nor does she promote me to concubine—she just treats me as a bedwarming maid. So I must secure some nice things for myself. When I fell ill, everyone avoided me, but you alone personally brewed my medicine and cured me. These items are nothing in comparison. You come from a respectable family—keep them for your dowry or wear them yourself. I only hope you’ll remember me in the future.” Pinellia felt that recovering from her illness was blessing enough; a few gifts meant little.
Miaozhen sensed Pinellia’s strong sense of loyalty, and their relationship grew closer. Whenever Pinellia had free time, she would often come to sit with Miaozhen for a while.
Today, during her visit, they overheard Yu Zhoujin arguing with a tea room maid next door, accusing them of possibly messing up the prescription and causing First Wife to have a reaction after taking her medicine.
“What’s going on?”
“The tea room occasionally makes mistakes when brewing medicine, so I came up with a simple solution—brewing it myself in my room. But Sister Yu probably always has the tea room prepare hers,” Miaozhen explained.
Pinellia entered the inner room and said, “Even so, she shouldn’t have acted like that. The maid she was scolding earlier has an unusual background—she’s the daughter of First Wife’s accompanying servant.”
“So that’s how it is.” Miaozhen thought to herself how complicated these wealthy households could be.
After chatting for a bit, Miaozhen added, “Since Miss Yu is a cousin of the family, why is she working as a female physician like us?”
Pinellia replied, “The eldest young master of the main branch was raised by the old madam since childhood and is her most beloved grandson. He’s perfect in every way, except he’s too devoted to First Madam. First Madam has only given birth to a daughter in several years of marriage, and he refuses to take a concubine. Of course, this is just my speculation—Miss Yu’s family has fallen into decline. She isn’t suitable to be a principal wife, but she could make a decent concubine. Moreover, she’s quite beautiful.”
Hearing this, Miaozhen recalled Yu Zhoujin’s behavior and felt these plans might not come to fruition.
She thought it would be better to focus on saving money in this mansion and marrying a good man instead. Being a concubine wasn’t easy—look at Pinellia, when she fell ill, Third Master simply moved on to someone else.
As she pondered this, someone arrived outside saying that Cousin Qin’s coughing fit had flared up and requested her to come perform moxibustion. Miaozhen had to rush over immediately.
This cousin Qin had been suffering from a cough since the beginning of autumn. Originally, Yu Zhoujin was treating her, but now that Yu Zhoujin was unwilling to go over in the evening, Miaozhen had no choice but to go instead. She performed suspended moxibustion on four acupoints for her: Hegu, Feishu, Tanzhong, and Zhongwan. Each point took about a quarter of an hour, and the entire process lasted half an hour, leaving Miaozhen somewhat exhausted.
Unexpectedly, after finishing the moxibustion and stepping out, she ran into the third young lady of the Cheng Family, who had come to visit. The third young lady of the Cheng Family stopped and asked for her name, where her home was, and so on.
After Miaozhen finished speaking and left, Cheng Yuan never expected to actually encounter the Xu Family, whom Lu Shi’an had described as snobbish people who scorn the poor and curry favor with the rich. According to Lu Shi’an, the Xu Family patriarch, who ran a bookstore, had taken a liking to his Juren status and intended to betroth his daughter to him. Unexpectedly, a government official intervened midway, and the Xu Family, scornful of the poor and obsequious toward the wealthy, married their daughter off to someone else.
Cheng Yuan had often joined in criticizing the Xu Family for their lack of discernment. Even after arriving in the capital, she encountered Xu Miaozhen and mocked her, causing Miaozhen to be ostracized by the wives of officials…
Later, after Lu Shi’an passed the Jinshi examination and entered the Hanlin Academy, he turned this incident into a celebrated tale of the Cheng Family’s wisdom in recognizing talent, while the Xu Family was ridiculed as clowns and even featured in operas cautioning people against greed for wealth and status.
It was only after her death, when she learned the truth, that she realized the Xu Family had truly been the ones with the discernment to recognize genuine worth.