Old Lady Yang wailed, still taking her anger out on Jiangxue despite the situation.
Jiangxue stared at Old Lady Yang. She had heard people outside say that Yang Yan had colluded with remnants of the previous dynasty and was surely doomed. As for this old woman—hah—she probably wouldn’t last much longer either.
Fortunately, she hadn’t married Yang Yan. Without a marriage certificate, it naturally didn’t count, and her son wasn’t his either. Why not take this chance to run away!
“What are you standing there for? Take the silver and go save my son!” Old Lady Yang grew even angrier seeing Jiangxue’s dazed expression. Unfamiliar with the intricacies of officialdom, she simply believed that offering bribes would secure her son’s release.
“Yes, I’ll go right away.” Jiangxue agreed readily on the surface. Early the next morning, she packed up all the Yang family’s belongings and secretly left the city with Yang Yao.
When Old Lady Yang woke up, she called for Jiangxue several times but received no response. Dragging herself up, she saw her son’s bedroom in disarray and her grandson nowhere to be found.
Overwhelmed with rage, she fainted on the spot.
With no servants in the Yang household, by the time Old Lady Yang was discovered, it was already too late.
A physician arrived and diagnosed her with a stroke triggered by extreme anger, leaving her bedridden.
When Old Lady Yang regained consciousness, her face was contorted, her speech slurred, and drool soaked the bed.
The physician sighed and left: “This family is truly cursed!”
The situations of the Yang and Song families were set aside for now. The charge of colluding with remnants of the previous dynasty was grave. Once the emperor’s investigation concluded, only death awaited them.
An’an had no interest in any of this. She was busy fiddling with a small bag of seeds the Jade Emperor had given her.
“An’an, Mother has prepared a small plot of land. Shall we plant these?” Gu Yi looked at the small cloth pouch in An’an’s hands, unsure what seeds were inside.
“Okay~” An’an looked at Gu Yi and happily agreed.
She had no idea what these seeds were, but what did it matter? She’d plant them first and see. Maybe she’d find herbs that could cure Sister-in-law’s voice and Brother’s leg.
Little An’an was optimistic.
“Miss, Miss! Word has spread throughout the capital that Master Nianci has returned today.” Xihua hurriedly reported to Gu Yi.
“Really?” Gu Yi’s face lit up with surprise.
Master Nianci was renowned for his medical skills, but years ago, he had set off to travel the world with no fixed return date.
The Gu family had hoped to ask Master Nianci to treat Gu Chen’s leg ailment, but the opportunity never arose.
“Mother, who is it?” An’an looked at Gu Yi curiously.
Gu Yi reached out and picked An’an up. “He’s a very skilled healer. Would you like to go see him?”
“Yes!”
Hearing he was a skilled healer, An’an immediately grew excited.
Although she was a Celestial Herb, she was very interested in human medical practices. Coupled with what the Jade Emperor had told her earlier, An’an could hardly wait.
Xu Tinglan also received the news and promptly prepared herself, taking Gu Chen and Song Qingxi along.
Outside the gates of Qingcheng Temple, carriages were parked everywhere.
Master Nianci’s reputation was illustrious throughout the Dayan Dynasty. Upon hearing of his return from his travels, many flocked to Qingcheng Temple, hoping to catch a glimpse of him.
“Esteemed patrons, Master Nianci is exhausted from his journey and has retired for the day. Please return tomorrow.”
The abbot of Qingcheng Temple emerged, speaking with some helplessness.
Master Nianci was notoriously eccentric, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
“Forget it, it’s just bad timing. Let’s finish paying our respects to the Buddha and head back,” Xu Tinglan said with some regret.
She had originally hoped that if the opportunity arose, Master Nianci could examine Chen’er’s leg and Qingxi’s throat. Today, however, that seemed unlikely.
Gu Yi, holding An’an, nodded in agreement.
Just as everyone was about to leave, a young, childish voice suddenly rang out: “Esteemed patrons, although my master has retired for the day, I can offer free consultations for all of you!”
Everyone turned toward the voice and saw a girl around fifteen years old.
“Master? I’ve never heard of Master Nianci taking on a lay disciple.”
“Little Master, are you serious? Are you truly Master Nianci’s disciple?”
“I’ve never heard of Master Nianci having any disciples. Let’s just go and wait for Master Nianci to see us tomorrow!”
Most people were skeptical of this girl who had suddenly spoken up.
The girl was displeased and scowled. “My master always treats patients based on fate—whether you’ll even get a turn is another matter! I’m not charging any money, so what are you afraid of?”
Xu Tinglan and Gu Yi exchanged a glance and shook their heads slightly.
The girl’s eyes were filled with arrogance. Master Nianci treated people with sincerity—how could she have taken on such a haughty disciple?
“Abbot, do you know if this little master is truly Master Nianci’s disciple?”
Someone spoke up, half-believing and half-doubting.
The abbot stroked his beard and shook his head. “Amitabha. Monks do not speak falsely. This old monk does not know whether this young friend is Master Nianci’s disciple, but the two of them did indeed return together.”
Hearing this, some people looked at the girl, who didn’t seem to be pretending, and immediately believed her about seventy to eighty percent.
A middle-aged woman in plain clothes, holding a child, squeezed to the front and said to the girl, “May I ask how to address you, Little Master?”
The girl seemed quite satisfied with the woman’s attitude and replied, “You may call me Master Zhang.”
The woman smiled ingratiatingly and corrected herself. “Little Master Zhang, could you please take a look at my grandson? He usually has a huge appetite, but these past few days, he suddenly can’t eat anything. He’s lost several pounds! What should I do?”
Everyone stared at the chubby little boy in the woman’s arms and fell into deep thought: …
The woman was clearly doting on the child. The boy was already this plump, yet he had a poor appetite?
The young girl asked the woman to extend the chubby boy’s wrist for a pulse reading. After a while, she spoke up: “There’s no major issue. Just buy him some meat to nourish him!”
The woman, upon hearing this, realized that she hadn’t given her grandson any meat these past few days. Her son was a butcher, so meat was never in short supply at home, but she hadn’t cooked any since the weather started getting warmer.
“Ah, thank you, Little Master Zhang! I’ll go home right away and stew some meat for the child!”
The woman, beaming with joy, was about to leave when a small voice came from the crowd.
“That’s wrong.”
Earlier, everyone had been watching intently to see just how skilled this disciple of Master Nianci was, holding their breath as she took the pulse of the woman’s grandson.
Who would have thought a voice would suddenly speak up?
The woman heard it too and looked in the direction of the voice, immediately bursting into laughter. “I wondered whose little baby this was, still on milk and already trying to diagnose others? Little one, it’s not right to talk nonsense!”
Zhang Lanlan, seeing An’an being held in someone’s arms, laughed out loud: “Little child, don’t talk nonsense! My medical skills were taught by my master. If you doubt me, you’re doubting my master!”
In the Dayan Dynasty, no one would doubt Master Nianci.
“Where did this little child come from? Hurry home and drink your milk!”