Although Jiang Yao wanted to find Divine Doctor Xue, she had no leads for the time being.
Apart from announcing his intention to take on a disciple, Divine Doctor Xue had not revealed his selection criteria or his whereabouts.
It was only known that he was likely in or near the capital.
Jiang Yao spent the entire morning searching the inner city of the capital but found no concrete information.
Moreover, she had another matter to attend to.
If handled well, it might even help her become Divine Doctor Xue’s disciple.
After a fruitless morning with no clues about the divine doctor, Jiang Yao said to the coachman Xiao Liuzi, “Xiao Liuzi, take me back to the Jiang family.”
Feng Liu acknowledged and drove the carriage to the Jiang residence.
Jiang Fu and Mother Jiang were overjoyed to see their daughter return, especially since it was just lunchtime.
Cheng Shi quickly instructed the maids, “Bring another set of bowls and chopsticks.”
After giving the order, she worried that the dishes might not be enough for her daughter.
“Darling, should I have the kitchen prepare two more dishes? Some sweet and sour ribs? Or stir-fried small river shrimp? The shrimp the kitchen bought today are quite fresh.”
Her daughter had a sweet tooth and preferred dishes with a hint of sweetness.
Jiang Yao smiled and said, “Mother, that won’t be necessary. There’s plenty here.”
The Jiang family had just started their meal and had barely taken a few bites.
Besides, the Jiang family was wealthy and never skimped on themselves. Since they had the means, they enjoyed life to the fullest.
They never held back when it came to food and drink.
Every meal was lavish, with a balance of meat and vegetables, and each dish was prepared to be visually appealing, aromatic, and delicious.
With such a spread, there was more than enough for Jiang Yao.
Cheng Shi thought for a moment and said, “Alright then. How about staying for dinner tonight, darling? I’ll have the kitchen prepare sweet and sour ribs and small river shrimp.”
The ingredients the kitchen had purchased that day were of the finest quality.
“Sure,” Jiang Yao nodded obediently. “I’ll stay for dinner tonight.”
She planned to remain at the Jiang residence for the next few days.
First, the Pei family was still trying to return the authority over household affairs to her. Let them dwell on it for a few more days. When they finally realized she had no intention of taking on the Zhong Kui, a tough battle awaited.
Second, something had happened in the alley where the Jiang family lived in her previous life.
She couldn’t quite remember the exact day.
During that time in her past life, she had been overwhelmed by her own troubles—slandered at the Guogong Fu, demoted from wife to Qie upon returning to the Pei family, and a series of subsequent events that left her disheartened and unable to focus on anything else. She had only heard about the incident vaguely afterward and didn’t know the precise timing.
She only knew it happened sometime after lunch, but she had no idea which day it occurred.
That was why she intended to stay at the Jiang residence these next few days.
The maids laid out the bowls and chopsticks on the table.
Jiang Yao’s twin nephew and niece picked up their chopsticks and, with trembling hands, served her some food.
“It’s so great to have Auntie eating with us! Auntie, try this~”
“Tuantuan, Yuanyuan, you eat too.” Seeing the two adorable, soft, and chubby little darlings, Jiang Yao’s heart melted.
But when she recalled how, in her past life, this very pair of nieces and nephews had been killed by Pei Muzheng and Shen Yuanwu, her heart felt as though it had been brutally torn out.
In this life, she would make the Pei family and Shen Yuanwu suffer the same pain!
Jiang Yao scooped a spoonful of tender steamed egg custard for each of the little ones.
As they were fraternal twins, their nicknames were Tuantuan and Yuanyuan, symbolizing a auspicious meaning.
The older sister was Tuantuan, and the younger brother was Yuanyuan.
Their given names are Jiang Panqiao and Jiang Lesheng.
“Thank you, Auntie~”
The two little ones obediently expressed their gratitude.
Jiang Yao smiled and said, “You’re welcome. Eat quickly. After you finish, Auntie will take you out to play.”
After lunch, Jiang Yao wasn’t in a hurry to leave. She took the two little treasures to play for a while in the courtyard near the alley.
Because they were twins, the delivery had been difficult. Not only had Jiang Yao’s sister-in-law suffered some physical damage, but even Tuantuan and Yuanyuan were as weak as kittens when they were born.
Jiang Yao held Tuantuan and first checked the little girl’s pulse.
Although it was some innate weakness due to premature birth, it wasn’t difficult for her to regulate at all.
The only hard part was how to openly use her medical skills for her family.
The matter of Divine Doctor Xue was still urgent.
But as long as she could help with matters in the alley, perhaps she wouldn’t need to chase after Divine Doctor Xue’s whereabouts.
Jiang Yao also stayed at the Jiang family for dinner.
The Jiang family’s chef truly had exceptional skills.
The Sweet and Sour Ribs were perfectly balanced between sweet and sour, with juicy meat.
The stir-fried river shrimp were large and plump, first fried until they were fragrant and crispy.
Jiang Yao and the Jiang family ate very comfortably and happily.
The Pei Family, however, was not satisfied with their meal.
Pei Muzheng had to attend the morning court session before dawn. He had only casually eaten a couple of bites in the morning to get by, and lunch was eaten at the Grand Secretariat.
The meals at the Grand Secretariat were also just average.
Returning in the evening, he had thought that his sister had already apologized to Jiang Yao, that Jiang Yao had accepted the apology and taken back the Guanjia Quan, and that everything at home should have returned to normal, including the meals.
Yet waiting for him for dinner were again just two vegetarian dishes, two meat dishes, and one soup.
Such food would be considered excellent for ordinary commoners.
But for the Pei Family, who were used to eating delicacies from land and sea, it was rather tasteless.
Pei Muzheng saw that only his mother, grandmother, and sister were present, with no sign of Jiang Yao, and the dishes hadn’t changed either. He couldn’t help but frown and ask Pei Xingyu, “Didn’t you go to apologize to your sister-in-law?”
“It’s not my fault,” Pei Xingyu refused to take the blame. “She went out early in the morning, saying she was looking for Divine Doctor Xue to treat Mother’s heart condition.”
Pei Muzheng was tacitly aware of his mother feigning the heart condition.
He also felt that since Jiang Yao had married into their family, she shouldn’t be as pampered as she was in the Jiang family. She should properly serve her parents-in-law and temper her delicate nature.
He just hadn’t expected that the initial excuse would now keep Jiang Yao away from home, out searching for Divine Doctor Xue.
The Pei Family fell into a temporary silence, then quietly ate their dinner.
After dinner, Pei Muzheng returned to his own courtyard.
He didn’t live in the same courtyard as Jiang Yao.
From the beginning, he hadn’t intended to consummate the marriage with Jiang Yao because the person he loved was Yuan Wu. He knew Yuan Wu’s character well—if he married Jiang Yao and consummated the marriage, given Yuan Wu’s aloof nature, there would be no chance left. So he didn’t want to touch Jiang Yao.
And indeed, he didn’t like Jiang Yao at all.
Right after the wedding, he used the excuse that he had many matters in the Grand Secretariat to attend to and wasn’t feeling well, so it would be better not to disturb her rest. He would live in the neighboring courtyard.
He dragged it out for a full year without consummating the marriage with Jiang Yao.
Pei Muzheng walked toward his own courtyard. His and Jiang Yao’s courtyards were separated by just one wall, one turning left and the other right.
Suddenly, he changed direction and headed toward Jiang Yao’s Muyun Yuan.
He had a feeling that something had changed, that Jiang Yao had undergone some silent transformation.
In the past, whenever he returned from his duties and finished his evening meal, she would run to his courtyard to pester him with conversation. Even when he wore a cold expression, she would coax him with a cheerful smile.
But ever since the incident at Dingguo Duke Manor, when she had slapped herself, their meetings had become few and far between.
Jiang Yao no longer clung to him at all.
For some inexplicable reason, Pei Muzheng felt a vague unease, so he changed direction and headed toward Muyun Yuan.
Arriving at Muyun Yuan, he habitually glanced up at the plaque above the gate and was about to enter when he froze abruptly, lifting his head once more to scrutinize the courtyard’s plaque.
‘Hanmei Yuan.’
The name of the courtyard had been changed without his knowledge.
Filled with anger, Pei Muzheng confronted Chun Zhu, who was guarding the gate, “Who gave you permission to change the courtyard’s name?”
His courtesy name was Yunzhi, and ‘Muyun’—meaning ‘dusk clouds’—symbolized Jiang Yao’s admiration for him.
Chun Zhu promptly replied, “Sir, it was the young madam’s instruction. She said she loves winter plums, so she wished to rename the courtyard Hanmei Yuan.”
Hearing this, Pei Muzheng frowned but ultimately said nothing, striding decisively into the courtyard.
Once inside, he found Jiang Yao’s room tightly shut.
Zhenzhu, who was stationed outside the room, stepped forward and said, “Greetings, sir. The young madam has already retired for the night. Today, she spent the entire day searching Luo Gu for Divine Doctor Xue to treat the madam’s heart condition. She returned so exhausted that she skipped her evening meal and went straight to bed after washing up.”
Luo Gu was the capital of Da Ning.
Pei Muzheng grew increasingly irritated. He had come intending to see Jiang Yao and instruct her to join him for breakfast at the Main Courtyard early the next morning, hoping to resolve the household affairs promptly. Yet once again, he had missed her.