This year’s weather was particularly poor.
By the end of the twelfth month, Suzhou was as hot as summer, with plants sprouting everywhere. Just as the second month arrived, a freezing rain poured down. All the fruit trees south of the Great River suffered complete crop failure this year.
“At least it came early.” The Master and Grand Madam remarked with feeling. “If this rain had come during rice-planting season, the realm would truly descend into chaos.”
The northwestern war was in full swing. Though news hadn’t spread everywhere in Jiangnan, there were already faint whispers of unrest. If this year brought poor harvests as well, even Jiangnan would likely see people starving to death.
The Grand Madam was more concerned about Xu Fengjia’s safety.
“I heard the northwest has already begun suffering food shortages?” she asked the Master. “I wonder if that child Fengjia can withstand hunger. Given Third Brother-in-law’s temperament, I fear he won’t treat him well…”
Duke Pingguo Xu Heng commanded his troops with extreme severity. The soldiers under him truly carried the lingering spirit of the Yue Family Army. To expect such a person to give his son special treatment was pure fantasy. When Xu Fengjia’s concubine-born older brothers trained with their father, their food and lodging were even worse than ordinary soldiers’—otherwise, why would Madam Xu be so furious?
The Master smiled ambiguously. “Has the Xu family sent another letter about marriage arrangements?”
The Grand Madam couldn’t help showing some displeasure. She shot the Master a look but didn’t speak.
The northwestern campaign couldn’t be called very successful. The Northern Rong had come prepared, while Great Qin met them in hasty battle. Though Duke Pingguo commanded with steady authority and had blocked the Northern Rong invasion, provisions were falling behind.
If this battle was lost, the Xu family would fall with it.
At this time, for Madam Xu to want to secure another powerful alliance was understandable.
Moreover, over the years the Xu family had provided considerable support to the Yang family.
The Master could only save face for himself. “This marriage proposal from the Xu family is difficult to accept right now. At the very least we should wait until Fengjia returns from the front lines. Otherwise, if by any chance…”
The Grand Madam had no intention of arguing with the Master. She silently acknowledged his meaning, then asked, “Have the people from the main family sent to audit accounts set out?”
“Spring roads are difficult. They won’t reach Suzhou until at least the fifth month.” The Master sighed. “This year’s harvest in Jiangnan doesn’t look promising either. The grain and rice in the storehouses will certainly be transferred to the northwest. I only hope for some harvest, so the common people of Jiangnan don’t go hungry…”
If the people of Jiangnan went hungry and the government couldn’t provide grain for relief, the consequences were all too imaginable.
The Grand Madam couldn’t help but recite a few Buddhist prayers.
“I only hope we can get through this year safely and peacefully.”
This time the Northern Rong came fiercely. Once they broke through the border defenses and entered to plunder, it would be an unprecedented humiliation in years.
The power struggle in court between the Crown Prince and the Emperor’s eldest son had gradually relaxed.
Whether the Crown Prince could leave his residence to study depended on this battle—whether Duke Pingguo won or lost.
That freezing rain in early second month froze the newly emerged sprouts and also froze the common people who adjusted their clothing with the changing temperatures. From who knows where it originated, but overnight Suzhou city was struck with colds. Whether noble officials or common people, everyone was sneezing.
The “long-missing” young divine physician Quan Zhongbai finally reappeared at this opportune moment, joining hands with the Ouyang family to distribute medicine freely. For a time he saved countless lives and earned a reputation as a little bodhisattva. The city’s noble officials also competed to invite him to their homes to check pulses. For a time, even families without illness had to find some ailment to request the young physician, using it as capital for showing off.
However, speaking of face, naturally no family in all of Suzhou had greater face than the Yang family. Even when the Yang family invited him, Quan Zhongbai came reluctantly—what other family could have greater influence than the Quan family?
Ever since giving birth to Fifth Miss, the Grand Madam had suffered from coughing and wheezing. When busy and flustered, she easily lost her appetite, coughing incessantly. Spring and autumn were when she most often fell ill in bed. After eating the Ouyang family’s prescriptions for several years, they had gradually lost effectiveness. This bout of illness naturally brought Quan Zhongbai to mind—she wanted to try a different prescription.
Thus Quan Zhongbai once again entered the Yang household.
Even Third Miss and Fourth Miss put aside their airs, standing together with Sixth Miss, chattering about Quan Zhongbai.
These past years the Master had been busy with official duties and hadn’t accompanied the Grand Madam to Guangfu. Naturally they had lost opportunities to view plum blossoms and hadn’t been able to witness the jade-faced young divine physician’s elegant bearing.
But the Grand Madam was quite ruthless. Light green curtains were hung tightly, surrounding the path from the main courtyard all the way into the main hall. The young misses could only huddle together behind the curtains, competing to catch a glimpse of the young physician’s gait.
Seventh Miss smiled as she listened to Fifth Miss describe the sisters’ behavior.
“Chattering like little sparrows! As if they’ve never seen a man in several lifetimes.” Fifth Miss was quite disdainful.
Seventh Miss also unfortunately lay ill in bed.
Lixia had been unlucky enough to catch the cold sweeping through the city, went home to rest for a few days, and upon recovering and returning, Seventh Miss had fallen ill instead.
It was unclear whether the illness had passed from Lixia.
Such a minor illness naturally didn’t warrant specially troubling the young physician. However, since they had already summoned Quan Zhongbai, Seventh Miss took advantage of being examined by the young physician personally. Even the old scar on Ninth Brother’s face was arranged for consultation. The Master’s calculations were certainly shrewd.
“This time Father came forward to negotiate, allocating three thousand jin of common medicinal materials to the Ouyang family’s pharmacy for treatment, distributing to traveling people… Only then would the young physician agree to make house calls!” Speaking of this, Fifth Miss couldn’t help but gasp. “These three thousand jin of medicinal materials are worth several thousand taels of silver!”
Though the consultation fee was high, ultimately no silver was carried out from the Yang family storehouses.
Seventh Miss smiled. “It’s also doing good… This year’s weather is abnormal. When the spring peach blossom floods come, there will be epidemics again. Prevention is good.”
She asked Fifth Miss, “Second Young Master Quan will first enter Huansha Pavilion to check Twelfth Concubine’s pulse, right?”
Fifth Miss pursed her lips. “Who knows if Father really wants to invite Second Young Master Quan to check Mother’s pulse, or if Xiang Zhuang’s sword dance is aimed at Duke Pei. Twelfth Concubine has been waiting in the main hall since this morning, just waiting to have Second Young Master Quan check her pulse.”
“Fifth Sister’s learning has grown—you’re even citing ‘Xiang Zhuang’s sword dance, aimed at Duke Pei.'” Seventh Miss teased Fifth Miss with a smile.
Fifth Miss huffed and turned her head away. “Just because you’re clever with words doesn’t mean I can’t cite classics too!”
Before she finished speaking, Seventh Miss coughed lightly again. Bailu hurried over to press her down on the bed, chiding Fifth Miss. “Seventh Miss’s throat is hurting. Please don’t tease her into talking.”
Fifth Miss gave Seventh Miss a look but also fell silent. After a long while, she murmured, “I wonder… if there will be another special examination this year.”
If Duke Pingguo won a great victory this year, there would naturally be a special examination. Otherwise it would be hard to say.
She didn’t know why Fifth Miss was thinking about special examinations again. Seventh Miss’s eyes narrowed slightly. She didn’t respond.
In spring, the warm sunlight spilled freely onto Fifth Miss’s face.
Fifth Miss was now eleven or twelve years old. The charm of a budding young girl was like peach blossoms in bud—meeting sunlight, they gradually unfurled.
“What’s so remarkable about the Quan family’s second young master…” Fifth Miss seemed immersed in her own thoughts. “Speaking of beautiful appearance and bearing, he doesn’t even rank…”