Chapter 72: A Battle of Wits (Part 1)

  The old lady went to the old lady's house after seeing the fourth aunt, and snowflakes floated outside, large pieces of snow, and in a short while, the ground was covered with a layer.

  The big wife accidentally stepped into the snow pile, leaving two footprints, one shallow and one deep.

  Kill one thousand enemies and lose eight hundred of our own. Fourth Aunt died with a relaxed expression, Yanhua has Grandma as the host, there will be a door-to-door marriage, so she is free from worries.

  Thinking of this, Mrs. Dai couldn't help but feel a sense of regret. She had died cleanly enough, yet she had brought such harm to Shu Hua.

  The maidservants came over to help the mistress take off her fur coat. The mistress shook the snow off her sleeves, took a foot warmer and went inside, made her greetings, and sat down beside Old Lady Tao. "When I left, it was already... everything I spat up was blood."

  The old lady's eyes floated in front of her, the smiling face of Fourth Aunt, when Fourth Aunt gave birth to a son for Zheng An, she even praised Fourth Aunt as a lucky person.

  "This burial matter..."

  The old lady said: "These things have always been arranged by you, just do as you see fit."

  The lady nodded.

  The old lady thought of it again, "Yan Hua, if she wants to go and see, let her take a look, after all... this is the last time."

  The lady said: "I understand."

  "The man is dead, and everything that happened before has been swept away." Old Lady Tao sighed, "There have been many things happening in the mansion recently, you must be careful."

  Old Lady Tao thought of Shu Hua's matter, "Has anyone from the Yi Cheng Hou Mansion come to ask about it?"

  "Yesterday you came to ask once, today you come again."

  Mrs. Tao said: "No matter what happens to Da Ya, we can't keep it from the Hou Mansion. Has Shu Hua asked about that thing again?"

  Mrs. Tai shook her head, "No, I advised her not to listen to those rumors, although Shu Hua didn't say anything on the surface, who knows what she's thinking in her heart...". Mrs. Tai's tears flowed down, "What can be done?" Shu Hua was really hurt this time.

  Mrs. Tao sighed, suppressing her emotions, "At this point, crying is useless, we can only think of a way to find out if there are any famous doctors who can cure this illness by asking around everywhere. It's best to go to the Yuancheng Hou Mansion, and when Shuhua's body recovers slightly, she should be sent back to the Hou Mansion properly."

  The old lady burst into tears, "In this state, how can I bear to leave you out of my sight again? It's going to be the death of me."

  Mrs. Tao's face sank, "What can be done? Shu Hua is already married and won't return to her husband's family, so in the future..." The words stuck on everyone's lips, no one dared to say it out loud.

  "Madam said: 'You don't know, now this heart of mine...'"

  "Alas, how would I know? It's just that the things after this still need you to arrange. At this time, Shu Hua is relying on you, you can't mess it up."

  The old lady nodded, wiping away her tears with a handkerchief. "I knew it, but... the big uncle's side, all previous plans are no longer valid, Shu Hua woke up and said that she absolutely refuses to let Rong Hua enter the house."

  Mrs. Tao said, "I think we should let this matter go for now, Shu Hua's health is more important. In the past, I was worried that Shu Hua's position was unstable and thought of marrying one of her sisters to help her, but now I can't afford to consider these things."

  Madam Zhang opened her mouth, "The old master's intention is that this marriage cannot be lost. Let me make arrangements as soon as possible. But now my heart is in a mess and I have no idea."

  What does this mean? Is it necessary to continue the good relationship between the two families no matter what happens to the daughter? Mrs. Tao's face sank, and before Shu Hua's marriage was settled, one evening, Lao Da came to find her with a heavy heart. She asked him if he had anything on his mind, but Lao Da hesitated and didn't want to say clearly, only mentioning that a Westerner from the Imperial Observatory recommended a Taoist who practiced alchemy, and the palace released news that the emperor took the Taoist's golden elixir medicine and seemed to have problems. Seeing Lao Da's restless appearance, she asked him if he had any relationship with the Taoist. Although Lao Da denied it, she couldn't put her mind at ease and hurriedly found someone to investigate everywhere. After passing a few days in fear, there was no investigation from above, but Lao Da's fifth daughter suddenly disappeared unclearly. Lao Da then hastily settled the marriage with the Zhao family. After the two families were married, the Zhao family regained their title, and Lao Da was promoted to the rank of Langzhong in the Ministry of Revenue. She thought of that sentence: Good fortune is hidden in disaster; disaster is hidden in good fortune.

  Mrs. Tao said: "This matter I can't interfere with, you and the eldest discuss it well, although there are many suitable young ladies in our family, they may not necessarily satisfy you in everything."

  The lady's face immediately showed an awkward expression.

  The old lady Tao glanced at her daughter-in-law and continued: "Liu'er beside Fourth Aunt, and Chuxiao beside Second Sister, are not young anymore. I'll try to arrange marriages for the two of them."

  The old lady knew that among the several families in the village, there were a few who were close to her. As soon as she entered these homes, it was as if she had them right where she wanted them. She hastily said: "With the old lady in charge, they are blessed with good fortune."

  Madam Chen came in from outside and said: "The Marquis of Yi Cheng has sent over a doctor and a painter. Madame Cai also said that she will come over to see the young ladies later."

  The old lady Tao didn't know what was going on inside, "Painter?"

  Mrs. Tai Tai was busy explaining, "Madam Yi Cheng said that Rong Hua looks a bit like Princess Hong Hua, and wants to paint a portrait of Princess Hong Hua to be sent into the palace for Noble Consort, asking Rong Hua to help out with the comparison."

  Old Lady Tao frowned upon hearing this, "If you want to talk about Princess Honghua, wouldn't the girls from the Cai family be more similar? Why are you comparing them to my family's girl?"

  Madam Tai said: "Mrs. Cai only said that Ronghua is more like some, Princess Honghua has a good reputation outside, and it's not bad for Ronghua either."

  The old lady nodded slightly.

  Madam Chen hastily ordered someone to take Lang Zhong to the eldest young lady's courtyard, and the painter was invited to Eighth Young Lady's place.

  The lady of the house knew that someone sent by the Hou Mansion couldn't be an ordinary doctor, and upon entering the room, she saw that it was indeed the imperial physician who had taken Yao Hua's pulse last time.

  Shu Hua had no choice but to find an imperial physician to examine her in the Hou Mansion. However, Madame Yu still held onto hope regarding this imperial physician.

  Waiting for the imperial physician to finish taking her pulse, she hastily went to ask, but what he said was no different from what the doctor had said earlier. Her heart sank, and when the imperial physician had finished writing the prescription, she had someone bring over the gifts and present them together. The imperial physician accepted them, and only then did the elder lady say: "As for my sister's illness, sir, please don't hesitate to tell me the truth, so I can also be prepared mentally."

  The imperial physician pondered for a moment before saying, "As for the illness of the Second Mistress, I dare not speak carelessly. The Eldest Mistress must have a clear understanding; after the Second Mistress's miscarriage, I took her pulse three times, and each time her pulse was more severe than the last. If this continues, it will likely be unfavorable."

  The lady's heart grew even heavier, and her face struggled to hold on. After seeing off the doctor, she sat alone in her room for a while, feeling overwhelmed with emotions, unsure of what method could help Shu Hua recover. If Shu Hua really had an accident, the thought made the lady's heart ache. As she pondered the old lady's words, even if they found a skilled doctor to treat this illness, it wasn't certain that it would be effective. If all else failed, they could try what worked for Yao Hua - offering sacrifices to the Medicine King, regardless of whether it was useful or not.

  "Madam, Ma Dao's wife has arrived."

  A sudden voice sounded in her ear, and Mrs. Dai was startled and turned her head to look over, only to find it was Chen Mama.

  Madam Chen said again, "Ma Dao's wife has come to the mansion," Ma Dao's wife had been coming too frequently these past few days. "Should we give her some money for incense and send her away?"

  The lady thought for a moment and also had something to ask, "Call her into my room to talk."

  Ma Dao Po was led into the mistress's room by Chen Mama.

  She greeted the madam and asked for her well-being, Ma Dao's face was mysterious and profound. Before the madam could ask, she spoke up, "Madam, can you believe that what I say is true now?"

  Mrs. Tai remembered what Ma Dao Po said, that her sister's affair must be handled by her in order to turn out well. With Shu Hua's illness being so severe, she was already at a loss for what to do, and although she had many doubts about Ma Dao Po, now she also wanted to listen to what she had to say.

  "Tell me," said the lady, "how can this be resolved?"

  "This is the result of what was sown in the past. Fortunately, it can still be remedied. Those evil spirits are the root cause of this disaster. I've been saying that the mistress should worship Bodhisattva in the mansion to bless the whole family with peace and prosperity, and this is exactly why."

  The lady said: "Our mansion has never fallen behind in burning incense money. Isn't the Sansheng An temple just for worship?"

  Ma said: "Those who offer sacrifices can be safe and sound, but these things are beyond control. Offering to the Bodhisattva is important, what's more important is that the people in the mansion should serve with a sincere heart in front of Buddha."

  The lady's face changed, "How can that be? There is no such person in our mansion."

  Madam Wang's face was full of mystery, and she recited a Buddhist phrase. "I mentioned the candidate to the mistress last time I came. The eighth young lady has a noble aura in her eight characters, which is very good." Seeing that the mistress looked displeased, Madam Wang continued: "It's not like other families' ancestral halls, where women from the clan have to become nuns and practice asceticism. In the mansion, I will choose a place to build a Buddhist temple, serve the Buddha for a few years, which is good for both the mansion and the eighth young lady herself. Moreover, the eighth young lady is still young, and spending a few years on this will not hinder her. Otherwise, in the future, not only the eldest and second sisters... but also the entire mansion will be unstable."

  "I'm going to say something unpleasant, but this matter with the young lady is just the beginning."

  The lady was startled in her heart and her face showed some wavering.

  Madam Ma took another step forward and advised, "If you don't believe me, Madam, think carefully about it. No matter what, Eighth Miss has some connection to this matter."

  Ma Dao Po's words were indeed... Eighth Sister not only shared the same name as Fifth Sister, but also had to marry her off. Madame carefully considered it and felt that Ma Dao Po's words made sense. What was most frightening was what would happen in the future... Would something else happen in the future?

  The person outside the house heard this and his face changed instantly, he quietly walked out.

  How will this matter of Ma Dao's wife be resolved? After this incident, who will be more disappointing.

  Today is not much more, tomorrow will be even more and more.

  My shoulders are so stiff and sore, I'll take a little rest today.