The Heavens Begin with Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 98 The difference between immortals and mortals
It is hard to say what the attitudes of the masters and mistresses in the Rongguo Mansion are towards the new Lord Zhan Niansi, but the servants almost all treat him as their own son-in-law.

Seeing Master Zhan coming with his men, the doorman hurriedly came forward with a smile on his face and kowtowed.

"I kowtow to you, sir. Congratulations on your title of Viscount. May your husband be a viscount forever."

Mr. Zhan was tired of hearing such flattery these days, so he ignored him and directly threw out a silver ingot and said:
"I have brought a famous doctor with me. We are going to Lixiangyuan to diagnose Miss Bao. Please inform your master and mistress."

After hearing this, the man was immediately shocked.

If Miss Bao recovers from her illness, then the Viscount might just run away.

The doorman hurriedly ran into the yard to deliver the news to each household.

Zhan Ershisi didn't wait for his reply, he just walked in and headed towards Lixiangyuan as if he was familiar with the route.

He is now the future son-in-law of Master She, and Master Zheng once said that the two families are close friends, so he can come and go freely in the Rongguo Mansion!
He could enter and exit the Rongguo Mansion without anyone's permission.

Asking someone to inform is just a matter of courtesy.

Master Zhan and his companions walked in with swagger, and the people in the mansion soon got the news.

The people in this mansion were even more enthusiastic about Mr. Zhan's future marriage than Mr. Zhan himself. When they heard that he had invited a famous doctor, they became excited. Word spread quickly and soon everyone in the mansion knew about it and came to inquire about the situation.

Master Zhan came to Lixiangyuan with a bunch of people following him.

Baochai had also received the news a long time ago. She hastily put down the book in her hand, lay down on the bed, and acted like Lin Daiyu, looking as weak as possible.

Even after seeing this, Mr. Zhan could only sigh that Baochai is worthy of being Aunt Xue's daughter, her acting skills are really good!

Seeing Aunt Xue coming to greet him, Zhan Ershisi bowed and said:
"Mother-in-law, Brother Wang Ren has specially invited Mr. Zhang Youshi to diagnose Baochai."

Wang Ren also came over to greet Aunt Xue and said something nonsense:
"Aunt, after hearing Sister Feng talk about Sister Baochai's situation, I went to visit famous doctors. Fortunately, God was merciful and I finally found Mr. Zhang. Today I specially invited him to come and see, hoping that he can cure Sister Baochai's illness."

Since Aunt Xue came to Beijing, she has been staying at the Jia Mansion and has never returned to the Wang family. Wang Ren has never been a guest at the Jia Mansion before. It is obvious that the relationship between the two sides is not harmonious.

Coupled with what the Xue family had done before, Aunt Xue had completely lost trust in these relatives.

Now after hearing what Wang Ren said, she just smiled faintly and said politely:
"Brother Ren is so thoughtful, so please let Mr. Zhang take a look!"

Immediately, several people gave up their seats and invited Zhang Youshi to come forward and sit in front of Baochai's bed. He reached out and pressed Baochai's pulse and began to take her pulse.

He had just started when he heard a commotion outside. It turned out to be Wang Xifeng.

Although Wang Ren seldom came to the Jia Mansion, there were many people in the Jia Mansion who were married off as dowries from the Wang family. Therefore, as soon as Wang Ren appeared, he was recognized and reported to Mrs. Wang and Wang Xifeng.

When Wang Xifeng heard that her brother had done such a thing without informing her beforehand, she rushed over as well, greeted Master Zhan and Aunt Xue first, then pulled Wang Ren out from the crowd and scolded him in a low voice:
"What a great thing you did!"

"Do you know how many people are involved in Baochai's affairs? If this disease is really cured, I don't know how many people will hate you!"

Wang Ren disagreed and said:

"If I really saved Madam Zhan's life, I would be a guest of honor of Lord Zhan in the future. Who would care what the people in the Jia Mansion think of me?"

Wang Xifeng sneered:
"All the doctors in the capital can't cure it, but this unknown doctor you hired can?"

Wang Ren looked around and saw that there was no one around, so he whispered:

"So what if it can't be cured?"

"You also said that all the doctors in the capital couldn't cure it, and neither could Zhang Youshi. Isn't that normal?"

"But Brother Zhan has already accepted my kindness. Isn't that enough?"

After hearing this, Wang Xifeng suddenly smiled and said:
"That's what I said!"

"You have always looked down on these in-laws, why are you so kind this time?"

"It turns out that the so-called miracle doctor is just a fake, used to fool people!"

Wang Ren glared and said:

"What is Xibei goods?"

“That’s a real miracle doctor!”

"If the disease can really be cured, then our family will have another viscount relative-in-law, wouldn't that be better?"

"My uncle has told me that Master Zhan is now favored by His Majesty. He is much better off than the impoverished Jia family!"

"But Baochai's illness is too strange, and I'm not sure if Mr. Zhang can cure it."

"I won't talk to you anymore. What do you know as a woman?"

Wang Xifeng raised her eyebrows when she heard this and cursed in a low voice:
"If Baochai's illness cannot be cured, then Master Zhan will be my brother-in-law. You can see who is closer to me then!"

After listening to this, Wang Ren turned his head and looked around the courtyard. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he sneered and said,

"With the material of the Jia family, is she qualified to be a Viscountess?"

"What good things are you thinking about!"

"You may not know that my uncle's daughter has now reached the marriageable age. If Baochai is really gone, my uncle intends to marry my cousin to Master Zhan to achieve the goal of marriage."

When Wang Xifeng heard this, she was immediately shocked.

Wang Ziteng is the most outstanding figure in the Wang family today. He is the commander of nine provinces and a senior official of the second rank. He is also the root cause of Wang Xifeng's contempt for the Jia family in her words and deeds.

Who would have thought that the pride of the Wang family has now begun planning to marry Zhan Niansi.

This was really unacceptable to Wang Xifeng.

In Wang Xifeng's impression, Zhan Niansi is still the small businessman who came to Beijing with Aunt Xue that day.

Although Wang Xifeng also knew that Zhan Niansi had caused many things, such as imperial wine and horse racing, but as a woman who seldom left home, she did not feel deeply about these things at all. Instead, she was obsessed with the clothing business that was connected to the backyards of the powerful families.

But she knew that the Zhan family's clothing business was just a clothing business, and they did not use their connections in the backyard to engage in collusion between officials and businessmen. In her eyes, this was a waste of resources, and she wished she could snatch the clothing business and run it herself.

A fellow who wastes resources like this obviously has the habits of a businessman and does not understand the ways of officialdom at all. So what if he gets a title?

This viscount said that the title could be passed down for four generations, but how many titles could not even be passed down for one generation and the entire family was executed!

Wang Xifeng always felt that the Zhan family would eventually fall into ruin, and by then, who knows who would take away their family property, which would be incomparable to the family inheritance of her own family with extensive connections.

What was my uncle thinking, that he wanted to marry this kind of person?
This matter was also Zhan Ershisi's fault. He often hung around in the Rongguo Mansion and was a humble person. He would reward the servants when they did things for him, and no one was afraid of him.

As the saying goes, being close to someone makes you look disrespectful. Anyone who knows Zhan Ershisi doesn't feel that he is a superior person, nor does they think that he is someone who will rise to prominence.

He is already a viscount now, but there are still many ordinary people in the capital who treat him as a fool, thinking that he became a viscount purely by luck and that fools have good fortune.

Only the officials and dignitaries in the court know the ins and outs of this and know how this Mr. Zhan jumped around and finally secured his seat on the ship with his merits.

Seeing his sister's expression, Wang Ren knew that it was impossible to explain to a woman who only lived in the backyard of the mansion, so he was too lazy to explain and waved his hand:

"You just need to know that now that Lord Zhan is in the emperor's heart, his future is limitless."

"If possible, sister, remember to build a good relationship with Lord Zhan. He is much better than your useless man!"

Jia Lian is indeed a waste, but Wang Xifeng can only scold herself, but no one else can, not even her own brother.

Hearing her brother speak ill of her master, Wang Xifeng immediately raised her eyebrows. Just as she was about to curse back, she heard Wang Ren say:
"Let's not talk about anything else. Xing Zhong and Zhao Guoji were both able to get some official positions. Your man can't be worse than them!"

"You have already flattered him, so are you still worried that your man won't be able to get a job?"

When Wang Xifeng heard this, she could no longer curse and just stood there in a daze.

Suddenly, she suddenly remembered Ping'er's matter.

If she had not interfered that day and let Ping'er marry into the Zhan Mansion as a concubine, with Ping'er whispering in the middle, it would be hard to say whether her master could replace Xing Zhong, after all, there was Xing Xiuyan there to support him. But there would be no problem in replacing Zhao Guoji!

With the support of one's own power, it is easy to turn the honorary title of one's master into a real position.

After thinking about this, Wang Xifeng couldn't help but reveal a look of regret on her face.

Seeing this, Wang Ren smiled slightly and felt relieved.

He knew his sister very well. Although she could not read or write, she was very beautiful. But Mr. Zhan was a lustful man.

I am not afraid of your steadfastness, I am just afraid that you are not tempted and have no desires.

As long as the two of them continue to be together for a long time, something will happen sooner or later.

The daughter who is married off is the water that is thrown out.

Now the Jia family has begun to decline. The official positions and titles of the Ningguo Mansion have all been lost. As for the Rongguo Mansion, even if a waste like Jia Lian inherits the title in the future, he will be of no use to us.

Isn't it only natural to change a man for your sister and win more support for the Wang family?
Besides, my sister doesn’t even have a son now. Is she going to suffer with a loser like Jia Lian in the future?
Now finding her a backer is also a sign of brotherly care, isn't it?
After stirring up his sister's concerns, Wang Ren no longer paid attention to Wang Xifeng, shook his sleeves and went into the house to see Mr. Zhang take his pulse.

Baochai is not sick at all now; Zhang Youshi can tell that just by taking her pulse.

Normal people often have some minor health problems due to lack of sleep, irritability, improper diet, etc., such as imbalance of yin and yang, liver deficiency and excessive fire, and other similar problems, big or small.

But what should I say about Baochai’s body?

It was exactly as described in the medical books, without any problems at all.

I don’t have any minor ailments like getting angry, indigestion, etc.!

So insightful!

It simply... doesn't look like a mortal's body!
Zhang Youshi didn’t know that this was all thanks to Mr. Zhan, but he was very sure that Miss Xue’s illness must be fake.

Therefore, this disease is either fake, or it is not a "disease" at all, but something related to gods and ghosts, maybe even a witchcraft that harms people.

However, he was also a well-informed man, and he knew all the secrets of this powerful family, so he did not dare to expose them at random.

He immediately remained calm and silent, just taking the patient's pulse with a serious expression, but his mind began to quickly weigh the options on how to escape smoothly without offending anyone, and preferably even gaining a favor.

He also didn't know who had fabricated the fake news. Did Lord Zhan know that if he lied rashly, what would he do if he was exposed in the future?
Taking the opportunity of taking the pulse, he spent a long time, taking the left and right sides. After taking the pulse, he asked many questions, especially about the prescription of Lengxiang Pills and the situation before and after taking the medicine. Finally, after spending half an hour, he sorted out the thoughts in his mind.

Just looking at the prescription for Lengxiang Pills, it's clear that it's meant to make things difficult for people, and it's impossible for it to have any therapeutic effect.

But this medicine is so effective, and it has been used for so many years, so this disease must be deliberately faked. As for the reason, he didn't dare to delve into it, and just prescribed medicine according to this idea to deal with the job.

As long as he doesn't expose it, I think this favor is secure.

Zhang Youshi asked someone to bring writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone, and began to write a prescription.

There is no disease at all, how should I prescribe this medicine?

It’s simple, so I just prescribe that safe and stable prescription.

It is neither nourishing nor curative. It is the same stuff as Lengxiang Pills, except that it is useless!
However, Lengxiang Pills are too demanding in terms of medicinal ingredients and are not easy to collect, while his prescription is much simpler and easier. They are all common medicines, without any precious tonic ingredients, for fear of disrupting the yin and yang balance in the "patient's" body.

After writing the prescription, Zhang Youshi handed it to Master Zhan and said,

"From my perspective, Miss Xue's illness must have been acquired from birth and is extremely difficult to cure."

"I have carefully considered this prescription. Perhaps it can help Miss Xue survive for a while."

"It's just that this medicine worked quite well at first, but the longer you take it, the less effective it becomes. I don't know how long this medicine will last, nor do I know if it can completely cure Miss Xue's illness."

"Miss Xue, you may as well take one dose every day. If the disease does not get worse, then this prescription is effective. You can take it for a long time until the medicine is completely ineffective."

"If the disease recurs, then the dosage of the drug will be increased to one more dose per day."

"If there is no effect after increasing the dosage, then there is nothing that I can do."

He gave the choice to the Xue family.

You can continue to pretend to be sick for as long as you want and take medicine for as long as you want.

If you don’t want to pretend anymore, then just say you’re cured.

Later, when he wanted to pretend to be dead, he said that the effect of the medicine had disappeared.

If you want to get better from time to time, then you can say that the effectiveness of the medicine has weakened and increase the dosage after the onset of the disease.

You see, all situations are prepared for you, and you can adjust them at will.

Even as for the medicine, it doesn’t matter whether you take it or not. You are not sick anyway, so it doesn’t matter even if you pour out all the medicine.

Zhan Ershisi and others knew, of course, that the disease was fake, and had no intention of taking the medicine. Seeing that the disease could be cured or not, they felt relieved. They still expressed their gratitude to Zhang Youshi profusely, and then asked people to prepare generous gifts for him.

After all, with Mr. Zhang's prescription, Mr. Zhan won't have to think of ways to make Baochai "recover" in the future. When the time comes, he can just blame it on this prescription.

Don’t ask, the only thing you know is that Mr. Zhang is a miracle doctor!

But these people in the Jia family did not know the trick, and they did not know that Baochai's illness would continue. Now that they saw that Zhang Youshi had prescribed a prescription that might cure Baochai's illness, they suddenly became panicked and turned around and ran to deliver the letter to their master.

The son-in-law is about to be lost, the master has to think of a way!
Zhan Ershisi ignored their little thoughts. After getting the prescription, he asked Hongye to prepare the medicine and asked Baochai to "take it". He then took Wang Ren and others back to the Viscount's Mansion and held a banquet to entertain the three of them.

At the banquet, Mr. Zhan toasted Mr. Zhang first.

"Thank you for coming to diagnose me. It relieved me of a big worry. Otherwise, I would have been worrying about my fiancée's health all day and wouldn't have been able to do anything well."

Zhang Youshi did not dare to take credit for it, and quickly replied modestly:
"This medicine may not work immediately. It's better to take it for a few days to see the effect. It won't be too late to make a decision later."

"Anyway, I'll take note of your kindness, sir."

After Zhan Ershi thanked Zhang Youshi, he raised his glass to thank Wang Ren and Feng Ziying.

"I also want to thank you two brothers for your enthusiasm and help. Otherwise, I would not have been able to see such a famous doctor as Mr. Zhang."

Both of them said a few humble words and started to clink glasses.

After a few drinks, everyone started talking about their friendship and found out that the Feng and Jia families were old friends.

"Oh, what a coincidence! How come I haven't seen you in the Jia Mansion?"

Hearing Zhan Ershi's question, Feng Ziying hesitated for a moment, then said:
"Now that we are all family here, I will tell you the truth, Brother Zhan."

"Although the Feng and Jia families are old friends, the Jia family is now obsessed with hanging out in the circle of the powerful families of the four kings and eight dukes, and has gradually drifted away from my Feng family. We are no longer the same kind of people."

"Brother Zhan has now been appointed by His Majesty and granted the status of Viscount. You need to be more cautious in your future actions and avoid getting too deeply entangled with the Jia family."

After hearing this, Zhan Ershisi couldn't help but look up to Feng Ziying. This kind of persuasion was not just a superficial talk, but a sincere intention to make friends. He immediately raised his glass again to thank him:
"The Jia family is a fierce and powerful family. They still have some power. Your Majesty probably wants to win them over."

"Only after you are sure that the Jia family really doesn't know how to advance or retreat, Your Majesty will completely give up on them. At that time, I will naturally know what to do."

"My dear brother, you are willing to speak so frankly. This shows your character. In the future, our two families should have more exchanges."

After hearing this, Feng Ziying knew that Zhan Ershishi's mind was as clear as a mirror, so he said no more and just drank and chatted about interesting things.

"Brother Zhan is a leader in the business world. Have you heard about what happened overseas?"

"Something seems to have happened in the far west of the sea. There are fewer merchant ships coming there now. Even our merchant ships that go there often never come back. As a result, the prices of goods overseas have skyrocketed, more than doubling."

After listening to this, Zhan Ershi also sighed, put down his wine glass, and said:

"The Xue family was once a royal merchant, so how could I not know about what's happening overseas?"

"The sea merchants who had been there saw from afar that the sky was like a hole, and heavy rain fell continuously for several months, turning the sea and land into a swamp."

"It is said that all the coastal cities in the westernmost land have been flooded. People are fleeing inland, and no one dares to sail on the sea."

After hearing this, several people suddenly understood, and Feng Ziying smiled and said:

"So there was a flood. No wonder it happened. I thought there was a war or something."

"If that's the case, then these Western goods won't be expensive for long. When winter comes, everything will naturally return to normal."

Everyone nodded in agreement and chatted with a smile about which merchant was taking the risk of hoarding goods. They did not take the matter seriously, except Zhan Ershisi, who had a bitter smile on his face.

No one else thinks this is a big deal. The far west is too far away from our dynasty. Even if there is a natural disaster, can it affect here?
Only Zhan Ershisi knew in his heart that this matter could be very serious.

The reason why he knew about the things in the westernmost part of overseas was certainly not because the Xue family was the royal merchant, but because he intentionally asked people to collect information from there.

The last time he saw the lame Taoist priest and heard what he blurted out, Zhan Ershisi kept the matter in mind and immediately sent people to investigate, and as a result, he found out a lot of information.

Everyone else thought that the rainstorm was just an ordinary natural disaster, but Zhan Ershisi was worried. He always felt that the rainstorm might not be a good thing and might have something to do with him.

When absorbing the energy of the spiritual jade before, the stone in his body only absorbed a part of it, and most of it dissipated into the world, and no one knew where it was absorbed.

He was somewhat puzzled at the time, but he had not investigated it in detail. Now, combined with what the lame Taoist had said before, how could Zhan Ershisi not think too much?

I’m afraid that what happened in the westernmost part is probably related to this dissipated and disappeared energy.

He has never stopped looking for the lame Taoist and the bald monk these days, but these two are immortals. If they don't want to be seen, no one can find them.

Even the Mirror of Bliss, they did not take it back, and it remained in the Rongguo Mansion, with no one interested in it.

He didn't even know which way the gate to the Heavenly Palace faced, so it was impossible for him to go over and inquire about the news.

This kind of information transmission is completely one-way and is even more difficult to cross than that class.

Faced with this situation, Zhan Ershisi was helpless and felt particularly the difference between immortals and mortals.

Now, apart from hoping that his own stones could help, and that he could take in a few more women and breed a few with extraordinary powers, he had no other good ideas.

Forget it, let’s drink while we have wine!
Zhan Ershisi didn't think too much about it. He just clinked glasses with Wang Ren and the others and drank happily.

After the banquet, Zhan Ershisi saw the three people out of the house. When they were about to leave, Feng Ziying was still in high spirits and invited him to go hunting in the suburbs another day.

Zhan Ershisi certainly didn't care about this kind of thing, and immediately agreed with a smile.

The next day, Wang Ren and Feng Ziying came to invite them, and the three of them rode on horses, carrying bows, and went out of the city hunting with a group of servants.

It was now the end of autumn, a time when prey was juicy and fat. Even with Wang Ren's mediocre archery skills, he could hunt some pheasants, wild deer and the like, not to mention masters like Feng Ziying and Zhan Ershisi.

Zhan Ershisi had already surpassed the category of a human warrior, but he never showed off. He just got a soft bow and shot rabbits, roe deer and other things from time to time, just for fun.

At noon, several people set up a simple camp by the river, asked the servants to light a campfire, cleaned up the prey and started to barbecue.

Zhan Ershisi took out the secret sauce and brushed it on the food. When it was smoked by the flame, the aroma could be smelled from a long distance away.

As a few people were eating and drinking, suddenly a carriage appeared from a distance and drove towards them.

When they got closer, the curtain of the carriage was lifted, and a kind nun came out from the carriage. She bowed to the few people and said with a smile:
"When I went out, I heard the magpie calling on the branch, and I knew I would meet a distinguished person today. Sure enough, I met the Lord and the two young masters here."

"I was just about to congratulate you, sir, for being honored as a loyal son and inheriting the family legacy."

Zhan Ershi looked up and saw that it was Master Jingxu from Shuiyue Temple, with her two disciples following behind her. He snorted coldly and said:

"Who was I thinking? It turned out to be Master Jingxu."

"You still haven't completed the task I entrusted to you. How dare you come to see me now?"

Master Jingxu smiled bitterly and said:
"I have failed to live up to your trust. After several months, I still haven't completed the task you asked me to do. I am ashamed and I really can't face you."

"Originally, I should have stayed in the nunnery and tried my best to resolve this matter. However, today I was invited to Qinglin Nunnery to see off a senior sister from the Zen Forest. I couldn't refuse, so I went out."

"It's a pity that the elder sister who stayed here died of illness, leaving behind only a disciple named Miaoyu who was still cultivating with hair uncut. She is now living alone in Qinglin Temple."

"The old nun saw that Junior Sister Miaoyu was very talented and could not bear to see her alone, so she wanted to take her back to the nunnery to take care of her, but she sternly refused..."

While Master Jingxu was speaking, she glanced carefully at Master Zhan's expression.

She failed to complete Master Zhan's task and made no progress in training Xichun. But at this time, news came that Master Zhan was conferred the title of Viscount, which made her feel like an ant on hot pan, at a loss.

With no other options, since the right path was not possible, Master Jingxu took the evil path. She thought of pleasing Master Zhan through other means to offset the failure of the mission.

After bribing Xiren, she finally heard the name Miaoyu from Xiren and knew that Mr. Zhan seemed to be looking for this person. What's more, she actually knew such a person.

She did not leak the news directly to Mr. Zhan, but went to make friends with Miaoyu's master first and became familiar with him. Then she found that Miaoyu was indeed a beautiful lady.

Therefore, Master Jingxu came up with an idea. She wanted to bring Miaoyu back to Shuiyue Temple, train her well, and have her replace Xichun to carry out her mission.

Thanks to the disciple “Xiaojuerwo” for the reward of 500 coins!
Thanks to the disciple "Yechen_" for the reward of 100 coins!
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(End of this chapter)