Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 358 Hysteria
Although Madam Lin spoke ill of her nephew, her face was full of smiles. If He Tan had to choose between her and Yan Ge'er, she would naturally prefer He Tan to choose Yan Ge'er.

He Tan wasn't wrong to help Yan Ge'er keep it from her. She had watched both children grow up, and they would never do anything outrageous. As for what she was keeping from them... there was probably a reason for it.

Despite the wealth and prosperity of the Wang and He families, with many members holding high-ranking positions and enjoying great wealth, how much helplessness and bitterness lay behind their success, and how many people knew about it? Without the support of several brothers, it would have been difficult to weather the storms together.

Besides, when she was young, she wouldn't tell her elders everything.

“The children have grown up and are all thoughtful,” Mrs. Lin said. “I don’t want to cause them any trouble, but I will lend a hand if there is an opportunity.”

Mrs. Li nodded repeatedly.

Madam Lin thought for a moment: "Tomorrow we'll go to the storeroom and pick out some fabric. In the past, Yan-ge'er didn't care and just wore dark robes, which made him look a bit cold and rigid. This time, let's choose some light-colored ones, make them, and send them over, so that people won't think he's not friendly enough." She was now worried about whether that young lady liked her son.

Mother Li smiled and said, "This time, the young master will definitely be willing to wear it."

“If the master asks, just say that I forced Yan’er to wear it,” Madam Lin said, “so as not to arouse his suspicion.”

Mrs. Li responded.

Madam Lin then pondered, "What else can we prepare? We won't prepare jade pendants or purses. Yan-ge'er's jade pendant is missing, but perhaps the young lady over there will replace it."

Madam Lin is an experienced woman; how could she not understand these things? If she can't show her beloved to everyone, wearing an item given to her by her sweetheart will at least offer some comfort, won't it?
Li's mother listened carefully. The lady had been hoping for this for many years, and finally there was some progress. But now she was afraid that her thoughts were not comprehensive enough.

“By the way,” Madam Lin said, “I should also save up some good things, and then find an excuse to send them to Yan’er’s room so that he can have something to use, and also give Yan’er some more money.”

As Madam Lin spoke, she couldn't wait to look at the storeroom registers. Just as the two of them walked into the courtyard, they ran into Minister Wang, who was returning from his official duties.

Upon seeing her husband, Madam Lin was filled with resentment. She didn't go to serve him, only saying she was going to the kitchen to cook some soup. Wang Bingchen watched his wife's departing figure. Was she complaining again about him discussing political affairs in the front courtyard all day?
Wang Bingchen shook his head and called out to Madam Lin, "You mentioned earlier which doctor in the city is skilled in treating hysteria?" He remembered that the wife of the scholar of Guanwen Hall had developed hysteria because her young son had died young. She cried and made a fuss in the house all day long, and would try to snatch any children she saw. Later, the wife recommended a doctor, and after being treated by the doctor for half a year, the wife's illness really did gradually recover.

"Old Doctor Guo from the East City," Madam Lin paused slightly, "who is ill again?"

Wang Bingchen sighed and walked towards the main house, gesturing for Madam Lin to follow. Madam Lin had no choice but to go with him.

After helping Wang Bingchen change out of his official robes, Madam Lin asked again, "What exactly happened?"

Wang Bingchen picked up his teacup and took a sip: "The one who is ill is the envoy from Western Xia."

Madam Lin lost interest: "Since they are envoys, the Imperial Medical Bureau will handle it. Why is the master worrying about it?"

Wang Bingchen put down his teacup and said, "The Imperial Medical Bureau sent someone over. If they are cured, that goes without saying. If they are not cured, we should be prepared in advance."

"The envoy fell ill in Daliang, and according to etiquette, we should do our utmost to treat him." Madam Lin asked, "How could he have hysteria?"

Wang Bingchen shook his head: "The message that came from here is that the envoy stayed in Daming Prefecture for some time and suddenly went mad."

Madam Lin said, "I only heard from my husband yesterday that the Western Xia envoy delegation would arrive in Daming Prefecture in the next two days. How come you're saying today that they've already stayed for some time?"

Wang Bingchen frowned slightly: "The so-called 'envoy' was arranged by the Western Xia in Daliang a long time ago. This time, he came to investigate the situation in secret because of the border market."

Madam Lin said, "So he was a spy, and now he's being openly and legitimately given the title of 'envoy'?"

Wang Bingchen knew what his wife was thinking. That was how it was. The two countries had just made peace, and many things could be attributed to the past. The Western Xia envoy also explained it this way. The spies they had planted before hadn't even had a chance to return to Western Xia before something happened. Since the two countries had made peace, they should be treated as envoys.

We can't let one or two spies ruin the current excellent situation, can we?

“In that case, we can’t recommend Doctor Guo,” Madam Lin said. “If he can’t cure the illness, Doctor Guo will be blamed for nothing.”

Such matters involving politics should naturally be avoided.

Wang Bingchen said, "Of course I won't actually recommend the person over there. I just want to ask Doctor Guo if that kind of illness can be cured."

Madam Lin thought for a moment and said, "I do know a little about this. When Doctor Guo went to the home of the scholar of Guanwen Hall to treat his illness, I was there and heard him say that the illness was in his heart and that he had to resolve his inner conflict. The lady of the scholar's family blamed herself for the death of her youngest son, which caused her to fall ill from depression. Later, she learned that her son's illness was due to a congenital deficiency, and that it would have been useless to notice it earlier. Only then did she slowly recover, and last year she gave birth to another child, which finally put an end to the illness."

"When the master asked, Dr. Guo said the same thing."

At this point, Madam Lin looked at Wang Bingchen and asked, "What exactly caused that man to go mad?"

Wang Bingchen shook his head: "He only said that he went to Baode Temple. When he came back, he locked himself in his room and chanted sutras. He refused to go out again. I originally thought he had some enlightenment, but later I found out that he had hysteria."

"His men visited numerous doctors, but to no avail, so they turned to the government office for help."

“Anyway, he’s not a good person,” Mrs. Lin said. “If he’s crazy, he’s crazy. It has nothing to do with us.”

Wang Bingchen had considered this possibility, but he feared there might be something else going on. Baode Temple in Daming Prefecture was enjoying great success, as its Buddhist charcoal and porcelain were sold in Bianjing (Kaifeng), and the emperor also intended to sell the porcelain fired in its charcoal kilns at the border markets.

However, due to this incident, the kilns in various places were fiercely competing for the porcelain. Those famous kilns, using the excuse that the coal kiln's ware was too monotonous, all went to the Ministry of Works. The emperor wanted to use black oil to make firearms, but he could not reveal the Xie family's contribution in helping to refine the pottery bottles. Therefore, it was still unknown what would become of the porcelain from the coal kiln.

Wang Bingchen didn't care about these things, but he suspected that Wang Yan was connected to the porcelain kiln and really didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble. That's why he asked a few more questions.

Having served in the Secretariat for many years, Prime Minister Wang never underestimated a small matter. Moreover, he keenly sensed that someone was tampering with things, but it was still unclear who it was and what their intentions were.