Song Xingzhi lived during the reign of Emperor Huizong

Chapter 7

How long can those delicate, arched eyebrows last? In an instant, white hair will be as disheveled as silk.

But looking at the ancient places of song and dance, only birdsong mourns at dusk.

Chapter Eleven, Tang's Mother

The promoter function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join now!!! This is the third little girl I don't recognize...

The little maid was dressing her; putting on winter clothes, including undergarments, outer garments, and gauze, was very time-consuming and laborious. Seeing that she was sweating, Su Chen asked, "Sister, would you like to rest for a while?" The little maid shook her head: "Just call me Xiao Hong, Miss."

After wiping Xiaohong's face with a towel, Granny Sun took Xiaohong's hand and helped her get dressed, saying, "Miss, when you see the old lady later, don't say that you've forgotten her, or the old lady will be very sad."

He Suchen gave an "oh," jumped up and down, and felt very uncomfortable wearing so many layers, especially the socks tied with drawstrings, which felt tight. Seeing her like this, Granny Sun assumed it was just a naughty child and watched with a smile. At this moment, He Sushi also came over and said, "Strange, why is Guazi so early today? Not sleeping in? Or do you want to go to Grandma's early to ask for a reward?"

He Su Chen glared at him fiercely, and without waiting for him, sat down at the table to start eating breakfast. Granny Sun smiled and said, "Miss, this won't do. It's more proper to wait for your brother before eating together."

He Su Shi touched her nose and sat down, saying, "Granny, you know my sister. Before she got sick, she never treated me like anything. Now that she's sick, I'm even less than a bean sprout in her eyes." He Su Chen had a piece of steamed cake in her mouth, which she finally swallowed. She immediately tried to bite He Su Shi's hand, but He Su Shi quickly dodged and picked up a piece of yellow cake to block it in front of her. The two of them then started playfully bickering.

Granny Sun stopped them, saying, "You two are not allowed to fool around. Eat quickly. The old lady has been back for more than an hour. Hurry up and eat so you can go and pay your respects."

After joking around for a while, the two sat down again with smiles. He Suchen examined the yellow pastry in his hand for a long time before finally asking curiously, "Brother, what's this called?"

He Su Shi glanced at it and said, "Cake? You used to love it."

Wow... there's a cake now? But it looks so different from the cakes that came later... She couldn't help but ask again, "Why is it called a cake?"

He Su Shi smiled and looked at her: "Gua Zi is so stupid. A cake made with eggs and glutinous rice is naturally called a cake. Do you expect it to be called chicken cake?" For a moment, the maids serving around them laughed. He Su Chen blushed and glared at him again.

The most authoritative person in the He family was undoubtedly He Sucheng's grandmother, Tang's mother. She was betrothed to He Qufei since childhood, and even after the He family fell into decline, the Tang family still kept their promise and married their daughter to him. However, this turned out to be a lucky coincidence. No one expected that years later, He Qufei, who had repeatedly failed the imperial examinations, would be recommended by Su Shi, appreciated by the emperor, and eventually become one of the powerful ministers who held the power of the Ministry of War.

The Tang family has been a scholarly family for generations, with generations producing officials. Tang's mother grew up in such an environment, so her insight was undeniably sharp, and her methods of doing things were undeniably shrewd. Although she is old now, no one dares to underestimate her.

He Su Shi led his younger sister into the courtyard. As soon as they reached the gate, an old woman rushed to lift the curtain and let them in. It was He Su Chen's first time entering the inner room where Tang's mother lived, and she didn't dare to look around too much. She just followed her brother. As soon as they entered the room, a nanny and a maid helped a kind-looking old woman to greet them. She guessed that this was probably Tang's mother. Just as she was about to kneel down with her brother, He Su Shi was helped up by Zhang Shi, who was following behind. Tang's mother hugged He Su Chen tightly, crying out, "My poor, poor darling!" He Su Shi also burst into tears when he saw Tang's mother, calling out, "Grandma!" Tang's mother embraced him, and the two siblings hugged each other.

The maid supporting her advised, "Grandma, don't worry. The little girl is fine, isn't she? She's probably alright now. Your actions are only making her uncomfortable." Everyone else chimed in with their own words of comfort, and it took a long time for Tang's mother to calm down. He Su Chen was very uncomfortable being held so tightly, but there was nothing she could do. Finally, she was free and obediently called out, "Grandma!" Tears streamed down Tang's mother's face again, and she said sternly, "You all think you can take advantage of my absence to torture my grandson to death?! You cherish your own children like they're your own flesh and blood, but you don't treat your brothers' children like human beings?!"

Zhang kept her head down, not daring to speak, but then she heard a woman's voice say, "Mother, don't worry, Xiao Guazi is fine now. It seems he wasn't seriously injured at first. Everyone was just anxious, thinking something terrible had happened. Look, he's perfectly fine now, isn't he? It's because my sister-in-law didn't take good care of him, but which child doesn't have some mishaps? Our Yuanfang is still seriously ill, but she's not lying in bed scaring anyone. She still came to pay her respects to you, didn't she?"

He Suchen looked in the direction of the voice and saw a beautifully dressed noblewoman. She was described as a noblewoman because even He Suchen, a complete novice when it came to Song Dynasty clothing, could tell that she was dressed very luxuriously, in bright colors, with exquisite craftsmanship, and adorned with pearls and jade. She even wore several phoenix hairpins in her hair and two oval green agate earrings—completely out of place among the crowd.

At that time, the Jiangnan style favored beautiful patterns and elegant colors. He Qufei was a strict person who disciplined himself, and his children and grandchildren were not allowed to wear luxurious clothes. Over the decades, this became a habit in the mansion. Even after He Qufei passed away, they still preferred to wear simple clothes and even their accessories were simple. The master did the same, let alone the servants.

Judging from her words, this must be the legendary Third Aunt Liu. He Sucheng had long heard of her; the maids, servants, brothers, and sisters all spoke highly of her: they said she would seize any opportunity to cause trouble, was tyrannical towards the servants in the mansion, and only listened to those who had come with her as part of her dowry; they said she would scold He Sushi and other younger relatives at the slightest provocation, completely disregarding whether she was right or wrong; they said she doted on her eldest daughter to the extreme, completely ignoring her second daughter; they said she treated her concubine Su Liuzhi and her son with extreme cruelty and contempt. Although she was often scolded by Tang's mother and had no real power, for some reason, she had never suffered any real loss, and even Zhang, who was in charge of the household, did not pay much attention to her behavior.

Upon hearing her words, everyone's expression changed. Madam Zhang even glared at her without any attempt to hide her anger. This whole affair was entirely her fault. Everyone in the manor had seen how seriously ill He Sucheng was, yet she spoke of it so lightly and shifted all the blame onto herself. If it weren't for the fact that Tang's mother had just returned and that she was somewhat wary of her, Madam Zhang would have already stood her ground.

Zhang said calmly, without any expression, "This is my fault. I didn't take good care of Guazi and let someone who didn't know any better get away with it. Ten days ago, I promised to take good care of it, but Guazi almost died. I am willing to accept the punishment."

Chapter Twelve, Dispensing Medicine

<><A><>The promotional function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join us now!!!</A><> Seeing how things were developing, no one dared to speak. Everyone was puzzled by the eldest mistress's fear of the third branch of the family, but everyone knew how to protect themselves.

Just as Madam Tang was about to speak with a stern face, the old woman supporting her, named Granny Tian, said, "What are you saying, Madam? Does it mean that if someone makes a mistake by accident, it's not the proper master who should be punished? Old Madam, don't be anxious. Qiu Shui is right. The young lady is almost fully recovered now. Your words are only making her think about things and feel uncomfortable." Seeing that someone had started this conversation, the people around them all chimed in, saying that it had nothing to do with the eldest mistress. The third mistress, Liu, who had been smiling smugly, had no choice but to sit still, wringing her handkerchief tightly in her hands.

The head maid, Qiu Shui, helped Tang's mother to the seat of honor, and then had two small stools set up for Su Chen and Su Shi to sit on either side. She said, "Old Madam is too anxious. Why worry about this now? The most important thing is to check how the young masters and young ladies are doing. If you're really worried, just send someone to invite a doctor to take a look. The young lady looks perfectly fine."

Upon hearing this, Madam Tang disregarded everything else and repeatedly instructed Madam Zhang to order the steward to invite Manager Fu. Madam Zhang had no choice but to send an old woman to find him. The old woman was also good at talking, and she said with a smile, "These days, our mansion has become Manager Fu's second mansion. He comes here every day, and I'm afraid everyone in the mansion knows him."

Zhang said, "Since spring is almost over, have the person who goes tell Manager Fu that we need to pick up some medicine at our residence, and ask him to prepare before coming over." The old woman agreed.

Seeing that a doctor had been summoned and that Su Chen looked healthy and rosy-cheeked, Tang's mother was somewhat relieved. She called the children over so she could take a look. However, since all the boys except He Su Shi were at school and didn't know Tang's mother had returned that morning, only the Yuan Fang sisters, Yong Jiao, and Su Chen and Su Shi were present. Zhang was about to send someone to fetch the children when Tang's mother said, "Why bother with such things? It's not a big deal for an old woman like me to come back. Let them study; that's the important thing." She then beckoned the girls over.

At this moment, He Suchen finally met the culprit who caused him to travel through time, He Yuanfang, who killed the real He Suchen and was called "Female Rakshasa" by Yongjiao.

This older sister's appearance is inherited from her mother, and she looks very similar to Yuan Rou, but she has a pointed chin and rosy cheeks. If it weren't for her impatient and proud expression, she would definitely be very lovable.

He Su Chen observed carefully and noticed that the child always held his chin high, even when greeting Tang's mother, as if he were incredibly confident and believed himself to be superior to everyone else. Although Tang's mother praised each child and gave them gifts on the surface, He Su Chen clearly saw a flash of disgust in her eyes when she glanced at He Yuan Fang.

What kind of world is this? Is the younger sister a Song Dynasty version of Lin Daiyu, while the older sister is a Song Dynasty version of Luo Xiu? No, if He Yuanfang were compared to Luo Xiu, I would definitely dismember anyone who worships Luo Xiu as a goddess.

Everyone returned to their places, and a maid brought tea. Tang's mother, still tired from arriving home, leaned against a cushion, chatting idly with her daughter-in-law and several prominent housekeepers. The conversation consisted mainly of the journey and local specialties; perhaps because the children were present, not a single word of gossip was mentioned, making it quite boring. Thankfully, Manager Fu arrived shortly after.

Shopkeeper Fu's father, Fu Delin, was a retired imperial physician, highly respected in the medical field. Having no biological children, he adopted a son who inherited his exceptional medical skills; this son is now Shopkeeper Fu. Now seventy years old, he no longer sees patients except for very close acquaintances or prominent figures in the city.

He entered the room, greeted her, and then inquired about Tang's mother before taking He Sucheng's pulse properly. After a short while, he stopped and said with a smile, "He's fine now. He'll be lively again after a few days of rest. Just make sure he doesn't catch a cold again." Tang's mother was relieved to hear this and told the maid to take the children to play in the back room.

At this moment, the steward's maid brought out the household's medicine prescription. Manager Fu took it and examined it closely, saying, "Many guests said that Chaihu Pills weren't very effective at the end of the year. We ordered three hundred pills last year and another three hundred this year. Are they doing well?" Madam Zhang replied with a smile, "They're not medicine for consumption. They're only effective for prevention in case of typhoid fever." He nodded and asked, "In previous years, the Yulu Pills and Niuhuang Jiedu Pills were made with the ingredients provided by the household itself. I wonder if this year it's the same as before, or if our shop will provide them?" Madam Zhang answered as well. He carefully looked at the prescription and suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "This Da Huo Luo Dan prescription is truly remarkable. In my more than forty years of medical practice, I've never seen it before. I wonder where the household obtained it?"

Mother Tang smiled and said, "It was my daughter-in-law who gave me the prescription, but she's not in the city right now." Hearing that she was a woman of such high status, Manager Fu initially thought she was an elderly woman who studied medicine and wanted to pay her respects, but he had to give up that idea. He couldn't help but ask, "I wonder if the lady in your household has been studying medicine since childhood? Did you write this prescription yourself, or..."

Seeing his reluctance to part, Tang's mother smiled and explained. It turned out that Su Chen's mother, Madam Wu, was the daughter of a deputy physician in the Imperial Medical Academy. Her family had been practicing medicine for generations and had left behind many prescriptions. Madam Wu also had some medical knowledge and brought some prescriptions with her when she got married. When Tang's mother was in the capital suffering from rheumatism, she found these prescriptions and also had all the other prescriptions she had brought prepared.

The original name of the Da Huo Luo Dan was Shen Xiao Huo Luo Dan. Its main ingredients include ginseng, poria cocos, atractylodes macrocephala, angelica sinensis, white peony root, Agkistrodon halys, earthworm, silkworm pupae, saposhnikovia divaricata, ephedra, and cinnamon, among others. It is said to have the effects of relaxing muscles and tendons, clearing the meridians, dispelling wind and dampness. There is also Ba Bao Dan Pian Zi Huang, made from musk, bezoar, notoginseng, snake gall, and other ingredients, which is said to clear heat and detoxify, reduce inflammation and swelling, relieve pain, and calm the mind. Then there is Gui Ling Ji Wan, made from ginseng, deer antler, seahorse, sparrow brain, and wolfberry, which is said to strengthen the body and brain, tonify the kidneys and replenish qi, and improve appetite. There are also many other formulas, all carefully collected by Physician Wu, which it is perfectly normal that Manager Fu was unaware of.

Shopkeeper Fu was both surprised and delighted, and hurriedly asked, "Is it the old physician Wu Zhongzhi from the Imperial Hospital?!" Madam Tang nodded, and Shopkeeper Fu was overjoyed: "My father worked under him when he was in office. The old physician's medical skills were superb, and no one in the Imperial Hospital could match his pulse diagnosis. I never imagined that it was his prescription!" The more he thought about it, the happier he became. After a long while, he hesitated and said, "I see that these prescriptions are excellent medicines. My clinic would like to borrow these prescriptions to make medicines to treat people. What do you think? All the extra money will be sent to your esteemed residence. I will not take a single penny."

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Well, most of these pills only appeared during the Ming and Qing dynasties. I changed the names a bit, but the ingredients are mostly the same.

The power of traditional Chinese medicine! My maternal grandfather was a herbalist. Whenever I was sick and all the hospitals couldn't cure me, I would go to him for herbal remedies, and they would always cure me instantly!

Chapter Thirteen, Chaos

The promotional function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join us now!!! Back then, doctors weren't like they are today. Many doctors only thought about making money, caring nothing for the patient. Even minor illnesses would be misdiagnosed as major ones, and expensive medicines would be prescribed without regard to efficacy. When most doctors took on apprentices, they would give a long admonition, concluding with: "I only wish for my medical books to gather dust on the shelves, and I do not wish for any patients in the world."

Manager Fu thought that such a good prescription was being used only within the He family estate, which would be a waste. If it were to spread, it could cure countless people. He also had another selfish motive: if the prescription were promoted, everyone would not only praise the He family estate but also Tianyuan Hall, which would greatly enhance its reputation.

Tang's mother said, "What are you saying? The Mo family has a kind heart, but my family doesn't? My father-in-law has long had the same idea. But no matter what, it's been a long time. Just use it, and when you sell it, just say it's his prescription so people know. As for the profit, don't mention it! Just sell it at cost price."