Chapter 9: Turning Against Each Other

The third aunt hurried over to sit by the bed, holding her daughter in her arms, and gently comforted her, saying: "Dear daughter, do not worry. Your father despises such people and will never accept him as a son-in-law. Rest assured, we will find a suitable match. We must choose someone who will truly satisfy you as a husband; I will never allow such a useless person to be your spouse. Just keep your heart at ease!"

Madam Gao smiled: "What do I care? The old master has already said that he is nothing but a pauper. As long as he possesses this medical skill, when the old master introduces him to the Imperial Medical Institute, becoming a court physician will be an easy task. Once he becomes a court physician, he will be worthy of marrying our daughter."

The steward smiled and said: "This must be personally addressed by the old master. Divine doctor, please come in with me, and you will know then. The old master, old madam, and the two grandmothers are all waiting. Divine doctor, please! — Hand me the items, I will carry them."

Lu Jinping sighed and said, "I fear that at this moment, in their eyes, we are even more wretched than beggars. You must understand, I sold my family assets to bribe others, only to end up with nothing, so furious that I spat blood and died on the spot. Although I have come back to life, my reputation has been thoroughly tarnished. The Gao family is composed of retired officials from the capital, with a distinguished background, and naturally looks upon people like us as worthless. At the beginning, when he asked for my name, I did not say it, precisely because I was worried about this, and sure enough, my concerns were justified. Alas! This is good; I need not worry about being recruited as a son-in-law by them. However, I fear that even the promised reward may be in jeopardy."

At this moment, the steward's expression suddenly changed. However, he quickly realized it was inappropriate and forced a smile, saying: "Oh, it turns out to be Lord Lu. My apologies, my apologies. This, gentlemen, our master happens to have some urgent matters to attend to, so he may not be able to meet with you today. I hope you can understand"

The executive quickly responded in agreement.

Lu Jinping's heart skipped a beat, as she guessed it was the matter that Ye Qingqing had anticipated earlier. She feigned ignorance and asked, "May I inquire what matters the esteemed Old Master Gao wishes to discuss?"

His maid let it slip and called him "Your Grace." I immediately became alert, as he is the only one in our province referred to as "Your Grace." I quickly thought it might be him and asked him directly. He admitted to being the resurrected Lord Lu, so there was no mistake.

Upon hearing this, the esteemed steward Gao was momentarily taken aback. He looked up and down at Lu Jinping and cautiously inquired, "Your Excellency? Could it be that you are the county baron who was resurrected six months ago in our Tongzhou Prefecture, the great-grandson of Baron Lu Deming, one of the eighteen scholars by the side of the late Emperor Taizong?"

Did you not make a mistake

That incident has already spread throughout the entire province. However, in ancient times, there were no television networks, so it could only be passed down orally. Many people are aware of this news, but since they have not seen Lu Jinping in person, they have not associated him with that scandal. This is what allowed him to set up a stall on the street to earn a living selling characters and books.

Indeed! He is the unworthy descendant of the Lu family! Six months ago, he sold off family assets and borrowed money at high interest to bribe officials in an attempt to gain power. As a result, the officials who received his money were investigated, and not only did he fail to achieve his goals, but he also could not recover his funds. In a fit of anger and desperation, he coughed up blood and died, only to be resurrected the next day as a destitute and useless person!

Old Master Gao turned to Steward Gao and said: "He will come to deliver medicine in the afternoon. Tell him that he need not come again. As for the matter of marrying into the Gao family, he should not even think about it! He is not allowed to step into the Gao family again! Do you understand?"

The steward took the food box and immediately caught a whiff of the enticing aroma of the dishes. It is worth noting that Lu Jinping used modern cooking techniques to prepare these dishes, while the cooking methods of the Tang Dynasty were far behind modern standards, with many techniques yet to be developed. Naturally, the dishes cooked by Lu Jinping were unfamiliar to them, and the steward, being a well-versed official from a prominent family, recognized at once that the dishes inside were extraordinary. Unable to resist, he set down the jar, opened the food box, and looked inside, where he saw several exquisite dishes, all rich in color, aroma, and flavor. Overcome with surprise and delight, he exclaimed, "Wow! What exquisite dishes! I wonder which renowned chef from the restaurant in Tongzhou crafted these?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Qingqing's smile froze on her face, while Lu Jinping, seemingly unfazed, chuckled and said, "Then we shall take our leave!" After saying this, she turned and walked away, leaving Ye Qingqing no choice but to follow behind.

However, the old man quickly sensed something amiss, waved his hand to signal his wife and concubines not to interrupt, and urgently said: "Could it be that he is... ?"

The steward repeatedly waved his hands and said: "That's not the case! If he were merely impoverished, that would be one thing, but unfortunately, he is the kind of useless person that the old master despises the most!"

The old lady and the second concubine exchanged glances, both with grim expressions. The old woman said to Old Master Gao: "Indeed, this matter requires careful consideration. Although he has done us a favor, his character is too poor. He actually sold off ancestral property to bribe his way into an official position. If we were to accept such a person as our son-in-law, we would likely be ridiculed and scorned. The Old Master’s lifelong reputation would be completely ruined"

In the back courtyard, Old Master Gao and several of his wives and concubines were waiting for Steward Gao to bring Lu Jinping in to discuss the matter of him marrying into the Gao family. When they saw Steward Gao rush in, but there was no sign of Lu Jinping behind him, Old Master Gao couldn't help but be taken aback and hurriedly asked, "Where is the divine doctor? Did you send for his maid? He hasn't come? If he doesn't come, how can we discuss this marriage?"

Lu Jinping shook her head and said, "It doesn't matter. Even if you don't say it now, I will take the initiative to tell them in a couple of days. Such matters can be hidden for a short time but not for long. I originally intended to use this incident as a refusal. It's better for them to know sooner; I want to see how they plan to handle this situation"

Ye Qingqing stuck out her tongue and said softly, "I apologize, Your Grace and Lord Tushu, I spoke too quickly and let it slip out."

As they walked a short distance, Ye Qingqing whispered, "How can the steward change his attitude so abruptly? He looks at us with such disdain, as if we are beggars!"

Having said that, the steward Gao reached out to take the traditional Chinese medicine jar and the food container from Ye Qingqing's hands

Behind her, Miss Gao's voice, tinged with tears, cried out: "Father, Mother, I do not want to marry that good-for-nothing! I would rather die than marry him!" After saying this, she began to sob uncontrollably

Ye Qingqing said proudly: "It is the craftsmanship of our lord! His skills are not easily revealed; even I have never tasted them. Consider yourselves fortunate, ladies, to be able to enjoy the dishes personally prepared by our lord! Hee hee hee"

The steward lowered his voice and said: "Old master, old mistress, both grandmothers, this marriage cannot be concluded!"

It is indeed this person! He has brought shame upon their ancestors!

The second concubine continued, "Yes, yes, I have heard that this person used to be a bookworm. However, I have never heard of him possessing any remarkable medical skills, and this time, it might just be a case of a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse, having somehow obtained a folk remedy. Old Master, such a person is not worth supporting; you must be cautious, my lord."

Old Master Gao and his three wives were taken aback for a moment, frowning and asking, "How can it not be settled?"

Old Master Gao wore a sullen expression and slowly nodded: "Indeed, this good-for-nothing is unworthy of being my Gao family's son-in-law. If I allow him to become my daughter's husband, I would lose all face.

The steward, accompanied by two attendants, was waiting on the steps outside the courtyard. From a distance, he saw Lu Jinping approaching with her maid Ye Qingqing, carrying two jars. He quickly descended the steps to greet her, clasping his hands together with a beaming smile and said: "Divine Doctor, you have arrived. Our master has matters to discuss with you and has asked me to wait at the door."

However, this matter has already become a topic of laughter among many people in Tongzhou City during their leisure time. Old Master Gao has certainly heard of it, and although he has not been here for long, upon hearing this, he couldn't help but gasp in shock, his face turning very grim, and he whispered: "He is the great-grandson of Lu Deming, one of the Eighteen Scholars of Emperor Taizong, the only founding male of the county in Tongzhou?"

Since it was agreed that they would meet at noon to discuss Lu Jinping's proposal to marry into the Gao family as a son-in-law, this would mean that Old Master Gao would become his father-in-law, which would elevate his status. Naturally, he could not personally go to the door to welcome the son-in-law, as that would be somewhat degrading. Old Master Gao felt that this might affect the subsequent discussions regarding the marriage proposal, so he arranged for the housekeeper of the Gao residence to greet him at the door. Lu Jinping was then invited into the inner courtyard to thoroughly discuss the matter.

Their family's background is not a match for ours

Lu Jinping forced a smile, glanced at Ye Qingqing, and nodded.

The old lady and her two concubines were momentarily taken aback, exchanging glances and asking, "Waste? What waste?"

The steward did not wait for Lu Jinping and the others to walk far away, but hurriedly picked up the food box and the jar containing the medicinal soup, quickly entering the courtyard and hastening towards the back residence