Chapter 006: Greetings

A few people entered the room and saw an elderly lady with kind eyes sitting on the soft couch. Lady Wang, Jia Ke, and Aunt Zhou hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects. Jia Ke recognized that this was Grandmother Jia.

After finishing the pulse diagnosis again, he stood up and respectfully addressed Jia Zheng: "Do not worry, my lord. The young master's pulse is strong and vigorous, and the circulation of qi and blood in the five organs is smooth, even stronger than that of an ordinary person. The young master's illness has already been cured"

Jia Ke saw Jia Zheng accompanying an elderly man with graying hair into the courtyard and immediately stood up to greet him

Ke'er has indeed been improving these past few days. If you hadn't mentioned it in the last couple of days, I would have also invited a doctor, otherwise, I wouldn't know how much progress would be delayed. Jia Zheng responded to Aunt Zhou's words accordingly

Having nothing to do for the moment, Jia Zheng went to the front study, while Madam Wang instructed Concubine Zhou to withdraw

Madam Wang, seeing that Jia Zheng had agreed, instructed her maid Zhou Ruijia, who was standing beside her: "You go to Hu Qing Tang now and invite Doctor Hu to come and examine the master’s pulse, to see if he can recover soon, as we must not delay his studies"

There is no need; Ke'er is different from Zhu'er. It is not too late to add more when they are a bit older.

Jia Zheng was overjoyed upon hearing this, thanked Old Doctor Hu, instructed his servants to present the consultation fee, and arranged for someone to escort Old Doctor Hu away. Turning back to Jia Ke, he said: "Since you are already cured, you must not be negligent. Tomorrow, after you bow to your grandmother with your mother (Lady Wang), go to the study to read. I have already spoken to the teacher, and you must make sure to catch up on the missed lessons. You need to work hard and make progress; otherwise, be careful that I will skin you alive." I have already spoken to the teacher, and you must make sure to catch up on the missed lessons. You need to work hard and make progress; otherwise, be careful that I will skin you alive.

Jia Ke then got up, thanked Grandmother Jia, and returned to sit beside Lady Wang. Aunt Zhou, who was standing nearby, looked over with a concerned expression, fearing that he might be hurt

Zhou Rui's family must be in a hurry

After they had finished their greetings, Grandmother Jia invited them to take their seats. At this moment, Jia Ke stood up again, knelt in the center, and bowed towards Grandmother Jia, saying: "This time, my illness was fortunate to be treated by the imperial physician invited by our esteemed ancestor, which saved my life. Everything I have is due to our esteemed ancestor, so I have no other gifts to offer, but I would like to express my filial piety by bowing a few times here in front of our esteemed ancestor."

As noon approached, Doctor Hu was invited and personally accompanied by Jia Zheng to Jia Ke's room

After the two finished their meal, they sat down again. Aunt Zhou stood by and, seeing that there was nothing else to discuss, approached Jia Zheng and Madam Wang to report: "Sir, Madam, these past few days, the eldest master seems to have recovered quite well. I wonder if we should invite a doctor to examine him. If he has truly recovered, it would save you both from worry, and he can continue his studies and make progress. In the event that he achieves success in the future, he would also be able to repay your kindness in raising him."

Upon entering the Chuihua Gate, they saw that on both sides were covered walkways, with a central hall. In the middle stood a large marble screen on a zitan frame. Turning around the screen, there were three small rooms, and behind the hall was the main courtyard. The front featured five main rooms, all adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, while on both sides were covered walkways and side rooms, decorated with various paintings of parrots, magpies, and other birds. On the steps sat several maids dressed in red and green, who, upon seeing them arrive, greeted them with smiles, saying: "Just now, the old lady was still reciting! What a coincidence that you have arrived." Several of them vied to lift the curtain, and someone reported inside: "Madam and Master Ke have arrived."

"When Old Doctor Hu comes, let him inform me, and I will go listen as well," said Jia Zheng, pausing for a moment before continuing, "Aunt Zhou and Ke'er only have one maidservant attending to them, and they might not be able to manage. Please assign another maidservant to Aunt Zhou; I think that Chun Cao is quite diligent in attending to Ke'er, so let her serve Ke'er exclusively."

At this moment, Zhou Rui's family said to Madam Wang: "Madam, I believe that the master still favors you. This time, it is only because someone over there nearly died that he has shown a bit more concern. There is no need for you to take it to heart."

Doctor Hu did not first check the pulse, but instead looked at the prescription from Doctor Wang. After reviewing it, he said to Jia Zheng: "I, an old man, have examined Doctor Wang's prescription, and the medicine used is extremely dangerous, which indicates the severity of the young master's condition at that time. However, upon entering, I immediately noticed that the young master has a rosy complexion and a bright forehead, which does not resemble someone who is ill. Upon further examination of the pulse, it appears to be normal, so you need not worry, my lord."

That prescription was written by Imperial Physician Wang, and it is indeed very effective. You were on the brink of death, but it was this medicine that brought you back to life. I think you should continue taking it for a few more days. If you find the medicine too bitter, I can have your uncle (the brother of Concubine Zhou) go to the market to buy some candied fruits for you to eat after taking the medicine.

"From now on, you should put away those little tricks; there is no need to make a fool of yourself," Madam Wang said with a smile to Zhou Ruijia. Zhou Ruijia complied.

After speaking, he repeatedly knocked his head against the ground, the sound of his head colliding with the tiles was "bang, bang".

Aunt, this medicine is three parts poison. When one is ill, taking medicine is unavoidable. Now that I am well, I still take it, and I fear it may not only be ineffective for my health but could also be detrimental. If you are still concerned, it would be better to invite a doctor to take a look. If I recover, I won't need to take medicine. Jia Ke could only persuade her again, knowing that Aunt Zhou was very concerned about his academic future, he added, "Moreover, I have been ill for quite some time now, and I do not know how much I have fallen behind in my studies. I am not as clever as others (like Jia Zhu) to begin with, and now having fallen behind so much, what should I do?"

Aunt Zhou thought this made sense as well, and upon observing that Jia Ke had indeed shown no significant issues these past few days, she said: "Then I will return to the master and madam tomorrow and invite an old doctor to come and examine you. If it is confirmed that you have recovered, I will comply with your wishes."

Jia Zheng originally intended to rise through the ranks of the imperial examination, but unexpectedly, upon the death of his father Jia Daishan, the Emperor, in consideration of the late minister, granted Jia Zheng an additional official title, instructing him to enter the ministry for study. Jia Zheng felt that he could not defy the imperial command, and from then on, he deeply regretted this. He placed his hopes on the next generation, thus being quite strict with the studies of Jia Ke and Jia Zhu.

Madam Wang, upon hearing this, hurriedly stood up and said: "This is my fault; I was preoccupied with family matters and became momentarily confused. Since Zhu'er already has two maidservants attending to her, how about we add another one for the eldest son? Would that be acceptable?"

After speaking, he let Jia Ke sit down at the table. The maid Chun Cao hurriedly moved the embroidered stool for Jia Zheng and the doctor to sit. Old Doctor Hu placed his hand on Jia Ke's pulse point, carefully discerning. After a short while, he returned Jia Ke's hand and took his pulse again.

That evening, after dinner, Jia Ke said to Aunt Zhou: "Aunt, after resting for these days and drinking that excruciatingly bitter herbal medicine every day, I can no longer endure it. Moreover, my illness has already improved, and there is no need to continue taking the medicine."

Jia Ke naturally expressed his full compliance, stating that he would certainly not let his father down and that he must stand out among others. Only then did Jia Zheng leave with satisfaction

Jia Kexin said: "It is likely that it is not Doctor Wang's prescription that is effective, but rather the spell of Judge Cui that is working." He had personally witnessed the true soul of Jia Ke really go to the City of Wrongful Death to report.

After expressing her regret that she could no longer invite Doctor Wang to treat Jia Ke, it was recalled that the previous invitation had been made possible because Aunt Zhou, being a favored maid of Grandmother Jia, had leveraged her position. Grandmother Jia, considering Jia Ke as the first son of her youngest son Jia Zheng, had made an exception by using her own connections to invite Doctor Wang. How could others possibly summon the doctor in such a manner

In fact, in recent days, Jia Ke has been influenced by the bravery of Lü Bu, making his physique stronger than that of an average person. The act of bowing just now did not cause him any harm; it was merely an attempt to please Grandmother Jia

Madam Wang, upon hearing these words, understood that this was Jia Zheng speaking to her about the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, in order to reassure her. She gradually felt at ease.

On the second day, Jia Ke accompanied Aunt Zhou to visit Lady Wang, to pay his respects. Lady Wang offered a few words of encouragement, and seeing that there was nothing else to discuss, she took Jia Ke and Aunt Zhou to visit Grandmother Jia.

Upon seeing this, Grandmother Jia hurriedly instructed the maid to help Jia Ke up. She felt immensely gratified, believing that her decision to summon the physician was not in vain. At the same time, she felt a sense of pride, thinking that his filial piety must be a result of Aunt Zhou's constant teachings, and Aunt Zhou was someone she had personally nurtured and trusted. This demonstrated the affection that mother and son had for her. Grandmother Jia thought this in her heart but complained aloud: "You few monkeys have made me worry to pieces. Your illness has just recovered, and if anything else happens, this old woman will be heartbroken. Quickly get up; your health is of utmost importance."

Jia Zheng observed that Jia Ke was courteous and was quite satisfied, nodding to him with a smile. He then turned to the old doctor Hu and said: "This is my wayward son. A few days ago, his condition was quite serious, and his grandmother was worried, so she invited the imperial physician Wang from the palace to prescribe a remedy. These past few days, he seems to have improved significantly, but we cannot be certain, so I asked the old gentleman to check his pulse and see if he has fully recovered."

The next morning, after a night of silence, Aunt Zhou went to the room of Lady Wang to pay her respects. She saw that Jia Zheng and Lady Wang had already finished their grooming and were seated in the main hall, preparing to have breakfast. Aunt Zhou quickly stepped forward to serve the two of them.

Madam Wang said: "A few days ago, I went over there to visit and found that Ke Ge'er’s words were not like before. It seems he has come to his senses. If he can live a stable life, our family will not lack his share of the family fortune."