The Good Concubine of the Qing Dynasty [Red Mansion]

After two days of calm reflection, Old Madam Jia realized that her actions might have been a bit hasty, underestimating her daughter’s aversion and not persuading her first. Thus, she wrote a letter to Jia Min, providing a way to ease the tension between them.

This letter arrived at the Lin residence simultaneously with the retired imperial physician.

In the letter, Old Madam Jia did not criticize Jia Min’s actions but expressed her resignation in a tone of helplessness, saying that she was merely a concerned mother.

There was no mention of Fei Cui or Aunt Qian.

This allowed Jia Min to breathe a sigh of relief, and her anxieties settled.

She did not want to quarrel with her mother.

As for the retired Dr. Zheng, Jia Min was naturally pleased.

She had high hopes for this physician, hoping he could be of assistance to her.

She had previously been eagerly anticipating the elusive Master Zhi Liao, but unfortunately, the person was too mysterious to find, and despite her hopes, there was no way to locate him.

This Dr. Zheng, however, had been mentioned to her while she was still in the capital. At that time, Dr. Zheng was stationed in Shengjing, not in the capital.

He had only later moved to the capital.

Previously, it was impossible due to the distance, but now he had come specifically to assist.

The elderly doctor was quite advanced in age but appeared several years younger than her actual age. Despite the travel and fatigue, she remained vigorous and well-maintained.

After taking Jia Min’s pulse, the elderly doctor withdrew her hand.

Jia Min watched anxiously, waiting for the diagnosis.

The doctor did not rush to speak. After a moment of contemplation, she picked up Jia Min’s previous prescription and inquired about her diet and daily routine in great detail.

Once she had a clear understanding, the elderly doctor concluded, “Madam, rest assured, your health is not in serious trouble. A few doses of medicine for adjustment will suffice. Take some gentle walks daily; there is no need to sweat, just keep your muscles and bones active.”

Jia Min was indeed not very active.

She had heard similar advice before. After hesitating for a while, she finally asked directly, “Doctor, what about my situation with having children…”

The elderly doctor responded firmly, “It’s just that the timing isn’t right.”

The doctor clearly understood her concerns and gave examples.

He had treated several elderly women with high-risk pregnancies, some over forty years old, which is an age for being a grandmother, whereas Jia Min was still under thirty.

Similar reassurances were not uncommon, but the credibility varied depending on who said them.

Moreover, she had heard from many before that she wasn’t incapable of having children; it wasn’t entirely hopeless.

Indeed, if others could conceive at over forty, she, being under thirty, should not give up so quickly.

Jia Min carefully stored away the prescription left by the elderly doctor.

The doctor also provided dietary recommendations, which Jia Min reviewed and had her servants note down to give to the kitchen for future reference.

As for getting more exercise… Jia Min sighed and helplessly asked her maid to remind her later.

The elderly doctor’s visit was treated with the utmost courtesy.

The old lady had also heard of his reputation, and she wondered what price Jia Mu had paid to get him to make this trip.

What Jia Mu spent was her own affair, and what they provided should be generous.

This was something that hadn’t occurred in the dream world; she wondered if Dai Yu would be born early. Thinking of that early-deceased granddaughter, the old lady couldn’t help but sigh.

She also inquired whether the doctor could help others with their medical issues.

This included all the masters in the house, including herself.

The old lady wasn’t ready to die yet; she had not seen her grandchildren grow up. If she died now, she would die with regrets.

As for her son, if he didn’t follow the path she saw in the dream world, he should avoid poison and health issues.

However, he should still take good care of his health despite his hard work.

The elderly doctor did not mind seeing more patients. After examining everyone, he gave the old lady a prescription but did not provide any further prescriptions.

The elderly doctor did not prescribe any further medication for overall health but left a few medicinal recipes for them to arrange themselves.

The old lady accepted them with great seriousness.

Mei Yiniang’s health was still being treated. After examining her, the elderly doctor made slight adjustments to the dosage of two specific herbs in her current prescription. Dr. Zhou, who had been following closely behind the elderly doctor, praised the prescription as excellent.

Dr. Zhou, attentive and eager to please, assisted the elderly doctor wherever possible.

If he could receive guidance or insights, it would be of immense help for his future.

When the elderly doctor took Yun Shuyao’s pulse, he was somewhat surprised.

This person… is exceptionally healthy.

This was something the elderly doctor had rarely seen over the years. Most people appear fine at first glance but have minor ailments.

The elderly doctor did not stay long. He left before the news spread too widely, as a delay would attract a constant stream of other people seeking his diagnosis.

So, he quietly departed.

However, the impact he brought to the Lin family was not something that would quickly fade.

Having a renowned physician confirm there are no major issues is a cause for celebration.

At this time, Yun Shuyao also received good news.

Her elder brother had been accepted into Changming Academy.

The head of this academy was a former imperial scholar and had also served in official positions. However, after encountering certain troubles and becoming disheartened, and with the subsequent death of his parents, he resigned from his official post, returned to his hometown, and established this academy.

Over the years, it has nurtured many outstanding students, with several becoming imperial scholars. It is the most prestigious academy in Xingtai Prefecture, with high entry standards. Besides academic excellence, one also needs a letter of recommendation to be admitted.

Once admitted, it is basically certain that success in the imperial exams is assured.

It is almost guaranteed to produce a scholar.

Yun Heng is fourteen years old this year. Being accepted at this age is largely thanks to Lin Ruhai’s guidance.

Since the two concubines became pregnant, Lin Ruhai has started paying attention to their maternal families.

He doesn’t mind extending some support to the Mei and Yun families.

For the illegitimate children, their only maternal connection is Jia Min, and their maternal family is only the Rongguo House of the Jia family.

But bloodlines are hard to sever, and they are all from respectable families.

On this point, Lin Ruhai is always grateful for his mother’s insistence. There is a difference between different types of illegitimate children.

The lowest status is that of children born to concubines, many of whom are not even included in the family genealogy and are not acknowledged.

Then there are children born to women of lower status, such as actresses or women of poor standing.

Following that are children born to maidservants or lower-ranking concubines.

The highest status is that of children born to favored concubines.

Currently, his children are born of a favored concubine, which represents support not only from the Lin family but also from the maternal side. This provides a natural advantage.

Even if this support is not significant to the Lin family, it is an irreplaceable asset for the illegitimate children.

Lin Ruhai is unsure if he will have other children in the future, or whether there will be a legitimate son. If he does have one, the family estate will be passed on to the legitimate line.

Illegitimate sons will only receive a small portion of the wealth, while the main connections and support of the family will be reserved for the legitimate branch. The future success of the illegitimate branch largely depends on their own efforts.

Therefore, the support that the maternal family can provide is crucial.

Lin Ruhai will be flexible and offer support to the Mei and Yun families at the appropriate times.

The Mei family is engaged in business and operates cleanly, without involving themselves in dubious activities.

Lin Ruhai follows the rules and assists when necessary.

Sometimes, having the right information can make a significant difference and give a competitive edge.

If their offspring want to pursue the imperial exams, Lin Ruhai naturally supports this, though at present, there are no outstanding prospects.

As for Yun Yiniang’s family, their prospects are already improving. Lin Ruhai has provided some guidance through the Yun family.

Thus, Yun Qingliang is experiencing both pain and joy. With a talented teacher willing to offer guidance, he is making substantial progress.

He can clearly feel his improvement.

Additionally, there are other effects.

For example, after his leg injury healed, he planned to find a suitable family to take him on as a tutor. However, because his daughter has entered the governor’s residence, the offered salary was so high that it exceeded what would be offered to even a scholar or a jinshi.

Yun Qingliang felt he lacked the ability to accept the offer and declined.

He searched around and eventually returned to the household he visited before his period of mourning. Their previous interaction had been pleasant, and they had maintained contact during his mourning period.

Moreover, the teacher in that household was elderly and planning to retire to his hometown, which spared Yun Qingliang from seeking other means of livelihood.

While striving forward, Yun Qingliang also urged his two sons to remain diligent.

The governor’s son became a top scholar at seventeen. Though Yun Qingliang’s expectations for his sons aren’t as high, their starting point is much better than his was.

Yun Qingliang passed the scholar exams at twenty-four, and he now expects his sons to achieve the same by twenty.

He felt this was not unreasonable.

So, seeing his sons enter the academy with the governor’s recommendation and successfully gain admission brought Yun Qingliang great joy and relief.

If they can maintain this advantage in the academy, becoming a scholar should not be too difficult, and becoming a jinshi is also possible!

Yun Qingliang is somewhat confident about his sons becoming scholars but has no confidence about them becoming jinshi. The more he studies, the more he realizes how shallow his own knowledge is.

The news of Yun Heng’s admission to Changming Academy caused no stir in the Lin family.

For ordinary families, gaining entry to Changming Academy is a major cause for celebration, but for prominent families, it is less significant.

Mei Yiniang only mumbled a comment about it and quickly forgot.

Her younger brother is still young and not yet at the age to enter the academy.

As for the other brothers with whom she has little emotional connection… Mei Yiniang didn’t have much energy to invest in them.

On the other hand, the Mei family felt gloomy for several days after learning about this.

Who doesn’t want to climb to a higher status, advancing both themselves and their family?

The Mei family isn’t short of money.

Though they can’t compare to the wealthy salt merchants, they are among the upper echelons in Xingtai Prefecture.

They would like to have someone enter the Changming Academy, but no one from their family passed the examination. A recommendation from the governor is just a stepping stone; one still needs real ability…

—

Yun Shuyao was somewhat concerned that her daughter might be too fat and wondered if it could affect her health.

Due to her eating habits, the daughter’s development appeared faster than her son’s. If not stated in advance, strangers would not guess that they are twins.

A slightly chubby figure is fine, but excessive weight could be problematic.

She asked Nanny Wang, “Could this be problematic? Shouldn’t we limit Luoyu’s food intake?”

Although she wasn’t yet as round as a glutinous rice ball, it seemed like it might not be far off if things continued.

Nanny Wang found it hard to believe that Yun Yi Niang had such concerns. “Being able to eat is a blessing. The second young lady is still so small; how could she be too fat? This is actually healthy!”

Over the years, she had seen and held many children, and she had rarely seen one as delightful as the second young lady.

Children are like that—at first, they have some flesh, but as they grow, it quickly disappears.

Yun Shuyao listened attentively and kept a close watch. By the time the child turned six months old, Luoyu quickly learned to crawl on all fours and soon became fond of the activity. The rate of weight gain slowed significantly.

Notably, Luoyu nearly skipped the sitting stage and went straight to crawling.

Her brother still could only sit somewhat awkwardly, watching his sister crawl around him.

To accommodate this, Yun Shuyao moved everything she could from one room, laying down soft mats for them to play on, allowing the siblings to freely explore.

Chen Yu couldn’t crawl yet, but he enjoyed sitting there with a stuffed toy, watching his sister crawl around.

Yun Shuyao had prepared many stuffed toys for them. Stuffed toys were not a new concept.

Before the twins were born, the maidservants had already made many tiger-themed shoes, hats, and pillows.

Yun Shuyao’s own craftsmanship wasn’t as vivid, but as long as she described what she wanted, there would be various other stuffed toys, including a one-piece tiger outfit for Luoyu once she started crawling.

In later times, this would be known as a costume doll.

Parents who are keen on dressing up their children often buy such photo-worthy items.

When Lin Ruhai first saw a little tiger crawling towards him so quickly, his face was filled with conflicted emotions.

Who could tell it was a girl just by looking at it?

He gave Yun Shi, who didn’t find anything unusual, a look of disbelief.

Was she raising a son or a daughter? For a daughter, modesty should be prioritized.

However, despite Lin Ruhai’s thoughts, it didn’t stop him from reaching out to pick up the little tiger and proudly taking it to show to the old lady and others.

The Second Miss, dressed in the tiger outfit, was so focused on crawling quickly with her little mouth open that she didn’t notice she was being watched. She performed a little act as a tiger coming down the mountain, energetically crawling over from the other side and diving into the old lady’s arms. The old lady joyfully hugged the delightful little tiger and was inspired by new ideas.

“Could we make other outfits as well?”

Of course, we can.

The preparations began.

Dressing up children can become quite addictive.

Yun Shuyao had prepared many items for the twins.

In addition to the themed one-piece outfits, there were color cards, picture cards, and tangrams.

Yun Shuyao made the color cards and picture cards herself.

She put a lot of effort into making them.

Although she couldn’t claim to be exceptional, she had done a meticulous job, and they were more than sufficient for the children.

However, when it came to Lin Ruhai, it felt like a downgrade.

She had only practiced calligraphy for a little over a year after her crossing.

Lin Ruhai, on the other hand, had been practicing with a brush for over twenty years.

He thought her work was good and made another set for the twins himself.

He created hard paper cards with illustrations and outlines.

When Yun Shuyao saw them, she nearly couldn’t bear to let the twins use them.

They could easily be considered pieces of art.

Lin Ruhai, seeing her reluctance, laughed, “What’s the big deal? The children are too young to appreciate things. If they get damaged, we can make new ones. They’re not that precious.”

He could make another set in just two free evenings.

Yun Shuyao: “…”

She understood the reasoning, but seeing Luoyu’s impatience with the cards, who swiftly snatched them from Lin Ruhai’s hands and threw them away as if they were disposable, Yun Shuyao chose to turn her face away.