Chapter 250 - 246: Not a Good Sort_1
Before long, a maid came to deliver a message, saying that the old lady of the house wanted to see Yingbao alone.
Yingbao and her mother exchanged glances, and she reluctantly got up and followed the maid to the inner court of the Duke Residence.
The old lady of the Duke Residence was the wife of Imperial Teacher Xiao, the biological mother of Empress Xiao, and the biological grandmother of Xiao Mo and Xiao Chengjun. She looked to be in her sixties, her hair was white.
Yingbao bowed respectfully to her, “Greetings to the old madam, wishing you peace and health.”
The old lady smiled and said, “No need for formalities, come closer and let me have a good look at you.”
Yingbao moved a few steps closer, and her hands were immediately grasped by the old lady.
“Oh, what a charming child.” The old lady asked with a smile, “What is your name? How old are you this year?”
“My name is Jiang Yingbao. I am six years old.”
“Oh my, you’re only six years old, and yet you’re already such a skilled little doctor. That’s truly impressive. Come, come and sit beside me and have a chat.”
A maid hastened to bring over a round stool and placed it next to the old lady’s arhat bed.
Unfussed, Yingbao directly sat down on the round stool and looked around the room.
There were quite a few people sitting in the room, none of them very old.
There were two young women who looked to be in their twenties, and two young girls in their teens, one delicate and beautiful, the other striking and flamboyant.
The flamboyant young girl in the peach-colored chiffon dress came to the old lady, looked Yingbao up and down with a smile, and said, “Perfect timing, I’ve been feeling a bit dizzy today, could you read my pulse?”
Yingbao was silent for a moment, then nodded, “Alright.”
It’s just reading a pulse, she could definitely identify a few issues.
Two maids brought over a small table, and Yingbao began reading the pulse of the girl in the peach-colored chiffon dress on this small table.
After a moment, she said, “Your pulse is steady and long, showing signs of excessive liver fire.”
The girl was taken aback, “What does that mean?”
Yingbao asked, “Do you often lose your temper?”
The girl nodded, “Yes, I do. Is that a problem?”
Yingbao glanced at the butterfly-shaped patches on her nose and told her honestly, “Of course it’s a problem. If it’s not treated in time, over time, the dark spots on your face will increase, affecting your looks.”
The girl in the peach chiffon dress turned red with embarrassment and suddenly became angry, shouting, “How dare you! Who gave you the audacity to fabricate lies about me!”
She was most sensitive about anyone mentioning the dark spots on her face, and this despicable country girl dared to publicly poke at her weakness.
Yingbao blinked, turned to look at the others, and seeing they were all silent, including the compassionate-looking old lady at the head of the room, she scoffed.
So, they had summoned her to put her in her place.
Yingbao curled her lip and started to cry loudly, “Daddy! Mommy! Someone’s bullying me, waaah… She asked me to read her pulse, but then she didn’t let me tell the truth, wooo… I want to go home! I want to go home…”
Everyone was startled by her wailing and howling, a maid quickly came over to soothe her, but couldn’t calm her down.
Seeing the young girl’s crying grow louder and her kicking and stomping spilling over a small table, continuously bellowing for her parents and wanting to go home, completely disregarding decorum, the old lady had no choice but to let the maids take her back to the guest house.
After the young girl left, the old lady glared at her granddaughter, “Yanyan, why did you lose your temper on her?”
Yanyan pouted, “That child was doing it on purpose, she was utterly disrespectful, and you are blaming me, grandmother.”
The old lady, “She was just telling the truth, you asked her to read your pulse, how can you not let her explain?”
“She was just making things up!” Yanyan protested. “Look at her just now, throwing a tantrum, she was definitely doing it on purpose.”
The old lady pat her granddaughter’s arm, sighed, “My dear, that child is just a few years old, what could she possibly do intentionally? She just lacks manners and exposure.”
A granddaughter-in-law at the side laughed, “Grandmother is right, even though that child saved the Duke, she is after all from the countryside, she lacks manners and understanding. No matter how much we try to help her, it is in vain, she is fundamentally helpless.”
The other daughter-in-law nodded in agreement: “She is untamed from her rural upbringing. She’s been making a ruckus non-stop, just because our master reprimanded her once. How can such a nature be acceptable?”
The old lady sighed: “Forget it, forget it. I had planned to keep her in the residence for a few years, but it seems unnecessary now.”
A headstrong girl like her, who has no concept of patience, would be of no use even if raised well.
It would be better to train an obedient dog than to waste time and effort nurturing a wolf that doesn’t appreciate its master.
There are countless children wanting to get into the Xiao Family; her absence would not make any difference.
Jiang Yingbao just knew a bit of medical skills due to a secret family recipe, nothing significant.
Moreover, the Xiao Family received news that she had already given the ancestral secret recipe to Yao Yuanzheng. Yao Yuanzheng had even gifted her some handwritten copies.
In light of this, Jiang Yingbao has lost her value; it would not make much difference even if she was allowed to stay.
The old lady Xiao instructed: “Tomorrow, find an escort agency, hire a few escorts to send them back to their hometown. We must not let others gossip.”
The news that the Xiao Family invited a rural doctor from the countryside was known to all in Beijing, and many eyes were on the Xiao Family’s every move. Any slip-up would lead to rebukes from the commentators and could land on the Emperor’s desk.
Therefore, even unwillingly, the Xiao Family had to spend the money to send them back.
“Yes, I, as the daughter-in-law, will arrange for it,” said the wife of Xiao Chengde, the heir.
The old lady nodded, “Then I am relieved, you all may return, I am feeling tired.”
“Yes, I will take leave.”
“Grandmother, please rest well, I will also leave.”
Several people exited Fushou Hall one after another.
Now, about Yingbao—who instantly stopped crying once returned to the guesthouse—she wiped her eyes and stealthily informed her mother about everything once they were alone.
As soon as Spring Mother heard about it, she frowned, “The Xiao Family, which seemed easy-going at first, is actually quite difficult to get along with.”
Not only harsh, but also highly contemptuous of others.
The Xiao Family’s servants even looked down on them, treating them rudely as if they were beggars when delivering food and water, which Spring Mother found extremely unpalatable.
But since they were waiting for Yingbao here, they had to tolerate this for the time being.
Now that Yingbao had returned, Spring Mother wished they could leave immediately.
“Mother doesn’t need to be polite to them anymore.”
Yingbao said, “We are not here to beg, nor are we here because we can’t afford food. We are the doctor invited by Xiao Mo.”
If this is how they treated their guests, then she didn’t need to hold back.
After all, she was just a child, and she could be fussy and cry when something went wrong. It would be best if her fussiness embarrassed them.
These Xiao family members were all the same. Xiao Chengjun was like this, and so was everyone else in the Xiao Family.
No wonder she met such a tragic end in the book, it turned out that none of the people in the Xiao Family were kind.
Now, Yingbao was one hundred percent sure that Xiao Chengjun was the protagonist in the book, and she was the one who was killed by him and his concubine.
As for why she, in the book, could marry into such a prestigious family, Yingbao did not yet know.
But many things would become clearer as she grew up.
That night, Yingbao, while her mother and Chen Zhao were sound asleep, got up to sort out her belongings.
She opened each chest and stowed all the gold, silver, silk, cloth and other valuables in her secret storage, including the tools and books gifted by Yao Yuanzheng, and then carefully relocked the chests.
When returning, she would just carry these empty chests, which would be much safer on the road.