Chapter 340: The Girl Asks to Be My Disciple; People from the Zhoufu (in the context of “Zhou family”) Arrive

Although Feng Yuanming was stubborn, Xiao Wu was even more persistent. Thus, he, who had initially intended to leave, gradually gave up the idea under her daily nagging and stayed put for now. Aside from Du Wan coming to see him and Xiao Wu bringing him three meals a day, no other servants dared enter this courtyard, so life went on quietly and comfortably. In his free time, he would write, read, or practice Tai Chi in the courtyard, as if he had completely forgotten all the medical knowledge that had once been deeply ingrained in his mind, even letting go of those troublesome memories from the Imperial Medical Academy.

So, when Xiao Wu brought a bowl of first-class congee that day, he said thoughtfully, “Your young master goes to such lengths to vary the meals and often makes you keep company with an old man like me. It must take a lot of effort from her. I’m old now; fame and fortune mean nothing to me. I just want to live as I please, acting as if I’ve never learned medicine. But back in the Meng family, I was pampered, and now, living in such a comfortable life where everything is provided for me, I really can’t get used to it.”

“Doctor Feng, these meals have been prepared to help you recover your health. Back in Qingzhou, you were plump and healthy, but now you’ve lost over ten pounds. You need to gain weight first so you can work again. Otherwise, you’ll keep complaining about being pampered.”

Seeing Feng Yuanming’s stunned expression, Xiao Wu couldn’t help but laugh. “Is it really that happy to drift alone out there? Your young master said it well—throughout life, even without family, one should have friends, otherwise life would be too lonely. You indeed aren’t used to living in a large household like the Zhangs. After returning to the capital, you might as well stay with the master for a while. You both are kind-hearted despite your cold appearances; you’ll surely get along. Besides, the Du family is short-staffed now, so you won’t be eating for free if you go.”

“Girl, how can I be called kind-hearted! Besides, if I go to the Du family, who knows what trouble I might cause for Master Du!”

Staring at Xiao Wu’s white silk jacket and skirt, Feng Yuanming suddenly remembered that she had always dressed in plain colors since their first meeting. If not for Du Wan mentioning it, he would never have guessed that she was the one rescued by that monk known as the greatest strategist of the Ming Dynasty. Living alongside someone who had spent a lifetime in schemes and intrigues yet still maintaining such purity of heart—truly, this girl’s heart was naturally pure and clear. Suddenly, an idea struck him.

“Xiao Wu, would you like to learn medicine from me?”
“Learn medicine?”

Faced with such a sudden question, Xiao Wu was momentarily stunned. Tilting her head and thinking for a while, she realized that mastering medicine would be extremely useful for Du Wan, and it would also allow her to keep Feng Yuanming there legitimately. A sly smile appeared on her face. Yet suddenly, she remembered the smiling old monk she had encountered on the street as a child, and how he had passed away right before her eyes with a smile. That smile gradually faded, replaced by deep sorrow. If only she had learned medicine earlier, she might have been able to save the old monk.

After finally sorting out all these thoughts, she raised her head and asked directly, “If I learn it, do I have to follow Doctor Feng’s rules? Like not treating people casually, and having to charge fees like you do? I just want to treat those I want to treat, without being tied by so many rules.”

“Little girl, don’t I also treat people according to my own inclinations?”

Hearing this, Xiao Wu suddenly understood and immediately nodded. “I’ll learn… but Doctor Feng, please don’t think I’m stupid. I’m not good at writing, playing chess, or cooking or sewing. It took me a long time to learn to read properly. Learning medicine from you will probably be… well, twice as hard. In short, if I’m stupid, you can’t scold me!”

Feng Yuanming was both annoyed and amused by this. Hearing her words, he couldn’t help but glare and scowl. “What’s hard to learn in this world? What doesn’t require effort? It’s fine if you’re stupid, but if you join my school and give up halfway, complaining that you can’t learn, I’ll not only scold you but also beat you! Starting tomorrow, I’ll teach you medical principles and acupoint identification. I don’t expect you to become a famous doctor, but if you study seriously, you’ll be able to treat common illnesses on your own in the future.”

“Okay, okay! Can’t I just take you as my master?”

One was motivated by a sudden impulse to take on another disciple, while the other was inspired to seriously learn something for the first time in her life. So, without any witnesses or a celebration, Xiao Wu simply went into the room and kowtowed three times to Feng Yuanming sitting in the armchair, thus establishing their master-disciple relationship. To Xiao Wu’s astonishment, after this initiation, Feng Yuanming handed her a book—it was actually the I Ching.

“Go back and let your young lady explain things to you properly, and study hard on your own as well. As the saying goes, if you can’t be a good minister, then be a renowned doctor. Medical principles and acupoints can be memorized by rote, but to become a truly great physician, one must study the I Ching and read more books. Since you seem not very interested in marriage, it’s better for you to study books—it will be good for you!”
Since Mrs. Sun had been invited to the Duke of Cheng’s residence, only Du Wan was at home that day. As the New Year approached, many nobles and officials still remained in Nanjing, and she had to prepare gifts for the first day of the new year one by one. Although simplicity was valued these days, it was important not to appear too poor when dealing with these people; finding the right balance was a real challenge. After all, she couldn’t spend all the income from the family’s estates just on gifts. As she carefully calculated in her mind, she suddenly heard some noise outside. Looking up, she saw Xiao Wu pulling back the curtain and entering, with a very strange expression on his face.
“What’s wrong? Did you argue with Doctor Feng again?” Du Wan, who was used to seeing these arguments between the old man and the boy, couldn’t help but laugh. “Who won or lost today? Tell me!”
Xiao Wu angrily placed the I Ching on the table beside the kang and stared at Du Wan for a while before finally lowering his head and saying listlessly, “Miss, I’ve taken Doctor Feng as my teacher today. From now on, I’ll learn medicine from him. I thought it would just be about learning how to take pulses, administer acupuncture, write prescriptions, and diagnose illnesses. But instead, he wants me to study the I Ching! Good heavens, doesn’t he know I hate reading the most?”
Du Wan had intended to tease him, but after hearing the whole story, she was stunned. After a moment of thought, she said thoughtfully, “If a scholar fails in studying books and turns to learning medicine, it’s actually easier for them than for ordinary people. The He family in Songjiang Prefecture is known as a family of medical experts, but in fact, everyone in their family is a scholar. Xiao Wu, since you’ve taken Doctor Feng as your teacher, aside from the I Ching, you really should read other books as well. It’s not about memorizing everything by rote; I’ll give you a passage to read every day.”
Xiao Wu’s worried expression turned into joy, and he immediately stood beside Du Wan. Seeing the dense rows of characters and symbols in the ledger, she frowned and knelt down on the kang to massage Du Wan’s shoulders.

“Miss, it was better back in Beijing. You never had to worry about household matters. Now, all you do is chores, keep accounts, or deal with those officials’ wives who spout lies! What kind of people are they? They keep probing, almost as if asking directly if our family has gained any benefits from the lifting of the sea ban!”
She curled her lips and added, “Today, Doctor Feng also mentioned Miss Meng to me. He said that when he left the Meng family, Miss Min specially prepared clothes, shoes, and socks for him throughout the four seasons. Master Meng was very grateful and gave him a thousand taels of gold as travel money, plus another two hundred taels as a reward. He only took the clothes, shoes, and socks and declined the rest.”
Seeing that Du Wan didn’t speak, Xiao Wu continued on her own, “Miss Min told him that although he had done such a great favor and deserved proper repayment, the family was going through many hardships and was in mourning, so they could only send him away. But he said that during the mourning period at the Meng family, although there weren’t many people coming to offer condolences, there were a few mysterious individuals. Miss Min sent him away out of kindness, fearing he might be implicated. However, since Master Meng swore never to remarry after his wife passed away, it’s truly rare.”
“Lord Meng is just too obsessed with fame and career, and his temperament is extreme.”
Du Wan pondered for a while before responding. Initially, her father and Meng Xian were both imprisoned in the Jinyiwei. Although Meng Xian was released first, her father was only set free after Zhang Yue interceded. Yet their fates were vastly different. Just a few days after she married Zhang Yue, her father Du Zhen was recalled to the Hanlin Academy, showing that he still enjoyed the emperor’s favor. In contrast, Meng Xian was dismissed from his position without any further action, which revealed the emperor’s true intentions. If Meng Xian could learn from this, that would be good. But if not, the Meng family might…
“Young mistress, a lady from the Zhoufu (in the context of “Zhou family”) is here to see you, saying she comes by order of Princess Chenliu.”
Hearing this, Du Wan, who had been lost in thought, quickly snapped back to reality. After thinking for a moment, she instructed Xiao Wu to welcome her at the second gate. Soon, Xiao Wu brought in a middle-aged woman in her forties. She wore a crimson and black Hangzhou silk jacket over a dark green brocade skirt, with her hair tied up with a silver hairpin. She appeared neatly dressed. Upon entering, she bowed deeply. Du Wan recognized her as Ying Mama, Zhu Ning’s wet nurse, and quickly helped her up.

Ying Mama insisted on not sitting on the heated bed, so in the end she sat on a stool. After some small talk, she said, “The New Year is approaching. The royal family sent people to Beijing to deliver holiday gifts, and they also sent someone to the Crown Prince and Grand Crown Prince here in the capital. The princess is thinking of Miss Du… Given my poor memory, it should be Miss Du Yiren now… The princess is concerned about Miss Du Yiren, so she specifically asked me to bring along a few items. She also said that sending gifts to Shandong would be too noticeable. Now that Prince Zhou’s health is worsening by the day, even if she has to put herself aside, she still has to consider Prince Zhou’s well-being.”

Du Wan had already prepared gifts for Princess Chenliu, Zhu Ning—planning to give her a hand-embroidered purse along with a few fresh trinkets she had bought in the market. Seeing that someone else had sent gifts first, she quickly thanked them. However, the words that followed shocked her deeply. Realizing there was no need to beat around the bush in front of Ying Mama, she couldn’t help but ask about Zhu Ning’s situation.

“Before the New Year, someone submitted a secret report accusing His Highness Prince Zhou of causing trouble through excessive worry, which led to his illness. Since the emperor ascended the throne, all the titles and positions of Prince Qi’s relatives were taken away, reducing them to commoners. Prince Min and Prince Liao also lost their officials and guards, and even princes like Prince Jin and Prince Ning remained silent. Now, only His Highness Prince Zhou still has three guards… Alas, that’s why the princess’s marriage has been delayed until now.”