"Returning to Before Husband's Castration" 《回到老公自宫前》Chapter 55

 As a travelling who walked the streets and lanes to attract customer, it was very tiring when it was cold and in the summer, it was obviously better to have the title of imperial female physician, waiting comfortably at home while waiting for rich customers to invite her and live an easy life, it was also a lot more money and it was an opportunity to make connections with influential people, she could reach the heaven in a single leap.

It was a surprise for Wei Cai Wei that Lu Bing would help her, in this lifetime she had dealt with her enemy in three days, she had intended to watch over Wang Da Xia— Yan Shi Bo had a group of enemies and political opponents who would trip him up, besides she had already created a good connection with the future empress dowager Li, Li Jiu Bao, so she had no plans to enter the palace as a maid in this lifetime.

However Li Bing gave her an opportunity to enter and leave the palace and set up her career prospects as an imperial female physician, this was nothing for Lu Bing, but for her it was a once in a blue moon opportunity, she could protect Wang Da Xia and there were opportunities for revenge.

This was too good?

Why was he helping her? Wei Cai Wei held the blank form, you sow nothing, you gain nothing, Lu Bing had money and power to help you in any occupation, surrounded by slick manipulators in a slippery court, the successive generations of commander of embroidered uniform guards had a bad ending, from the first embroidered uniform guard commander Shi Mao Xiang during the reign of emperor Hongwu who died of a thousand cuts, most of the commanders suffered from the same fate as Mao Xiang, not a lot had a good end.

However Lu Bing’s principle of not pushing people too far seems to mean he can escape this curse.

But I’m just an insignificant travelling doctor, I have no worth, there was no reason why he should help me.

Wei Cai Wei thought about it and said: “Thank you lord Lu for your nomination, you do not need to pay for the eye stinging powder formula this common woman has given the embroidered uniform guards.”

It was the self-defence powder Wei Cai Wei had used when she climbed over the wall and committed arson, Lu Ying thought it was useful, she wanted to buy the formula for the embroidered uniform guards to use.

On hearing this Lu Bing immediately knew Wei Cai Wei didn’t want to owe him, he said: “Fine, I won’t pay you, go and prepare well for the imperial physician exam. You’re very young, the imperial physicians will look at you with contempt, they’ll be more meticulous and harsher during your exam. If you’re skills aren’t up to it, I can’t help you either, if in the future you’re summoned to the palace you can’t make any mistakes at all.”

Wei Cai Wei understood.

Wei Cai Wei filled in the form, shutting herself in to study hard in preparation for the imperial physician exam, every day apart from asking how Ding Wu was and arrange his medication, all the work of making the medicine and other things were done by others.

Actually the level of medical skills and how many patients they’ve seen are related to the collective experience, Wei Cai Wei’s young age can make people think she lacked experience and not trust her, but Wei Cai Wei had over thirty years medical experience from her past life, her experience wasn’t so far from the experience rich medical women in their forties or fifties.

Wei Cai Wei lacked the knowledge needed to be memorised from the medical books, she had to lock herself in and study hard.

Others weren’t concerned but when Wang Da Xia heard Wei Cai Wei was to enter the palace as an imperial female doctor he couldn’t sit still, he ran to Wei Cai Wei, “...Once you enter the palace you can’t leave, if you go, I won’t see you again.”

Wei Cai Wei had her head lowered reading the married women medical book <Jin Gui Gou Xuan>, “I’m not entering the palace, I’m giving my name to the supervisor of the ministry of rites and wait for an official position, I’ll still live at Tianshui lane.”

Wang Da Xia was anxious, he had rushed over without listening properly, now on hearing Wei Cai Wei’s explanation, he relaxed, “You’re going to become a famous physician, good wine needs no bush, wealthy people will ask for you, you no longer need to walk the streets turning the tiger palm.”

He was still injured so she couldn’t hit him, Wei Cai Wei held her temper and said: “If you keep on disturbing my studies and I end up failing the exam, I will have to turn the tiger palm in the streets looking for customers.”

“I’ll go and leave you alone.” Wang Da Xia came and left like the wind, he didn’t seem like he was injured at all.

In the evening, when Wei Cai Wei was having dinner, Wang Da Xia took the opportunity and came over, both hands behind his waist, there was a heavy smell of incense coming from him, “Guess where I went today?”

Wei Cai Wei breathed in, “You went to the temple to burn incense and make a wish?”

Wang Da Xia wiggled his eyebrows, “Which temple?”

Wei Cai Wei still needed to study after eating, she said: “Don’t keep me on tenterhooks, I don’t have the time to guess.”

Wang Da Xia sat next to her, presenting a charm to her like a gift, “I went to Wenchang temple to get a charm for you. I heard scholars go to pay their respects to Wenchang before their imperial exams to ask for top marks.”

Wei Cai Wei didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, Wang Da Xia wasn’t only scared of ghosts but also very superstitious, “Is this relatable to me?”

“It’s still an exam, being the top scorer is also taking the exam, becoming an imperial female physician is also an exam, does Wenchang only look after men and not women? Is he so bias?” Wang Da Xia stuffed the charm into her hand, then took out a slip of paper, “I even asked for a divination for you, see what the bamboo stick says—”

“It is a happy and prosperous day, remember when you studied and recited poems, a life of strenuous and steadfast devotion, the spring wind blows with sweet-scented red osmanthus.”

Wei Cai Wei stared at the illogical half verse, “See the first part, if I don’t study hard how can I climb the red osmanthus in the palace? There’s no use in praying and wishing to the gods, I still need to study hard.”

Wang Da Xia said: “The daoist who interpreted the stick at the door said this was a very good divination, he said something about a person called Liu Ting Ying from Shandong dressed as a woman and sold himself to bury his parents, he was bought by an influential family and became a maid to attend to the young lady, in the end they promised themselves to each other, the young lady freed him and he became the top scorer in the imperial examination, in the end they married.”

Wei Cai Wei smiled: “You believe what’s written in a script, imperial exams do a background check on three generations and where you were born, a former slave is not qualified to take the exam so how can he be a top scorer or what not.”

Wang Da Xia said: “At least the moral of the story is good.”

Wang Da Xia then took out a celadon bottle, “This is talisman water, I bought it from the daoist who read the divination, it has been consecrated to Wenchang for a year, it’s effective, whoever drinks it will win. The daoist saw I was sincere, that's why he sold it to me.”

Wang Da Xia really was really penny wise and pound foolish, Wei Cai Wei said: “A stagnant water sat there for a year, of course anyone who drinks it will win— win being poisoned. Don’t spend such unnecessary money anymore.”

Wang Da Xia said: “Gods and whatnot, it’s better to believe in it then not. That night with our common enemy Zhou xiaoqi, I only managed to free myself and get a hold of Zhou xiaoqi after I threw the copper buddha down the stairs, that’s the blessing of the gods and buddha.”

Wei Cai Wei didn’t want to put down Wang Da Xia’s sincerity, she said: “Fine, fine, fine, you’re right, I’ll keep the charm on me, I’ll pour the bottle in the flowers to borrow a bit of Wenchang’s luck.”

“That’s right, let me put it on for you.” Wang Da Xia stood up, he used a red thread to hold the charm and hung it on Wei Cai Wei’s neck.

When it came the time for the the lanterns to be lit, Wang Da Xia came again, holding two candles as thick as babies arms.

He lit the candles, placing them on the left and right of the table, “It’s tiring on the eyes to read at night, this will make things brighter.”

Wei Cai Wei sat at the table and looked at the two large white candles on either side of her, she immediately felt she was like a memorial tablet being enshrined.

Deep into the night, Wei Cai Wei’s windows were still bright, Wang Da Xia came again, carrying a very large bowl of steaming noodles.

“Come, have a midnight snack.” 

Wei Cai Wei was indeed a little hungry, she picked up the chopsticks and saw tiny peaks on top of the noodles, it was made up of white gelatinous matter like pig brain.

“What is this?” Wei Cai Wei asked.

“Pig brain noodle.” Wang Da Xia said: “you are what you eat, it took three pigs to produce this much, hurry up and eat it while it’s hot.”

Wei Cai Wei put down her chopsticks, “I don’t eat offals.”

Wang Da Xia pressed: “I made it for you already, the canteen chef said this is good for the brain.”

Wei Cai Wei sighed: “I won’t eat this, like you won’t eat coriander.”

Wang Da Xia hated coriander the most.

He knew how it was so he didn’t push it, he asked: “What do you want to eat?”

Wei Cai Wei knew if she didn’t tell him something Wang Da Xia would carry on asking her, she said: “In the summer naturally it’s lotus seed, a lotus soup would be good.”

“That’s it?” Wang Da Xia asked: “That’s not enough.”

Wei Cai Wei said: “Add some white fungus.” Then she pushed the bowl of pig brain noodles to Wang Da Xia, “You painstakingly found three pig brains, don’t waste it, eat it.”

I think you need the brains more.

A month later Ding Wu had recovered, he could still temporarily stay in the capital, the supervisor of the ministry of rite arranged for Wei Cai Wei to enter the palace to take the exam.

Wang Da Xia hurried the carriage to get Wei Cai Wei to the Xian gate and watched her enter the palace.

He knew she would come out in the afternoon after the exam, but Wang Da Xia was still worried, the lofty palace gates were like the giant mouth of a giant creature which swallowed up Wei Cai Wei.

Strange, why does this place feel familiar, like I’ve been here before.

Wei Cai Wei had a feeling, she felt Wang Da Xia’s anxious gaze, she turned and pulled on the red thread around her neck, letting the charm he had gotten from Wenchang temple be seen by Wang Da Xia and get him to relax.

This was more effective than a thousand words to the superstitious Wang Da Xia.

Of course this worked, Wang Da Xia stopped letting his imagination run wild, he felt Wei Cai Wei was covered in a glow, blessed by Wenchang, the slabs beneath her feet glowed, each step taking her to an official position.

She’ll definitely succeed!

Wang Da Xia smiled and nodded to Wei Cai Wei, he waved his hands, his smile brighter than the sun.

When Wei Cai Wei saw his smile the exhaustion from studying seemed to vanish, she needed to grasp this opportunity and grow in power to protect his happiness.

The female physician exam was taking place in the Xian gate residence, it was also called wet nurse residence, it was the place the imperial family chose to keep the wet nurses.

Whenever an imperial wife or concubine or an imperial concubine from the prince’s residence became pregnant, the hall would find wet nurses from the capital and send them there to find the best, then they’ll be kept in the residence, every day they would be given chicken, duck, fish and other things to keep the body very healthy in preparation for the future imperial descendants.

However emperor Jiajing was already old, out of the eight imperial princes only two survived to marriage, prince Yu Zhu Zaiji had two sons and two daughters, all of them died prematurely; prince Jing has no children.

At this moment none of the concubines in the two prince’s residence were pregnant so the wet nurse residence didn’t have any recent wet nurses, it was empty and desolate.

There were fifty nominees from the various yamens, their age was upwards of thirty, forty and fifty seemed to be the majority, and all were either dressed as widows or married women, the seventeen years old widow Wei Cai Wei was very conspicuous.

From around there were servants whispering: “...she’s very young.”

“Did she have a connection?”

“Quiet down, she’s lord Lu’s nominee.”

Wei Cai Wei quietly looked ahead, ignoring the idle gossip, she walked to the desk, it was the written exam first about gynaecology, the first question was “period which won’t stop”, Wei Cai Wei had seen this question in the book <Lanshimicang>, after pondering for a while she picked up her brush and wrote an answer.