The Lucky Farmgirl

At night the three families stayed up to see in the New Year together. There were many people in the Zhou Family, so as not to disturb them, after dinner they slipped into the side room of the main hall in the front courtyard and sat around the brazier chatting.

Bai Shan, curious, started asking about beggars and the Beggars’ Guild.

Zhou SiLang said, "Beggars and the Beggars’ Guild aren’t the same. How should I put it... anyway, just remember this: wherever you go, don’t provoke the local Beggars’ Guild. As for beggars, lend a hand if you can. As for the Guild, keeping your distance is never wrong."

Bai Shan was intrigued and wanted to ask more, but Zhou Lixue and the other two came over with their assignments to consult him.

They were going to sit the Ming Classic exam in the second month, with just over a month left, so this period they were cramming in a flurry of revision.

Bai Shan put the matter aside and began explaining the questions to them. "Why aren’t you going to Mr. Zhuang?"

Zhou Lixue said, "We’ll come to you first, Little Uncle. If there’s anything you can’t answer, then we’ll go to Mr. Zhuang."

Bai Shan perked up. Hmph, a mere Ming Classic paper—how could it possibly stump him?

Bai Erlang and Xiang Mingxue also came over to join the fun; they were scholars too, after all.

Manbao was roasting food over the brazier, thinking at the same time about the follow‑up treatment for Lady Mei.

This New Year was probably the busiest one they had ever had.

Right after the seventh day of the first month, the court resumed business, and Zhou Man and the others entered the palace for duty. Physicians like Zheng Gu, who had been recalled from local medical offices, all had to go to the imperial estates to learn variolation.

This time Zhou Man and Imperial Doctor Lu were the ones leading the team.

Before going into the imperial estates, Manbao went to see Mr. Mei and his daughter, who had moved to Changqing Alley, left them some medicine, and only then entered the estates.

Because the total number of people variolated had already exceeded ten thousand and reached their target data, they no longer needed to waste time testing whether those who followed were immune to smallpox.

So now, once variolation was done, they only needed to wait for the scabs to mature and fall off. Each trip into the imperial estates took about five to seven days.

Which conveniently meant they could rest once every tenday.

Because Liu Sanniang was pregnant, and she was already very familiar with the procedure, the Imperial Hospital did not send her in this time. Instead they had Zheng Gu and the others assist Zhou Man and Imperial Doctor Lu, learning as they worked, and at the same time they themselves had to undergo variolation.

That’s right, all the physicians transferred back from local medical offices had to be variolated.

After all, if they were to perform variolation locally, they would inevitably be in frequent contact with smallpox patients. The best way was to be variolated themselves and gain immunity.

Fortunately, they were all still young and robust, so the risks were low.

Mm, the teaching of variolation began with themselves.

This was Manbao’s busyness; Bai Shan was busy too. This year’s Ming Classic exam was set for the third day of the second month, the day after the Dragon Raises Its Head. That year the Zhou Family’s Zhou Lixue and Zhou Ligu were both to sit the exam, and Bai Shuping had also registered.

Not only did Mr. Zhuang have to guide them, but every day after court Bai Shan would also go over questions with them, so both husband and wife were busy.

On the third day of the second month, before dawn, Manbao and Bai Shan got up and went with the family to escort the nervous trio—Zhou Lixue and the other two—to the examination compound gate.

The three were a bit nervous, and since it was cold, they couldn’t help stamping their feet. Somewhat anxiously they asked Zhou Man, "Little Aunt, do you think we can pass?"

Whether they would or not, at this moment she had to say they would. Manbao nodded firmly and said, "You can!"

However, just Manbao saying they could wasn’t enough. A few days later the results were posted, and not one of the three had passed. Instead it was Pei Shouyue who succeeded in the Ming Classic exam, and with a rather high ranking, earning much praise from the examiners.

The second month was full of events. The first big one was the Dragon Raises Its Head on the second day; the second was this Ming Classic exam; and the third was Princess Changyu’s wedding.

Since the start of the year, Manbao and Imperial Doctor Lu had only conducted two rounds of variolation. They were supposed to do a third in the second month, but Manbao requested leave to attend the wedding feast.

Director Xiao sent the request straight back, on the grounds that Zhou Man was not a relative of the imperial clan and thus not among those allowed to take leave. Spring was when the Imperial Hospital was at its busiest; everyone was so swamped their feet barely touched the ground—how could she have the nerve to ask for leave to attend a wedding feast?

Director Xiao was about to throw her back into the imperial estates to continue variolation when the Emperor suddenly said to him in a minor court session, "Princess Changyu has spent most of her life in the palace and has few friends. Just as well—let Zhou Man enter the palace to send Changyu off in marriage."

After speaking he even invited the ministers, "At that time, you all must come drink this cup of wedding wine from Us and Courtier Wei."

Wei Zhi’s cheek twitched; the way he said it, it sounded as if it were the two of them getting married.

But on such a joyous day, Wei Zhi did not nitpick the Emperor over such trivial details.

Once the Emperor had spoken, what else could Director Xiao do? He could only approve Zhou Man’s leave.

So on the night of the fourth day, Zhou Man stayed in the palace. It was the first time Mingda had experienced a friend staying in the palace for a wedding, so she refused to sleep in her own hall and ran over to keep the two of them company.

That night the three of them leaned together on the bed, whispering.

Mingda asked Zhou Man, "When I get married, will you come into the palace to keep me company?"

Manbao said, "No need. You probably don’t know this, but Bai Er will be setting out from my house to come into the palace to fetch you."

Changyu was curious. "Does that mean Mingda still has to go to your house to bow in the wedding ceremony?"

"Of course not. It’ll be the same as yours," Manbao said. "First we have a meal at my house, then when the auspicious hour comes we go into the palace to escort the princess out, then bring her back to the Princess’s Residence. Entertaining the guests at the Princess’s Residence counts as the second meal."

After all, banquets were not held in the palace, and there was no blocking of the bridal procession either. The regulations were very different from how ordinary families married off their daughters.

Mingda and Changyu had no experience, so they were completely bewildered.

Manbao said to the two of them, "It’s all right, just follow the master of ceremonies’ instructions. I hear this time the master of ceremonies is a young official selected from the Ministry of Rites, supposed to be very, very handsome?"

Changyu snorted. "No matter how handsome, he can’t be as handsome as Lord Yang. It’s a pity he’s not in the capital. Otherwise, I’d roll on the ground if I had to, I’d still beg Father to order Lord Yang to be my master of ceremonies."

Mingda said, "Originally, the master of ceremonies was set to be Sixth Uncle from the imperial clan, but he couldn’t stand that someone would have a beard and absolutely refused. So Father changed it and put the Ministry of Rites in charge instead."

Clearly the Ministry of Rites also knew this princess’s quirks and specially picked a good‑looking official. Although his rank was low, etiquette was their domain. With a bit of emergency training he’d do.

Manbao curiously asked Mingda, "Then what about your master of ceremonies?"

Mingda said, "I’m thinking I’ll just have the same one as my sister."

Changyu said, "See? See? There’s no one in the world who doesn’t love a handsome face. Otherwise why didn’t you say, ’I’m thinking Sixth Uncle is just fine’?"

Mingda, both shy and annoyed, started tickling her. "You and that mouth of yours never let anyone off."

Changyu burst out laughing, and when the laughter and roughhousing died down, she lay on the bed and said, "Mingda, just you wait. When it’s your turn to marry, I’ll come back to the palace to stay too, and I’ll see you off in the same way."

Mingda softly replied, "All right."

The three of them then fell asleep just like that... which was impossible, because an attendant from the Empress’s palace, Auntie Shang, came over with a box. Seeing Zhou Man there, she let out a visible sigh of relief and said with a smile, "It’s truly wonderful that Imperial Doctor Zhou is here. This is a set of books Her Majesty sent this servant to deliver. Please, Imperial Doctor Zhou, teach the princesses."

Manbao reached out to open the box. "What books?"

Auntie Shang pressed the lid down and smiled. "They’re good books. Wait till this servant leaves, then the princesses can look."

With that, she neatly gave a curtsey and withdrew.

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