Chapter 109

Chapter 109: Hale and Hearty Tao Yi Ran

Madam Wang’s counterattack was both reasonable and well-supported, leaving Tang Gang with no reply. Driven to fury, he raised his voice and snapped, “What nonsense are you spouting?”

“Is it not the truth?” said Madam Wang, pressing her advantage. “There are so many suspicious points in this matter and not a single one has a proper explanation.”

The less he could refute her, the more irate Tang Gang became. “This has nothing to do with me,” he said. “It has been so long; why hold on and refuse to let go?” In truth, he suspected that Tang Rong had arranged the whole thing. At first he had not found it unforgivable: the Tao family was an official’s house, Tao Yi Ran had a fine reputation, and compared to Xin An, she seemed a better match for his marquisate’s Heir Apparent. Who could have predicted that the Tao family’s daughter would prove gilded on the outside and rotten within, a burden in his hands?

Worried that if Madam Wang kept digging she would thrash Tang Rong senseless, he changed the subject and said, “The second couple get along well enough now; why bring up the past? Think instead how to minimize the impact of yesterday’s affair on the marquisate.”

Madam Wang’s lips curved as she thought, [An illness that never ends is no illness at all.] She said aloud, “Doctors have come again and again without prescribing a single medicine. Apart from telling her to rest, they have nothing to say. Why not invite an imperial physician into the manor under the pretext of taking the Grand Matron’s peace pulse, and have him look at her as well?”

“Mother’s view is to send any servant to inform the Tao family of the result of the consultation,” she added. “They did a poor job of raising their daughter, and they must be held responsible.”

“Moreover, I will personally go to Count Changning’s household tomorrow. I will handle the countess properly; as for the Count himself, I must trouble the Marquis to pay a visit in person.”

Tang Gang found the plan sound and felt somewhat relieved. Thinking of how the matter still required Madam Wang to go out and clean up the mess, and how angry she would be upon returning, he softened his tone, offered a few conciliatory words, and presented several rare curios he had recently acquired.

Madam Wang accepted them without ceremony. It had to be said that ever since she stopped giving Tang Gang a pleasant face, he had become much easier to deal with.

That night, as soon as Tang Rong returned to the marquisate, Steward Zhang escorted him straight to the study, where Tang Gang unleashed a tongue-lashing. Tang Gang had lost several rare curios over this matter, and he laid all the blame at Tao Yi Ran’s door.

Tang Rong had already felt ashamed to face his colleagues today. He imagined any lingering look was a sneer at his expense. He came home seething and, after being scolded by Tang Gang, felt even more stifled. He went directly to Concubine Yue’s quarters and, once inside, did not come out again, leaving Tao Yi Ran uncomfortable for a long while.

In the adjacent Qiushi Courtyard, separated by a wall, Tang Mo and Xin An had washed up and now sat cross-legged on the bed, exchanging notes about their gains at the Water Blossom Banquet and planning their next steps. Learning that Madam Tao and Tao Yi Ran had intended to kill three birds with one stone, Tang Mo was livid. Fortunately, with Xin An holding the line, his temper did not explode.

He ground out between his teeth, “Whether or not they succeeded, they truly meant to do it. If they could do it on the first day, I will pay them back on the fifteenth. Do not concern yourself with this. I must make the Tao family pay some price.”

Xin An arched a brow and asked, “What do you intend to do?”

Tang Mo snorted and said, “Tao Yi Ran’s elder brother is the Tao family’s future. They wanted to ruin me; I will ruin him first. I already have a plan. Just wait and see.”

Since he put it that way, Xin An did not press further. The two of them then spoke about the Second Prince and murmured to each other late into the night.

The next day was a rest day. Tang Mo had originally planned to take Xin An out to enjoy themselves, but upon hearing that an imperial physician would be coming, they decided to stay and watch the show. The physician first took the Grand Matron’s peace pulse; she was, of course, in robust health. Then it was Tao Yi Ran’s turn. Before this, she had received no hint; by the time she learned of it, the imperial physician was already near Qiushi Courtyard, so she had no chance to refuse.

The physician felt her pulse for a good while, then spoke at length in veiled medical terms. The gist was this: “From the pulse, the Eldest Young Madam shows no sign of weakness. On the contrary, her constitution is sound. As for her chest tightness and dizziness, they arise from excessive worry. No medicine is needed. Do not lie abed without cause; walk more, keep the mind and body at ease, and do not overthink.”

He was a wry man, and he was only a hair’s breadth from saying outright that Tao Yi Ran was, in fact, sturdy and that her discomfort came from thinking too much and being narrow-hearted.

It was, admittedly, somewhat satisfying.

Tang Mo’s expression matched Tang Rong’s; after all, one was the former and one the current husband. Both had experienced Tao Yi Ran’s “frailty,” both had believed it implicitly, and both had been solicitous because of it.

Madam Wang thanked the imperial physician profusely, put her hands together, and intoned: “Amitabha.” She turned to Tao Yi Ran in high spirits and said, “You heard what the imperial physician said. Imperial Physician Wu’s medical skill is superb; his diagnosis cannot possibly be wrong. That Physician Qin you saw before must have been a quack who misdiagnosed you.”

“Your health is sound. This is joyous news, and your mother must be told so she can be happy as well and stop worrying.”

Without waiting for Tao Yi Ran to refuse, she gave instructions as if it were only natural: “Go to the Tao family and deliver this news to Madam Tao in person.”

Tao Yi Ran went blank with shock, overcome by the embarrassment of having her fig leaf torn away. Auntie Liu’s instincts told her that Madam Wang’s people must not be allowed to deliver the message to the Tao family, but as a servant she had no standing to speak.

Escorting the imperial physician out himself, Tang Mo slipped him silver on the sly halfway and asked him to take his pulse as well. [I want to live a long life. I will not die young again.] The physician said, “Second Young Master has no major complaints, only a bit of deficiency. This deficiency cannot be corrected by medicine. You must move more. Practice the Five-Animal exercises when idle.”

Most young gentlemen in the capital were somewhat delicate. A man with the vigorous blood and strength of that one in the Liao family, who could fell a bull with a single blow, was rare. The imperial physician had long since ceased to be astonished.

Relieved, Tang Mo asked for advice on regimen. The imperial physician, thinking Tang Mo was asking on the Grand Matron’s behalf, gave him several methods and even praised him for his filial piety.

To carry the news to the Tao family, the marquisate sent a sweeper from the front courtyard. To be entrusted with such an errand was considered a decent task, and he performed it with zeal. Tang Gang’s anger had not yet cooled when the Tao family received the message. As it was a rest day, all the Tao sons were at home; hearing that someone from the marquisate had come to deliver a message, they were curious, and thus everyone learned that Tao Yi Ran was hale and hearty.

Madam Tao’s vision went dark for a moment. Regaining her composure, she asked evenly, “Why invite an imperial physician out of the blue? Was the Grand Matron unwell?”

The sweeper, well coached in advance, bowed and said, “Madam, the Grand Matron is not unwell. The Eldest Young Madam fainted without cause yesterday, and my lady was extremely worried. The Marquis was very concerned as well. Today, under the pretext of taking the Grand Matron’s peace pulse, an imperial physician was invited to diagnose the Eldest Young Madam.”

“Learning that the Eldest Young Madam was in good health, my lady was overjoyed and sent me to bring this news to Madam Tao so that you might rejoice with us and set aside your worries.”

“She also said that in the past you must have been deceived by a quack and fretted in vain for so many years.”

Madam Tao felt a stab of pain in her chest, yet her face remained unchanged as she asked, “Which imperial physician was invited?”

“It was Imperial Physician Wu,” the sweeper replied.

Madam Tao nodded, then gave the sweeper a measuring look and asked, “Do you serve at the Marchioness’s side? Why have I not seen you before?”

The sweeper said, “I am a cleaner from the front courtyard of the marquisate. The manor was busy today, and the stewardess sent me.”

[Front courtyard sweeper?]