Farmhouse Green Plum

Chapter 619 Request

After Song Ying and Doctor Lin left, Madam Ruan finally raised her eyes and said, "Send someone to give the old master a message, asking him to come back early after finishing his duties today."

After the old man of the Ruan family returned home, he was pulled over by his wife to discuss matters before he even had dinner.

After hearing what the lady said, the study suddenly became quiet.

The candlelight crackled, illuminating Old Master Ruan's face. Before he could speak, his eldest son, Master Ruan, said hurriedly:

"Father, this matter involves that person..." He pointed to the sky, his voice extremely low, but every word was like a hammer, "Our Ruan family has been a family of integrity for generations. If you rashly intervene, I'm afraid..."

Old Master Ruan did not respond to his eldest son's words. Instead, he slowly turned his gaze to his second son, who had been silent the entire time. "Second son, what do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Mr. Ruan calmly put down the teacup in his hand. He had an elegant face, but a hint of fortitude etched between his brows. At this moment, he was gently rubbing the rim of the cup with his fingertips, as if considering something.

He didn't answer but asked, "Third sister-in-law, is Doctor Lin's apprentice really that good at medicine?"

Mrs. Ruan San didn't understand why he asked this, but nodded. "It should be very good. I heard that a nobleman named Xu from our capital traveled thousands of miles to see her for treatment."

"Xu?" Old Master Ruan's pupils shrank.

Master Ruan tapped his knuckles on the tea table. "A few years ago, the Prime Minister's youngest son didn't show up for a while. He said he was visiting the manor. It seems this Doctor Song is quite skilled in medicine."

Uncle Ruan said unhappily, "Second brother, we are talking about the Jiang family's overturning of the case. What does that girl's medical skills have to do with it?"

Mr. Ruan Er smiled and said, "Doctor Lin's meaning is very clear. If we don't help, the master and apprentice will no longer treat our family members."

Mrs. Ruan San exclaimed, "Ah!" and was stunned. Is this what it means?

Doctor Lin and his apprentice are both highly skilled doctors, but there are more than just them in the world who have excellent medical skills, and it doesn't mean that we cannot survive without them.

What's the use of this threat?

Uncle Ruan also thought his brother's analysis was ridiculous. "Doctor Lin is not stupid. How could he mean that?"

Master Ruan smiled slightly, "It's precisely because it's not a serious threat that it won't cause us to completely break off with her.

From this perspective, she probably didn't expect us to charge into battle. Her so-called fairness is just asking us to take a stand when the evidence is solid."

Amidst the aroma of tea, he looked up at his father and brother, his smile deepening. "We don't have to take any risks, and we can also do a favor for a miracle doctor—this deal is quite a bargain."

Uncle Ruan expressed his doubts, "If it's really as my second brother said, she only needs to show us her apprentice's medical skills, and she doesn't even need to ask for it.

At that time, we will help each other out of our long-standing friendship, so why bother ruining the relationship by speaking out?"

When it comes to favors, giving them voluntarily is one thing, and asking for them is another.

Mr. Ruan sighed, "She wanted to make sure we would help."

Mrs. Ruan San savored these words and couldn't help but feel touched. Doctor Lin went back and forth between the rear houses, and with his superb medical skills, he had treated countless families.

She used these favors just to exchange for a guarantee.

Who says women have no sense of justice? How many men in the world can do this for their master?

Old Master Ruan nodded slightly. His thoughts were the same as his second son's. "Let's leave it at that for now. If she can really produce solid evidence, I, as the Minister of Justice, will certainly do justice for her!"

In the next few days, Doctor Lin took Song Ying to visit each family. The process was the same. He would demonstrate his apprentice's medical skills, then explain his purpose and leave. Whether to agree or not was entirely up to each family's decision.

Finally, Doctor Lin took Song Ying to visit the wife of Wang Shiyushi.

The Imperial Censor was on duty in the Censorate and held the sixth rank. However, in the capital, where many people were rich and powerful, he was not really a very important figure. His wife, Li, was the empress's sister.

The imperial concubines of the dynasty were selected from good families among the people. The Li family had a shallow foundation, and in the capital, where dukes and nobles abounded and the streets were filled with the rich and powerful, they could not even rank among the lowest class.

Seeing that Doctor Lin and his apprentice had visited a group of dignitaries and finally came to her, Li felt quite flattered.

She came from a peasant family, and the ladies in Beijing looked down on her. At the flower-viewing banquet, they deliberately wrote poems using allusions that she could not understand; when they tasted tea, they laughed at her for not being able to distinguish between Longjing tea brewed before the rain and aged tea; even the embroidery she carefully prepared was said to be "rustic".

Li personally welcomed Doctor Lin and his disciples into the house, "Please take a seat."

Then he turned around and ordered the maid, "Go and make the snow bud tea that the Empress gave me the other day. Use the tea set that looks like the blue sky after the rain!"

After Doctor Lin sat down, Li couldn't help but keep her gaze on Song Ying for a moment.

During this period, the news that Doctor Lin was visiting various places with his apprentice had spread among the officials in the capital.

A girl of fifteen or sixteen years old traveled thousands of miles with her master to the capital and visited dignitaries everywhere. The meaning was very clear: Doctor Lin wanted to choose a good marriage for his beloved disciple in the capital.

Seeing Miss Song Ying in a plain dress with only a silver hairpin in her hair, she had an elegant demeanor that made it impossible to look down on her.

She secretly admired them. If she had been so calm and composed at the beginning, she would not have been so uneasy because of the ridicule of the ladies in the capital.

"This is Miss Song, right?" Li smiled warmly. "She's really well-groomed. She doesn't look like she came from a peasant family at all."

Upon hearing this, Doctor Lin's smile deepened, as if he really enjoyed hearing people praise his apprentice like this.

She squinted her eyes and looked at Song Ying, her tone full of unconcealed complacency, "I'm not trying to brag, but our Ying'er's appearance and demeanor are not inferior to those of the rich ladies in the capital.

I have no children in my life, only this one disciple, whom I treat like my own daughter. I only hope that she can always be by my side in the future."

Song Ying pursed her lips and smiled shyly.

Mrs. Li smiled and said politely, "Miss Song is dignified and beautiful, and she has learned such medical skills. She will definitely find a good husband."

The smile on Doctor Lin's face gradually faded, and a trace of sadness appeared in her eyes. She gently stroked the edge of the teacup, "I think she has good qualities, but after all, her family background is not good. I have the audacity to come to her house today because I have an unreasonable request."

She gently put down the teacup, looked at Li, and pleaded, "If the Empress wants to hold a flower viewing banquet, I hope Madam can ask for an invitation for us. She is so kind, I believe there will always be a Madam who can recognize her talent."

As the empress's sister, this was a piece of cake for Li. She could handle ten invitations, even one. She immediately made the decision, "Don't worry, Doctor Lin. I'll take care of this!"