Chapter 549: Chapter 541 Instantly Becomes a Women’s Gospel
The day after the morning meal.
Qin Liuxi came to Madam Lin’s courtyard to administer acupuncture and ask about her health according to their arrangement. Upon entering, she received a warm welcome.
“Here she comes.” Lin Qingtang stepped forward, wanting to assist her, but felt it might be rude, so he respectfully bowed instead, and then introduced the women beside him: “Junior Temple Master, due to last night’s commotion, we haven’t had a proper introduction. This is my mother, my eldest sister-in-law, and my second sister-in-law.”
Qin Liuxi nodded and performed a Taoist ceremony: “Infinite Heavenly Venerate.”
Since she was a female crown, everyone present was aware and felt more at ease. Having exchanged formal greetings, Mrs. Lin led Qin Liuxi to the Old Lady’s sleeping quarters.
After a night’s rest, the Old Lady’s complexion looked much better, her spirit was somewhat stronger. Qin Liuxi first took her pulse and then proceeded to administer acupuncture to unblock her cerebral blood vessels, ensuring the smooth flow of circulation.
This time, she also inserted needles into her abdomen, explaining, “Your body has accumulated coldness over the years. I am performing acupuncture to expel the coldness, which should make you feel more comfortable come winter.”
“I appreciate your efforts, little Taoist.”
“It is my duty.” Qin Liuxi left the needles in place and, after considering for a moment, wrote a new prescription. She then rummaged through her medicine kit and took out a glass bottle filled with medicine pills the size of soybeans, handing it over to Mrs. Lin along with the prescription.
“This Peace Formula can be taken by the Old Lady, to be consumed every other day. And this bottle contains Medicine Tea Pills, formulated mainly from goji berries and schisandra, with the addition of ginseng fruit and other subsidiary medicinal herbs. It can be brewed in tea by placing it in a teapot with warm water; one pill per day is sufficient. It enhances longevity, improves health, and solidifies the foundation while nourishing the Yuan.”
Mrs. Lin looked at the bottle in her hand and asked, “How much water should I use to brew one pill?”
Qin Liuxi pointed to the teapot on the table inside the room, “Just brew it in one pot full of water.”
Mrs. Lin further inquired, “I understand that as Junior Temple Master you will not stay long in the capital. If we run out of this tea, where could we possibly purchase more?”
She estimated that the bottle might not even last two months.
“The preparation of these Medicine Tea Pills is not difficult; schisandra and goji berries are common ingredients. In summer, boiling these herbs as tea can be beneficial for health. What’s precious here is the ginseng fruit added to these tea pills – it’s not readily available,” explained Qin Liuxi. “I only made a few using the ingredients at hand for my teacher’s consumption. Once they are gone, you’ll have to wait for the next fruiting season. It is also a matter of fate that the Old Lady has this bottle. Thus, during these upcoming days while the Old Lady is taking her medicine, she need not drink this tea. Starting from summer will do just fine.”
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Lin suddenly felt the bottle in her hand burning hot, “There’s no place to buy it? If you need ginseng fruit, we can try to find some for you. Could you make more then?”
Qin Liuxi smiled faintly, “To be honest, the ginseng fruit used in these Medicine Tea Pills comes from a thousand-year-old ginseng.”
The crowd gasped in astonishment.
“A thousand-year-old ginseng, are you certain?” Lin Qingtang opened his eyes wide in shock, “A thousand-year-old ginseng is usually used entirely and turned into medicine, can it still bear fruit?”
“Indeed, as you said, thousand-year-old ginseng is typically dug up and processed into whole pieces of medicine. How rare do you think it is for such ginseng to still bear fruit in the soil?”
How could that not be rare? Even century-old ginseng is scarce, and although thousand-year-old ginseng exists, some deep-rooted families are sure to hold onto such Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. But those have already been extracted.
A living, fruit-bearing thousand-year-old ginseng is truly too hard to come by; not to mention having seen one, people have never even heard of it.
Little Ginseng Spirit: Hello everyone, please get to know me, I am the unique and esteemed Ginseng Spirit who has cultivated spiritual wisdom!
Although Mrs. Lin still didn’t know what effect the tea pills would bring, she felt they were increasingly precious and suddenly felt some envy for Qin Liuxi’s teacher.
Holding the bottle with a bitter smile, she said, “This is so precious I can hardly bear to drink it. Once it’s gone, it’ll be gone.”
“Schisandra and goji berries can both be used to brew tea as an alternative,” Qin Liuxi smiled, saw that it was time to remove the needles, and walked over to Madam Lin, saying, “I’ll take the needles out for you.”
Madam Lin nodded her head.
Qin Liuxi removed the needles and massaged several acupoints, particularly those on the head, with expert technique.
After the massage, she took the handkerchief handed to her by the maid and wiped her hands before she lowered her head to Madam Lin and said, “As I’ve said before, you should keep your spirits up. Don’t be overjoyed or overly saddened by anything. Take everything with equanimity.”
“Alright, thank you.” Madam Lin gave a look to the old nanny, who then brought over a box and handed it to Qin Liuxi.
Qin Liuxi asked, “What’s this?”
“This is a gift from the Old Lady to the little Taoist, to thank you for saving her life,” the old nanny said with a smile.
Qin Liuxi did not accept it, saying, “The Prime Minister has already promised to give me a consultation fee, so this is not necessary.”
Madam Lin said with a beaming smile, “This is a personal gift from me to you, good child, take it.”
“There’s no need,” Qin Liuxi said with a smile, shaking her head. “The Prime Minister gave plenty. The Old Lady’s kindness is appreciated. Why not do a good deed in the name of Li City Qingping Temple as an act of charity to accumulate blessings and virtue?”
Seeing Qin Liuxi’s stance, Madam Lin could only let it go but thought even more highly of her.
After giving a few instructions, Qin Liuxi was escorted out by Mrs. Lin and the others, all with an air of having more to say.
“Madam, please feel free to speak your mind.”
Mrs. Lin quickly pulled over her two daughters-in-law and said, “Our grand Prime Minister Mansion is rather sparsely populated. Each of my daughters-in-law only has one child, and we would like to ask the Junior Temple Master to help diagnose and treat them.”
The Lin Family was not populous; Madam Lin became a widow at a young age and gave birth to a twin son and daughter. Now the eldest son, who is also Lin Xiang, is by her side to attend to her needs, while her daughter married into a prestigious family in Jiangnan.
Lin Xiang himself came from a poor family. After getting married, he concentrated on state affairs with a loyal heart, not indulging in pleasures. He and Mrs. Lin had two sons and one daughter. Apart from her, the back house included a concubine, Aunt Liu, who was lifted in status by Mrs. Lin herself. Aunt Liu, the daughter of a destitute gentry family, gave birth to one son and one daughter. The concubine’s eldest daughter had already married, and the bastard son, who ranked second, was born while away from home and succumbed to smallpox as an infant. For years, Aunt Liu had been mostly devoted to vegetarian meals and Buddhist practices, staying out of domestic affairs.
By now, the two young masters of the Lin Family had also married and had children. The eldest son Lin Qingfan married Mrs. Yan, who bore him a son, while the second son married Mrs. Feng. Two years after entering the family, Mrs. Feng also had only one daughter, and Lin Xiang’s late-in-life daughter Lin Qingtang was still unwed.
Thus, while the Lin Family boasted four generations under one roof, their numbers were quite small, with just two great-grandchildren representing the fourth generation.
Now that a female doctor with excellent medical skills had come to the mansion, it was nothing short of a blessing for the women, and they were sure to seize the opportunity.
The two young daughters-in-law were somewhat shy, with a hint of eagerness in their eyes.
Qin Liuxi looked over their faces and then pointed to Mrs. Feng, saying, “You needn’t be examined.”
Startled, Mrs. Feng wondered if she lacked good fortune.
“Your Children Palace is lush and full, with a smooth and unobstructed flow of spirit, a rosy complexion tinged with purple. You already have a child within you; by the year’s end, you will have an addition to the family,” said Qin Liuxi with a gentle smile.
What, she’s already pregnant?