Chapter 19

Chapter 19: You'll Split the Thousand Gold Ten Thousand Prescriptions with Your Sister! Jia Qingcheng remained silent, merely watching this family coldly. At this moment, she suddenly found it ironic—perhaps she and her father had long ceased to be family. Now, the three of them got along harmoniously, looking like a true family. And the word "Father" that Song Jiaojiao called out struck her heart like a knife! A mere adopted daughter—yet he could treat her as his own flesh and blood. Without any blood connection, did he truly believe Song Jiaojiao genuinely wanted to be his daughter? Mother, you were right. Beauty not only filters out faithless men, but also filters out worthless fathers. "Reflect on your behavior. When you realize your mistake, go to the ancestral hall and kneel in penance on your own!" With those words, Father Jia flicked his sleeves and prepared to leave. But after taking a few steps, he suddenly thought of something, stopped, yet did not turn around. "Jiaojiao will henceforth be my Jia Boren's own daughter. The Thousand Gold Ten Thousand Prescriptions formulas—you sisters will split them half and half, taking them as dowry when you marry. I won't favor either side—fairness above all!" What? Song Jiaojiao was going to compete with her for the Thousand Gold Ten Thousand Prescriptions formulas? That was impossible! And when Father Jia saw that she remained silent, he took it as her tacit agreement. For this daughter of his, he had worried himself sick. So Father Jia turned to Song Jiaojiao and gently instructed, "Jiaojiao, don't come looking for your sister when you have nothing to do. She's been irritable lately. I'll have someone prescribe her some medicine to cool her temper!" "Master, you've misunderstood the young lady. She—" "Chunyan, close the door!" As for her father's heartlessness, she had long seen it clearly. Now her father had surely been spun around by this stepmother and Song Jiaojiao, to the point of selling out the Jia family. The Thousand Gold Ten Thousand Prescriptions was a secret family recipe passed down from her grandfather—the very foundation of the Jia family's standing. It contained treatments for many difficult and complicated illnesses, and even a more mysterious formula. That was the elixir of immortality that all the world craved. Though it wasn't as miraculous as rumored, the prescriptions within had been verified. The current Empress Dowager was already over seventy, yet after using their family's formulas, she looked at most fifty. Such prescriptions were top secret, known to none but the Jia family heir. Yet now, her father wanted to give half of this secret formula to Song Jiaojiao. How could she let that happen? "Miss, what do we do? Song Jiaojiao is going to be added to the family register. From now on, she'll truly become your sister." "Chunyan, don't worry. Song Jiaojiao won't make it into the family register." "Miss, but the Master has already mentioned this before the clan elders. Three days from now is the day Song Jiaojiao joins the Jia family register. The Master really is something—she's just an adopted daughter, why does he care so much?" Adopted daughter... Jia Qingcheng suddenly thought of something. In her previous life, she remembered that after Song Jiaojiao married Prince Chu and became a widow, her adoptive mother would frequently visit Song Jiaojiao at the mountain. The adoptive mother had no children of her own—why would she be so devoted to Song Jiaojiao? Could it be... They were mother and daughter by blood? With this speculation, she instantly felt her father had been cuckolded. So she secretly dispatched Big Orange Cat and Little Mouse to go out and gather information. Two days later was the day the imperial physicians' examination results were announced at the palace. Early in the morning, Pei Wuliang dressed neatly, preparing to enter the palace. Naturally, Song Jiaojiao also came to see him off. Song Jiaojiao wore a set of magnificent brocade robes, carrying herself with the air of a proper young lady. She was about to become a true noble daughter, so of course she needed to put extra thought into her attire. As the saying goes, fine clothes intimidate petty people. Today was the big day for her future husband, so she naturally had to personally see him off to the palace and wait here for his good news. "Brother Wuliang, today is your big day. Jiaojiao came personally to see you off." Pei Wuliang was delighted to see Song Jiaojiao care so much about him. "Jiaojiao, you've worked hard. Don't worry—a mere imperial physician is as easy as reaching into my pocket, isn't it?" His ambition went far beyond being a mere imperial physician. His goal was much grander—he wanted to become the Chief of the Imperial Medical Institute, controlling the entire institution. That way, even the Emperor would entrust him with important responsibilities. As long as the Emperor thought highly of him, wouldn't titles and promotions naturally follow in the future? In his previous life, he had been selected as an imperial physician on this very day. Three months later, he saved the Noble Consort from a difficult childbirth, becoming her lifesaver. He enjoyed unparalleled glory and was granted a personal audience with the Emperor... His future was bright! "Brother Wuliang, I'll wait for you." Song Jiaojiao turned to look into the distance but didn't see Jia Qingcheng arriving. This made her even more certain that she wouldn't come. That ugly thing—she didn't even deserve to show her face in public. "Brother Wuliang, sister is still angry with us. She didn't come to see you off. Before, whenever you were about to do something important, sister would have arrived early to..." "She'll come!" Pei Wuliang was confident Jia Qingcheng would come. Song Jiaojiao was about to say something when, sure enough, a carriage stopped in the distance, and written prominently on it was the character "Jia." When he saw Chunyan step down from the carriage first, Pei Wuliang smiled smugly. "See, isn't she here? With such a joyous occasion for this young master, how could she not show her face?" Not far away, Jia Qingcheng was indeed approaching slowly with Chunyan. Today she had changed into a red Sichuan brocade robe, making her appear strikingly noble and imposing. Were it not for the ugliness of her face, others would surely have taken her for a member of the imperial family. Unfortunately, that face was too hideous—even lavish clothing could not save her. "Sister's outfit is quite festive indeed!" "Hmph, at least she knows what's good for her!" Pei Wuliang could hardly wait to go over and teach Jia Qingcheng a lesson. He immediately strode forward in large steps, and seeing him approach, Jia Qingcheng gradually slowed her pace. In her previous life, she had likewise come to see Pei Wuliang off as he entered the palace. To help him achieve his official career, she had exhausted her heart and soul, used up all her connections, and in exchange secured Pei Wuliang's boundless glory and the prosperity of his family... But now, having been reborn into a new life, everything had changed beyond recognition. "So you finally decided to show up? Have you any idea what time it is?" Pei Wuliang had been busy these past few days and hadn't had time to come find Jia Qingcheng to scold her. Today was his auspicious wedding day, and he hadn't wanted to say much, but seeing her arrive so late, his anger flared up. Jia Qingcheng lifted her eyelids slightly and ignored his words, which only made Pei Wuliang angrier. "You're not saying anything—is it because you feel guilty toward me? I'm quite satisfied that you have such self-awareness. Qingcheng, stop making a fuss. If you keep this up, I truly won't want to bother with you anymore. I'm about to become an imperial physician—do you know what that means to me? I'll be very busy. You handle those mundane matters outside. I bought some things a few days ago—go settle the accounts. Don't tarnish the Pei family's reputation. Also, Jiaojiao's ceremony to be entered into the family registry is tomorrow—prepare a proper and elegant outfit for her." "Master Pei, have you lost your mind? What does this have to do with my young lady?" Pei Wuliang said irritably, "Shut up, you little maid. When your masters are speaking, you have no place to interrupt. Say one more word, and I'll have someone throw you out of the Jia estate." Chunyan: "..." She was a maid of the Jia family—what did that have to do with him, Pei Wuliang? Seeing that Jia Qingcheng still remained silent, Pei Wuliang was quite pleased, knowing she must be afraid. After all, her tantrum had to have its limits. In her previous life, Jia Qingcheng had always been sensible and well-behaved, though her ugliness disgusted him. But she had never caused him worry. This was the first time he had learned she had such a foul temper—so many days had passed, and she was still hung up on what happened that day. He had already made it very clear that he wouldn't abandon her. What more did she want from him? Originally, he had planned to tell her that once she married into the Pei household in the future, as long as she remained as virtuous and sensible as in her previous life... He would consider buying some cheap little gifts to appease her. But now, he wouldn't tell her any of that, lest she get too big for her boots. "Look at Jiaojiao—she gets up before dawn to worry about me. Now hurry and give me the Jade Disc. It's time to enter the palace."