Chapter 236

Chapter 236: Ji-pin (Coming-of-Age Ceremony) This was the first time County Princess Rongjia had ever agreed so wholeheartedly with Cui Lingrong's suggestion. Faced with such a proposal, Old Madame Song could hardly refuse. Still, she thought to herself that acupuncture was nothing more than a few needles—it couldn't hurt that much—so she nodded and agreed. After County Princess Rongjia left, Cui Lingrong remained in the room to attend to her. Old Madame Song wanted tea one moment, then complained the room was too stuffy the next. Once the window was opened for a while, she said she felt cold. She went back and forth with her demands, ordering Cui Lingrong to do everything. "Open the window again for a while." Old Madame Song instructed Cui Lingrong once more. Cui Lingrong turned to look at Mama Xu. "Old Madame's constitution is sensitive to both cold and heat. Mama Xu, have you all truly been taking good care of her?" "What does the Eldest Young Madam mean by that? This servant has naturally done her utmost." Mama Xu refused to admit any negligence. Besides, Old Madame was perfectly fine—she simply wanted to make people run around. Cui Lingrong, however, replied, "If you've done your utmost and it's still of no use, then it means you're useless. In that case, I have no choice but to step in and take charge. Mama Xu, you and everyone in Shouan Tang shall go and receive ten strikes of the rod on your palms." She couldn't touch Old Madame Song herself, but as the mistress of the household, she had every right to discipline Mama Xu and the others. At these words, even Old Madame Song, lying in bed, was startled. "Cui, I'm still right here. Since when do my people fall under your jurisdiction?" Old Madame Song lifted her head slightly, glaring at Cui Lingrong with displeasure. "But Old Madame, your health hasn't been improving. The physician said it's nothing serious—doesn't that simply mean the servants haven't been attending to you properly?" Cui Lingrong argued with sound reasoning. "Yes, I wouldn't presume to discipline those close to you. But when it comes to your health, and they've all been negligent—it's already generous that I haven't thrown them out!" Her expression turned stern. The servants assigned to administer the rod were already prepared. The others didn't matter much, but Mama Xu was Old Madame Song's most trusted attendant. Not wanting anyone else to handle it, Cui Lingrong took the rod herself. Seeing Mama Xu try to pull her hand back, Cui Lingrong grabbed it firmly. "Mama Xu, by all rights, you should be the most devoted of all. But as the head stewardess of Shouan Tang, the faults of others are your faults as well. These ten strikes—I'll deliver them myself." Mama Xu stared blankly as the Eldest Young Madam finished all ten strikes, until the pain radiating from her palms made her brow furrow tightly. The courtyard was filled only with the sound of the rod striking palms. Not a single person dared to cry out. Among the other maids and serving women, each secretly wished Old Madame would recover soon. Having been punished today, some felt the Eldest Young Madam was being unreasonable, while others harbored resentment toward Mama Xu and the other close attendants. It was only a minor cold—the physician had said it wasn't serious. Why couldn't she get better? Old Madame Song was thoroughly furious. She refused to speak to Cui Lingrong for the entire day, and in her anger, she forgot all about making Cui Lingrong run errands. Cui Lingrong simply took out her account books and attended to her own business in the room. At mealtime, Cui Lingrong's meal included fish and meat, while Old Madame Song could only eat a bland meat porridge. With Cui Lingrong present, Old Madame Song couldn't sneak a single bite, let alone get up and move around. By the end of the day, her entire body ached with discomfort. A few days later, You Shuyi arrived. Song Shulan was very supportive of having You Shuyi treat Old Madame Song. He was afraid Old Madame wouldn't recover, and he kept asking when You Shuyi would come. At Qiushuang Zhai, the moment You Shuyi saw Cui Lingrong, she threw her arms around her. "We've been apart so long—I've missed you terribly! You have no idea, without you and Mingzhu, my days have been so dull." "Feng-ge'er has already arrived in Bianjing. When will you come?" Cui Lingrong asked. "After he earns his official rank, I suppose. The old master and old madame are still alive, so I can't very well bring my son to Bianjing on my own. I need to fulfill Feng-ge'er's filial duties before the elders." You Shuyi said, then added, "Speaking of which, has that old lady of yours still not recovered?" Cui Lingrong shook her head. "Still making everyone run in circles." "She's certainly full of schemes. No ability of her own, yet she covets her daughters-in-law's money. Such an old lady—truly unlikeable." You Shuyi assured her, "Don't worry. I'll make sure she's so afraid of acupuncture after one session that she'll have a lifelong fear of me." You Shuyi was highly skilled in medicine and had earned a great reputation in Suzhou. Had she been a man, her fame would have spread across the entire realm. Cui Lingrong smiled and agreed. She led You Shuyi toward Shouan Tang. When the two entered to pay their respects, Old Madame Song was having County Princess Rongjia feed her bird's nest soup. "It's too hot! Don't you know to blow on it first?" County Princess Rongjia had grown noticeably thinner from all the torment these past days. When she saw Cui Lingrong bringing You Shuyi in, her first reaction was joy—followed by a hint of anger. Why couldn't You Shuyi cure her condition! "Greetings to Old Madame. It's been a long time—your complexion truly doesn't look well." You Shuyi leaned in for a closer look. "Don't worry, Lingrong has told me everything. I'll be sure to cure you." No sooner had You Shuyi finished speaking than County Princess Rongjia immediately gave up her seat. You Shuyi said the acupuncture required privacy, so Cui Lingrong led everyone out, even Mama Xu was shooed away, on the pretext that no one could be allowed to steal her techniques. Mama Xu paced anxiously, her gaze fixed on the door. Before long, a blood-curdling scream came from within the room—Old Madame Song's voice. "It hurts! It hurts so much! I'm not doing this anymore!" Mama Xu was the first to rush in, only to be scolded harshly by You Shuyi. "What is Mama Xu doing? Didn't I say it would hurt a little? You suddenly barged in and brought a draft of cold air with you. That cold air seeping into Old Madame's bones—are you trying to take her life?" Upon hearing that it could affect her life, Old Madame Song hurriedly asked what to do. "Old Madame, originally it would only take half an hour of needling, but now that cold air has entered your body. If we don't drive out the chill, your constitution will be ruined—you'll feel cold even in the height of summer." You Shuyi made it sound especially terrifying, and Old Madame Song's face immediately turned pale. Mama Xu had no idea what to do. She knew Old Madame was faking illness, which was why she had barged in. Now hearing You Shuyi speak so gravely, she was momentarily stunned. It was Nanny Qiu who came to pull her away before Mama Xu finally left. "Mama Xu, what are you afraid of?" Cui Lingrong asked. "There's no need to worry about Mrs. Luo's medical skills. Just prepare some hot water and give Old Madame a good wipe-down afterward." Inside the room, Old Madame Song went from loudly crying out in pain at the start to being unable to even cry out by the end. By the time You Shuyi announced she was done, Old Madame Song was already in a daze. "Old Madame, try moving around—see if your joints feel much looser?" You Shuyi said that this course of treatment would need to be repeated three more times. At that, Old Madame Song's entire body trembled. Just today's acupuncture alone had already terrified Old Madame Song, let alone three more sessions. She didn't even have the strength to speak. When Mama Xu came in, she grabbed her hand tightly. "I can't do this anymore. I can't keep pretending to be sick—it hurts too much!" "Old Madame, is there anywhere you feel unwell?" Mama Xu asked. As for discomfort, aside from some sore spots, Old Madame Song's neck and such did feel more comfortable. She believed You Shuyi had real skill—it was just that the acupuncture was too much; she simply couldn't bear it. By the next day, Old Madame Song announced she was feeling much better and could get out of bed. When You Shuyi and Cui Lingrong came to visit, she deliberately said, "Even if you're feeling better today, you should still have one more acupuncture session, lest you don't fully recover. Especially since Mama Xu ran in during yesterday's session—Old Madame, you should listen to me. Your constitution was originally quite good; don't let this matter cause you trouble in the future." Old Madame Song's brows knitted tightly at the words, and fearing something might truly go wrong, she had no choice but to steel herself and agree. After the second acupuncture session, Old Madame Song declared she was completely recovered, and the very next day she took her attendants on a stroll through the garden, showing that she was in excellent health. Before long, the day of Song Yu's Ji-pin ceremony arrived. Cui Lingrong and Song Shulan had two sons and one daughter, with Song Yu being their only daughter. For such an important occasion as the coming-of-age ceremony, Cui Lingrong naturally arranged for the most lavish celebration possible.