Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 76

Passing through a wooden corridor and walking under a circular archway, Madam Zhang led Yu Jiao and the others to a side room in the rear courtyard.

A maid waiting outside the room saw Madam Zhang approaching and called inside, “Miss, Madam is here.”

But there was no response from within.

Left with no choice, Madam Zhang stepped forward herself and knocked gently on the door, coaxing in a soft voice, “Yue’er, the lady physician I invited is here. Open the door and let her take a look.”

From inside came a voice, shy and agitated. “Mother, send her away! I don’t want anyone to examine me!”

Madam Zhang sighed at the sound, her tone earnest and persuasive. “Yue’er, open the door quickly. She’s a female physician, even younger than you. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Still, there was no movement from inside. Madam Zhang’s tone sharpened.

“You’re to marry Shen Yu after the autumn. How can you let this illness drag on? Yue’er, if you won’t listen, I’ll have someone break down the door!”

Upon hearing Shen Yu’s name, Miss Zhang inside the room began to sob softly.

Madam Zhang, hearing her daughter cry, grew increasingly anxious. She knocked harder and said urgently, “Yue’er, be good. Open the door. With me here, your illness will be cured.”

After a while, the sound of crying began to fade, and with a creak, the door slowly opened from the inside. Miss Zhang stood within, her eyes red and swollen, face drawn and tired, her figure frail and delicate.

Madam Zhang’s heart ached at the sight. She stepped into the room and wrapped her arms around her daughter, coaxing and comforting her for quite some time.

Once Miss Zhang had calmed down and lay back in bed, Madam Zhang finally allowed Yu Jiao to enter the room alone. She then instructed all the maids to wait outside and shut the door behind her.

Yu Fuling was left waiting outside with the other maids.

Inside, Madam Zhang spoke, “Miss Meng, you may begin examining Yue’er now.”

Yu Jiao approached the bedside and took out a pulse pillow, placing it beside the bed. In a calm, steady voice, she said toward the bed curtains, “I will now take Miss Zhang’s pulse.”

Lying in bed, Zhang Xiuyue peeked through the curtain at Yu Jiao and saw that she truly was very young, not an old married woman, which helped ease some of her shame and discomfort. She slowly extended her hand through the curtain.

Yu Jiao placed her fingers on Zhang Xiuyue’s wrist. After checking the pulse, she put the pillow back in her medical box and said, “Miss Zhang, I’ll need you to go to the washroom. I must inspect the affected area directly.”

Zhang Xiuyue’s eyes widened in shock. Her delicate face instantly flushed with shame and humiliation. Furious and flustered, she grabbed her pillow and hurled it at Yu Jiao from behind the curtain, yelling, “Get out! Mother, tell her to leave! If I have to suffer this kind of humiliation, I’d rather die!”

Yu Jiao calmly stepped aside to avoid the pillow. Seeing Madam Zhang looking at her with uncertainty, she gave a small, helpless smile, picked up the pillow from the floor and placed it on a chair. 

Then she explained, “I have no intention of humiliating Miss Zhang. The pulse only reflects the state of the organs and the flow of qi and blood. To accurately diagnose the condition, I must see the affected area with my own eyes.”

Despite her young age, Yu Jiao spoke with clarity and composure. Madam Zhang was impressed. She moved closer to the bed and gently coaxed her daughter, who was still angry and embarrassed. 

“Yue’er, Miss Meng is a woman too. There’s no harm in letting her look. You’re to be married this autumn, how can you remain so thin-skinned? Come now, I’ll help you to the washroom.”

But Zhang Xiuyue pulled her hand away and covered her face with both hands, crying again. No matter how Madam Zhang pleaded, she wouldn’t agree.

Madam Zhang didn’t dare to force her daughter and finally turned to Yu Jiao with a sigh of resignation. “Miss Meng, Yue’er refuses to cooperate. Is there any other way you can examine her?”