Malicious Medical Princess of the Marquis House

Tianmen Temple

Translated by atsam
Edited by atsam

The bullock cart swayed and rocked all the way and finally reached Tianmen Temple.  

Gu Jiu was completely exhausted by the ride. She also began feeling dizzy. 

She had never been car-sick, train-sick or air-sick; but unexpectedly, she turned out to be bullock cart-sick. Even she was startled by this. 

Gu Jiu’s mouth twitched as she looked towards the sky speechlessly. The point was that she was really feeling very dizzy! 

“Guniang, are you alright?” 

Gu Jiu waved her hand. “I’m okay. I’m just feeling a slightly dizzy.” 

Qing Mei said, “Nubi will help guniang to get off the cart. Guniang mustn’t hurry today. Rest well tonight and tomorrow, when you have more spirit, you can offer incense.” 

Gu Jiu readily agreed. She was so dizzy that she didn’t have the energy to even think about the matter of offering incense. 

As soon as they got off the cart, Zhike monk greeted them.  

Zhike monk first chanted Buddha’s name loudly, then said, “Gu shaoye, Gu xiaojie, the guest room in the rear court has been prepared. Please follow this little monk.” 

“We will trouble you, little master,” Gu Ting said politely. 

Gu Jiu and others followed Zhike monk to Tianmen Temple’s rear court. 

Tianmen Temple was very well-known in the Jinzhou Prefecture, where masters and madams from wealthy families often visited to burn incense. Therefore, Tianmen Temple specially built a rear court which had several small courtyards for believers to rest in. 

When they arrived at the rear court, Zhike monk pointed at the two small courtyards to his left and right and said, “These two courtyards have been arranged for Gu shaoye and Gu xiaojie. Are they satisfactory?” 

Gu Jiu looked at the two characters ‘Pǔxián’ on her door. 

The two characters ‘Jǔbō’ were on the door of Gu Ting’s courtyard. 

Gu Ting said loudly, “The courtyards are good, but can we have something to eat? We were on the road the whole day and are completely exhausted.” 

Zhike monk said, “The kitchen has already prepared vegetarian food. Besides, there is a small kitchen inside your courtyards. You prepare food by yourselves there.” 

Gu Ting said, “It’s too late, so I don’t feel like waiting. Let’s eat vegetarian food right away. Meimei, what do you think?” 

Gu Jiu nodded, her brows curled as she smiled. “Gege’s plan is good. It’s rare that we visit Tianmen Temple, so we naturally want to taste it’s famous vegetarian food.” 

“Meimei speaks correctly. Little master, we’ll trouble you to prepare food for us.” 

“Gu shaoye, Gu xiaojie, please wait a moment. The vegetarian food will be delivered in a while.” 

Gu Jiu said, “Then, we’ll trouble you, little master.” 

“Gu xiaojie is polite.” 

Zhike monk hurried outside. 

Gu Jiu looked at Gu Ting and said, “Gege, I’ll go to the room and settle down first. Call me when the food arrives.” 

“Meimei is in poor health, so quickly go inside and rest. I’ll take care of the matters outside, so don’t worry.” 

Gu Jiu smiled softly. “Gege has worked hard.” 

“As I should.” 

Gu Jiu entered Puxian courtyard with her maids. 

The courtyard was very small with only three rooms in addition to the main room, along with a small kitchen. Only a low wall separated it from the Jubo courtyard. 

If there was any movement detected here, the guards could climb over and enter at once. 

Gu Jiu rode on the bullock cart for an entire day and was worn out. The moment she entered the room, she collapsed on the bed.  

She massaged her calf and felt uncomfortable from the pain.  

Qing Zhu asked with concern, “Are guniang’s feet swollen? Nubi will boil water right away and press your feet.” 

Gu Jiu nodded, saying, “They’re a little swollen.” 

Qing Zhu put down the luggage and went out with Xiao Cui to boil water. 

Qing Mei crouched down. “Nubi will massage your legs.” 

Gu Jiu hummed, agreeing. 

The strength of Qing Mei’s hands was neither gentle nor too forceful. The strength was just right. Gu Jiu’s face relaxed as she felt comfortable. 

A while later, she said, “I had thought that Tianmen Temple wasn’t too far off, and could be reached within hall a day. But I didn’t expect that it would take an entire day to reach the temple.” 

“If we have a carriage, we can certainly reach within half a day. It’s a pity that there are only two carriages in the fu.” 

Gu Jiu closed her eyes and tried to remember the incident of five years ago. It was a pity that there were too few memories about the Qingping Racecourse accident. It seemed that the dust had settled about this affair before she even noticed it. 

“Guniang, the water has been boiled. Nubi will bring it in and press your feet.” 

Qing Zhu entered with the water.  

Gu Jiu couldn’t wait to get rid of her shoes and socks.  

When her feet entered the hot water, she couldn’t help but moan with comfort. The feeling of soaking her feet in hot water was truly comfortable. She felt as if all the pores in her body had opened up and all her blood vessels and arteries had become unobstructed.  

“Guniang, do you feel better?” Qing Zhu asked with a smile. 

Gu Jiu nodded. “It feels really good. Where has Xiao Cui gone?” 

“Nubi has sent her to the kitchen to take a look. Nubi plans to wake up early from tomorrow and prepare breakfast for you so that you don’t have to eat the temple’s vegetarian food everyday.” 

Gu Jiu smiled and said, “Qing Zhu’s cooking skill is the best. Tomorrow, I will happily taste it.” 

Qing Zhu was very happy and asked, “What would guniang like to eat tomorrow? I will ask the guard to bring it to the zhuangzi.” 

Gu Jiu was curious. “Is there a zhuangzi nearby?” 

Qing Zhu nodded. “Doesn’t guniang know? When we first came to Jinzhou, taitai had bought land near the Tianmen Temple. All these years, most of the meat and vegetables eaten in the fu have been offered by the zhuangzi.” 

It turned out to be so! She actually was unaware of this matter. 

Gu Jiu laughed softly. “It seems that the taitai is an expert in earning a living.” 

Qing Mei whispered, “Nubi heard that the taitai’s natal family opened a cloth village the exact same way. Taitai is very familiar and skilled in this way of earning a living.” 

Gu Jiu was curious listening to this. “Then how is it that I heard that taitai’s father, Xie laoye, is a minor government official in the yamen?” 

Qing Mei said, “All that happened later. It is said that when Xie laoye was young, he helped a nobleman. The nobleman remembered this kindness and asked Xie laoye what he wanted in return. Xie laoye replied at once saying that he wanted to go to the yamen on an errand. And so, the nobleman immediately granted his wish.” 

Gu Jiu laughed. “I didn’t expect that such a thing would happen. Qing Mei, you truly know so much.” 

“Nubi also heard this from Gui momo.” 

Gui momo? Gu Jiu thought for a while before recalling this person.  

Gui momo was the dowry wet nurse of her biological mother, Su shi who had been arranged to serve Gu Jiu. 

Later, Xie shi found some reason to send Gui momo away. 

Gu Jiu asked, “Is Gui momo alright these days? Does anyone have any news about her?” 

Qing Mei hesitated for a while and said, “Replying to guniang, Gui momo is in the nearby zhuangzi right now. She hasn’t seen many good days since living there. Guniang, can you find a way to help Gui momo?” 

Gu Jiu didn’t agree immediately. She had almost no memories in her mind about Gui momo, so much so that she couldn’t even remember her appearance.  

She said, “When Gui momo was sent away, I was still young and so, I don’t have much impression of her. You tell me what kind of a person she is.” 

Qing Mei and Qing Zhu glanced at each other.  

Qing Zhu spoke first. “Gui momo is very strict with us little maids. The moment we made a mistake, we would be beaten.” 

Qing Mei said, “Gui momo loved guniang the most. After taitai passed away, she was afraid that you would also face an unexpected misfortune. For those few years, she didn’t leave the guniang’s side for even a second. She protected guniang like her eyeballs. It was probably for this reason that the madam disliked Gui momo, so not long after we arrived at Jinzhou, she found fault with her right away and sent her out.” 

Gu Jiu calculated the time.  

Gu daren came to Jinzhou eight years ago.  

In less than half a year, Xie shi found fault with Gui momo and sent her away to zhuangzi. At that time, she was only a five- or six-year-old lolita and her memory was not deep enough. But when she thought about it carefully, there seemed to be such a vague and indistinct figure in her memory by her side.  

She looked at her two maids and said, “Since Gui momo is in zhuangzi, let’s visit the zhuangzi and take a look soon.” 

“Thank you, guniang!”  

Qing Mei and Qing Zhu were overjoyed. 

Xiao Cui entered at that time. “Guniang, the vegetarian food is ready. It has already been delivered to Jubo courtyard next door.” 

Gu Jiu laughed. “I was just becoming really hungry. Qing Mei, serve me to dress. We’ll eat in the courtyard next door.” 

“Yes!”