Divine Doctor Zhang was of unknown origin; no one knew where his family hailed from. For the past several years, his whereabouts were undetermined. No one knew when he would come and go. Occasionally, he would save people with serious illnesses or who have met with troubles. This is how the name ‘divine doctor’ started being passed around. It stemmed from the fact that encountering him was like coming across an immortal deity. He was difficult to meet, but when you did, the dead could be resurrected.
The former emperor had requested him to treat the crown prince’s illness. Thanks to Divine Doctor Zhang’s skills, the crown prince remained healthy for many years. It was a pity that the former emperor could not make Divine Doctor Zhang stay in the imperial medical staff. If that had happened, the crown prince might have not died.
Since leaving the capital, Divine Doctor Zhang had drifted around land and sea. For the past few years, he had gone completely dark.
The Fang Family had already searched for Divine Doctor Zhang for many years to no avail. If it weren’t for so many people receiving Divine Doctor Zhang’s goodwill, they would have doubted that such a person existed on earth.
Lady Fang’s expression was still despairing.
“Mother, can Divine Doctor Zhang truly cure Chengyu?” she muttered.
“He can. He definitely can,” said Old Lady Fang tersely. “I believe that the Heavens will never leave someone no way out.”
Old Lady Fang paused, her expression a bit blank.
She believed that the Heavens would never leave someone without a way out, but not that the Old Heavenly Father couldn’t stand injustice?
Didn't she just proclaim that the Old Heavenly Father was unfair earlier?
{"No, I believe that the Old Heavenly Father is fair."}
The words of the girl echoed in her ears. Then she sneered.
Only a foolish child would believe such words. How could she be that naive.
"The imperial physician that the uncle of the Song Family requested did not say much about Chengyu. He had seen the Divine Doctor Zhang and said that if it were Divine Doctor Zhang, there definitely would be a way to heal him." She threw out that thought, and consoled Lady Fang. "Raise your spirits, do not be like that in front of Chengyu. Do not let him suffer more; he has already endured a lot."
When Old Lady Fang mentioned her son, Lady Fang filled with gentleness and love for her child.
“Yes, I know,” she said. “Chengyu is very understanding.”
The words ‘very understanding’ made Old Lady Fang smile bitterly, but she did not say anything else on the matter.
“Right now the number one priority is Jun Zhenzhen,” she said seriously. “There is no point in you going to talk to her; whatever you say she will not understand. And her deficient brain might think to blackmail us by starting trouble with the Ning Family.”
Miss Jun was the type who would really do that. Lady Fang made a sound of agreement after a moment’s consideration.
“From now on, do not let her leave the house. Do not let her speak with the servants,” said Old Lady Fang.
Was this not putting Jun Zhenzhen under house arrest? Lady Fang was a bit put out.
“Zhenzhen probably will be unwilling,” she said.
In the past, she was allowed to do anything she wanted, and she was still unsatisfied. If she were to go under house arrest right now, this would be a massive dishonor for Jun Zhenzhen. She would definitely start a ruckus.
“What’s in the past is in the past. Before she believed that she had an engagement with the Ning Family so she was concerned about the Ning Family’s face, and she acted like that,” said Old Lady Fang coldly. “There is no need for that now.”
Right now, Jun Zhenzhen had nowhere to go. She was just an orphan girl placed in the care of the Fang Family. Handling her was, of course, up to them.
Lady Fang stroked the cup in her grasp.
“People in the city are talking about how Zhenzhen extorted the Ning Family,” she said suddenly.
Old Lady Fang looked at her.
“In the city?” she asked.
Before, the maidservant had asked around Beiliu and found out that Jun Zhenzhen had extorted five thousand taels from the Ning Family, but the news could not have spread so fast, unless the Ning Family did so deliberately.
When she thought this, Old Lady Fang’s expression darkened. She could not help but think of what Jun Zhenzhen had said.
Right now, it wasn’t her who was thinking about it, but the Ning Family who could not let go.
It was reasonable to say that now that the marriage had been resolved, everybody involved would shut up and not talk about it. Although, it was inescapable that some people would talk, both parties should refuse to offer an explanation. Slowly, the matter would die out. But right now, the Ning Family not only did not explain, but had spread the matter of Jun Zhenzhen's acquired silver everywhere.
“It is obvious that the Ning Family’s hatred has not stopped,” she said.
Lady Fang was speechless for a moment.
“Mother, what Zhenzhen said is right. She had created a large disturbance. Although she has given up the marriage contract, the Ning Family has to defend itself,” she said. “We should also do the same.”
Old Lady Fang smiled coldly.
“They want to force her to death,” she said, with a bit of sorrow and indignation. “She is but an orphan girl.”
Lady Fang hurried to stand up.
“Mother, I think that the Ning Family is probably mistaken,” she said. “They think that Zhenzhen’s actions were the intentions of the Fang Family. Naturally, they would not see Zhenzhen as a threat, but our Fang Family is a large family.”
Old Lady Fang was silent.
“What are they thinking?” she asked with a cold laugh. “Do they think that this old lady will kneel for them?”
Lady Fang lowered her gaze.
“Mother, wouldn’t it be better to find Zhenzhen a good family to marry into?” she asked.
When she said that, Old Lady Fang’s penetrating gaze suddenly turned to her. Lady Fang lowered her head and went still.
“... Zhenzhen had said she had accepted it and moved on. But in this world, she is bound to come in contact with others who will talk. After a long time, resentment will be stirred in her heart. If we find a marriage for her sooner, she can be happy and move on from this misfortune. Secondly, Zhenzhen will be able to completely forget the thing Ning Family.” She lowered her voice dramatically. “Thirdly, the Ning Family will be able to completely let go of this matter.”
Actually, the most important thing was the third point.
Up until now, in order to avoid the Ning Family from glaring at them like tigers, they had to be sure to make their attitudes clear.
Only, it was hard for Jun Zhenzhen to marry into a good family like this, and she also had to be married somewhere far away.
This maternal granddaughter was extremely unreasonable, but in the end she was the only flesh and blood of Old Lady Fang’s daughter. Old Lady could not protect only themselves and push her away.
Old Lady Fang released the hands gripping her knees and looked at her daughter-in-law again, her expression complicated.
She was getting older, and her grandson was in such a predicament; this Fang Family obviously could only be left to this woman, her daughter-in-law. Operating the exchange firm and dealing with money while not prioritizing family was not an easy thing to do. Old Lady Fang was always worried that this daughter-in-law of hers had a much too weak personality and soft heart. Right now, she saw instead that it was her heart that was too soft.
This daughter-in-law had never forgotten the disaster that Jun Zhenzhen was too everyone. Right now, she was bringing the knife down on the calamity. No one could oppose her and would praise her instead.
This daughter-in-law was not so weak that she needed to be worried. Toward her niece, she had no hesitation. Old Lady Fang could not say whether she was happy or sad about that.
But what else could be done? Right now, the Fang Family’s situation was precarious. This Jun Zhenzhen did not harmonize well with others and turned them cold against herself. Leaving her here, in this family, was too dangerous.
For the Fang Family, people not of the Fang Family needed to be abandoned.
The women of the Fang Family were merciless so they could continue to survive and so their family would not fall.
Old Lady Fang finally exhaled. She sat up straight and spoke slowly, “Child, you can do that, then I will be able to relax.”