Chapter 595: Chapter 587: Is Your Mouth Poisonous?
Before taking the pulse, one must first visit the patient’s bedroom.
The words of Qin Liuxi surprised everyone present, and Qiao Ziling frowned as she glanced at her younger brother-in-law, finding the doctor Wenliu had invited this time to be seemingly unreliable.
It was unheard of for a diagnosis to start by inspecting where one sleeps. What, could the illness be related to the living quarters?
Not to mention, he is the legitimate eldest grandson, with a grandly spacious courtyard and a picturesque view. The place was even specially renovated when he got married, ensuring that it was squeaky clean.
Yet Qin Liuxi insisted on seeing the master’s room, not just any guest hall, but the private bedroom, which made Qiao Ziling feel uncomfortable.
Jiang Wenyan also found it strange; she had seen many doctors, none of which behaved like this. Could it be that Daoist doctor’s methods are different from those of traditional doctors?
Jiang Wenliu, however, had come to a realization. After all, he was someone who had traveled the Yin Road and seen real ghosts and spirits. He knew that aside from the living, there were also deceased souls wandering the world, not all of whom had moved on to reincarnation.
So is Qin Liuxi suggesting that his elder sister’s room is unclean?
Jiang Wenliu gave his sister a meaningful look, only allowing the trusted wet nurses and chief maids to be alert as he asked Qin Liuxi, “Junior Temple Master, are you saying my sister’s room is unclean?”
The expressions on Jiang Wenyan and Qiao Ziling’s faces changed, and the latter spoke out bluntly in displeasure, “Wenliu, as a scholar and an educated person, how can you believe in such strange forces and gods?”
Wenliu responded with an unchanged expression, “Doesn’t your family’s Old Lady often visit the Jinhua Temple for enlightenment?”
Qiao Ziling was at a loss for words.
“Moreover, my sister’s illness has been persistent without a cure, despite how many doctors she’s seen and how many medicines she has taken, turning her into a medicine jar without improvement. Who knows if it’s been caused by some filthy thing?”
“You!”
Jiang Wenyan grew increasingly irritable, saying, “Stop arguing, what does the Junior Temple Master say?”
“There should be something at the beam near the entrance. Someone go and take it down.” Qin Liuxi spoke directly, there was a faint yin energy there.
Everyone’s faces turned solemn.
Jiang Wenliu’s eyes turned sharp in a flash, glancing toward Qiao Ziling. If his sister had truly been the victim of such foul schemes for years, the Jiang family would not let it go.
Qiao Ziling was somewhat annoyed. What was that look supposed to mean?
“Wet nurse, go and have someone bring a ladder to climb up and look,” Jiang Wenyan ordered with a hint of vicious energy in her brows.
The trusted wet nurse left with a gloomy face.
Jiang Wenyan glanced at Qiao Ziling indifferently and said to Qin Liuxi, “I’ll accompany the Junior Temple Master for the visit.”
She led the way ahead, guiding Qin Liuxi towards the bedroom.
Qiao Ziling clenched her teeth and said to Jiang Wenliu, “Wenliu, who exactly have you brought here, and to what end?”
“A true master well-versed in the Xuanmen Five Skills, naturally,” Jiang Wenliu stated indifferently, “Brother-in-law might as well listen to what she has to say to avoid wronging anyone.”
He followed along, while Qiao Ziling, in a fit of anger, flung his sleeve. He really wanted to see what this so-called master, younger and more tender-faced than him, could conjure up.
Qin Liuxi entered the bedroom, glanced at the room layout and furnishings, and slightly raised his eyebrows, asking, “The arrangement of the bedroom should be according to the master’s preference, I presume. Whose preference is this layout?”
Qiao Ziling frowned and said, “Mine.”
Before getting married, the layout of his room had always been like this, and he had grown accustomed to it. Was there anything wrong with that?
“I have always lived like this before I got married and have always been in good health,” stated Qiao Ziling with his chin lifted.
Qin Liuxi spoke indifferently, “It is naturally fine for one person to live here, but for a married couple, it can easily lead to ‘married in bed, divorced at heart,’ frequently causing quarrels and discord in feelings.”
“What?” Jiang Wenyan clenched the handkerchief in her hand, her eyes turned red, and it seemed like rage was about to burst forth.
Qin Liuxi took out a peace charm and handed it to her.
Jiang Wenyan received it somewhat blankly, and oddly enough, her anger seemed to be suppressed, bringing some peace to her heart.
Qin Liuxi pointed to the northwest, saying, “For the master’s bedroom, the northwest position should not have irregularities. In Feng Shui, the northwest is the Qian Position, representing the male master, the head of the family. If there is a problem with this position, it would be strange if the man does not have a concubine.”
Everyone stiffened and looked towards that position. The wall that was supposed to be even was indented, with a curio shelf placed against it and an antique vase displayed on top.
“And this copper mirror, do you like it so much that you can’t bear to replace it even with a crack?” Qin Liuxi pointed at a copper mirror carved with interlocking lotuses made from small-leaf rosewood and looked towards Jiang Wenyan, saying, “Have you ever heard that a broken mirror cannot be made round again? Keeping a mirror with a cracked corner in one’s bedroom, is it that you dislike a good relationship with your spouse, or do you not wish to continue?”
Is your mouth poisonous?
Qiao Ziling ground his teeth and peered at a small crack in the lower right corner of the copper mirror, saying, “This is just a small crack, does it count as broken?”
“If it’s a small crack, does it not count as broken?” Qin Liuxi replied, “Even if it’s as small as a fingernail, a crack is a crack.”
Jiang Wenliu examined the mirror closely and said, “Sister, when you were married, you also brought a complete set of pear wood furniture, including a dressing mirror. Why haven’t you used it?”
“Your brother-in-law said that lotus flowers symbolize a beautiful union for newlyweds, and furthermore, small-leaf rosewood is more precious than pear wood, and the reflection in this mirror is clearer,” replied Jiang Wenyan as she stared at Qiao Ziling.
Jiang Wenliu questioned, “I wonder why brother-in-law would use this mirror, or who kindly recommended it to him.”
Speaking the words “kindly recommended,” he nearly ground his teeth.
“It was Lianyi who said that the interlocking lotuses have a good meaning when she was still with us, and I also thought so. Moreover, it is indeed valuable and good-looking, and it was newly made not long ago,” explained Qiao Ziling hastily.
On hearing about this person, Jiang Wenyan’s expression turned even uglier. Lianyi used to be the Chief Maid by Qiao Ziling’s side, a house-born servant who didn’t become a concubine. After their marriage, Lianyi was matched with a servant in the house, and now she is a housekeeper, helping to manage a shop in their small household. She is very mild-mannered, well-behaved, and knows how to act appropriately.
Qin Liuxi then pointed at a large porcelain bowl on a shelf, with two goldfish swimming in it, beside a floating water lily.
“Whose idea was it to keep fish in the bedroom? The place for sleep should be cozy and warm. Placing a fishbowl here, do you despise having a good life? According to the study of fate, gold is cold and water is frigid. Keeping fish in the bedroom not only affects Feng Shui, leading to gradual worsening of the couple’s feelings but also affects health, because the lung belongs to metal, the kidney to water. Keeping a basin of fish here, isn’t it strange if your health is good?”
Jiang Wenliu was furious, glaring at Qiao Ziling and said, “Brother-in-law, this wouldn’t be your idea again, right? Or was it Lianyi’s?”
Qiao Ziling’s face turned ashen, and he opened his mouth; indeed, it had been Lianyi’s idea. It was Lianyi who reminded him, and seeing that Jiang Wenyan’s temper became irritable after childbirth, he thought that the gentle nature of water would be soothing. So he kept the goldfish and planted a water lily; the sight of the fish playing under the lily was also aesthetically pleasing and enjoyable for the boudoir, so he took such a bowl to their home.
But he had not considered any notions of gold being cold and water being frigid.
“Young Madam, look.” The trusted wet nurse showed them something wrapped in a handkerchief with a pale face.
Was that a set of animal skeletons?