diskusbooks Chapter 159: Far away in the horizon, yet right before our eyes
Chapter 159: Far away in the horizon, yet right before our eyes
Zhang Ruoning's eyes widened when she heard this, "Grandma, you actually escaped from marriage?"
Zhang Ruoning resisted the urge to complain, "Grandfather is so kind, why did you run away from marriage?"
Princess Rui'an blushed and explained, "I was young and ignorant back then..."
Princess Rui'an stiffened her neck and retorted, "Besides, I didn't escape."
Madam Ma and Zhang Ruoning pouted together. Madam Ma said sourly, "You really don't know how lucky you are. If I had a husband like my father, I would wake up laughing in my dreams."
This person is so annoying. Look what kind of person she married.
Before they knew it, the carriage stopped. Zhang Ruoning lifted the curtain and saw that it was neither the Ma Mansion nor the Zhang Mansion.
Madam Ma explained, "This is the back door of the Anguo Mansion. We have to live here until this matter is settled."
Zhang Ruoning nodded and didn't ask why he had to go through the back door.
However, the paths they took were all small ones, which showed that my mother and grandmother didn't want people to know that she was still alive, probably to protect her.
She looked at the gate of the Duke of Anguo's Mansion and thought that she had never seen her great-grandfather in her life.
It's just that according to rumors, this great-grandfather was a great man who would kill anyone who stood in his way, even gods or Buddhas.
If he had not been seriously injured and implicated by Concubine An, the An family would probably not be the Duke's Mansion that is now in name only.
Legend has it that he is ferocious, with a green face and fangs, and likes to eat children. However, these are all told to him by Zhang Ji, so I guess they are all false.
Seeing that they had returned, Geng Wu immediately came out to greet them, "Princess, Miss, you are finally back."
Zhang Ruoning was carried down by Madam Ma. After she sat down, Princess Rui'an introduced her, "This is Butler Geng.
Zhang Ruoning nodded, "Hello, Butler Geng."
Butler Geng smiled brightly and said, "Hello, young lady." Then he started to push the wheelchair.
"Have father and husband returned?" asked Princess Rui'an.
Geng Wu replied, "Not yet."
Princess Rui'an nodded, "Have you invited the doctor?"
Geng Wu said, "Yes, I have invited the female doctor as ordered by the princess."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruoning paused slightly, "But is it the one from Wuyou Hall?"
Geng Wu replied, "Exactly, young lady, do you know him?"
Zhang Ruoning shook his head. "I don't know him, but I've heard of this doctor before."
Princess Rui'an nodded, "Indeed, a woman practicing medicine caused quite a stir at the beginning. Fortunately, this doctor is very skilled and a woman, so she is much friendlier to us."
What Princess Rui'an said makes sense. In the past, this woman had a difficult and complicated illness that she was too embarrassed to talk about and had to endure it. Now, a female doctor with excellent medical skills has come.
Zhang Ruoning and Madam Ma were waiting in the room, and Madam Ma was absent-minded when she spoke to her.
She didn't expect that she would meet her benefactor so soon.
Princess Rui'an and Madam He chatted for a while. In the past, whenever she had a headache or a fever, she would just ask someone to come over, so the two of them had some friendship.
"Doctor He, my granddaughter has such a miserable fate. She has suffered such a misfortune," Princess Rui'an said. Zhang Ruoning was attacked by bandits while out for an outing and almost lost her life.
Madam He smiled, knowing that His Majesty had deliberately concealed it, and said, "Yes, but the young lady is blessed with a long life, and now she is back."
"Yes," Princess Rui'an said with some emotion. If His Majesty hadn't stopped them, they would have found their benefactor to thank him in person.
But Princess Rui'an had no idea that the savior she sought was both far away and right in front of her!
The two exchanged pleasantries along the way, and Princess Rui'an and Madam He stopped at Zhang Ruoning's room.
Princess Rui'an knocked on the door, "Yuanzhu, Ningning, Doctor He is here."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Ma hurried to open the door and welcomed the two of them in.
Zhang Ruoning nodded, and said in a strange and polite tone, "Thank you, Doctor He."
Mrs. He nodded and said, "Of course," and lifted up her trouser legs.
After a checkup, Mrs. He fixed the splint again and stood up to look at the two people who were waiting anxiously.
"Miss, your wounds are healing very well. You will recover in a few days."
"Okay, okay." Princess Rui'an nodded. As long as everything is fine.
After saying this, he took Madam He away. What they didn't notice was that Zhang Ruoning, who was lying on the bed, was looking at Madam He's back with admiration and envy.
Madam Ma noticed it and asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Do you want to study medicine too?"
Zhang Ruoning paused when she heard this, "Mom, can I?"
When Mrs. Ma heard her say this, she knew that she indeed understood her thoughts.
"I heard that Doctor He occasionally teaches at the girls' school. If you want to go, I'll talk to my grandfather and have you sent in."
Zhang Ruoning looked delighted, "Really?"
Madam Ma nodded. "Really? When has mother ever lied to you?"
Zhang Ruoning also knew that her mother would not lie to her, "Thank you, mother."
Princess Rui'an brought the person to the main hall and chatted with her for a while. Then Mrs. He left, leaving a prescription.
Geng Wu held the prescription and hurried to get the medicine. Only then did Princess Rui'an have time to go back and see Zhang Ruoning.
On the palace road, Ma Yu supported Duke Anguo and walked forward step by step.
Thinking about the conversation in the imperial study just now, Ma Yu frowned, "Dad, do we really want Ruoning to identify him?"
Duke Anguo looked at Gong Dao in the distance, not at him, "Yuanzhu knows her daughter well, she said Ruoning is willing."
Ma Yu was still unwilling to give up. If this caused trouble, it would not be something that old bones like them could handle. "But if something really happened..."
"Okay," Duke Anguo interrupted Ma Yu. He was also worried.
"It's no use for us to worry. The child has to make the decision himself."
The two were silent for a long time. Ma Yu gritted his teeth and said, "How about we arrange a marriage for Ruoning?"
Duke Anguo finally turned his eyes to his son-in-law. He knew that his son-in-law was afraid that he would not be able to protect Ruoning if something really happened.
Ma Yu is an orphan. Ruoning is the only youngster in his family. The rest are old, weak, sick and disabled. He is afraid that he cannot protect this only child.
"But which family should we choose?" Duke Anguo sighed, his voice hoarse.
Even though he had escaped for so many years, he had to admit that he was no longer the powerful general on the battlefield.
Ma Yu had just gone through the list in his mind, "Someone about the same age as Ning'er, the prince of Prince Pingyang's Palace, and..."
Ma Yu paused and looked at his father-in-law, "And the youngest son of the second son of the Duke of Zhenguo."
Hearing this, Duke Anguo paused with deep affection. The youngest son of the second son of Duke Zhenguo was indeed about the same age as Ruoning.
The Prince of Pingyang's Palace was ultimately a royal palace. After Concubine An, Duke An swore that no descendant of the An family would enter the royal family, so the Prince of Pingyang's Palace was naturally passed down.
As for the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, the Empress Dowager's mother's family is wealthy and powerful. The person chosen is the second son of the second wife, which is enough to ensure that Ruoning will have no worries for the rest of his life.
Moreover, I heard that the boy is not bad. He passed the imperial examination and became the top scorer in martial arts at the age of seventeen and is now a squad leader of the Imperial Guards.
It's just that everything is good, except...
Duke Anguo sighed. He and that old bully Lu Jie were sworn enemies.