Being a reborn legitimate daughter is not easy

Chapter 304 Governing Qianzhou

Chapter 304 Governing Qianzhou

Having followed Chunyu Yang to Qianzhou, Ye Pianran naturally couldn't just stay in the Prince's mansion and do nothing. She wanted to help Chunyu Yang build up his reputation in Qianzhou, so she opened a clinic in Qianzhou based on her medical skills, claiming that she would only accept those who were beyond help and would not charge a penny for treatment.

At first, people were skeptical of her medical skills because she was so young and a girl, yet she spoke so arrogantly. No one dared to come to her for treatment.

One day, a homeless man suffering from a terminal illness collapsed in front of her clinic. This homeless man was well-known in Qianzhou Prefecture because he spoke incoherently and would often suddenly burst into laughter or tears. Everyone avoided him and dared not approach him. When they saw him collapse in front of Ye Pianran's clinic, they were all waiting to see her make a fool of herself and ruin her reputation.

Who knew that Ye Pianran would actually save the homeless man's life and cure his madness, and indeed she didn't charge him a single penny, only asking the homeless man to give her something he considered very precious.

After thinking for a long time, the homeless man said to her, "The most precious thing I have is myself. If you are willing, I will stay at your clinic and help you from now on."

Ye Pianran's clinic was short-staffed, so they agreed to let him stay.

After cleaning himself up, the homeless man turned out to be a handsome middle-aged man. He called himself Min Xuan and said that he had suffered a great loss and developed hysteria, and had been wandering around like this ever since.

Ever since Min Xuan was saved by Ye Pianran, people have been coming to the door seeking medical help.

Ye Pianran never discriminated against her patients' identities when practicing medicine. She would treat anyone deemed beyond help by other clinics, gradually building her reputation in Qianzhou. After learning she was from the Northern Martial Prince's Mansion, the people held Chunyu Yang in even higher esteem and affection.

Six months later, Gongsun Yuan, who had received Ye Pianran's letter, finally arrived in Qianzhou from Xingzhou, and the mother and daughter were reunited and would never be separated again.

When Gongsun Yuan arrived in Qianzhou, she stayed at the clinic to help Ye Pianran. However, because she was used to doing good deeds in Xingzhou, she would go to the temple on the first and fifteenth of each month to help Chunyu Yang distribute porridge and sell rice.

Besides treating patients at the clinic, Ye Pianran and Chunyu Yang also traveled around to investigate the current geographical conditions of Qianzhou and think about how to improve the situation where it was difficult to grow grain and there was no harvest.

Seeing them running around in the fields and providing free medical care to the poor, Min Xuan was truly moved by their kindness and decided to help them.

In fact, twenty years ago, Min Xuan was a well-known strategist in the Western Liang Kingdom, known as Xuanjizi. He was unrestrained and free-spirited, knowledgeable in all walks of life, and skilled in military strategy. He had successfully helped the Western Liang emperor capture the Twelve Cities of Fengbian. However, something happened later and he suddenly disappeared from the world. Everyone guessed that he had angered the Western Liang emperor and was killed, but no one expected that he would end up in the Great Xia Kingdom.

Min Xuan did not reveal his identity to them. He only told Chunyu Yang that if they wanted to increase crop yields in Qianzhou, they must first solve the problem of drought and water shortage in the soil. Since ancient times, people's crop cultivation has depended entirely on the weather, but he did not believe in the heavens. He believed that human effort could solve everything. If it didn't rain, then they would bring water from elsewhere.

Chunyu Yang had long recognized Min Xuan's extraordinary background, but he wisely refrained from exposing it, entrusting the entire water diversion project to Min Xuan. Min Xuan used a field as a test site, spending three days drawing a sketch and then three months constructing it, finally successfully diverting water from the river into the field and ensuring the soil remained moist.

A year later, in the autumn, the rice harvested from this experimental field was twice as much as that of other farmers. This harvest greatly surprised Chunyu Yang, who immediately ordered that Min Xuan's planting method be promoted and personally taught local farmers how to irrigate and maintain the rice.

At the same time, another piece of good news arrived. Far from the capital and free from unnecessary interference, thanks to Ye Pianran's efforts, the "Childlessness Poison" in Ye Yankang's body was completely removed, and he successfully regained his intelligence. He could not only recognize Gongsun Yuan and Ye Pianran, but also call out Jingxuan's name, which made Jingxuan extremely happy.

Having been foolish for so many years, some habits are hard to break. Ye Yankang's personality has also been worn down to be very docile. He always smiles foolishly when he sees people, and doesn't seem smart at all. Jingxuan habitually calls him Little Fool.

Whether it was a blessing in disguise or not, although he looked foolish, he was extremely intelligent. He not only had a photographic memory but could also immediately understand the meaning behind things.

The more Min Xuan looked at Ye Yankang, the more he liked him, and he wanted to take him as his disciple to teach him his skills. But Gongsun Yuan refused. She only wanted Ye Yankang to live a carefree life, so she quarreled with Min Xuan every three days and had a big fight every five days, and made things difficult for Min Xuan at every turn.

Min Xuan was initially annoyed by Gongsun Yuan, but after getting to know her better, they gradually fell in love with her. However, because she was Ye Pianran's mother, he dared not take things any further with Gongsun Yuan.

Ye Pianran had long seen the hidden feelings between the two of them. She knew in her heart that Min Xuan was actually a good person, and that her mother would not suffer if she married him. So she took the initiative to bring the two of them together.

At first, Min Xuan was a little embarrassed, but later, encouraged and spurred on by Chunyu Yang, he boldly confessed his love to Gongsun Yuan. Gongsun Yuan also had feelings for Min Xuan, so she accepted him, and with Ye Pianran and Chunyu Yang as witnesses, they became husband and wife.

Although life in Qianzhou was tough, it was carefree and comfortable. By the autumn harvest of the following year, thanks to the efforts of Chunyu Yang and Ye Pianran, the lives of the people had gradually improved, changing from the previous situation where they couldn't afford food, clothes, or medical care.

On the fifteenth of a certain month, Ye Pianran and Gongsun Yuan, along with Ye Yankang, went to the temple to distribute porridge as usual. As they were doing so, a beggar pushed a small cart to them, asking for food. Lying on the cart was a man with a face covered in pustules, crippled limbs, and blind. Upon seeing the figure on the cart, Gongsun Yuan froze, and the porridge she was holding clattered to the ground.

With tears in her eyes, she threw herself onto the beggar and cried out in a trembling voice, "Xun'er, Xun'er, is that you?"

The beggar on the cart, who had looked utterly despondent, suddenly raised his head upon hearing the call. Then, as if possessed, he tumbled off the cart and struggled to crawl in the opposite direction.

Ye Pianran was also taken aback when she heard Gongsun Yuan's shout. She was initially a little suspicious, but she was immediately surprised to see the beggar's strong reaction.

It really was Ye Yanxun!

The beggar, unable to use his limbs, could barely crawl two steps before Gongsun Yuan grabbed him. Gongsun Yuan showed no disgust at his filthy and smelly body, holding him in her arms and crying, she asked, "Xun'er, is it you? Tell your mother, is it you?"

The beggar struggled but couldn't break free. He remained nestled in her arms for a long time before letting out heavy sobs, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Seeing that he couldn't make a sound and his whimpers sounded strange, Ye Pianran pried open his mouth to look inside. She discovered that his tongue had been cut off, and not only that, his eyes had been gouged out, and the tendons in his hands and feet had been severed. Because he couldn't move, he could only lie on the cart, his body covered with bedsores of all sizes.

Although she hated Ye Yanxun for pushing her off the cliff, she also knew why Gongsun Yuan had stayed in Xingzhou in previous years. With a long sigh, she had Ye Yanxun brought back to the clinic.

Back at the clinic, Gongsun Yuan helped Ye Yanxun wash his body without any disgust. Seeing him in his current state, she felt both heartache and anger, and gently comforted him as she had when he was sick as a child:

Xun'er, don't be afraid, Mom is here. You're home now, and no one will bully you anymore.

Ye Yanxun was blind and unable to speak, but he could feel Gongsun Yuan's heartache and care from her tone. It felt like a needle was constantly churning in his heart, making it hard for him to breathe.

He felt even more distressed when he heard Ye Yankang reciting poems like a normal child.

Gongsun Yuan desperately wanted to know what he had gone through and why he had become like this, but Ye Yanxun remained silent. After cleaning himself up, he was helped to kneel down before Ye Pianran and Gongsun Yuan.

When Gongsun Yuan saw that he had actually knelt down, she hurriedly stepped forward to help him up, but he shook his head, asked someone to bring him paper and ink, and painstakingly dipped his finger in the ink to write down his crimes on the paper stroke by stroke.

He said that when Gongsun Yuan was pregnant with Ye Yankang, he poisoned her food, causing her to give birth prematurely and give birth to the mentally challenged Ye Yankang.

He said that he instigated Ye Bijun to release the cat in the courtyard, which caused Ye Pianran to fall and disfigure her face, preventing her from attending the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet.

He claimed that he gave Ye Pianran essential oil laced with poison, causing the scars on her face to fail to heal, and that he spread rumors that led the Ouyang family to break off the engagement.

He claimed that he imitated Gongsun Zhan's notes and copied those letters that slandered Gongsun Zhan and Prince Yue, causing Gongsun to be implicated in treason.

He said that he deliberately drove the carriage up the mountain during the autumn hunt in order to get rid of Ye Pianran, and that he also deliberately pushed Ye Pianran off the cliff.

He admitted that he was a sinner and that everything he was experiencing was divine retribution.

He was once so full of vigor, and now he is in such a sorry state.

Gongsun Yuan asked him, "Why are you doing all this?"

Ye Yanxun replied, "Because you are not my biological mother."

Although she had already learned of his actions from Ye Pianran, Gongsun Yuan still felt heartbroken and incredulous upon hearing his personal confession.

She said, "From a young age, I taught you to always remember filial piety, brotherly love, loyalty, trustworthiness, propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame. I always wanted you to be kind and benevolent, because these are the foundations of being a good person. Do you think all the things I've taught you over the years are a joke? Am I a joke in your eyes too?"

Ye Yanxun lowered his head and paused for a long time before raising his hand to write on the paper.

Mother, I know I was wrong.

Seeing him write those five illegible characters in a crooked and sloppy manner, Gongsun Yuan couldn't help but burst into tears.