Chapter 223 Medical Examination

Lan County has been particularly lively these days.

Although Xu Zhenying has already reached Jinzhou Prefecture, almost the entire administrative team has now moved there.

But even so, Xu Zhenying had worked in Lan County for so long, and there was a high-tech county, a medical college, a research institute, etc. nearby, so Lan County did not seem depressed because of Xu Zhenying's move. Instead, it seemed more lively because of the turmoil in the civil service examination.

Civil service examination.

As the first city to enjoy universal education, Lan County naturally has unique conditions. It can be said that at least 70 to 80 percent of the officials recruited this time will be selected from Lan County people.

Therefore, the people of Lan County are eager to try it out.

All those who meet the age requirements are actively preparing for the competition. Some of the smarter ones who are in the right position will immediately seize the opportunity to open a cram school in their own home. It is not uncommon to earn a hundred coins in a day.

On the second floor of an inn, several soldiers pushed open the door of Sun Qingchen's room. One of the round-faced soldiers in the lead shouted, "Sun Qingchen, Sun Qingchen!"

Sun Qingchen hadn't heard anyone call him that in a long time.

In the past, people called him Lord Sun. After Xu Zhenying occupied Lan County, the people would shake their heads and sigh, saying, "Poor Lord Sun!"

But as time went on, the people followed Xu Zhenying so eagerly that they seemed to have gradually forgotten that there was a local official like him in Lan County. He was mentioned less and less, until people started calling him by his name.

Although Sun Qingchen was trapped in the inn, his wife and children had time to go out for some fresh air. He asked his wife to keep bringing back new news. He knew that no matter how high the official rank of Xu Zhenying's subordinates was, they would call him by his name or give him an official title, and not call him "Master" or "Miss".

Xu Zhenying said that these were manifestations of inequality, of hierarchy, and were feudal dregs that should be abolished!

However, today's "Sun Qingchen" seemed to have a somewhat unusual meaning.

Sun Qingchen stood up and responded. He saw several men dressed as soldiers approaching. They looked around and said, "The city lord has ordered you and others to leave immediately."

Sun Qingchen was stunned, “Leave, where to go?”

Could it be that he was detained in another place?

wrong.

My wife came back two days ago and said that Xu Deyuan died of a sudden illness. It must be that the letter they wrote was discovered!

"Whatever, go wherever you want, but you're not allowed to stay here. The innkeeper has complained many times, saying you're occupying their rooms and disrupting their business. Our County Magistrate Fang consulted the city lord, and he told you to leave on your own."

Madam Sun also came over, looking puzzled: "Are you... letting us go?"

"Don't you understand? I'll let you go. You can go wherever you want."

Sun Qingchen felt as if he'd been hit by a heavy object, a sense of unreality swirling in his mind. He simply didn't believe Xu Zhenying would let him go. He instinctively felt this was a trap set by Xu Zhenying, and immediately said, "Let us go? What? Isn't Xu Zhenying afraid that I'll pack up and report her to the capital? She had the Transport Department's men beaten to death. This is a capital crime punishable by confiscation of property and extermination of the clan! I've been blessed by the Emperor for generations, and I owe my loyalty to the Emperor and my country. If you dare let me out, I'll risk my life to find reinforcements to wipe out you, the rebels!"

One of the younger soldiers became furious upon hearing this. "Sun Qingchen, you are such an ungrateful official! After our city lord entered the city, he never killed innocent people like other bandits did, let alone harmed a single life in your Sun family. Instead, he provided you with delicious food and drink. In the final analysis, everyone in this room has received the city lord's grace of not killing you, yet now he wants to let you go. I think the city lord is too kind. Officials like you should be killed as soon as they enter the city!"

Sun Qingchen was so angry that his face turned pale. "I, Sun Qingchen, am a corrupt official? Ask the people of Lan County if I, Sun Qingchen, am worthy of this official position! Besides, what favor has Xu Zhenying, a traitor, done me? Her claim of not killing me is just a show for the people!"

Another person nearby also said, "Sun Qingchen, I'm not from your Lan County, so I don't know if you're a good official or a corrupt one. But how many good officials are there in your Great Zhou Dynasty? Last year, there was a flood in my village, and my parents and brothers all starved to death. I followed Lao Liao and ate leaves, gnawed on snow, and swallowed mud. In so many counties, no one dared to open the gate, and you bunch of dog officials watched us starve to death and freeze to death. Only the city lord! Only the city lord was willing to take us in. If it weren't for the city lord, I would have been forced into a pile of bones by you. You also have the nerve to say that you are an official of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Bah, you dog things, you bunch of dog officials only force us to pay taxes and perform labor service, and you don't care about the lives of the people! The city lord said that the salaries of you dog officials are earned by us ordinary people bit by bit. You are so shameless and say that you are the parents of the country. Which parent would force his own children to death? If we say it, we are the parents who provide food and clothing for you dog officials!"

"Rebellion, rebellion!" Sun Qingchen was so angry that his face turned blue. He waved his sleeves in anger, wishing he could argue with the unruly man for hundreds of rounds. "Xu Zhenying is just exaggerating. She just wants to rebel, so she's using her lies to deceive the people and trick you into joining her pirate ship! I tell you, since ancient times, few who rebelled have had a good end. Don't be so stubborn! Be careful not to implicate your entire clan!"

"Oh, we were so poor that we almost died, and we were afraid of a bad ending? Do we think we will have a good ending if we kneel down and beg for mercy in front of you dog officials? Bah, and you even talk about implicating the entire clan? I am the only one left in my family who died, isn't it all because of you dog officials? I joined the army to rebel with the city lord. If the city lord wants to attack Xingyuan Prefecture, I will be the first to charge! If the city lord wants to kill that dog emperor, I will be the first to hand over the knife!"

"Crazy, crazy——" Sun Qingchen was horrified to discover how strong Xu Zhenying's ability to bewitch people was. When she attacked Lan County, she had only a handful of supporters around her. But in just a short time, the people were loyal to her like crazy.

It seemed that as long as Xu Zhenying raised her arms and called out, the people of Lan County would be willing to charge forward and risk their lives for her!

What a terrible cohesion!

I was not seeing things!

The opponent of the Great Zhou court is not Prince Ming in the east, not the continuous banditry in various places, nor the corrupt officials and treacherous ministers in the court, but Xu Zhenying, who still has full control over Lan County even though he is in Jinzhou Prefecture!

That demon woman grew, expanded, and became stronger at a terrifying speed, until...

Until it grows into a behemoth that can shake the three hundred years of foundation of the Zhou Dynasty!

"Master!" Mrs. Sun said in a sad voice and supported Sun Qingchen.

One of the soldiers seemed to be from Lan County and had a relatively good impression of Sun Qingchen, so he advised his companions: "Forget it, we can't disobey orders from above. Let him go so we can return and report to our superiors."

The soldiers glared at Sun Qingchen unwillingly, then left reluctantly.

Madam Sun and her two children helped Sun Qingchen, who was crying bitterly, into a chair. Sun Qingchen sobbed, "Oh my God! From my youth, when I was a student, to my exile, I have always been diligent and conscientious. I have always treated the people as my own people and have never dared to slack off. But I never knew that Lan County would become a gathering place for rebels. As the father and mother of Lan County, I have failed to live up to the kindness of Your Majesty and the expectations of the people. Now, the people are pointing at me and calling me a dog official. How can I still have the dignity to live in this world——"

Madam Sun was also extremely sad. "Master, if you die, what will happen to me and the children?"

Sun Qingchen seemed to have thought of something, his eyes brightening. "No, I can't die yet. The court is now surrounded by enemies, and we don't know the situation in Jinzhou Prefecture yet. I must go to Bianjing in person to explain the situation to Prime Minister Han. People like Xu Zhenying are ferocious tigers in the frontier. If the court underestimates them, it will surely lead to disaster!"

Mrs. Sun hesitated to speak, and was about to say something but did not.

"Madam, we must pack our bags and leave immediately. Brother Xu's sudden death must have been caused by her discovering the letter I wrote to General Bai. Xu Zhenying will never let me go so easily. Let's go quickly and head straight to Bianjing!"

Madam Sun pulled him aside, "Master, but...but...Xu Zhenying spared our lives. I heard that when other cities were breached, the bandits first killed the local officials. We..."

"You're confused!" Sun Qingchen threw his wife aside. "Do you really think Xu Zhenying is such a soft-hearted person? She didn't kill me at first because she wasn't just any ordinary bandit. She's scheming and vicious. She spared my life just to show the people of Lan County her kindness and win their hearts. At first, she asked me to follow her every day because she wanted to persuade me to rebel. Now that she sees she can't persuade me, she must kill me!"

"But...but Bianjing is far from here, and the roads are not safe...our former servants have already been dismissed by Xu Zhenying, and they've all found new livelihoods, so they might not be willing to go with us..."

"If they don't want to leave, I'll go!" Sun Qingchen stood up in a dying state and grabbed his wife's hand. "Madam, how about this? You, mother, and our two children can stay in Lan County for the time being. Xu Zhenying is very clear-headed and shouldn't make things difficult for you. I'll bring reinforcements and rescue you in advance..."

Madam Sun tearfully said, "How can I be at peace if my husband leaves alone? Why don't I go with you? I still have my mother and two loyal servants here. I can't let you go back to Bianjing alone!"

Sun Qingchen agreed with tears in his eyes.

In addition to the civil service examination, Lan County was also bustling with activity because of Jinzhou Prefecture's first medical qualification examination.

Soon after Xu Zhenying occupied Jinzhou, he issued an order requiring all doctors in Jinzhou Prefecture and Qianzhou Prefecture to pass the medical school examination and obtain a medical qualification certificate issued by the government before they could practice medicine.

While Doctor Qiu was still hesitating whether to stay in Lan County, Xu Zhenying unexpectedly captured Jinzhou Prefecture.

Well, no need to worry about it this time.

It is laughable that all the doctors in Jinzhou Prefecture have to condescend to go to Lan County Medical College to take the medical qualification examination.

The doctors were reluctant, but there was nothing they could do, so they could only continue on their journey while complaining.

Who told Xu Zhenying to speak now and no one dares to resist?

Dare to resist? Haven't you seen that all those wealthy and unkind people had their homes raided, and except for their lives, all their property and valuables were gone.

Never mind, there's no shame in bowing to power.

The only thing the doctors were dissatisfied with was the medical school in Nalan County.

It's an unknown place, and there's no known famous doctors there. Why do they have to go there to take the exam?

What makes people most angry is that they shamelessly teach students. It is said that it is just like the imperial examination, where one student can have several teachers. This is simply a violation of the rules of our ancestors!

Not to mention that I heard that the vice-president of that college is a woman.

The doctor from Jinzhou Prefecture was naturally very familiar with the female dean. Before he even got off the carriage, he taunted Doctor Qiu, "It seems that with Doctor Qiu here, our medical license exam shouldn't be a problem. After all, she's the vice dean of the academy. Speaking of which, could it be that your daughter's medical skills were taught by Doctor Qiu? I really want to have a discussion with you later."

"Well, I heard that medical school is doing really well. Not only are they enrolling a lot of female students, but they're also said to be researching some miracle cure, that cowpox cure. Yes, they say it can completely cure smallpox. I'm going to go see how far they've come on this miracle cure."

"How can you and I possibly witness such a miraculous medicine? Who knows? Perhaps the name of this miraculous medicine is just a lie, and they're just trying to recruit students and make money!"

Doctor Qiu has never been good at speaking. Faced with the ridicule of his colleagues, he just blushed and didn't know how to refute.

Doctor Zhang laughed heartily and said, "Everyone, you are quite short-sighted. You didn't come to the last medical conference, so you missed a great event. Well, I'll keep you in suspense for now. You can take a good look around Lan County. After you're done, you'll know what Lan County is like and what Jinzhou Prefecture will become in the future."

A doctor sneered, "Jinzhou Prefecture must not become like Lan County, reduced to a ragtag theatrical troupe. Look at the men and women in Lan County, flirting and shoving each other on the street. It's totally immoral!"

"You, you are such a hopeless case. When you get to medical school, you'll realize how shallow you are!"

"Come to think of it, Madam Zhang almost moved from Jinzhou Prefecture to Lan County. If your Madam hadn't stopped her, I'm afraid she would have become the dean of a medical school by now."

When everyone got off the carriage, they saw from afar tall buildings rising from the flat ground, several courtyards rising from the ground, several carriages parked at the door, and people coming and going. Some of them were wearing white coats, their hair tied up high, and they seemed to have a turban hanging on their chins. They entered and exited the gate with solemn expressions.

Coming here is like stepping into a different time and space.

"Hey, Doctor Zhang!"

"Oh, Lao Zhou, you're here too?"

Only then did everyone realize that most of the people standing at the door were doctors from the counties under Jinzhou Prefecture, all of them familiar faces.

"The city lord has given the order, so I dare not not come." Doctor Zhou looked Doctor Qiu up and down, as if he didn't know him.

The doctor next to him immediately explained with a forced smile, "This is Doctor Qiu, the father of Qiu Juniang! Speaking of Qiu Juniang, I'm sure everyone is familiar with her. She's the female doctor who caused such a sensation a few years ago when she murdered her husband. Now she's become a big deal, having boarded the express ship of our new king. She's become an orthodox doctor, the vice-president of the medical school, and the chief examiner for our exam."