Chapter 225 Iron-handed Dean Qiu
"Teacher Qiu, we can be your witnesses!" A little girl rushed out despite her companions' dissuasion. "Teacher, I saw Doctor Ma driving a carriage to pick up that old woman on my way home yesterday! Not only did I see it, but my classmates from the same village saw it too!"
"What nonsense! You are such a traitor! I am your teacher after all, and how dare you slander me like this?!"
The girl was frightened by Doctor Ma and became much more timid.
The ancients respected their teachers. If she were to be known for betraying her teachers and ancestors, it would be tantamount to cutting off her future path in medicine.
Qiu Ju Niang stopped the girl and said, "Doctor Ma, there's no need to intimidate the students. Bring Old Madam Tang here. I believe she's not the only one who saw it."
Doctor Ma was furious. "I was good friends with Doctor Tang when he was alive. Can't I help take care of his mother after he passes away? Do you think everyone is as ungrateful as Qiu Juniang? Qiu Juniang, stop taking revenge. Do you think you're great just because you're the vice president? I'm telling you, as a woman, you should be at home taking care of your husband and children. You're always in the spotlight, and now you've caused so much trouble for the medical school. I think you should leave, not me!"
Doctor Ma glared at the other doctors angrily, trying to find a helper: "Doctor Zhang, Doctor He, what do you say?"
The two doctors who were named shrank their heads and pretended not to hear.
Qiu Ju Niang suppressed her anger and spoke word by word, "Doctor Ma, not to mention the irrefutable evidence that you hired someone to cause trouble today, but you've been practicing medicine in the Medical Department for two months, and you've received the most complaints from patients. Now, as a colleague, I'm going to give you a little face. Don't push me to do anything extreme. Don't think no one knows about your little tricks with the herbalist! Since you won't leave, I have no choice but to write to the City Lord and tell her everything you've done at the Medical School. I'll ask her to make the final decision!"
When the topic of medicinal herb merchants was mentioned, Doctor Ma's expression changed slightly.
The other doctors all looked over with puzzled expressions.
Doctor Ma's face changed again and again, from pale to blue. After a long pause, he flicked his sleeves and said, "Hmph, I won't bother with a woman like you! Since you're seeking revenge and forcing me to leave, why should I have the nerve to stay here with you? If I won't stay here, I'll find another place to stay!"
Several doctors around him reached out to pull Doctor Ma who was about to leave, but a few of them looked thoughtful.
Qiu Ju Niang pointed to Doctor Ma's back and reminded him, "Doctor Ma, remember to take all your things away. I don't want to see you in the medical school tomorrow morning!"
Doctor Ma said nothing, and looked like he was fleeing in panic under the gaze of everyone.
Qiu Jiuniang took a deep breath and said to the people in the courtyard, "I'm sorry for making a fool of myself. This exam is of great importance and a pioneering effort in our medical industry. I hope that my personal matter won't delay the exam."
After seeing such a big scene, the group of doctors hurriedly said "I dare not, I dare not" and then gradually dispersed.
It was the first time that Doctor Qiu had witnessed his daughter's ruthless side. He seemed worried, "Mother Ju, they say you should always leave a way out for others. Doctor Ma is notorious for his narrow-mindedness and his unyielding nature. What if he uses underhanded tactics in the future?"
Qiu Ju Niang sneered, "That was in the past! Father, you don't know, but now the City Lord is consciously trying to regulate our medical industry. This doctor's license is just a trial run. Detailed regulations will be issued one after another to manage doctors and patients. Doctors will be supervised to prevent unqualified people from sneaking in and ruining their reputations. It will also prevent some doctors from prescribing expensive or inferior medicines just to make money. In the future, doctors may even be graded according to their medical skills. Now is different from the past. As long as I abide by these rules and as long as I can keep my heart and do my job well, they won't be able to attack me with groundless accusations like they did before!"
Old Doctor Qiu was startled by his daughter's determined expression. He then recalled the suffering Qiu Juniang had endured because of the lawsuit, and a mixture of emotions washed over him. "You've come at a good time..."
Tears welled up in Qiu Ju Niang's eyes. "Yes, if it weren't for the City Lord, I would be nothing but a pile of mud trampled on by others. So, father, even if it costs me my life, I will repay the City Lord. I will spend my entire life researching cowpox and penicillin, the things the City Lord has always dreamed of!"
————————————————————
The civil service examination in Jinzhou Prefecture is proceeding slowly.
Compared with the somewhat deserted Jinzhou Prefecture examination hall, the enthusiasm of the people in Lan County and Ye County to participate was obviously much higher.
On the day of the exam, all the inns in Lan County and Ye County were full, even the woodshed and the large bunk beds were crowded.
Not to mention all the small vendors and shops, even those selling sweet soups on the roadside are making a lot of money.
It is said that in order to accommodate more candidates, the cheating method of partitioning each person into a room as in the imperial examination hall was not adopted. Instead, the county government sent people to clear the street in front of the gate early, and borrowed tables, chairs and benches from the surrounding people, and placed them directly in the open air, with each person standing close to the other.
You say they would copy each other at such a close distance?
The person who set the questions was very tricky. He actually set up two sets of test papers, A and B. The contents of the two sets of tests are almost exactly the same, except that the numbers in the math questions are different, and the positions of the essay questions are different. So even if you want to cheat, you can't do it at all.
Although there were only a hundred or so candidates from Jinzhou Prefecture, and even fifty or sixty of them were students from Bailu Academy who were forced to come, the total number of applicants from Ye County and Lan County reached a thousand, which shows their enthusiasm for the civil service examination.
When Xu Zhenying saw the registration data, he couldn't help but think of the civil service examination he had to pass in his previous life.
It seems that no matter what era, a stable job is still popular.
However, compared to the people of Ye County and Lan County who were extremely excited to go to the battlefield, it was obvious that the people taking the exam in Jinzhou Prefecture were full of reluctance.
Especially the group of scholars, each of them was almost forced to sit on a stool, with a ferocious-looking supervisor standing behind them.
There was even a scholar filled with heroic spirit, casually lifting his robe and pointing to the sky and cursing: "Xu Zhenying, you traitor who deserves to be killed by everyone, if you have the guts, kill me, Huang Ling! I, Huang Ling, am a member of the Great Zhou Dynasty in life and a ghost of the Great Zhou Dynasty in death. Even if I die, I will never surrender to you, a traitor who usurped the throne! My fellow villagers, don't worry, the court will send troops to wipe out these villains sooner or later, and then our justice will come!"
"Brother Huang is right! If you want to kill that traitor, count me in! Even if I'm unarmed and even if I risk my life, I will never surrender to that traitor!"
A soldier said to Secretary Qian, "Secretary Qian, those students have gone too far. They actually dared to insult the city lord in public. I'm going to teach them a lesson!"
"Yes, they are only so arrogant because the city lord has a good temper. If I were to intervene, I guarantee they wouldn't dare to say a word!"
Secretary Qian, one of today's examiners, was busy distributing the test papers. He didn't even look up when he heard this, and continued busy with his work. "No need. Why use a knife to kill people? I'll make them cry!"
"Oh my goodness!" one of the students cried out as if she had discovered a new world. "There are women taking the exam?! This is a major examination center, not a place for women like you. Little girl, where are your parents? How dare they allow you to take the civil service exam?"
Zhou Houfang, the daughter of the former Tongpan, was wearing a simple blue men's gown at the moment, and was not conspicuous in the crowd. When she heard a student shouting like that, she was so scared that her face turned pale.
Fortunately, it seemed that the student was targeting a girl with pigtails. The girl looked no more than thirteen or fourteen years old and seemed very young.
Zhou Houfang's heart was pounding. As two women taking the civil service examination, they always felt a sense of sympathy for each other.
She made up her mind that if the little girl was scared away or cried, she would teach the sarcastic scholar a lesson.
Unexpectedly, the little girl raised her chin and put her hands on her hips, but her face did not show any anger. Instead, her voice was clear and confident: "Country bumpkin, are you talking about me? Oh, my parents, my parents are both taking the civil service exam -"
The student was stunned.
The girl snorted coldly and sat down in her seat under the stunned gazes of the crowd. She waved her hands and complained, "If I had known there were so many unworldly bumpkins in Jinzhou Prefecture, I would have taken the exam in Lan County."
Seeing that the students were all staring at her with wide eyes, the little girl glared back fiercely, "What are you looking at? If you keep looking, I'll dig out the eyes of you country bumpkins!"
"You...you...how could you insult others?"
"I...I...I did insult you, what's wrong?" The little girl was full of life, her voice clearer than anyone else's, her expression more aggressive than anyone else's. "If you have the guts, let's meet at the exam. Bullying a girl here is nothing. You're the only one who can curse, and you think anyone who resists you is an insult? What a joke! I'm telling you, I graduated first in our intermediate class! All of you, just wait and see, I'm going to crush you with my grades!"
"You, you, you! You're so vulgar!" The student couldn't stop scolding her, and his face turned red with anger. "I won't argue with you, a woman!"
"Wait until you've passed my test before you start bragging, you bastard!"
The man had a rather dark skin and liked to put on makeup, which made him smell good all over, making him quite popular among scholars.
Then the bumpkin who appeared out of nowhere actually called him a man with cosmetics.
He was so angry that he fell backwards.
The little girl couldn't help but burst into laughter when she saw this, and then she felt someone next to her was staring at her. There was no shame or shyness on her face at being stared at by a man. Instead, she turned her head and met Zhou Houfang's gaze without avoiding or avoiding.
He was a very thin boy with fair skin and a rather feminine look.
But he didn't look like the same group of students as Bailu Academy. He shyly looked away as soon as he met her gaze.
This guy is really weird. Why is he staring at me?
The little girl was wondering, but soon her attention was distracted by the distribution of the test papers.
Zhou Houfang, who was standing by, felt quite emotional.
Is this the girl from Lan County?
Each one is so vivid.
On the streets of Jinzhou Prefecture, it seems that one can tell at a glance who is from Lan County and who is from Jinzhou Prefecture in the crowd.
Especially the girls from Lan County.
The girls of Jinzhou Prefecture spoke timidly, their voices soft as mosquitoes. They never dared to look people in the eye, as if even a glance would be an offense. They walked cautiously on the street, their shoulders tucked under their shoulders, as if they were afraid to let the world know of their presence.
The girls in Lan County all talk with full energy when walking on the street. Sometimes they discuss which shop has delicious food, sometimes they discuss which teacher is very strict, and sometimes they discuss what to do after graduation.
They never seem to care about the gazes of passers-by, let alone the pointing and criticizing.
They walked among the crowd, as if they were all glowing.
Somehow, Zhou Houfang began to have some expectations for the future of Jinzhou Prefecture.
But when he thought of his father still in prison, Zhou Houfang could only force himself to concentrate and deal with the exam.
Only by passing this exam can you meet the city lord during the interview, right?
If she could see the city lord, she might be able to rescue her father.
As soon as the test papers were distributed, the students of Bailu Academy, as if they had agreed in advance, all sat upright on the stools in tacit understanding, silent and solemn, but refused to pick up their pens to answer the questions.
Qian Zhenniang laughed in her heart, thinking that I, the second-in-command of Jinzhou Prefecture, cannot deal with you scholars.
So she cleared her throat, looked at the people below with a half-smile, and said slowly: "Students of Bailu Academy, do you want to make a bet with me?"
Everyone looked at her in confusion.
Someone shouted, "Traitor, if you want to kill him, just kill him. Why waste your time talking?"
"That's right, if you dare, come and take my head! Even if we die, we will never join forces with you traitors!"
Qian Zhenniang scratched her ears and thought that people used to say that women are noisy, but she didn't expect that men are the same.
After following Xu Zhenying for a long time, Qian Zhenniang felt that her temper had really improved.
Now that she thinks about it, from being the second-in-command to being a traitor, she seems to still prefer the title of traitor.
Well, there is still progress.
Qian Zhenniang stood up and said loudly, "Don't worry, everyone. The city lord is definitely not someone who kills innocent people. Since we entered the city, we have only killed four or five corrupt officials. I think this is why you dare to be so presumptuous here today."
These words made some scholars blush.
Some of them did say that since Xu Zhenying did not seem to be a ruthless person, they might as well make a big scene, preferably one that everyone knew about, so that they could gain a good reputation for being loyal to the emperor and patriotic in the future.
"You call yourselves scholars, so I guess you're not afraid of exams. Let me make a bet with you. If you win, I'll let you go, but if you lose, you have to stay here for a day and a night. How about that?"
The students of Bailu Academy were all stunned.
Zhou Houfang couldn't help but glance at Qian Zhenniang who was hiding behind the curtain.
Is that the second in command in the city, the girl known as Secretary Qian?
He looks very thin and holds great power. He is not at all panicked in the face of this situation and handles it with great efficiency.
The people around the city lord seemed to be very extraordinary.
I just don’t know how handsome and elegant that city lord is.
As a traitor who is only fourteen years old, he is really a genius, right?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
