Chapter 1691 Future (January Monthly Ticket Plus 9)
The Queen thought for a moment and said, "Select a group of children of the right age and with the right intelligence, and send them to the Imperial Medical Bureau. Have them all take the examination. If they pass, they will be admitted to the ranks of the good doctors. Their registration books will be released, and everything will be handled according to the Imperial Medical Bureau's rules."
Aunt Shang paused for a moment after hearing this and asked in a low voice, "What about the list of people who were previously selected to be released from the palace?"
"Let them go as usual," the Queen said. "There haven't been any new people in the palace in recent years. Instead, several children have gone to their fiefdoms. Now the fifth child is about to get engaged and leave the palace to start his own family. I don't think the Imperial Medical Bureau will be able to select many people to go. We just need to tighten the reins everywhere."
Aunt Shang smiled and said, "Your Majesty is kind and gracious."
It is truly kind.
This is the third time that the Queen has released the older palace maids since she became Queen.
Without the kindness of the emperor and empress, it would be impossible for the palace maids to leave the palace in their entire lives, and the elderly aunts, except for those who were of use to a few masters, basically would not have a good ending.
There are so many palace maids in the palace, and they will all grow old. So why are there so few old palace maids in the palace?
Because most of them don't live to see old age.
Why were eunuchs and palace maids so eager to adopt godchildren? They hoped someone would take care of them when they grew old and frail and could no longer serve their masters.
They would not be sent to places like the laundry house or the cold palace to do hard labor. Even if they were sent there, their apprentices and godchildren could take care of them, so their work would be easier and they could get some of the food and medicine they had leaked out every now and then.
Yes, that's all they asked for.
Even though Aunt Shang was close to the Queen, she still had an apprentice to prepare for her old age.
Therefore, it was a great favor for the queen to allow the older palace maids to leave the palace with their savings of many years.
Even though life outside the palace is hard, with the savings from the palace and one or two skills, one can always spend his or her old age in peace, which is actually better than living in the palace.
If she is not too old, under 40, maybe she can find a widower to marry and take care of his sons and grandchildren, so that she can have someone to rely on in her later years.
Zhou Man’s proposal gave the people in the palace more things to think about.
Of course, Manbao knew nothing at this time. She just felt that if the Imperial Medical Bureau did not recruit enough female disciples, it would be too embarrassing for her and would also be disadvantageous for the next enrollment, so she wanted to recruit enough students.
However, little did he know how much of a stir this proposal caused in the palace, especially among the palace maids.
Many palace maids who were over 18 and no longer qualified cried secretly, regretting that they were born too early.
The older ones, however, were more open-minded and said to a group of young palace maids who had been in the palace for several years, "Your luck has come. If you can enter the Imperial Medical Bureau, maybe when we meet in the future, we will have to call you adults."
A young palace maid whispered, "Is it just like meeting Master Zhou?"
"That depends on your ability. If you can have Master Zhou's medical skills, it will be the same."
Everyone began to have lofty ambitions.
So many young palace maids signed up with Aunt Monk. Although they were young, they were not stupid. They knew that this was one of the few opportunities to leave the palace openly and have a bright future, so they naturally had to seize it.
The palace was registering, and Zhou Liru followed her aunt's advice and went to register. She then spent the past two days reciting medical books.
Zhou Lijun even took care of her three meals a day and served her like an ancestor.
Zhou Lixue and the others were stunned and puzzled, "Isn't my aunt here?"
Zhou Liru held a book in one hand and a steamed bun in the other, eating while reading, and said without raising his head: "My aunt said specifically that she can't use the back door for me. Many doctors in the Imperial Hospital are keeping an eye on her."
She sighed and said, "My eldest and third senior brothers are older than me, so they got in using the places that my aunt fought for. The requirements might be a bit stricter for me, so I have to do better than the others, otherwise I'm afraid I won't be able to get into the physical therapy department."
The requirements for physical therapy are the most stringent. It is the only course that requires applicants to be literate and preferably have some basic knowledge of medical subjects. The course lasts eight years.
"My aunt said that if I don't pass the physical therapy exam this year, I won't join the Imperial Medical Bureau and will try again next year."
Zhou Lixue then asked, "What if I fail the exam next year?"
Before Zhou Liru could respond, Zhou Lijun reached out and patted him, then smiled and said to Zhou Liru, "Don't listen to your third brother's nonsense."
Zhou Lixue said, "This is a reasonable suspicion. We should always consider the worst possible outcome."
Zhou Liru said, "My aunt said that if I still can't pass the exam next year, I should take the acupuncture exam. I'm sure I'll get in. I'll study acupuncture for a year or two first, and then think about transferring to the physical therapy department."
Zhou Ligu said, "Third sister, if you pass the exam, won't you have to work in the medical department for fifteen years after graduation?"
Zhou Liru said confidently, "I've thought it through. I'm going to take the imperial examination and become an official in the palace."
Now it was Zhou Lijun's turn to ask, "What if I don't pass the exam?"
"Then let's go back to the Luojiang County Medical Department. It'll be close to home, which is not bad either."
When everyone thought about it, it was true. Since they were making money anyway, learning a skill would definitely be useful.
So everyone was happy and stopped dwelling on the matter.
But at this time, Shopkeeper Zheng was also talking to Zheng Gu about this matter, "Don't worry about the fifteen years. Your uncle and I have discussed that when you finish your studies, even if you can't enter the Imperial Medical Bureau, then entering the medical bureaus in the two counties of the capital, or other medical bureaus in the capital area would also be good options."
Zheng Gu asked, "What about the family business?"
"Silly child, there are other branches. In our Qihuang family, medical skills and connections are the most important. If you are a good doctor, the clan won't dare to treat our branch unfairly. Just look at your uncle." He said, "Although your two cousins are still young, it's obvious that they don't have much talent. But as long as your uncle is here, your father and I will have a say in the pharmacy. As long as I have a say, our family and your uncle's family will not suffer any losses."
Shopkeeper Zheng had already made a detailed plan. "You are the most stable and talented among your brothers, so from now on, you should concentrate on learning medicine from your master. After the new year, I will bring your two cousins to study with me, and I will try to hand over the business of this shop to them in the future."
Zheng Gu understood that in their generation, he was in the position his uncle was in now, and his two cousins were in the position his father was in now.
He was used to this kind of thing, so he lowered his head and agreed.
The shopkeeper Zheng sighed and said, "I'm really worried about your marriage. It's a pity that Li Ru is too young."
Zheng Gu's eyes widened and he shouted, "Dad, what are you thinking? Junior Sister is so young."
"Yes, so what do you think of her sister?" Zheng Da, the shopkeeper, said, "If you can marry your master's father, your chances of getting into the Imperial Hospital will be much more secure."
Zheng Gu tried to think about it, but he could no longer remember Zhou Lijun's appearance. He only remembered that she spoke very quickly and clearly. He immediately shook his head and said, "No, Dad, we are not suitable. I, I still like gentle women."
Shopkeeper Zheng looked at him with dismay, "Can you be more capable? Isn't she just stronger? What are you afraid of?"
Zheng Gu shook his head repeatedly. He felt more nervous around Zhou Lijun than around his master. Was she only suitable for doing business?
Shopkeeper Zheng was filled with regret. He truly thought Zhou Lijun was a good person. Not only could he build a closer relationship with Zhou Man, but he also had quite good abilities. However...
I glanced at my son's timid look, thinking about how he usually does things in a lukewarm manner, and really told him about Zhou Lijun...
He also shuddered a bit. Forget it, forget it. He couldn't really let his future daughter-in-law suppress his son, could he?
What if we have different personalities and end up fighting in the future?
See you tomorrow
(End of this chapter)
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