As soon as the Medical Bureau was established, Gu Jiu sent nearly a hundred relatives and friends to Renqiu.
They are all members of the royal family and relatives by marriage.
There weren't so many people originally.
At the beginning, only twenty or thirty people volunteered to use connections to study in medical school.
However, everyone underestimated the appeal of a seventh-rank official to young people.
In recent years, officials' salaries have increased for three consecutive years.
In the past, the regular income of a seventh-rank official was no more than one or two hundred taels.
Nowadays, a seventh-rank official earns about four hundred taels a year.
Including the high temperature subsidy, the coldest days of winter subsidy, and the New Year subsidy, the income can basically exceed 500 taels.
Five hundred taels is indeed not a lot, but for most of the royal family and relatives who live a hard life, it is a huge sum of money.
Moreover, being an official meant status and position. It also offered preferential treatment in terms of taxes and the amount of land, and it could also bring blessings to descendants.
Therefore, as soon as the Medical Bureau was established, it was known that as long as one successfully graduated from medical school and obtained a medical license, one would naturally be able to obtain a seventh-rank official position and be affiliated with the Medical Bureau.
In the blink of an eye, there were two or three hundred more people with connections who wanted to go to medical school.
After careful selection, they eliminated those who were trying to take advantage of the situation, those who were old and weak, and those who were idlers. In the end, nearly one hundred people with connections were sent to Renqiu.
Renqiu looked at these people and couldn't stop smiling.
The more people the better!
Bai Zhong quietly reminded him, "Mr. Ren, the Empress has told us to tell you that this is a matter of life and death. Please be strict in your teaching. Don't show leniency just because they are related. It's better to have a few good ones than to have a bunch of half-baked doctors. Don't tarnish the reputation of the medical school."
The Empress also said that every year the royal family would select a group of students to send to the medical school. She asked the medical school to maintain a strict elimination system and expel students who did not meet the requirements. They could be recommended to study at the neighboring Zhixing Academy.
Ren Qiu restrained his expression and said solemnly, "Thank you, Eunuch Bai, for making this trip. Please thank the Empress for me. I will definitely not let her down. I guarantee that the students who graduate from the medical school will have excellent medical skills."
"That's great! Mr. Ren, you're busy, and I have to go back and report. In a few days, the Ministry of Personnel will deliver Mr. Ren's appointment letter, and then Mr. Ren will have an official position again."
ah?
Renqiu frowned. He didn't want any official position.
Instead of giving him an official position, it is better to give him more money so that he can freely purchase medicinal materials.
Or give him more patients so that doctors in medical schools have more opportunities to practice.
Or, give him more ownerless corpses so that he can continue exploring the mysteries of the human body.
Bai Zhong said with a smile, "The Empress said that all doctors at the Medical School have official positions, and Mr. Ren, as the head of the academy, cannot be without one. Mr. Ren, don't worry, your official position is also with the Medical Department, a third-rank official. You don't have to attend the morning court and don't have to worry about state affairs. You only need to concentrate on running the Medical School and the Polytechnic Institute well."
Ren Qiu breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Queen, and thank you, Eunuch Bai."
"Mr. Ren, you're welcome!"
Renqiu sent Bai Zhong to the gate before returning.
He personally gave these 100 people a speech, telling them that the first assessment would take place in six months. Those who failed would be eliminated without any chance of recourse.
Those who are eliminated do not have to worry too much, as the medical school will recommend them to enter the neighboring Zhixing Academy or Shanhe Academy without taking an entrance exam.
I believe that people who have gone through half a year of training in medical school will not be ordinary people even if they fail the assessment.
After one year, there will be a second assessment. Those who fail the assessment will also be eliminated directly.
Two years later, there will be a third assessment, and those who fail will be eliminated.
Only students who pass three tests can stay in the medical school for further studies and obtain the seventh-rank official status after graduation.
As soon as these words were spoken, nearly a hundred people who were related to the company wailed.
Renqiu waved his hand and asked his subordinates to take these one hundred people with connections to learn their first lesson: discipline and hygiene.
Renqiu felt very happy.
Everything is moving in a good direction.
He left the medical school and prepared to go to the neighboring polytechnic to check on the progress of the project.
As I walked out of the school gate, I saw a girl looking at the gate of the medical school hesitantly.
Renqiu was curious. He watched the little girl come to the school gatehouse and asked, "Does the medical school accept female students?"
The guard glanced at her and said, "Want to apply to medical school? The entrance exam will be on the second day of next month. If you haven't registered yet, take the application form, fill it out and hand it in. Remember to take the exam on the second day of next month."
All academies in the capital have set up registration points in Xinmin County.
Because of the reputation of Shanhe Academy, the whole street is lined with registration points, and people jokingly call it Academy Street.
Even the Polytechnic Institute, so unpopular, had set up a registration point on College Street. Although the number of applicants was small, not as busy as the registration points of the several large colleges next door, at least three or five students would register every day.
Only the medical school does not have a registration point.
If you want to register, please go directly to the medical school gatehouse to fill in the registration form.
Why?
Because there are fewer people applying to medical schools than to polytechnics.
Most of the applicants are children of medical families with a long history of medical education. They will go directly to the medical school with a letter of recommendation without having to go to the registration point to go through the procedures.
Although the doorman was curious about a girl applying to medical school, he did not ask too many questions.
Currently, only polytechnics and medical schools admit female students, but the admission is not open.
Come and take the exam by giving the registration form.
If they don’t come, we won’t specifically advertise to recruit female students.
It's a tacit situation.
The girl held the registration form, looking hesitant. She asked, "Does your medical school really have female students? Will you really accept someone like me?"
"Whether you'll be recruited or not depends on whether you can pass the initial stage."
"How do I pass the exam? What does it cover?"
"I'm just a concierge, how would I know what the exam is about? Little girl, do you want to sign up or not?"
"I'm thinking about it."
The little girl held the registration form tightly.
Renqiu thought about it and realized he had plenty of time today, so he stepped forward and asked, "Little girl, how old are you this year? You want to apply to our medical school. If you are under the age of fifteen, you need your parents' consent."
"I turned fifteen at the beginning of the year."
"My name is Cao Xiuxiu."
"Miss Cao, why do you want to apply to medical school?"
Cao Xiuxiu bit her lip, looking hesitant.
Ren Qiu said, "Don't worry, I'm a teacher at the medical school. You can ask the doorman for confirmation. If you really want to apply to the medical school, I can recommend going to Wenqing Bookstore to buy some books to prepare for the exam."
"Really?"
Renqiu nodded heavily.
At this moment, the concierge opened the window and said cheerfully, "Little girl, you're lucky today. This Mr. Ren is the dean of our medical school. Why don't you thank him right away?"
Cao Xiuxiu was startled, then delighted, and was about to kneel down and kowtow.
Ren Qiu stopped her from kneeling. "First, tell me why you want to apply to medical school? I don't think you know anything about medicine. Why are you suddenly interested in studying medicine?"
Cao Xiuxiu twisted her sleeves and said after a while, "I don't want to get married! I heard that medical schools are recruiting female students. If I get admitted, I definitely won't have to get married."
So that’s it!
Renqiu asked her, "Can you read?"
Cao Xiuxiu nodded heavily. "I studied at a girls' elementary school in Xinmin County for three years. Not only can I read, I can also do some simple accounting."
"Just knowing how to read and do math won't get you into medical school."
When Cao Xiuxiu heard this, tears started to fall.
Ren Qiu continued, "I'll give you a list of books. If you can finish reading these books and memorize the content before the entrance exam on the second day of next month, you'll have a chance of getting into medical school. By the way, we do have female students in our medical school, and there's more than one. We have nearly twenty female students now, but before they even came to medical school, they already had medical knowledge that was comparable to that of the doctors in the clinic. If you want to go to medical school to avoid getting married, you'll have to work hard. As long as you can pass, I guarantee that no one will dare to disturb your studies."
Cao Xiuxiu's eyes lit up. "Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir! I will study hard and live up to your expectations."
Renqiu gave Cao Xiuxiu a list of books.
Cao Xiuxiu handed in the registration form and left happily.
Her home is at the foot of the Imperial College Mountain.
Her parents were Cao Dalang and Cao Hu, who had been refugees in the capital for several years and later bought property in the capital without telling their family and settled in the capital for many years.
Cao Xiuxiu was taken to the capital by her parents and was fortunately able to enter a girls' primary school.
When she reached the age of 15, her parents began to arrange a marriage for her and chose the son of an oil seller in Xinmin County.
Cao Xiuxiu, who was educated, did not like the oil seller's son. She disliked that he had little education and knew fewer words than she did.
What’s more important is that the oil seller’s son’s face is covered with pimples, which makes him ugly!
Cao Xiuxiu felt aggrieved and did not agree to this marriage.
Cao Dalang and his wife, however, were determined to marry their daughter off to him.
Why?
Because the oil seller's family had a household registration in Xinmin County, they bought a total of three houses in Phases 2 and 6, two of which were rented out.
The oil seller had only one son, and all his family business would be inherited by his only son.
For ordinary people, this condition is first-rate and cannot be faulted anywhere else.
Except that the boy is a little ugly.
Cao Xiuxiu uses delaying tactics in front of her parents.
He secretly borrowed money from his younger brothers and added the money he had saved over the years to buy books. He stayed in his room every day to memorize and prepare for the exam.
On the second day of the Chinese New Year, she got up before dawn and caught the first horse-drawn carriage to the medical school to take the exam.
The content of the entrance examination is both difficult and easy.
For those who have read the book and reviewed carefully, the exam is not difficult.
For those who have not reviewed and prepared, the exam is extremely difficult.
Cao Xiuxiu is very lucky, she belongs to the first category.
The examination lasts one day.
The results will be released in three days.
Cao Xiuxiu was on the list and officially became a student of the medical school.
She took the admission letter, found her parents, and formally assigned them.
Cao Dalang and Cao Hu were stunned!
"No, absolutely not!"
"It's not proper for a girl to go to medical school."
"You are no longer young, you should find a husband and get married."
"Medical school takes at least five or six years. By the time you graduate, you'll be a 20-something. How are you going to get married?"
"Xiu Xiu, don't be silly. You can't go to medical school. If you're not satisfied with the boy from the oil seller's family, I'll reject him and find you a better-looking one."
After her parents finished speaking, Cao Xiuxiu summoned all her courage and said solemnly, "There's something I forgot to mention. Successful graduation from medical school grants you a seventh-rank official rank, regardless of gender. As long as my daughter can graduate successfully and obtain her license, I'll be a seventh-rank medical officer."
Cao Dalang and his wife were stunned!
They were just ordinary people. If the court set up new government offices or issued new regulations, they basically wouldn't care about them unless the newspapers reported on them.
Therefore, when they heard that women could become officials, and even seventh-rank officials at that, they all thought Cao Xiuxiu was talking nonsense.
Cao Xiuxiu couldn't convince her parents and burst into tears in anger.
"If you don't believe me, go to the Imperial College and ask someone. You'll know if what I said is true. Or you can ask Mr. Wang, who works at the Shanhe Academy. He'll confirm it."
Cao Dalang and his wife thought about it and agreed, yes, we can definitely find out the truth by asking someone.
"Once we've investigated and found out you're lying, you'll just have to get married. And forget about going to that medical school!"
Cao Dalang left angrily and asked someone about the matter.
Cao Hu asked someone else.
Coincidentally, Wang Xuecheng is free today and comes to see the house.
When he met Mrs. Cao Hu and learned that her daughter Xiuxiu had been admitted to medical school, he immediately congratulated her, saying, "Congratulations, congratulations! Your Xiuxiu is so talented! Amazing!"
Cao Hu asked cautiously, "Mr. Wang, my daughter Xiuxiu said that if you graduate from medical school, you can get a seventh-rank official position. Is this true?"
"Of course it's true. It was decided a while ago that all doctors graduating from medical schools will be awarded the rank of seventh-rank medical officer and registered under the name of the Medical Bureau."
"Can a woman be an official?" Mrs. Cao Hu widened her eyes and her jaw dropped to the ground in surprise.
Wang Xuecheng nodded. "Yes, women can be officials, but they can only be medical officers, treating patients. They can't do anything else."
"Can she really become an official? Well, then, if a woman becomes an official, she will also receive a salary, right?"
"Of course!"
"So in a few years, my Xiuxiu will be an official?"
"Congratulations, your Xiuxiu! I've always said she's got a talent for studying. It would be a shame if she didn't study!"
"Yeah, it's a pity that I can't take the imperial examination, so I can only go to medical school."
It was a pity for a second, and then Mrs. Cao Hu became happy again.
"Our Cao family will also be able to produce an official in a few years!"
Cao Dalang and his wife were overjoyed.
Cao Xiuxiu wants to go to medical school. She must go.
Can’t get married?
It's a joke that you are afraid of not being able to marry into a good family even though you are an official!
Cao Xiuxiu got her wish and went to medical school.
She became the first female student admitted to the medical school since its establishment who had no medical background and was not from a medical family, but who took the initiative to register, formally took the entrance examination, and was admitted.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－
First update
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