The Farm Girl's Charismatic Fortune-Chapter 288 - 284: The Competition of Physicians

Yang Qixiang knew a bailiff at the Governor’s Office, who happened to be a relative of his, and received a message from him. He learned that Hen Lan had been imprisoned, and what’s more, the charge was conspiring against the Prince. He was so frightened that he immediately wrote a letter of divorce and divorced Hen Lan!

Hen Lan had been waiting for Yang Qixiang to rescue her, but instead, she received a letter of divorce. She was so infuriated that she cursed loudly in her cell, but sadly, no one paid her any attention.

The jailers found her tirade merely amusing.

If it hadn’t been for the Emperor’s decree of a general amnesty, she would have had to spend her entire life in prison.

It so happened that the Empress Dowager’s grand birthday coincided with the first anniversary of the Emperor’s ascension to the throne. As a way to accumulate blessings for the Empress Dowager, a general amnesty was issued. All prisoners except those guilty of the most heinous crimes or sentenced to death were released.

The Empress Dowager’s birthday must be approaching soon, right? I wonder if there will be another general amnesty.

The two jailers were discussing whether the Emperor would issue another general amnesty. They were happy at the notion since conveying this news to the prisoners’ visiting family members could earn them some extra silver.

They then speculated about which inmates’ families might offer them a reward...

~

After the Imperial Scholar exam results were posted, the competition organized by the Pharmacist Association began.

The Pharmacist Association held the competition every three years, coinciding with the Imperial Scholar exam, and scheduled right after the exam results were released.

This competition, sponsored by the Imperial Court, was divided into county, prefecture, and palace levels.

The top three finishers in the palace-level competition could enter the Imperial Medical Bureau as Imperial Physicians. The top ten had the opportunity to become army doctors, although they could choose not to and seek their fortunes elsewhere.

Many doctors participated in this competition, some with the goal of becoming an Imperial Physician, while others simply wanted the recognition to enhance their reputation and that of their medical clinics.

The county-level competition usually involved doctors from local medical clinics, and novice attendants would participate as well. Even rural barefoot doctors could sign up, as long as they believed their medical knowledge and understanding of pharmacology were sufficient.

Today, Ruo Xuan also came to join the bustling Pharmacist Association, bringing along Xuanyuan Que.

The event was not as lively as she had imagined, and it was nothing like the courtyard exams or the Imperial Scholar exams. She couldn’t help but say, "It seems like not many people are participating in this competition!"

There were only about a dozen tables set up on the stage.

Ruo Shan explained with a smile to his precious niece, "This competition is not a civil service examination. There are only so many clinics in a county, and counting the pharmacies, Shaxi County has only six or seven medical clinics and pharmacies combined. That’s why there aren’t many participants at the county level, and having ten participants is quite good. The prefecture-level competition will see doctors from different counties come together and will have more participants. By the palatial exams, doctors from all over Xuanyuan Country will gather, and there will be even more people."

Ruo Xuan then understood why there were so few studying medicine. It took many years to learn the medical arts, and attendants in medical clinics, only after recognizing all the medicinal materials and being able to dispense medicine independently, would start receiving a meager wage. Therefore, many people were reluctant to become attendants.

The most important thing was that becoming an attendant didn’t guarantee one would become a doctor or master the medical arts unless they encountered a doctor willing to share all his knowledge.

But why would someone do that without any familial or personal connection?

In those times, medical knowledge was generally passed down through families.

It was rare for outsiders to be taught.

"Fifth Uncle, you should go register now! I see people are already going on stage," Ruo Xuan urged.

The competition hosted by the Pharmacist Association was held on an open field in the market, where a platform was built. Well-respected officials and gentry from the city were invited to serve as referees, and the event was purposely scheduled on a market day.

The purpose was to allow as many people as possible to witness the competition.

Holding the contest on a market day meant that if someone won, many common people would learn about it, which could be a good boost to the winning clinic’s business.

Fang Boshan had participated once three years ago and won. He even made it to the palace-level competition, but unfortunately, he didn’t secure a high ranking there.

And he aspired to become an Imperial Physician at the Imperial Medical Bureau, so he continued to take part this year.

In Xuanyuan Country, within Capital City, the Fang Family Clan was famously known as a household of medical heritage. Their branch of the Fang Family in Capital City had a lineage where each generation someone would become an Imperial Physician at the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Fang Boshan also aspired to become an Imperial Physician at the Imperial Medical Bureau to raise the status of their branch.

As Ruo Shan had just signed his name, he saw people from Fang’s Medical Clinic arriving.

This time, besides Fang Boshan, there were his son Fang Zesheng and his nephew from the clan, Fang Desheng. Fang Desheng had been working as an attendant in the clinic for three years, not as long as Ruo Shan.

But after all, they were of the Fang lineage, so after three years, he was allowed to participate in the trial to gain experience.

Ruo Shan could understand, after all, he had no kinship with the Fang Family.

Ruo Shan courteously greeted them, "Dr. Fang, the young masters of the Fang Family, madam, Miss Fang."

Fang Boshan’s expression stiffened, then he gave a smile and said warmly, "Are you also here to participate in the trial?"

Ruo Shan nodded, "Then I’ll go on stage first."

Having said that, he left.

Madame Zhuang and Fang Yingying had come to watch the trial.

Fang Yingying, biting her lip, felt a tinge of grievance as Ruo Shan’s gaze didn’t meet hers even once.

She had already vindicated him that day in Tiandou; why was he still angry?

She had been bullied by her sister-in-law at home these past days; did he know how aggrieved she felt?

Madame Zhuang rolled her eyes at Ruo Shan and said sarcastically, "Oh, after being raised for so many years, does the ingrate think he’s grown wings? Bold enough to come out and make a fool of himself!"

Fang Boshan glared at Madame Zhuang, "Say less; there are people everywhere."

She wasn’t embarrassed to make a spectacle of herself, but he found her meanness distressing and shameful.

Madame Zhuang, chided, wasn’t happy, but since she considered herself a person of status, she kept quiet.

Feeling displeased inside, she couldn’t resist taking it out on Fang Yingying and laughed, "Yingying, see, with his grown wings, he looks down on you! I think you should consider my nephew instead! He has just passed the imperial examination this year, and next year he will become an Imperial Scholar and start his official career at the Imperial Court. In the future, you will be the respectable wife of an official, isn’t that better than marrying an attendant?"

The Ruo Family might have recently prospered, but the Fang Family had been a prestigious medical household for centuries in Capital City. Many members of the Fang lineage at Capital City had official positions at the Imperial Court. The Imperial Medical Bureau always had members of the Fang Family Clan in significant roles, and even in the palace, there was a consort of Fang lineage who had given birth to the Tenth Prince that year. So Madame Zhuang didn’t take the Ruo Family seriously at all.

She was just waiting for her husband and son to win the trial and then take her to enjoy life in the capital.

Being a doctor in a small county was nothing compared to the glory of being an Imperial Physician in the palace.

Madame Zhuang had visited Capital City once, and after witnessing how all the influential ladies sought after the wives of Imperial Physicians, she yearned for the day when she would be an Imperial Physician’s wife.

Since people need to eat grains and inevitably fall ill and seek medical help, many hold doctors in high regard.

That is why even the wife of the Prime Minister in Capital City wouldn’t dare to offend or neglect the wives of the Imperial Physicians at the Imperial Medical Bureau, if not treating them with great courtesy.

Do not offend anyone, especially a doctor, who, in critical moments, may save your life.

Moreover, the Fang Family Clan was now related by marriage to the Tenth Prince, and bound for a future of wealth and glory—naturally, they must go to the capital!