Miao Liangfang left, full of worry.

Yin Zheng poked her head out from the small kitchen, and seeing Lu Tong putting the velvet cloth into the medical box, came over and whispered, “Miss, what Master Miao said can’t be true, can it…”

She had just come out in time to hear Miao Liangfang’s words and couldn’t help but worry for Lu Tong.

Let alone the Imperial Medical Academy being a den of tigers and dragons, just Cui Min’s prejudice and disgust toward commoners alone made Lu Tong’s spring examination extremely difficult.

“Whether it’s true or not, we’ll find out when we get there,” Lu Tong picked up her medical box and walked toward the room.

That night, she slept surprisingly deeply.

Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Lu Tong finished washing up.

As soon as she opened the door, she saw Yin Zheng yawning while sitting at the stone table in the courtyard.

Hearing movement, Yin Zheng turned her head, stood up, and walked over, stuffing two warmed rice cakes into Lu Tong’s hands: “Miss, have these to fill your stomach, we can eat on the way.”

Lu Tong was stunned.

The Imperial Medical Bureau’s spring examination location was the same as the autumn imperial examinations—at the Imperial Examination Hall. However, there weren’t as many candidates as the autumn examinations. After all, though medical officials had the word “official” in their title, they weren’t as prestigious as true “officials.”

The examination was to begin at the Hour of the Snake (9-11 AM), and Lu Tong had risen at the Hour of the Rabbit (5-7 AM). The two hours in between were more than enough for travel. Moreover, she had planned to go to the examination hall alone, not wanting Du Changqing and Miao Liangfang to see her off.

Alone—she was used to being alone.

Seeing her dazed expression, Yin Zheng displayed a proud smile and came to link arms with Lu Tong, saying cheerfully, “Miss, don’t think about leaving me behind and going alone. Let me see you off—I’ve never seen what the capital’s spring examinations look like! Let me broaden my horizons!”

Her slender fingers gripped Lu Tong’s arm tightly, as if afraid she might disappear in the blink of an eye. The small patch of skin where their arms touched quickly grew warm, seeming to dispel the early spring morning’s chill.

Lu Tong stared at the hand resting on her arm for a while, then lowered her head and said, “Let’s go.”

“Alright!”

The carriage had been arranged the day before and was already waiting early at the alley entrance.

From West Street to the examination hall wasn’t exactly close, but it wasn’t far either—less than half an hour’s journey. Lu Tong and Yin Zheng finished the two rice cakes and drank some water in the carriage. Soon after, they heard the driver call from the front: “Young ladies, we’ve arrived.”

The carriage stopped.

Lu Tong and Yin Zheng jumped down from the carriage.

In her year in the capital, this was Lu Tong’s first time at the Imperial Examination Hall. Though Miao Liangfang had told her about the spring examination procedures beforehand, and she had learned about the examination hall’s layout from Scholar Wu, being there in person felt different.

It was early spring. The snow on Mount Wan’en Temple hadn’t completely melted, but the capital’s spring willows were already showing signs of swaying.

Slender willows were planted around the examination hall, their green shoots just emerging, a patch of tender verdancy. Due to last year’s autumn examination incident, the examination hall had been renovated. Among the floating green mist, two huge vermillion pillars stood prominently at the entrance. One side was carved with characters in ink: “The precious sword moves with the stars, golden saddles part as horses neigh.”

The other side read: “Wielding the five-colored brush, seize the champion’s banner.”

The calligraphy was powerful and spirited.

This was the entrance to the examination hall.

There were patrol officers and guards at the entrance. Lu Tong went forward and showed them her spring examination documents. The officer took the register and flipped through it a couple of times, looked Lu Tong up and down, and then waved her through.

Yin Zheng couldn’t follow and had to wait outside. She held Lu Tong’s hand rather tightly.

Lu Tong patted her hand reassuringly, then walked in carrying her medical box.

At the examination hall entrance, several candidates were already waiting.

As it was still early, the examination cell doors hadn’t opened yet. In front of the cells was a large open space where awnings had been set up to form long shelters, with bamboo stools underneath for early-arriving candidates to rest.

Many students who had arrived early sat under the bamboo shelter—some reviewing medical texts, hoping to get in a few more glances before the examination began. More were gathered in groups, chatting about recent gossip.

A young man in the distinctive blue cotton robe of Imperial Medical Bureau students was animatedly sharing recent rumors.

“Have you heard? Today a civilian medical practitioner is taking the spring examination, and it’s a woman!”

A man sitting at the other end looking through medical texts raised his head with a grin: “I heard about that too. That woman had some unclear relationship with Dong Lin from the Minister of Imperial Warehouses’ mansion. Dong Lin even had a falling out with his mother over it!”

“Cao Huai, are you serious?”

This statement immediately caused amazed murmurs among those around.

Everyone in the capital knew that the Minister’s young master had been timid since childhood, treating his mother’s words as gospel. Now he had fallen out with his family over a woman—it was truly intriguing.

“What kind of beauty could make Dong Lin defy his mother?”

Another person answered haughtily: “Just a village woman trying to climb above her station. She’s only taking the spring examination to make Dong Lin commit to her—what disrespect for the examination! We who study at the Imperial Medical Bureau should be ashamed to be examined alongside such a woman!”

The Imperial Medical Bureau students had always held themselves in high regard, looking down on civilian medical practitioners. Now hearing that someone was taking the examination just to spite a man, they couldn’t help but feel contempt.

Just then, someone pointed ahead: “Look… is that the civilian medical woman?”

Everyone followed his gaze.

A young woman walked toward the examination cells, wearing a slightly worn dark blue dress and carrying a wooden medical box. Her black hair was half-tied up, with only a simple flower pin as decoration.

The early spring chill hadn’t yet faded. The pale sunlight fell on her face like golden rays on an icy mountain peak. Her features were beautiful, neither smiling nor frowning, advancing unhurriedly with measured steps, her beauty surpassing the March willows.

The young men who had just been sneering and mocking fell silent.

Capital women were typically tall and bright, but this woman was slender and delicate like a Southern beauty, yet lacking the gentle compliance of Southern beauties. Like crystalline spring snow or the hazy autumn moon, her eyes carried a hint of proud, cold beauty.

There wasn’t the slightest trace of fawning or coquettishness.

She was completely different from the frivolous person they had imagined.

Lu Tong walked to the shelter and seemed to only then notice the many people around. She paused her steps and raised her eyes to look ahead.

This group all looked very young, with only one or two being slightly older. They all wore round-collared blue robes and carried identical yellow wooden medical boxes with carved silk patterns. They seemed to know each other, their manner familiar.

After a moment’s confusion, she quickly understood.

These must be the Imperial Medical Bureau students.

Civilian medical practitioners recommended by the medical community could easily be distinguished from Imperial Medical Bureau students just by their clothing, and there was no one else like her around.

It seemed she was the only “outsider” among this year’s candidates.

Just as she was thinking this, a voice suddenly came from in front of her: “Miss?”

She looked up to see a young man in blue robes and a headband.

The young man was fairly handsome, but his eyes shifted constantly when looking at people, suggesting questionable character. He looked Lu Tong up and down, his smile overly familiar as he said, “Are you here for the spring examination too?”

Lu Tong glanced at him once, then walked past him, showing no interest in conversation.

The watching crowd burst into laughter: “Cao Huai got rejected!”

“Haha, his father’s just a minor official in the Palace Treasury, how can he compare to the Minister of Imperial Warehouses!”

The young man called “Cao Huai” heard the teasing around him, his smile froze and his expression turned ugly.

“I’m talking to you!” He dropped his smile and stepped forward aggressively, reaching to grab her hand.

The next moment, someone passed by and knocked away his unruly hand, accompanied by a sharp rebuke: “What are you doing? Looking for a fight?”

The voice was clear and crisp—a woman’s voice.

Lu Tong turned her head.

The speaker was a young woman in blue robes, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with striking features and bright, lively eyes that immediately inspired goodwill. She wasn’t wearing a headband, only a matching ribbon to tie up her long hair, making her bright and beautiful face especially vibrant.

Looking around, there weren’t many women taking the spring examination today—including Lu Tong, there were only a few. This young woman stood in front of Lu Tong with her arms crossed, clearly taking on a protective stance.

“Lin Danqing!” Cao Huai was furious.

“Why are you shouting so loud?” The young woman called Lin Danqing blinked her eyes, showing an innocent smile. “The spring examination is about to begin, and here you are, a grown man harassing a young woman. Don’t you know anything about being chivalrous?”

“The gods are watching from above. Be careful that the God of Literature sees your rudeness and makes you fail the examination.”

“You!” Cao Huai’s face changed several times. Whether he feared the young woman’s status or was wary of her words’ curse, he shot Lu Tong a vicious glare before turning and storming off angrily.

Some of the spectators also dispersed.

Lu Tong withdrew her gaze and looked at the young woman before her: “Thank you.”

“No need for thanks,” the blue-robed young woman smiled at her. “I’m Lin Danqing. Who knows, maybe later we’ll both enter the Imperial Medical Academy and work together as medical officials.”

That smiling face bathed in sunlight looked bright and friendly.

After a pause, Lu Tong nodded, “I appreciate your kind words.”

“Trust me, sister,” Lin Danqing said seriously, “My words have been blessed—they’re very effective!”

Just then, the long bell outside rang several times.

“The spring examination is about to begin,” Lin Danqing looked back. “Let’s go over.”

Lu Tong nodded, stood up, and walked with her toward the examination cells.

At the cells, an examiner was checking documents and calling names. Everyone found their assigned cells according to their names. Lu Tong’s cell was in the middle, neither far nor near. She left her medical box outside, taking only her writing materials, and entered the cell directly.

Because of last year’s autumn examination cheating incident, this year’s spring examination was much stricter. The cell walls inside and out seemed to have been reorganized and renovated, appearing even more cramped. Looking over, they resembled small prison cells.

The examiner distributed the examination papers—a thick stack. The Imperial Medical Bureau’s spring examination was like the capital’s autumn examination, just with different content. Lu Tong wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she felt the examiner who passed by her cell look at her with something like pity.

As if feeling very sympathetic.

She paid it no mind and picked up the examination papers before her, organizing them one by one.

One, two, three…

The spring examination traditionally tested nine subjects: Major Pulse Methods, Minor Pulse Methods, Cold Damage Disorders, Women’s Diseases, Sores and Ulcers, Acupuncture, Ophthalmology, Throat Diseases, and Bone Setting.

This was how Miao Liangfang had taught her.

However…

…eight, nine, ten.

Lu Tong’s movements suddenly stopped as she counted the examination papers.

Ten papers.

There were ten examination papers before her.

She frowned slightly and counted the papers again.

Still ten.

She hadn’t miscounted—there was an additional subject.

Lu Tong stared at the extra examination paper before her, remembering the strange look the chief examiner had given her earlier, and her heart sank.

Why was there suddenly an additional subject?

Meanwhile, standing under the bamboo shelter, the examiner who had distributed Lu Tong’s papers sighed: “There probably won’t be many who pass this year’s spring examination.”

“Naturally,” another examiner came over and looked toward the distant cells, somewhat rueful. “The questions set by Master Ji Xun—even the Imperial Medical Academy’s officials might not be able to answer them, let alone these young novices.”

This year’s Imperial Medical Bureau spring examination questions were personally set by Imperial Medical Official Ji Xun. Ji Xun was an expert in medicine and pharmacology, but he was very strict. Previously, when he had lectured at the Imperial Medical Bureau, students had complained that his medical theories were too profound and difficult to digest. Now that he had personally set the questions, when the examiners distributed the papers today and took a look, they all clicked their tongues. Besides the usual Imperial Medical Bureau curriculum, there were many particularly difficult questions.

“That’s not all,” the examiner said. “This year they’ve added a Forensic Medicine subject. It’s crazy—the government offices have special coroners, why is our Medical Academy getting involved in this?”

This year’s spring examination had increased from nine subjects to ten, adding Forensic Medicine, mainly examining corpse inspection.

The capital’s government offices had specialized coroners, which should have been unrelated to the Imperial Medical Bureau and Academy. However, because of coroners’ low status—most coming from families involved in coffin-making, butchery, or funeral services—and their descendants being barred from civil examinations, few were willing to enter the profession. In recent years, there were fewer and fewer capable coroners in the capital’s government offices.

Early last year, the court had intended to increase the number of coroners and improve their status in government offices, so they added Forensic Medicine as a subject at the Imperial Medical Bureau. However, since this subject required dealing with corpses, these Imperial Medical Bureau students, though not from the highest-ranking families, had still been raised in comfort and never experienced such hardships, let alone studying corpses in detail. Almost all performed poorly in Forensic Medicine.

Unexpectedly, the Medical Academy had included “Forensic Medicine” in this year’s spring examination.

“Our Imperial Medical Bureau students are still okay—at least they’ve studied a bit of it. But it’s terrible for the civilian medical practitioners. They’ve never studied it before, and suddenly having this additional subject—they probably won’t be able to answer a single question.”

The examiner thought of the young female doctor sitting in the examination cell and couldn’t help feeling sympathetic. They at the Medical Academy had all heard something about the affair with the Minister of Imperial Warehouses. He was of common birth and had worked diligently for many years to secure his position at the Medical Academy. Seeing that this year finally had a commoner taking the spring examination, only to be kept from the Medical Academy because of sudden examination reforms, it seemed rather unfortunate.

“No need to sympathize with her. I might as well tell you, the Dong family has already spoken to the Medical Academy,” his colleague lowered his voice. “Never mind if she can’t pass—even if she does pass, she won’t be able to enter the Imperial Medical Academy.”

The examiner was startled: “Why?”

“Think about it—if she enters the Imperial Medical Academy, where would the Dong family put their face? Let’s just do what we’re supposed to do. Don’t inquire into the thoughts of those above,” his colleague patted his shoulder and went off to supervise the examination, carrying his water flask.

The examiner stood dumbfounded for a while, then sighed sympathetically and walked toward the examination cells.