Chapter 337: Chapter 132 Sections 1-3
"Actually, what?"
"Actually, it wasn’t that the Chief Officer of the Yiguan Court was unwilling to include Lu Tong in the list; in fact, someone else was behind it."
Lady Dong scoffed, "Is Cui Min trying to find a scapegoat to fob me off?"
As the Chief Officer of the Hanlin Medical Institute, Cui Min handled all final decisions regarding the spring exam. The only ones he arranged for others were those who could arrange for him—could it be the emperor himself?
Lady Dong didn’t believe a word of it.
"It was Doctor Ji."
Lady Dong was taken aback.
Doctor Ji... Ji Xun?
The servant before her bowed deeply, pressing his forehead to the ground, "This year’s exam questions were set by Doctor Ji Xun, and Doctor Lu’s answers in the Verification Case Study were perfect. Therefore, she caught Doctor Ji’s attention, and he personally sought out her other exam papers to mark them one by one."
"Doctor Ji holds Doctor Lu in high esteem and spoke very highly of her. He insisted on securing the top spot for Doctor Lu. Envoy Cui tried to stop him, but..."
"You know, Doctor Ji is highly favored by His Majesty and holds a position at court that even an Officer cannot compare with. His words cannot be ignored by the Officer. Therefore, even though Envoy Cui had already struck Doctor Lu’s name from the list, in the end, she was still added by Doctor Ji to the successful candidates’ list and even placed first..."
The servant from the Medical Officer Institute said anxiously, "Madam, that Doctor Lu might enjoy Doctor Ji’s support in the future."
Ji Xun becoming Lu Tong’s backer?
Lady Dong stepped back twice and sat back down, her expression fluctuating.
She knew of Ji Xun; no one in Shengjing’s medical circles was unfamiliar with his name. That young medical prodigy came from a family filled with scholars and confucians, yet he devoted himself to medicine, his skills far surpassing those of elder medical officers.
When she first learned that this year’s spring exam questions were set by Ji Xun, Lady Dong was secretly pleased. She had no doubts about Ji Xun’s capabilities, and Ji Xun’s questions might not be something Lu Tong could answer.
Who would have thought that after all the twists and turns, she would end up making a wedding dress for Lu Tong?
"Is what you say true?" Lady Dong was still dubious.
Ji Xun was known to be proud and strict; it was common knowledge. Why would he take a special interest in a mere commoner medical worker? Could it be that he was attracted by Lu Tong’s beauty?
Indeed, that woman was used to seducing men with her beauty, first Pei Yunmeng, then her own son, and now Ji Xun. Lady Dong thought maliciously.
"Absolutely true. If I deceive Madam, may I be struck by lightning and my soul scatter!"
Lady Dong’s eyebrows knitted slightly, "Stand up."
Highly admirable, full of praise?
The words sounded particularly jarring to her ears.
"What a Ji Xun!" Lady Dong said coldly.
Everyone in the medical circles knew of the grudge between the Minister of Imperial Treasury and Lu Tong; for Ji Xun to help Lu Tong like this was to make an enemy of the Dong Family.
Lady Dong’s face darkened.
For a moment, the image of the young medical officer, cold and handsome, became repulsive to her.
...
Night had fallen, casting a deep quiet over the compound.
"Creak—" A sound.
The gates of the Medical Officer Institute were opened.
Someone quickly walked into Envoy Cui’s study and whispered, "Sir, I have delivered the silver and the message."
Upon hearing this, the person sitting at the desk, resting with closed eyes, suddenly opened them, his eyes gleaming, showing not the slightest sign of fatigue.
"Good," nodded Cui Min, picking up a medical text from the desk to read.
The sleeves of his blue robe swept over the desk like a serene, blue cloud.
The person at the desk said, "Lady Dong was quite angry. I shifted the blame to Doctor Ji, and Lady Dong did not suspect anything."
Cui Min replied with a simple, "Hmm."
The servant let out a soft sigh of relief.
Ji Xun was not popular among his colleagues at the Hanlin Medical Institute and prided himself on his aloofness. It was difficult for others to approach him. These days he was busy treating ailments for the elder in the Imperial Censor’s family and hardly came to the Institute. As long as Lady Dong didn’t directly seek confirmation from Ji Xun, she wouldn’t detect anything amiss—of course, given Lady Dong’s disposition, she wouldn’t confront Ji Xun anyway.
This grudge, Ji Xun had taken on in Cui Min’s stead against the Minister of Imperial Treasury.
Even though Ji Xun had never actually reviewed Lu Tong’s exam papers.
But...
"Chief Officer, why did you add that female doctor’s name to the final successful candidates’ list at the last minute?" the confidant couldn’t help but ask.
The medical officers, who were friendly with the Dong Family, hinted that Lu Tong’s name was not on the list of successful candidates at the spring exam, which actually wasn’t false.
Because initially, Cui Min indeed had struck out Lu Tong’s name.
Lu Tong’s exam papers, although perfect in the Verification Department, had flaws in other medical categories that could be identified. If it came down to the details, those minor issues could have been grounds for point deduction. Standing before the entire medical community, there would be enough reason for no one to accuse Cui Min of unfair grading.
Yet, just the night before the successful candidates’ list was published, Cui Min changed the list, and suddenly Lu Tong had a place on it.
The confidant was puzzled. Lu Tong was just a commoner female doctor without any significant background. The Chief Officer clearly despised commoner medical workers; why take the risk of offending the Minister of Imperial Treasury at the last moment by adding Lu Tong’s name to the list?
And to put her in the first place.
In the flickering lamplight, the middle-aged man’s face was bathed in a dull glow, casting a hazy double image, like a thin, deceptive shell.
The confidant gritted his teeth, "Chief Officer, why did you leave her name on the list?"