"I think you people are truly shameless. You have no skills yourselves, yet you love to gossip here. If you keep babbling, I'll have the medical attendants cut out all your tongues."
He showed no mercy with his words.
Threatened by this man, Miss Su lost her arrogance.
The previous commotion had also taken up most of everyone's attention. As the next round had not yet begun, the hall instantly fell silent, with everyone closing their eyes to rest.
After the time it took for one stick of incense to burn, the judge returned to the hall.
"The third item of the first competition begins. Next, palace attendants will announce the content of this round."
With that, over a dozen palace maids entered, carrying wooden trays. Then, the leader came out to explain.
"This round is called 'Poison Testing.' Those present can choose whether to participate. I will now explain the specific procedure for poison testing."
She waved her hand, signaling the palace maids to unveil the red cloth on the wooden trays, revealing exquisite carved bottles.
"As medical practitioners, we encounter not just one type of illness in patients, but also many who have been poisoned. Therefore, a physician's most crucial skill is to identify various poisons and simultaneously find accurate antidotes."
Upon hearing this, those present seemed to have already guessed the rules of this competition.
"Now, participants who choose to compete will select a medicine bottle, ingest the poison within, and find the antidote before the poison takes effect. The one who finds the antidote the fastest will be the winner of this round."
After the palace maids announced the rules, they placed the medicine bottles before everyone.
Considering the rules the palace maid had just read, many felt a surge of fear.
"If I unfortunately choose a bottle of poison that I cannot detoxify, won't I end up poisoning myself to death?" one woman asked, her voice trembling with tears.
She had come to participate in the competition with only a tentative mindset. Even if she didn't stay, she could simply leave the palace and become a practicing physician. However, if she participated in a round, she would only have a fifty-fifty chance of survival.
Thinking of this, the woman repeatedly shook her head, indicating her unwillingness to participate.
As she was the first to withdraw from the competition, more and more people followed suit, abandoning this round.
Watching the physicians gradually leave the hall, fewer than half remained.
"If any of you choose to forfeit this competition, you will not have the opportunity to participate in the second round. Furthermore, all previous results will be considered a loss. Our rule also states that you cannot skip levels. Please consider carefully." Seeing more and more people wavering, the judge reiterated the rules one last time.
As expected, this statement managed to retain a few individuals who were undecided.
"Sister, what should we do? If we don't participate, we won't have a chance to take the next test. Mother will surely not let us off if she finds out."
Su Zirong looked troubled. Su Yuxi, their eldest sister, was now the one who had to make the decision.
Recalling that this competition was an opportunity for their mother to bring them glory, Su Yuxi tightly gripped her handkerchief and finally decided to participate.
Thus, the three Su sisters decided to compete in this round.
Seeing more and more people choosing to leave, Xiao Yihao and Duan Xifeng were naturally worried. They tugged at Gu Qianying's arm, trying to persuade her not to participate.
However, Gu Qianying remained lost in thought for a long time.
For some reason, after the judge and the palace maids announced the rules for this round, she felt a vague sense of unease.
"Logically, people in the palace shouldn't joke with everyone's lives so casually. I find these rules somewhat strange." She voiced her thoughts, hoping the other two would analyze it with her.
Unfortunately, Duan Xifeng was a rough man, and Xiao Yihao was too young and inexperienced, so neither of them could offer a better answer.
"Since you're unsure, I think it's best to prioritize your safety," Duan Xifeng stated simply and decisively.
"Yes, Mother. Uncle is right. Yihao is also worried about your safety."
Since the two of them had endured the hardship of disguising themselves as women to be here, their priority was to protect Gu Qianying and prevent her from falling into danger. And the current danger was this competition. To ensure their safe departure from the Nan Yi Kingdom, both of them disagreed with Gu Qianying participating.
However, their words seemed to have little effect.
"No, precisely because there is something strange about this, I must participate in this round to see what they are testing."
In the end, Gu Qianying chose to stay, while Duan Xifeng and Xiao Yihao stood by with dejected faces.
Since she had already made up her mind, asking them for advice was futile.
After much deliberation, only about ten people remained in the hall. It was unexpected that a single round's rules would frighten away more than half of the contestants.
Seeing that the remaining participants were ready, the palace attendants flipped the hourglass again, and this round of the competition officially began.
Everyone present had made a great resolution, and each person carefully chose the poison they would ingest.
The three Su sisters were in the same group, so they had an advantage this time. Only one person needed to represent them in this round.
As the eldest sister making the final decision, Su Yuxi naturally became the one to select and test the poison.
Seeing their eldest sister preparing to step forward to choose the poison to ingest, the second and third young ladies of the Su family stepped forward to persuade her.
"Eldest Sister, you are the heir to our Su family's medical legacy. If something happens to you, Mother will surely blame us two. Why don't we just give up?" Su Zirong spoke first.
Although she was somewhat timid, she genuinely worried about her eldest sister's safety.
Seeing her second sister speak, Su Xiuer quickly added.
"Yes, Eldest Sister, Second Sister is right. Mother has placed all her hopes on you. If something happens to you, Mother's efforts will be in vain."
Her words were somewhat heart-wrenching, but as she spoke, a subtle hint of cunning flashed in Su Xiuer's eyes.
Because Su Yuxi was the eldest daughter, she had always been superior to them in her medical studies. Their mother also doted on her eldest sister, making Su Xiuer, the third daughter, the one with the least status among the three sisters.
In fact, she had already planned to secretly hide her sister's antidote after the eldest sister chose the poison. Even if Su Yuxi identified the poison she had been afflicted with, she would succumb to it due to the inability to take the antidote in time.
Thinking of this, her words of persuasion became perfunctory.
Hearing that her two younger sisters were not considering her well-being, Su Yuxi was naturally touched. However, seeing that Gu Qianying had also stayed to participate in the competition, she had no reason to back down.
She was determined to see whether there was a gap between herself and that woman.