Chapter 328: Chapter 130 Perfect Test Paper_1

Time flew by.

After the final exam paper was submitted, and the chief examiner had collected all the papers, the three-day spring examination officially came to an end.

The students who had finished the exams were all standing in the Tribute Court, stretching their limbs and kicking their legs, their faces filled with pain. It was indeed a torment for these pampered young masters and misses to be cooped up in a cramped cell and complete three days of exams.

Lu Tong was still doing fairly well. Being shut in a dark room for three days was common for her, and when she was focused on answering questions, she hardly noticed the time passing.

After finding her medical kit and putting her pen away, Lu Tong walked out of the Tribute Court and immediately spotted several people standing under the pillars at the entrance; Du Changqing and Miao Liangfang were squatting down, counting ants, apparently having been there for quite some time.

"Miss!" Yin Zheng saw her, her eyes brightened, and she waved vigorously at her. Once Lu Tong approached, Yin Zheng hugged her, expressing deep sympathy, "You’ve clearly lost a lot of weight; there’s nothing decent to eat in the Tribute Court. Ah Cheng has stewed pork bone soup back at the Renxin Medical Hall. Let’s go back and eat."

Miao Liangfang and Du Changqing, however, didn’t show much joy on their faces. Du Changqing, in particular, looked as if he was in deep mourning.

"Little Lu," Miao Liangfang eyed her complexion and carefully phrased his words, "there was an additional ’Verification Case Study’ subject added to the spring exam... we all know that now... it’s... it’s no big deal if you didn’t pass it, what matters is participating, right?"

"What a joke!" Du Changqing became furiously angry once the matter was mentioned, "Weren’t you supposed to know the spring exam like the back of your hand? How come you had no idea what subjects were being tested? Quack doctor harming people!"

Miao Liangfang was distraught, "How was I supposed to know? When I served at the Medical Officer Institute back then, there was no damn Verification Department. Who would have thought the Imperial Medical Bureau would also be in charge of examining the dead!"

In his agitation, he blurted out some crude language.

Three days ago, Lu Tong went to the Tribute Court to participate in this year’s spring examination conducted by the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Lu Tong’s participation in the spring exam had caused quite a stir on West Street, especially since it involved a grudge with the Minister of the Imperial Treasury. Even the medical community was alerted. Any slight disturbance during the exam would bring people from all around to watch the excitement and pass on the news eagerly.

On the second day of the exam, the ever-inquisitive Widow Sun got some fresh news from the medical community, hurriedly running over to the Renxin Medical Hall to deliver the message.

The news that Widow Sun brought struck Miao Liangfang like a bolt of lightning.

This year’s spring examination by the Imperial Medical Bureau had added a "Verification Case Study" subject!

The Verification Department - that was for coroners to examine dead bodies!

There wasn’t such a subject when he had taken the spring exam, and in all the years since he was expelled from the Medical Officer Institute, such a subject was never included in the exams.

Who in their right mind would go and examine dead people for no reason!

The personnel from the Imperial Medical Bureau were truly as sharp as needles, secretly adding new subjects to the examination without informing the public. How could a Commoner Medical Worker, completely unprepared, possibly answer these questions?

Lu Tong, who came from a nontraditional background and had not been taught by the Imperial Medical Bureau, was uncertain to pass this year’s spring exam. With this additional subject, a discipline she had never been exposed to, failure seemed almost certain!

The folks at the Medical Officer Institute, it seemed, were like putting on masks to climb into coffins - utterly shameless!

Upon hearing about this, the people of West Street felt sympathy for her. However, Old Tree Bark Bai Shouyi from Xinglin Hall had his moment of gloating and came over to the Renxin Medical Hall to make a few sarcastic comments, only to be jabbed out the door by Du Changqing with a broom.

Although Du Changqing cursed and fussed openly, he turned around feeling so angry that his complexion changed and he struggled to breathe. It took two doses of medicinal soup from Miao Liangfang before he calmed down.

"These officials, with a single clap of their mouths, they change their stance; they simply do not want commoners to enter the Medical Officer Institute," Du Changqing sneered coldly. "Well, a bunch of incompetent doctors flock together, which saves you the suffering."

He looked Lu Tong over and seeing that she didn’t look as dejected as he had imagined, he felt slightly reassured and flicked his sleeve, "I think you should just stay put at the medical hall in peace. With the master providing for you, you won’t starve."

Yin Zheng furrowed her brows, "Shopkeeper, the results haven’t come out yet, how do you know our miss won’t pass?

"Nonsense, you think she will pass?"

"Of course!" Yin Zheng was very confident, turning to ask Lu Tong, "I believe in miss."

Her trust in Lu Tong had always been unshakeable. Lu Tong smiled faintly, without saying much in response.

Unable to tolerate his master and servant’s feigned optimism for self-comfort, Du Changqing turned away and rolled his eyes, saying, "Stop dawdling. The carriage is at the gate; let’s go back to the medical hall to eat."

"If we’re any later, the bone soup will be simmered dry!"

...

With the addition of the "Verification Case Study" subject to the Imperial Medical Bureau’s spring examination, some people cursed and jumped with rage while others were quite pleased and satisfied.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read