Chapter 336: Chapter 132 Section 1-2

The Medical Officer teaches and sets the examination, yet in the end, a common female doctor from the marketplace snagged first place—hardly a shining achievement when you think about it.

"Brother, should we prepare a congratulatory gift to send to West Street?"

Pei Yunmeng glanced at him, "Aren’t you afraid of her?"

Ever since the last incident at Renxin Medical Hall where Lu Tong toyed with him using a black snake, Duan Xiaoyan had kept a respectful distance from her. Although the snake was in fact not poisonous, Duan Xiaoyan always felt that the murderous intent in Lu Tong’s eyes at the time was real.

Duan Xiaoyan shivered and said, "That’s exactly why we’re sending the gift. Just think, once she enters the palace, if we were to come down with a headache or fever and she happens to be assigned to diagnose us, wouldn’t our lives be in her hands? One misstep—" he mimicked the gesture of beheading, "who would we plead our case to?"

After witnessing her craziness, Duan Xiaoyan believed Lu Tong was capable of anything.

There was a sense of brutality in her, "those who followed her prospered, and those who went against her perished" without any overt signs of aggression.

Pei Yunmeng scoffed, "Send it. I won’t stop you."

With Pei Yunmeng’s approval, Duan Xiaoyan left in high spirits, though it was unclear what he was so excited about.

In the room, Xiao Zhufeng watched the man opposite him with a thoughtful gaze,

Pei Yunmeng raised his eyebrows, "Watching what?"

"You don’t plan to stop him? Lu Tong is about to enter the Medical Officer Institute."

Pei Yunmeng flipped to the next page of the scroll, answering distractedly, "I’ve said it already, I won’t cover for her."

"You’re already covering for her," Xiao Zhufeng reminded him.

Pei Yunmeng looked up, his brow slightly furrowing, "Why do I feel like you’re particularly interested in her affairs?"

Xiao Zhufeng snorted coldly, "It’s you who are being irrational."

The young man put down the scroll in his hand and leaned back in his chair, looking out of the window.

It was March, and the leaves of the Parasol trees in front of the Palace Front Office were turning green again, rustling in the wind.

He watched for a while, then drew his gaze back and relaxed his features, smiling, "Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing."

"You’d better," Xiao Zhufeng huffed, standing up to leave the room. As he walked out, he ran into Qingfeng, who was about to come in.

Qingfeng paused, looked back at Xiao Zhufeng for a moment, then said to Pei Yunmeng, "Deputy Envoy Xiao... he doesn’t seem very pleased."

Pei Yunmeng acted as if he didn’t notice, "Don’t mind him."

Qingfeng fell silent.

Indeed, it wasn’t the first time. Whenever Xiao Zhufeng found himself helplessly at odds with Pei Yunmeng, he would storm off in silence to express his dissent.

One devoid of intimidation, the other self-willed.

They had always each done their own thing.

Pei Yunmeng asked, "Did you find the items?"

Qingfeng, "All have been found, without exception."

Pei Yunmeng nodded, "Go on, deliver them to Renxin Medical Hall."

"Yes."

...

The resident female doctor from West Street caused a sensation with her performance in the spring examination, outshining a host of Imperial Physicians to top the honor roll, shocking the entire medical community of Shengjing. The Imperial Apothecary, Hanlin Medical Institute, and the Imperial Medical Bureau all descended into chaos.

Some rushed to offer their congratulations upon hearing the news, others prepared gifts hesitantly. However, the person most shaken by this news was none other than the proud mother of the young master of the Minister of Imperial Treasury’s household.

"How is this possible? Cui Min accepted my gift, how could he allow Lu Tong to top the honor roll, let alone be first!"

In the drawing room, Lady Dong was fuming, violently throwing her teacup to the side.

"Crash!"

The fine lotus-patterned porcelain cup shattered instantly.

The servants kneeling in the drawing room kept their heads down, not daring to look at the shattered porcelain pieces at their feet but simply presented the wooden box forward with a respectful tone, "The Officer has sent the items back with his servant, failing to appreciate Lady Dong’s kindness. Please forgive us."

"Forgiveness?"

In the wooden box lay two clear Tao Inkstones alongside a chest full of Gold Ingots, dazzlingly bright to the eye.

Lady Dong laughed rather than being angry, "Since Cui Min is disinclined to accept the kindness of the Dong Family, we dare not accept his forgiveness."

Her familiar contacts had clearly informed her that Lu Tong’s name was not on the honor roll and Cui Min had already received the gifts she had sent. Lady Dong had even arranged for Missus Wang to go to Renxin Medical Hall and thoroughly humiliate Lu Tong as revenge for the slandering of her son by the gossipy women on West Street. Who would have thought that at the last moment, the honor roll would change, and not only was Lu Tong’s name listed, but she also ranked first!

Countless people in Shengjing City must be laughing at the Dong Family behind their backs.

What a loss of face!

With rage burning and nowhere to vent, if not for the fact that Cui Min was the Chief Officer of the Yiguan Court, Lady Dong would have liked to personally visit him and reproach him for his dishonesty.

The maidservants in the drawing room maintained their quiet composure, not daring to breathe too loudly. It was the servant from the Medical Officer Institute who had come to deliver the message who hesitated, then added, "Actually..."

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read