Chapter 346: Chapter 134: First Entry into the Medical Officer Institute_1

In the fortieth year of Yongchang, on the tenth day of the third month.

The weather was clear, and the scattered clouds had faded away. Behind the Xuanfeng Gate, in the Xiefang Garden, a multitude of flowers were budding, with red apricots as though pouring out.

Amidst a large expanse of fuzzy spring hue, two eunuchs were carefully selecting and picking fresh peach blossoms from the trees.

Soft Consort had recently gained much favor in the palace and required several baskets of fresh peach petals for her baths daily. The best were the peach petals with dew in the early morning, tender and pink, flawless like beauties.

While they were picking, there was the faint sound of footsteps approaching. Looking up in the direction of the sound, they saw a female official leading a group dressed in green towards the deeper part of the eastern corridor.

The group contained both men and women with unfamiliar faces; they looked around as they walked with erratic steps, unlike the disciplined neatness of those within the palace.

The younger eunuch, puzzled, asked the person beside him, "Who are those people?"

"They are the new Imperial Medical Officers," the older eunuch replied, following his gaze, "Today is the day the Medical Officer Institute admits new members."

"Imperial Medical Officers?"

The term was somewhat unfamiliar to the new eunuch, who, scratching his head, looked enviously at the group, "So young to be Imperial Medical Officers... That sister over there is really pretty!"

The girl at the end of the group looked no more than sixteen or seventeen, wearing a green robe with a round collar and a narrow waist that highlighted her slender frame. Her skin was very pale, her features exquisite yet her expression was cold, like a frosty, blooming green peach blossom, aloof and dazzling. Even amidst the crowd, one couldn’t overlook her presence.

She was truly captivating.

Right up ahead, Lu Tong was following the guiding official.

The Imperial City was magnificent. One would have thought the opulence of Examiner Official Fan Zhenglian’s residence was extreme, yet it paled in comparison to what lay before her eyes.

Further along the eastern corridor, the walls of the palace were towering, with green tiles and red eaves, the long corridor winding its way everywhere, adorned with carved railings and jade-like structures. The fresh verdant glaze tiles of the buildings glistened under the sunlight, and the giant dragons twined upon the red eaves had a vivid, lifelike look, glittering with gold and splendor.

A few steps away seemed to be a garden, with a vast expanse of bright red peach blossoms covering the sky. A row of Imperial Guards walked past, all tall and distinguished-looking. The young man leading them wore crimson official attire, with a silver sword at his waist, standing tall like a cypress, his demeanor graceful and striking.

"Beautiful, isn’t it?" someone whispered into Lu Tong’s ear, "That is Marshal Pei of the Palace Front Office. The number one handsome man in Shengjing City, a title I’ve given him."

No sooner had these words been spoken than the procession of Imperial Guards began to approach, heading straight towards them, their pathway invariably leading to an encounter.

The leading female official immediately bowed her head in salute, while the new Imperial Medical Officers hastily stepped aside to make way.

As the Imperial Guards passed in front of Lu Tong and the others, the corners of their robes stirred a gentle breeze. Lu Tong raised her eyes for a moment and caught a glimpse as the young man passed by her, his bearing aristocratic and unapproachable, his gaze beyond reach.

He was like an esteemed stranger, not pausing for those he brushed shoulders with.

It wasn’t until the shadows of the guards had receded into the distance that the Imperial Medical Officers relaxed once again.

Some younger Imperial Medical Officers, intrigued by the imposing figures they had just witnessed, eagerly whispered among themselves about the people who had passed by.

The person who had spoken earlier next to Lu Tong also joined in with a sigh, "Truly handsome, but his eyes always gaze down from above, so proud! Sister, what do you think?"

Turning to Lu Tong, her smile bright but leaving Lu Tong momentarily at a loss for words.

It was at the palace gate that Lu Tong had encountered Lin Danqing.

Lin Danqing had arrived early; spotting Lu Tong, she pulled her into conversation as if they were old friends.

It was then that Lu Tong learned that the girl who had stood up for her in the spring examination hall and argued with Cao Huai was also successful in the spring examinations, becoming one of the new Imperial Medical Officers this year.

As Lu Tong was the only commoner medical worker among the group of new Imperial Medical Officers, and with her placing first on the list, having bested all the celebrated talents of the Imperial Medical Bureau, the other officers harbored some hostility towards her.

Lin Danqing probably sensed this as well and took the initiative to speak to Lu Tong, attempting to ease the tense atmosphere. However, in Lu Tong’s view, sometimes excessive friendliness could make others even more uncomfortable.

"Sister, don’t worry. My father also worked in the Medical Officer Institute, so I’m quite familiar with this place. I’ll look out for you in the future and make sure no one bullies you," Lin Danqing declared righteously. "You seem so gentle and frail; this palace is full of schemers, and I worry about a little bunny like you being eaten by wolves."

As they were talking, the leading female official suddenly stopped and said to everyone, "We’ve arrived."

Raising their heads, they all saw an official courtyard before them.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read